Rodney Smith returned to action after a year out injured to put the heat on time trial series leader Keith Walker.

Smith, a quick and experienced rider, suffered multiplier fractures after colliding with a car while out training a year ago. He was back on the start sheet for Wigmore Cycling Club’s Evening 10 mile time trial series.

If series leader Walker was going to win his third successive event he was going to need

to pull out a very quick ride to beat Smith, which is what he did.

As expected, it couldn’t have been any closer at the end between Walker and Smith, with the man-to-beat just edging out the returning rider by three seconds to take his third successive win in 23mins40secs.

After recent resurfacing works on the Old Sheppey Way,13 riders started round nine, with a slightly later start to allow traffic to quieten down at the Cowstead

roundabout - which the riders all need to negotiate twice.

Steve Penny took the last step of the podium with a 25.07. Like all of the riders, Penny found the easterly wind and heavy feel of the new tarmac stopping them posting faster times than they would have expected.

Cameron Carthew won the Road Bike category with a 25.26, and Kate Savage took the ladies win, to extend her points in the Ladies trophy.

Results: 1 Keith Walker 23.40, 2 Rodney Smith 23.43, 3 Steve Penny 25.07, 4 Cameron Carthew 25.26, 5 Phil Appleby 25.26, 6 Julien Barton 25.44, 7 Ed Everall 25.58, 8 Dave Wastall 26.18, 9 Franco Della Mura 26.31, 10 Duncan Tippins 26.41, 11 Richard Masters 26.56, 12 Kate Savage 27.29, 13 Stephen Bishop 29.37.