BURY Clarion members took part in a classic early-season race at Aintree racecourse recently.

David Gamble, Marc Lowden, James Duffy, Declan Brady and Joseph Cadwallader all competed in the race that featured Olympic gold medallist Ed Clancy.

The Bury riders performed well, Lowden on a solo break effort, Gamble rolling the dice with a big effort on the last lap and Cadwallader bagging second in the sprint from what was the main group.

Duffy suffered cramp towards the end, while Brady rode a comfortable race giving Bury great confidence ahead of Sunday when he looks to challenge in the Bowland Road race.

Elsewhere, Francis Woodcock was in the first round of Manchester and District juvenile 10tt championship.

He was under instructions not to go too deep and ride a very controlled race and he set a very fast 22mins 44secs to win the first round.

He now has another two rounds to negotiate but if his form improves he may have a chance of winning the event outright. His time was good enough for fourth fastest under-18.

Next came the Mosley crit at Tameside which was always going to be a big test, with the best u17s in the region taking part.

He finished with the lead group to put him in a really good position for bigger stage races later in the year as racing on back-to-back days can be hard.

Brady competes in the Bowland Road race on Sunday, while Woodcock is in the second round of the Manchester juvenile 10tt and another crit at Tameside on Sunday.