Sussex ace Sean Yates beat fellow veteran Tim Stevens in the Central Sussex CC 25-mile time trial that started at Ashurst.

Former Tour de France stage winner Yates (Team Clean) - who took the weekend off from his new job managing the CSC professional team -ignored the chilling rain to clock 54min.5sec.

This was an excellent time for the start of the season, particularly as Yates chose to ride with a fixed wheel instead of using a multi-geared bike.

Second place went to Croydon rider Tim Stevens (34th Nomads), a former amateur international who, at 42, is the same age as Yates.

Stevens recorded 56min.37sec, just two seconds slower than his winning time last year. He sensed though that Yates, the last man to start, would improve on his time.

Sussex rider John Limpus (GS Stella) clocked 57min.17sec for third place but his hopes of a team win were dashed when Mark Jones punctured.

Jones said: "It was a slow puncture and I was able to carry on until I was given a new wheel, but once I stopped I was too cold to continue. The rain was absolutely freezing."

Stewart Jardine (Twickenham) placed fourth in 57min 47sec. Hastings rider Steve Geran (VC Bayeux) was fifth in 57min.51sec and the Isle of Wight's Dave Dent (Wightlink) was sixth in 58min. 27sec.

Paul Byford, Philip Charman and Alan Denman recorded an aggregate 3hr.10min.33sec to give Crawley Wheelers the team prize.

Yates will race whenever his managerial duties permit. He said: "I was on duty in Australia last month for the Tour Down Under and in a couple of days I'll be in the South of France for the Tour of the Mediterranean."

His CSC team made a good showing in the Tour Down Under with Italian Andrea Tafi winning the points competition.

Sussex cyclo-cross champion Jonathan Sharpe (Evans Cycles) ended his winter season by finishing second and led his team to third place in the London Team Championships.

Friston rider James Dear (In Gear), last year's winner, competes in the Kingston Wheelers 14-mile hilly time trial at Ripley on Sunday.