HALESOWEN Cycling Club's road team nailed their first race win of the season after Matt Clarke and Tom Swingler delivered a dominating performance in the Rob Wilmott memorial race near Gloucester.

Clarke landed the victory with Swingler taking the most aggressive rider award.

The young duo, sponsored by Wenlock Spring, rode convincingly in the 100 kilometre race over six laps of a rolling course.

Swingler made it into an early escape of three riders which stayed clear for most of the early part of the race, then went solo on a further attack, gaining 40 seconds and looking a likely winner at one point.

After he was caught one lap from the finish, his team mate Clarke came into his own as the peloton split up a dragging one-mile climb, which eased just before the chequered flag.

"I didn't know the finish but the bunch split to bits," said Clarke. "I attacked and got a gap, but then I had to kick again as someone was catching me."

The 24-year-old landed two wins last year and came within an ace of gaining his first category licence, and he goes on with high hopes to test himself against the best riders in the country at the Klondyke Grand Prix Premier Calendar event in Cleveland.

Elsewhere over the weekend, new Halesowen signing Dan Morris made his debut in triathlon, posting the fastest bike time in the Wombourne Tri and finishing 17th in his age category, while Nick Clayton clocked a rapid 54min 48 sec to notch up a personal best in the British University championship 25 mile time trial.

With leader Clarke in Cleveland, next weekend the Halesowen team mainly compete close to home, with Swingler bound to be among the favourites for the Wyre Forest road race near Malvern where he will be backed up by juniors Morris and Henry Lloyd Langston as well as Patrick Fotheringham and James Phaysey.