Anyone who dips under the hour mark hour on the tough West of Windsor 25 course should feel pleased with themselves.

In Hounslow & District Wheelers' midsummer 25-mile time trial on Sunday, Rob Gilmour had two extra reasons to celebrate - first, his time of 59 minutes nine seconds eanred him victory and, second, it was 25 years to day of his first 25-miler under the hour.

Gilmour's 1984 ride was slightly quicker (57.48) and was completed on an 82in fixed gear but, since it was done on the fast North Road (F1) course, it was possibly less of an athletic achievement than this time round, on a course that no one will ever describe as fast.

Second-placed David Brown came within 39 seconds of beating the hour, and this was an exceptionally good ride.

The 20-year-old has just finished the second year of his sports science degree and, recently, his academic work has left him with no time to practise his chosen sport, so to produce this effort on the basis of no competitive riding shows promise of great things to come.

Another man chasing the hour was Paul Holdsworth, who had elected to ride a basic fixed-wheel bike.

This concept, which seeks to discover what a rider can do without modern aids, seems to be gaining some acceptance in the cycling world and it is perhaps an inevitable reaction against the expense and complexity of contemporary practice.

Holdsworth had clocked 1:02.03 the previous week on this bike and course, and was making a determined effort to achieve the magic 59 on Sunday, raising his gear from 86.8in to 93in, and doubtless gritting his teeth a little harder.

The result was a 1:00.48 - close, but no cigar; it gave him third place.

Afterwards, it was clear that, although he looked effortlessly stylish from the roadside, it had not been an easy 25 miles.

“I feel like I’ve just ridden a hard 50,” he said, and complained that he had found holding the bottom of the old-style dropped bars uncomfortable compared with the modern set-up with clip-ons and arm rests.

There is little doubt that with some tweaking of position and perhaps a slightly better day, he will achieve his sub-hour ride on this bike.

By sacrificing his chance of winning, Holdsworth certainly added to the interest of this event.

The elite quartet of riders inside 61 minutes was completed by Paul Innes with 1:00.53.

From a field of 23, there were five women and, of these, the best was Jo Wells, with a creditable 1:09.28.

The handicap prize also went to one of the women, Patsy Howe, who - with an allowance of 28 minutes - recorded a handicap time of 52.20.

Howe is a relative newcomer to time trialling and what she lacks in speed is partly compensated by a naturally smooth style thath holds the promise of much quicker performances yet to come.

Mention should be made of Martyn Roach, whose work as club racing secretary made this event possible.

Result (top 10):

1. Rob Gilmour 59.09.

2. David Brown 1.00.38 3. Paul Holdsworth 1.00.48 4. Paul Innes 1.00.53 5. Brent Skinner 1.03.42 6. Mark Silver 1.04.31 7. Jeff Marshall 1.04 39 8. Neil Holdsworth 1.07.51 9. Jo Wells 1.09.28 10. Simon Graham 1.10.29.