A SNAPPED gear cable scuppered Paul Holdworth's chances of winning the Elmet 12 Hour Time Trial last Sunday.
The Hounslow & District Wheelers rider hit the snag about halfway through the race, and although his front gear still worked, it severely limited his options.
Holdsworth's helpers tried to get him to stop, change the back wheel and screw the gear mechanism down. But he refused, fearing that once he broke his rhythm it would be hard to get going again.
However, despite that bad patch, Holdsworth still managed to finish sixth, having covered 270-87 miles before his time was up.
The distance should be enough to help him to another high ranking in the British Best All Rounder table again this year.
Holdsworth had started out with an aggressive strategy, pushing through the big gears in a windless morning in which he was well up in the leading pack.
However, despite covering the first 100 miles inside an impressive four hours eight minutes, and brisk wind and steady rain slowed him up even before the gear cable troubles.
