Third time lucky for Clinton as he peaks for Buxton

Clinton was contending the event, which made up the third round of the CTT National Series, for the third consecutive year after finishing fourth and second in his previous attempts.

Longnor, nestled in the Peaks can be fickle with the weather, but this year the conditions were good, with some sun and a light breeze to aid riders up the climb.

A massive field of riders would take in three laps of an 11-mile circuit, starting off with a tough four-mile climb.

Clinton, riding for Mike Vaughan Cycles, had chosen his kit well, using his Trek Speed Concept TT bike, with Bontrager Carbon wheels to tackle what some regard as the hardest TT course in the country.

The penultimate of nearly 150 riders, Clinton hit the first lap extremely fast, posting a time of 27:09, with the next nearest rider already 14 seconds in arrears.

The fast first lap then appeared to take its toll on Clinton, with National Hill Climb champion Tejvan Pettinger pulling ahead to have completed two laps in 54:53 for a 15-second advantage.

Riders were now looking tired as they hit the four-mile climb for the third and final time but Clinton’s blistering final descent into the village stopped the clock at 1:23:23, putting him just two seconds clear of second-placed Pettinger.