THE end of the racing season for cycling came with Warrington Road Club’s Open 2up team time trial in memory of Johnny Helms – Cycling Weekly resident cartoonist from 1946 to 2009 and honorary club member.

The open event brought 23 clubs together with 32 teams competing to win the sought-after Helms trophy around the technical 25-mile course near Jodrell Bank in Cheshire.

The teams had a healthy mix of seniors, vets, men, ladies and juniors to make the competition for fastest team, fastest vets on standard and fastest team with a lady all the more healthy.

Clear favourites and the two strongest riders by some distance were Fibrax Wrexham Road Club’s David Crawley and David Williams who completed the course with an impressive 51mins 28secs.

They were a clear 2mins 1sec ahead of second place vets’ standard winners, John Morgan and Paul Flemming from Preston Wheelers.

Third place went to John Stell and Nigel Clementson from Ribble Valley and Wigan Wheelers respectively who arrived over the finish line 3mins 27secs behind the Fibrax Wrexham pair.

Warrington Road Club were represented by Ian Haddock and Steve Hankey, who finished in a very respectable seventh in a time of 56mins 10secs which was a season’s best for them on the Cheshire course this year.

Fastest team with a lady were team Swifts Alex Smethurst and Tim Humphries in a time of 59mins 21secs.

They beat Heather and Fred Bamford from Racing Chance Foundation and Stretford Wheelers to second by only 1min 22secs.

Ladies Rebecca Holland and Gina Riley of Chester RC and Team 22 finished third in this event and an impressive 14th place in the field over all, they were the only all-ladies team in the event beating over half the field with a great time of 1hr 1min 8secs.