SPEED queen Avril Swan brought the curtain down on her UK cycling career in style by picking up a prestigious honour at the annual Cycling Time Trials awards in Nottingham last Saturday.

SPEED queen Avril Swan brought the curtain down on her UK cycling career in style by picking up a prestigious honour at the annual Cycling Time Trials awards in Nottingham last Saturday.

Swan, 44, pictured, is a member of St Ives CC, and was recognised for her outstanding achievements over the season which saw the Team Endura MI Racing rider take the bronze medal in the Best All Rounder category.

The season-long competition is judged on a rider’s fastest speeds over 25, 50 and 100 miles and saw her go head-to-head with successful Olympic competitors.

Riding at average speeds of 26 mph, her performance in the 100-mile event also scooped the National Irish record.

But it was also a bittersweet moment for the Irish-born athlete, as the medal marks the end of her stay in Huntingdon and, after six action-packed years, she returns to Australia at the end of the month.

Swan’s other achievements include a trio of podium finishes in the Best All Rounder competition, along with setting Irish National records at 25, 50 and 100 miles, a World Masters medal, as well as numerous course records around the country.