St Ives CC’s Gary Stevens pulls out all the stops at the East District Cycling Association 100-mile time trial

VETERAN St Ives CC member Gary Stevens rolled back the years to put in a stunning performance at the East District Cycling Association 100-mile time trial on Sunday.

It was the first time in 14 years that the 54-year-old had tackled the distance and demonstrated that the passing years had done nothing to hamper any of his phenomenal speed.

His finished in just over four hours on that occasion and, this time, clocked 3.57.31hrs to finish in ninth position in the overall standings.

The day started extremely early for Stevens, as he set off from his Ramsey home towards Attleborough, near Norwich, for his 5.43am start time.

Deciding to ride without the assistance of any roadside helpers, Stevens had placed water bottles and energy food on the course to be collected half way through his gruelling event.

As the mist was still hanging in the valleys, the early start time meant uncharacteristically cold conditions but, importantly, the winds were very still.

His first 25-mile split time showed that he was on schedule although, as he passed the 50-mile marker, his pace appeared to be slowing.

But Stevens - hugely experienced in the art of long distance racing - soon picked it up again and managed to hold on to his 25mph average speed.

It set him up for the finish, as he took advantage of the improving conditions to clock under four hours.