THREE young riders from Mid Devon Cycling Club embarked on a long weekend 600-mile round trip and first up was Hillingdon, for their first road race of the year. The conditions were wet and windy, but they made the most of it.

Lauren Fox, competing in the under-14 category, kicked off the campaign with a remarkable performance. The girls set off one minute behind the boys and managed to catch up to them within five laps. Lauren did most of the work, taking the lead and controlling the entire race.

She ultimately won the overall race in an exciting sprint finish.

In the under-16 category, Bayley Woodger and Matt Holmes faced a strong field. Bayley started strong, setting a fast pace to keep the tempo high while covering various attacks. Matt also made efforts to break away, but nothing seemed to stick.

With three laps remaining, the race settled into a bunch sprint. Bayley led the sprint but was narrowly caught at the line, finishing in fourth place, while Matt finished twelfth.

Next up was a trip to the Lee Valley Velodrome for Madison training, a relay discipline of track cycling, under the British Cycling pathway RSR (Regional School of Racing). It was a full day focused on learning new skills and developing their existing ones. This was another great experience for everyone, as none of them had raced there before.

Next up for Lauren, Bayley and Matt is a trip across the border into Wales, as they race in the second round of the Icebreaker series in Newport.

Pictured, out in front, is MDCC U16 rider Bayley Woodger in action.