SUNDAY'S Booths Grand Prix time trial around Windermere was every bit the thriller that had been predicted, writes Richard Belk..

The Kent Valley Road Club event was packed with international cyclists and the tension was almost tangible as the star riders posted successively faster times until Stuart Dangerfield topped the lot with a stunning 58 minutes and 4 secs circuit of the lake.

The Camel Valley CTC man finished almost two-minutes clear of his nearest rival, Ulsterman Michael Hutch-insion, who is the reigning Rudy Project circuit time trial series champion.

But Dangerfield's success in this, the opening round of the 2002 national circuit series, will not divert him from his main aim for the season, this year's Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

The ace short-distance time triallist and hill-climber has spent much of the winter in Australia honing his fitness for the Games and he told his audience at the post race presentation in Bowness's Wheelhouse Club: " Everything is geared to the Commonwealth Games and everything else is a stepping stone."

All Sunday's riders, in a full field of 120, had to contend with potentially treacherous corners thanks to untimely drizzle.

But, as expected, the coming together of Britain's top time triallists and road men riders produced some sizzling performances on the infamous twisting and switchback Lakeland roads.

Youngster James Millard (API Bikes.com) set the early pace with 1-01-02 for the 25.7 miles route and led the field for more than an hour until roadman Mark Lovatt sent a buzz around the finishing board with his 1-00-48.

However, within five minutes, the versatile Julian Ramsbottom had the lead with 1-00-26.

Then came Michael Hutchinson's 1-00-02.

Last year's winner Matt Bottrill battled hard with a

1-00-19 but even the man from the West Country could not stem a tide of top quality riding as British Best All-Rounder Kevin Dawson (1-00-15) and irrepressible Midlander Dangerfield powered to the finish at Braithwaite Fold.

The event dates back to 1980 and has boasted Chris Boardman and the legendary Gethin Butler (seven times) among past winners, but never before have so many elite riders faced the 5,4,3,2,1 countdown beside the lake.

Butler himself was only eighth fastest with 1-01-22 and super Scot Mark Atkinson from Fort William had to settle for ninth best in 1-01-33, just ahead of former national road champion David Cook, 1-01-46.

The women's event was just as classy at the front with world mountain bike star Caroline Alexander, now living in Millom, clocking 1-09-51 ahead of British Women's Best All-Rounder Karen Steele on 1-12-34.

Caroline has spent the last few months training in America and joked at the presentation that the drizzle should help acclimatise her for her next big event, the Fleche Wallone road race in Belgium.

Riding against the best clearly inspired some of the local riders too.

Kent Valley's own Chris Barron gave another glimpse of the potential he showed a few year's ago with a 1-04-28 time, which gave him 19th place overall ahead of former national cyclocross champion Barrie Clarke, riding for the Lakes Road Club, on 1-04-44.

Next came Kent Valley veteran Andrew Powell, who rode 1-04-58, for the second fastest veteran 40 time of the day.