TEAM GB duathlete Chris Roxburgh topped the timesheets when Trowbridge Hot Chilli Triathlon Club held their first-ever duathlon event.

More than 50 athletes from across the South West braved freezing temperatures on Saturday to bring in a new year of multi-event racing.

The event saw competitors tackle a 3km run, 20km bike ride, followed by another 3km run, with the race starting at Trowbridge RFC and taking in spots at the canal, Keevil, Bulkington and the notorious Bell Hill.

Participants came from as far away as Cardiff and Southampton and were aged from 15 to nearly 60.

Will Cruddington, an elite junior from the Hot Chilli Club, led from the start but had to pull-up due to a knee injury, which allowed fellow Wiltshire runner Roxburgh to cruise to the line in first place. Will Arnold was runner-up ahead of Adam Robbins.

The ladies’ event was won by Lauren Roe from Cardiff University Triathlon ahead of Stephanie Ridge and Susan Bushnell.

Roxburgh, from Westbury Leigh, said: “I was pleased with how I went. It’s nice to win any race and especially with this being the first one.

“It was a good course. There were a few lumps and bumps, and twists and turns, which is a lot more fun that just going round in a circuit.

“It was good to get a race in my legs as I have done a lot of training recently and you can go a bit stale.

“Next up I’ve got the Bath Half and then a bike race in Winchester , which I am looking forward to as I haven’t done just a bike race for ages.

“Then it’s the European Powerman Championships in Holland in April, which will be a fun challenge.”

Hot Chilli Club chairman Martin Disney added: “This is the first year we have organised a duathlon and it has been a great success, in no small part due to the excellent facility the town can boast at Trowbridge RFC – it was great to see all the competitors relaxing with a bacon-roll and coffee chatting over the race.

“Duathlon’s are a great way to try out multi-sport competition and a lot of people compete in a duathlon before moving onto triathlon as well as providing a great opportunity to race during the triathlon off-season when it’s too cold for open water swimming.

“We would obviously have loved Will to have won for the club but Chris and Lauren both put in extremely good performances on the day. And I must say, it was incredibly cold, although we were lucky to get the sun and conditions were good on the road.”

The next Hot Chilli Club event is an aquathlon – a swim followed by a run – on Sunday, April 5, followed by the Big T Triathlon on Monday, May 4, both of which are based from Trowbridge Sports Centre.