Cycling: Matt Bottrill posts hat-trick of time-trial golds

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Matt Bottrill completed a magnificent hat-trick of national time-trial gold medals when he took the 10-mile championship for the first time.

The Whitwick postman clocked a championship record 17min 40sec – the second-fastest time ever recorded for the distance in this country – to beat An Post professional Ryan Mullen by just two seconds in East Yorkshire.

Former champion Michael Hutchinson (In Gear) was third with 17.53.

To round off a superb day, Bottrill also led Drag2Zero.com to team victory in a championship record time, Mark Jones and Dan Barnett the other counters.

Bottrill already had the 50 and 25-mile titles to his name when he went to the line but was determined to complete the treble, putting in what he believes was his hardest training stint in preparation for the event.

"I'm totally made up with the ride," he said after completing his incredible feat.

"I trained so hard for this, pushing myself beyond the limits I thought I had.

"Three weeks of consistent interval training has been pretty tough. But if I wanted the win, I had to do it.

"This was a really special ride, a championship record, second-fastest 10-mile TT ever ridden and a course record to boot."

Lutterworth Cycle Centre's Matt Sinclair came home in 12th place, clocking a personal best 18.36 in what, as expected, was a hotly-contested events.

"I gave it everything and my stats have shown that, I produced the best power and highest average heart rate I've ever hit," he said.

"Unfortunately, I was still three seconds off the top 10 place I was after.

"My time got me 12th, which is my best placing at the event."

April Tacey, of Leicestershire Road Club, produced a strong ride at Scarborough in the National youth circuit race series.

This was only Tacey's second ride in the series but she was not intimidated by the steep climb of 'Oliver's Mount' and stayed with the leading group throughout the under-14 race to finish a commendable fifth.

Michiel Vaal clocked a personal-best 23.06 to win the last Rockingham Forest Wheelers' 10-miler of the season.

Second-placed Pete Wilson was 28 seconds back.

Wheelers are now looking forward to their hill-climb challenge against Kettering CC on Sunday at Drayton.