LOCAL cycling club Swindon RC is once again set promote the Cricklade Festival Road Race this Saturday, June 18.

This 'Bike Week' event sees 60 racing cyclists from around the country taking on ten laps of a course covering Cricklade, Common Hill and Chelworth, with the finish on Common Hill at approximately 11.30am.

Race headquarters is at Crick-lade Leisure Centre with the start to be announced by the town crier, opposite St Mary's Church, High Street, at 10am.

The race raises funds for the Jubilee Gardens Project at Purton Stoke. This is the highlight of Swindon RC's bike week events in a year that has seen club membership grow to an all-time high.

Meanwhile, club members Gary Loyden and Graham Messer were in action at the weekend in the Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers ten-mile time trial on a course at Andover.

With the help of sunny skies and only a slight wind, both produced new personal best times.

Loydon finished in 23min 30sec while Messer recorded a respectable 21.56, beating his previous best time by nine seconds.

In cool and very breezy conditions, Swindon RC's Trevor Sherwood produced a PB to gain second place in the Sotonia CC ten-mile TT on a course close to Andover.

Sherwood, who finished with a time of 22.13, was only 20 seconds down on event winner Gavin Morton, who hails from the Charlotteville CC.

Swindon's Gary Loyden was placed 31st from 100 finishers in a time of 24.17.

Continuing his excellent form, Sherwood then posted the fastest time of any Swindon rider in last week's weekly ten-mile TT on the Latton course.

The good weather, which supported an entry of 50 riders, saw a clutch of personal bests and a number of novices competing in their first-ever time trial.

Results: T Sherwood 23.10, G Messer 23.18, J Robbins 24.11 (PB), M Kent 24.14, C Broad-Drake 24.33, N Mawson 24.43, R Pike 24.55, M Mason 25.28 (PB), J Foster 25.38, M Allen 25.42, N Lowe 25.48, D Williams 26.00 (PB), G Terrett 26.09 (PB), L Dickens 26.19 (PB), R Patterson 26.33, R Cantwell 27.10, A Smith 27.12 (PB), J Pike 28.21 (PB), J Howitt 28.45, Y Smith 29.10, R Lark 29.18, T Flower 32.06, S Gill 32.22, M Tordoff 33.23, J Smith 37.07.

As this week is national 'Bike Week', the Swindon RC is promoting a number of local events.

The first such event was the Cotswold League Road Race, which was due to be held at Brinkworth last Tuesday evening.

Tonight (Thursday,) it's the turn of Swindon RC to promote the weekly time trial at Ashton Keynes.

Also on Thursday, there is a Come and Try Beginner/Novice race at Castle Combe, at 7pm.

This special event is aimed at all new riders who would like to try cycle racing. All bikes are allowed and entry fee on the night is £2.

For news and information about the Swindon Road Club, check out their website on www.swindon-rc.co.uk