BIKE supremo Tom Gibbs started his 2016 Lakeland Lanequest Series in ideal fashion with victory at Oxen Park.

The reigning champion claimed victory in the opening event of the 2016 campaign, checking in at 30 control points in the two-hour time limit.

That was two more than nearest rivals David Heffernan, from Ulverston, and Graham Tibbot in the Wheelbase-sponored cycling orienteering event.

Series founder Carol McNeil had set a tough course on the lanes around Oxen Park, with 111 competitors taking up the challenge of navigating them.

In the solo women’s category, last year’s series champion Helen Jackson could only finish third, on 245 points, with close rival Jo Cleary taking the honours on 260. Zoë Harding split them with 258.

Cleary’s daughter Hannah, fresh from taking an A-Level exam that day, came home in equal-fourth alongside former ladies champion Anne Plant, from Pennington, on 240 points.

In the generation pairs, Eddie and Andrew Leedham scored 210 points to take first place, ahead of Paul and Jim O’Reilly, on 172.

The adult pairs/threes is always hotly contested, and on this occasion, regulars Bruce Attwood and Sally Ward tied for first place with James Annan and Julia Hargreaves on 240 points.

One half of last year’s series winners, Rachel Toyn, rode with her visiting parents, while husband Mike contested the men’s solo category, coming in on 274 points for a creditable fourth.

The next event in the series takes place from the Derby Arms, Witherslack, on Tuesday, June 21.