James McCallum proved a surprise winner of the men's elite race at Otley Cycling Club's National Criterium Championship on Wednesday night.

The Plowman Craven Evans Cycles RT rider got to the head of an eight-man breakaway to triumph in 59min 47sec.

The rest of the podium places went to Ed Clancy (Landbouwk) and Matthew Cronshaw (Scienceinsport-Trek), with the whole group being given the same time.

Keighley's Tom Barras (Merlin Racing team) was 11th at 15 seconds, a place ahead of 2006 winner Russell Downing (Healthnet Maxis), with Yorkshire champion Dean Downing (Rapha Condor RT) 14th, just in front of perennial Otley podium-finisher Ian Wilkinson (Scienceinsport-Trek).

The senior race kicked off proceedings and went to Damian Sharp of West Yorkshire Police Cycling Club.

He won a sprint finish from Daniel Birch (Obricoaching RT), with David Fletcher (Sherwood Pines) rounding out the top three two seconds adrift of the leading duo.

Otley's Jonathan Farnaby (Crosstrax) was the first local rider to finish in fifth, also two seconds down, while Bronte Wheelers' Joel Davison was eighth, a further second behind.

First woman home was Otley's Lizzie Armitstead (Global Racing Team) in 14th, clocking 39min 22sec.

Local interest was strongly represented in the youths race, which was four laps of the 1.4 mile circuit.

Bingley Grammar School pupil Robert Watson (Paul Milnes Racing Team) won the boys' under-16 race and school colleague Hannah Shenton (Team Chance) the girls' under-14 event.

There was also a five-kilometre athletics race, with Otley Athletics Club's Ian Fisher, pictured right, triumphing for the second successive week in his home town.

Seven days previously, Fisher had won the Otley Road Race and he made it a double by clocking 15min 13sec to finish 28 seconds in front of clubmate Jamil Parapia. Third was Mike Burrett (Leeds City) in 15-45.

Amy Green (Keighley & Craven Athletics Club) emulated Fisher's feat with a second straight win, this time in the women's race in 17min 49sec.

She had 11 seconds to spare over runner-up Lisa Mawer (Bingley Harriers), with Pauline Munro (Bingley), second last week, third this time in 18min 01sec.

Organiser Mike Gill said: "The whole evening went off without a hitch and was the best we have done.

"Although the weather was humid, there was no rain but the cyclists did get a splash every lap from the water that was left on the road from this week's thunderstorm."

Results - Elite race: 1 James McCallum (Plow-man Craven Evans Cycles RT) 59min 47sec, 2 Ed Clancy (Landbouwk), 3 Matthew Cronshaw (Science-insport-Trek) both same time, 4 Simon Holt (Recy-cling.co.uk), 5 Ross Muir (Rapha Condor RT), 6 Tom Diggle (Recycling.co.uk), all at one second, 7 James Taylor (Plowman Craven Evans Cycles RT), 8 Ben Greenwood (Bedogni Natalini Praga) at two seconds, 9 Ian Bibby (Scienceinsport-Trek), 10 Adam Blythe (Sciencein-sport-Trek), both at 15 seconds.

Senior race: 1 Damian Sharp (West Yorkshire Police CC) 39min 17sec, 2 Daniel Birch (Obricoaching RT), same time, 3 David Fletcher (Sherwood Pines), 4 Daniel McLay (Leicestershire RC), 5 Jonathan Farnaby (Crosstrax) all at two seconds, 6 Justin Rob-inson (MTS Cyclesport), 7 Matthew Wood (West Pen-nine RC), 8 Joel Davison (Bronte Wheelers), 9 Jeremy Robinson (Triangle RT-Bianchi), all at three seconds.

  • Click here for more pictures