A VETERAN cyclist who returned to the sport after a gap of more than 40 years has claimed a national road race title and is now looking for world glory.

Bryan Bliss, who rides for Ferryhill Wheelers, won the British Cycling Federation Over 65s National Road Race Championships, in Stevenage.

He covered the 61-mile course in 2 hours 30 minutes to finish a full minute in front of his nearest rival. It was his 12th victory of the year.

Mr Bliss, from East Cowton, near Darlington, said: "I'd won 11 races prior to that, so I was confident I'd get a medal.

"I really did feel I would finish in the top three because of my form against the best riders in the country.

"The course particularly suited me, because it was very hilly for a veterans' race, and if I was to design a course, that is what I would have chosen."

Mr Bliss, 65, began racing when he was 12. He finished third in the National Junior Road Race Championship in 1953, before going on to win 34 more races as a senior rider.

His career as a company director prevented him from cycling for many years, but he took up the sport again on his retirement in 1998, and has since gone from strength to strength.

Now Mr Bliss is hoping for more success in the Over 60s World Championships, in Austria, in three weeks time.

He said: "I am moving up into a new league, but I am going with some hope that I will do well.

"If I get a medal I will be pleased, and if I get that gold gong and the yellow jersey I will be doing cartwheels."