At last the riders at Carlisle Cycling Association’s evening series had the chance to race under blue skies this week.
The low temperatures and strong winds, which dogged the early weeks of competition, were replaced with almost perfect race conditions and riders were out in good numbers.
The first race of the evening for category 3 and 4 riders was a close fought affair with the bunch riding together for the majority of the race.
It was a Cumbrian win this week, with Alex Foster, of Rock to Roll Cycling Club, crossing the line ahead of Richard Davidson from North East-based club Muckle CC with Scot Calum Stewart completing the podium.
There were some other good rides further down the field, notably from on form local rider Harriet Graham, the only female competitor in the race, who finished in 8th place.
There was another three-way battle between Cumbria, Scotland and the North East in the second race of the evening for the more highly ranked riders.
A group of three lapped the field and it was North East rider Hugo Lutz- Atkinson riding for the Ribble rechrg Race Team who looked dominant. But his breakaway companions Dearham rider Jude Davison of Cogset Papyrus and Oliver Newton of Scottish team Torvelo Racing fought back, leading to an exciting sprint for the line.
Lutz-Atkinson held on for the win, however, with Davison narrowly edging out his Scottish rival for second.
Next week there are races for all youth age groups, followed by another chance for the category 3 and 4 adults to do battle.
