MARGINAL decisions influence top sport all the time, but it was a case of top performances that almost never happened at the Alton CC/Owens Cycles weekly time trial last Thursday.

Torrential rain at the Alton end of the H10/8 A31 10-mile course, one hour before the scheduled set-off time of 7pm, had left standing water at the sides of the roads, and the marshalling/timekeeping team of Alan Jacob, Eddy Stevens and Jim Woods were doubtful whether the competition could take place, warning riders that if further rain fell during their warm-up laps, the event would have to be cancelled.

As it it turned out, some nice sunny intervals helped accelerate the surface draining and drying process, allowing six riders to compete.

And what a competition they had. The two fastest riders were the Farnham Triathlon Club pair of Dom Brooks and James Long, who had taken top honours the previous week, with Long recording a personal best.

Both clocked PBs this time, with winner Brooks breaking the 21-minute barrier for the first time in his career. Their times of 20-54 and 21-24 respectively edged Alton clubman Rick Froud into third place with his 21-46. But that time was good enough for Froud to carry off Alton’s 10-mile Club Championship which was held in conjunction.

Rick Froud was probably riding his last event in an Alton CC jersey. He and his family are due to relocate to St Helens, Merseyside over the next few days.

New Alton member Iain Cotton carved 12 seconds off his personal best time, set some 25 years ago, with 22-41.

The clear air of the evening and the slightly slick road surface reduced tyre friction and helped towards fast times, although Cotton had also recently been tinkering with his set-up position on the bike, after expert guidance from long-time Alton senior rider Ian Cargill.

Shaun Blow completed the night’s excellent performances with a season’s best 23-05.