IT WAS a weekend of close calls for the Souths top cyclists.

Coming off the back of a world track cycling championships that netted him two gold medals, ReCycling.co.uk professional Rob Hayles was back in action after a well deserved rest.

The Re-cycling.co.uk team went into the prologue of the French Ruban Grantier Breton stage race with Hayles and his teammate, Chris Newton, touted as favourites.

The prologue is a short time trial which many stage races, the Tour de france included, use to decide the first wearer of the leader's jersey.

Hayles came in seventh in the 5.3km prologue with Newton second. But Hayles was the only rider from his team who raced his time trial in the rain.

The race now leaves Rennes and winds around the beautiful Breton countryside for the remaining stages when Hayles will look to confirm his world champion status with a stage win.

Hayles's team has confirmed that the collapse of co-sponsors MG Rover will not affect the them - good news for the Portsmouth rider.

Bad weather made the latest round of the Surrey league a grizzly affair. Held on the MOD test track in Chertsey, which rain always makes glacial, the twists and turns include a corkscrew decent into the finishing straight.

Bio-Agrico's Rob Hurd had been successful at the Goodwood motor racing circuit the previous week and was looking for a repeat performance in this latest round.

As the overall leader in Surrey's Gizmondo/Sigma Sport competition, the Winchester rider was looking to reinforce his position as one of the South's top riders.

For a solo sponsored rider it is always a difficult task to overcome a team willing to work together for a victory for their sponsors. Hurd came up against the strong Liphook Cycles team whose leader, Paul Pickup, is just starting to come into form.

Always a rider to watch, Pickup made his move and raced to victory, leaving Hurd to sprint home in fourth place.

Simon Saunders, from the Isle of Wight and SP Systems/Wightlink squad, fiished just behind in sixth.

In Tuesday's Andover Wheelers club time trial, Sotonia CC's Mike St Leger made the most of light conditions and tail wind for the second half of the race in a six-second victory.

St Leger's superb time of 21min 31sec shows that he has maintained his form from the early season Sotonia events.

Surrey League cats E/1/2/ held at Chertsey MOD on April 23E/1/2 - 50 miles.

Result: 1 Paul Pickup (Liphook Cycles RT) E 1:52:03, 2 Roger Morgan (Stilton RT) E, 3 Joel Stewart (agiskoviner.com) 4 Rob Hurd (Bioagrico) E, 5 Steve Skuse (Kingsnorth International), 6 Simon Saunders (SP Systems/Wightlink), 7 Phil Holloway (Southend Wheelers), 8 Dave Creeggan (VC Meudon) @ 0:35, 9 Dave Worthington (Viner Bikes/Agisko) @ 0:42, 10 Andrew Rigg (Viner Bikes/Agisko).

Andover Wheelers Club Time Trial: 1 M StLedger (Sotonia CC) 21:31, 2 J Prior (Andover Wheelers) 21:37, 3 J Hoy (Evans RT) 21:46, 4 P Bowley (Andover Wheelers) 21:54, 5 A Peterson (AW Cycles.co.uk) 22:05, 6 L Gardner (Andover Wheelers) 22:43, 7 R. Hartnell (Andover Wheelers) 22:56, 8 M Hickley (ACU) 23:19, 9 P Williams (ACU) 23:27, 10 P Ruta (Team Velo Vet) 23:30.