HALESOWEN Academy road racing team were again in action across the country, with Matt Clarke posting a strong finish in the UK's toughest race of the weekend in Cleveland.

Clarke confirmed that he has returned to his best form when he was the only club rider to finish among the leaders at the Klondyke Grand Prix in north-east England, a hilly 100-mile event that forms the second round of British Cycling's Spring Cup.

In his first outing at this level for several years, Clarke was comfortably among a 30-strong group sprinting for places behind the winner Tom Pidcock (ex double junior world champion) of Team Wiggins. Many of the riders who finished with Clarke will be racing this weekend at the Tour de Yorkshire alongside the elite of world cycling.

Flying the colours of sponsor Wenlock Spring, Patrick Fotheringham regained his best sprinting form to claim second place in the Via Roma handicap near Stroud in mid-week, coming within a few inches of claiming the team's second win of the season after strong winds had split the 60-strong field apart on an exposed circuit high on the Cotswolds.

Closer to home, Henry Lloyd-Langston and James Phaysey both newly into the academy finished fifth and sixth in the 56-mile Wyre Forest road race at Martley, leading a depleted bunch home behind a four-man breakaway group. Team mates Fotheringham and Dan Morris also figured in the 45-strong lead group at the end of this fast race which split in the opening miles, and that gave the quartet the trophy for best team on the day.

Further south, Cameron Biddle continued his run of good form with 12th place in the Chittern road race on Salisbury plain.

Over the Bank Holiday, Clarke and Biddle continue their campaigns in National B races with the Thames Velo event in Oxfordshire and the Kalas Cup in Somerset, while Morris, Lloyd-Langston, Fotheringham and Tom Swingler remain on home roads with the opening round of the West Midlands Road Race league in Shropshire. For those who prefer not to race ex four-time world champion and voice of cycling Hugh Porter is organising a popular fund raising charity ride for Compton Hospice, which takes place on May 20 with distances from 24 miles to 100 miles. Starting from Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club, the rides head out west and details can be found at roundthewrekin co.uk.

Meanwhile, the annual Halesowen Road Race is due to take place at 9.30am on Sunday, May 13.

The 10th edition of the contest will be over 70 miles and feature a full field of 80 rider, including nine from Halesowen and 19 junior riders.