Some good performances from our younger riders of late.

I'm finally cutting back on the travelling this year and taking a more relaxed view of cycling.

Consequently I've been to far fewer races than previously, taken far fewer pictures and posted far fewer reports.

That doesn't mean that our younger riders aren't competing and aren't doing well, just that I haven't been there to see and report on it so much.

Jack Finch continues to be our best performing Youth rider across a range of disciplines, and a fighting 4th place at today's Southern XC round at Crow Hill in the New Forest today sees him in 3rd place in the Series. Brother George is performing really well in the Under 12s category at mountain bike races and was on the podium again today with a third place at Crow Hill. This following his win at Pippingford in the previous round keeps him well in contention for the Series.

Jack Spicer returned to racing today after slicing his knee open on an opponents disc brake rotor in the National Points Series Round at Margam Park in South Wales a fortnight ago. Ninth place wasn't bad after a fortnight off the bike.

Doing well in the Beastway Series at Hog Hill on Wednesday evenings is first year Junior Liam White, with a string of wins to date. Racing for the first time in the Southern XC Series today he came up against tougher opposition but acquitted himself well. Liam has been attending our Junior sessions since the very beginning at Crabble nine or ten years ago, I actually forget how long. I don't think he'll be offended if I say he hasn't always been the most instant or natural talent in the club. This year though something has clicked, he now goes through single track like a dose of salts and has a level of fitness and speed I've never seen from him before. In the most recent Summer Sizzler at Fowlmead he comprehensively beat all the other VC Deal youngsters, and was well placed in the Senior field. This I, and I suspect he, wouldn't have dreamed of a few months ago. In Jack Spicers words, he was flying.

Perhaps the greatest success story recently is Tom Butler. Like Liam. Thomas has been with us from a very young age, and has always been a great bike rider. Must be something in the genes because brother Michael was one of the most naturally talented riders it has been my pleasure to coach. However Thomas had drifted away from what we do over the last couple of years and we hadn't seen much of him. At the end of the cross season we needed another rider to make up a Youth Team in the LC-CA Team Championships, and we almost begged Thomas to ride. Having done no real endurance work for ages Tom put in a great ride, backing the two Jacks to secure a VC Deal win. I think that helped to rekindle his enthusiasm for cross-country racing, and he has competed in all this seasons Beastway and Southern XC rounds, winning all four rounds at Beastway to date and the last two Southern XC's after a second place in the first round. He's riding really well and was a convincing winner of the Juvenile Mens race at Crow Hill today, leading from start to finish.

Another rider deserving of a mention is Thomas Finch. Riding in the colours of his road and track club VC Londres, he has notched up some impressive results in his age group in road races and the Suzie Omnium Series Track events. He's also impressed in the gentler group in the Lydden at Fowlmead training races. He's pretty damn quick for a twelve year-old, and I look forward to him returning to VC Deal colours for the upcoming cyclo-cross season (it's only three months away).

Finally, another nudge for those wanting to come to Afan in October. Please give me definite bookings and show me the colour of your money so's I know you mean it. £30 per person deposit please. My last request had little effect. A number of people have told me they are coming, but I'm not prepared to book rooms without the comfort of a deposit.

Lastly, pictures from the last two rounds of the Southern XC Series are posted on Flickr. Click on the links below: -

Round 2 at Pippingford

Round 3 at Crow Hill

Richard Wood

UPDATE;

We left for home just after the Elite and Expert races kicked off. Just seen on Facebook that Gary Record won the Expert Race. Congratulations Gary and thanks for flying the VC Deal flag at MTB races.