Lancing's Natacha Maes has won the women's National Circuit Time Trial Championship while former Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman took the men's title.

Maes (In Gear) faced tough opposition but sped round the circuit in 32min.46sec to triumph over the women's tough, one-lap 14-mile circuit in Worcestershire. Runner-up Caroline Cook (Cleveley RC) was just five seconds slower.

Maes also sealed the National Time Trial Series title. The championship was the last of seven races involved in the series.

She celebrated her successes the following day by winning the women's race at the Bognor 25-mile Open Time Trial at Fontwell, recording a personal best 56min.20sec.

Belgian-born Maes puts her exceptional form down to racing regularly in road races on the Continent In the run-up to the National Circuit Championship she competed in a women's elite category race in Belgium.

Maes broke away with two other riders ten miles into the 50-mile event. One rider fell back later, leaving Maes and local star Sylvia Deboudt out in front.

Deboudt refused to do her share of the pacemaking and left Maes to expend her energy staying at the front.

Maes was angry when her rival contested the final sprint. Deboudt thought she had won and raised an arm in a victory salute but the photo-finish camera showed Maes had triumphed by a tyre's width.

The Lancing rider said: "She was one of the most unsporting riders I've ever come across."

Around 40 former members of the Brighton Velo Club, plus some members of other local clubs who raced in the Fifties, attended a reunion lunch held at the Anchor Inn in Ringmer.

The Velo was one of the premier racing clubs in the South in the Fifties when it promoted the famous Butlin's Road Race which finished at the Ocean Hotel.

Six Sussex champions from the period (Ron Pannell, Derek Cover, Ben Dewdney, Alan Limbrey, Vic Clarke, and myself) were among the gathering and a presentation was made to club founder John Mitchell.

Now so many former members have been traced it is hoped to make the reunion an annual event.