CWMCARN Paragon riders finished the Welsh time trial season on a high by winning the penultimate race, placing four riders in the top ten, and taking the team award in the final event with four of the top 20 positions.

Top tester Darren Carpenter led the way in the Ogmore Wheelers 20 on a highly technical new course, the RS /11, based on 2x10-mile circuits between Peterston-Super-Ely and Groes Faen.

The severity of the course proved no problem for Carpen-ter who, fresh from his team win in the Welsh 50 Mile Champ-ionships, raced to victory in a superb time of 50mins 54secs.

Andrew Butcher made it a 1/2 for Cwmcarn, recording a quality 51.30 for 2nd overall, with Andrew Stokoe, 56.24, 7th, and Ed Malarczyk, 1.00.07, 8th, completing an excellent day’s racing by Cwmcarn. In the final race of the year, Butcher, Richard Harris and Gareth Rees won the top team award with Cwmcarn taking four top 20 places.

On the ultra fast R10/17, Abergavenny / Raglan course, Butcher followed up his 2nd overall in the Ogmore 20 with a brilliant ride of 20.19, which gave him 4th overall. Harris placed a close 5th overall with a 20.47 and a fine ride of 21.06 for 7th overall by Rees ensured Cwmcarn won the team award.

Ogmore winner Carpenter placed 11th, 21.33, followed by Stokoe, 22.08, 23rd and Jason Williams, 23.09, 40th. Rob Pears, Bath CC, won the event with an excellent 19.24.

In the first round of the Welsh Cyclo-Cross League, the Calfburner X, at Llantarnam, Cwmcarn’s Andrew Baum got his season off to a flying start with a superb solo win. On a dry, fast course of grassy banks and technical woodland, he attacked from the start, gaining time on all his rivals before crossing the line a clear one minute ahead of the second placed rider. Ross Porter rode his usual aggressive race to take 2nd overall in the Veterans’ category.

Joseph Wiltshire was part of the Welsh squad that contested the Inter Regional Track Championships at the National Velodrome, Newport. The team of four boys and three girls performed brilliantly, with the girls taking 1st in the points race, 2nd, team sprint, 2nd team pursuit, 4th sprint and a place in the final of the keirin.

The boys rode with consistency in the team sprint, team pursuit, keirin and madison, and without an untimely crash they could have achieved better results.

Elinor Barker, who contested a number of the Evening 10 events throughout the season, won the World Junior Time Trial Championship at Limburg, Netherlands.

Leading at all the time checks from the start, she covered the 15.6km course in a time of 22mins 26secs, 35secs clear of her nearest rival.