PEDAL power specialist Jamie Sharp was back on the track of glory.

The York cycling ace won the Dirtwheels cyclo-cross event at Otley, where his time of one hour, one minute and 21 seconds put him clear of the field in exacting conditions.

In action for the Team Hope outfit, Sharp was quick to impose on the race the experience he has gleaned across more than 20 years of competitive cycling in all disciplines.

By the time riders dropped into the woodland section of the race he was in front.

And by the second lap, Sharp, who used to ride for VC York and York Cycleworks, the latter still helping him with repairs to his bike, had opened a significant lead over the rest of the field with only four other riders close to keeping him copmany.

The York ace simply declined to let his authority slip on the event and eventually won by some distance from Bob Partridge of the host Dirtwheels club, with Endura Racing’s Rob Watson coming home in third place.

Said the winner, whose Otley success followed hard in the wheel tracks of victory in Richmond: “It was a tough race in testing conditions but the bike held reeally well and I would like to thank Team Hope and also York Cycleworks for this support.”

Sharp first started riding in the mid-1980s after having a successful professional mountain-biking career for more than five years with the Kona outfit.

He has also road-raced but has enjoyed a lot more success since switching to cyclo-cross.