Fergus MuirNorwich rider Dieter Rowe opened his Lotus Cars Cycle Race League account with a convincing win at Hethel. The pace in this first event of the 10-race series was hot from the start, with the field soon splitting into two.Fergus Muir

Norwich rider Dieter Rowe opened his Lotus Cars Cycle Race League account with a convincing win at Hethel.

The pace in this first event of the 10-race series was hot from the start, with the field soon splitting into two.

At the front, 18-year-old Tom Doe (VC Norwich) attacked with three laps to go and was joined by Rowe and Ixworth criterium winner Matt Cook (API).

Rowe, who rides with his London-based brother Lee for the Finchley Racing Team, led out of the last corner and held on to the line. Doe outsprinted Cook to take second.

A field of 25 - a great improvement on last season - contested the Lotus Go-Race for riders aiming mainly for mass-start racing experience.

Ben Mackett, of the resurgent Great Yarmouth CC, was the winner here from Steve Moore (Norwich ABC) and Lewis Bird (Great Yarmouth CC).

In the Wolsey Road Club 25, James Eman of Anglia Velo set a new course record of 56 minutes five seconds for the Wortwell-based version of the Waveney Valley course. He did this in spite of starting quite late in the field on a day when a rising headwind on the final six-mile leg put the later starters at a disadvantage.

Andrew Leggett (Stowmarket & District) was second in 56.42, North Elmham rider Geoff Frost third in 58.06 and last year's winner David Staff (Anglia Velo) fourth in 59.18.

Mark Arnold (Pedal Revolution), who was the fastest entrant on paper, accidentally turned one roundabout too soon at Bungay on the second lap and had to be counted as DNF.

Emilie Fisher (Orbea) revised her own ladies' course record to 1:01.42 in winning the Pat Pepper Memorial Trophy for the third time.

John Dupen (VC Baracchi) won the Tricycle Association 25 in 1:09.28 (another record) from Adrian Perkin (Godric CC) 1:11.52. However these records were achieved in bright and sunny but not fast conditions - there were only seven rides inside 60 minutes from nearly 70 starters.

Even though Mark Arnold found his seat post subsiding during the Stowmarket & District 10, he still turned in a 21.28 ride to win the event on the rolling Woolpit- Ixworth road. On a still afternoon Duncan Murphy (Diss CC) was second in 22:36. Joint third was Liam Gentry and Andy Leggett 22.43; top lady was Emilie Fisher with yet another new ladies' course record - 24.04.

Lowestoft student Joe Skipper took third place in the British Universities road race championship near Melton Mowbray after riding off the front of the field with two other members of Team Zappi's.

This is his new club - based at a cafe run by a former Giro d'Italia rider Flavio Zappi.

Pat Pepper Memorial 25, Wortwell: 1 Emilie Fisher (Orbea/For Goodness Shakes) 1:1.42, 2 Laura Gambling (CC Breckland) 1:04.36, 3 Tracy Prewer (VC Baracchi) 1:16.17, 4 Maureen Nichols (Wolsey RC) 1:20.39, 5 Emma Beard (Stowmarket & District) 1:27.19.

Wolsey RC 25: 1 James Eman (Anglia Velo) 56.05, 2 A Leggett (Stowmarket & District) 56.42, 3 G Frost (API/Metrow) 58.06, 4 D Staff (Anglia Velo) 59.18, 5 B De'ath (Anglia Velo) 59.43, 6 M Lloyd (Colchester Rovers) 59.53, 7 O Bannister (Stowmarket & District) 59.57, 8 G Stevens (East Anglian CC) 1:00.08, 9 C Nudds (CC Breckland) 1:00.19, 10 D Lorne (Norwich ABC) 1:00.22.

Lotus Cars Cycle Race League: 1 Dieter Rowe (Finchley RT), 2 T Doe (VC Norwich), 3 M Cook API/Metrow), 4 B Nicholson (Extreme Sports Therapy), 5 M Auger (VC Norwich), 6 A Elderfield (VC Revolution), 7 M Hunter (Colchester Rovers), 8 D Zagni (Ipswich BC),

9 L Gentry (VC Barrachi),10 N Esser (VCB).

Go-Race (Novices): 1 Ben Mackett (Great Yarmouth CC), 2 S Moore (NABC), 3 L Bird (Great Yarmouth CC), 4 J Browne (VC Norwich), 5 M Wild (VCN), 6 J Claxton (Great Yarmouth CC).