Alistair Rutherford, Stephen Bolton and Alastair Ribbands were crowned joint victors in the Manchester Bicycle Club 10-mile time trial on Saturday, while Jasmine Holmes finished as the fastest female.

In a thrilling finish, Rutherford (Manchester Bicycle Club), Bolton (Giant-Kendal-Sidas.uk) and Ribbands (Congleton CC - MyWindsock) all recorded 21-26 to take home the title as joint champions, with Lloyd Smith of Weaver Valley CC finishing just outside the top three in 21-47.

It is a first win of the season for all three riders who, up until Saturday morning, had been unable to stand on the top step despite recording top three finishes.

On his win, Rutherford said: “The J2/1 course is a staple of Cheshire and it was a great morning for racing. The MBC event was a test to see if early mornings on a Saturday were compatible and it seemed to work well.

“I found the way out to be one of the great tailwinds days, which I overcooked a little. On the way back from the halfway I struggled to get on top of the gears due to the heavy Cheshire roads.

“I kept to the watt target of 320 and held on until the end. It was quite bizarre to have  a 3 way tie for first place, however I was happy to be with such good riders of Stephen Bolton and Alistair Ribands.”

And Bolton said: “I’d heard the course wasn’t the easiest or fastest, having never ridden it before. It was pretty challenging with the road surface; there was a slight tailwind going out but a bit of a headwind coming back home. The conditions overall though were fairly decent, even at 10 degrees.

“My legs weren’t great on the day but Chris Booth, my coach at Giant Kendal-Sidas, has got me in good shape for the last part of the season, so I was definitely pretty happy to come away with joint first for sure.”

In the women’s category, Holmes (Total Tri Training) set 25-08 to finish as the fastest female rider.

For Holmes, it is her second win of the season after coming out on top in the Dukinfield CC 50-mile event back in May.

Mark Lovatt of Congleton CC was the fastest road bike competitor on the course with 22-44, a time good enough for sixth overall, while the only Junior rider on the course, Daniel Jones (Lyme Racing Club), finished in 24-30 for 12th place overall.

This 10-mile event, run on the J2/1 course, begins on the A537 near Bonnington Lane where it heads north through Chelford. After u-turning on the outskirts of Knutsford, it retraces its steps to finish adjacent to George’s Wood.

* All reports are copyright of Cycling Time Trials/Snowdon Sports. Not to be used without permission.

Results:

Open:

1. Alistair Rutherford (Manchester Bicycle Club) 21.26        

2. Ste Bolton (Giant-Kendal-Sidas.uk) 21.26

3. Alastair Ribbands (Congleton CC - MyWindsock) 21.26  

4. Lloyd Smith (Weaver Valley CC) 21.47     

5. Mark Parsons (Team ASL-Bolton) 21.54

6. Mark Lovatt (Congleton CC - MyWindsock) 22.44

Women: Jasmine Holmes (Total Tri Training) 25.08