Oliver Dawson and Cat Ferguson took incredible Youth A wins at the 360cycling North West Youth Tour, while Melanie Rowe and Alex Coles secured the yellow jersey in the Youth B categories.
Youth A Girls
Just off the back of her success at the National Youth Track Championships, Cat Ferguson (Storey Racing) secured the overall win at the North West Youth Tour for a second year in a row after a tough challenge from Carys Lloyd (VC Londres).
The first stage saw the riders take to Morecambe’s Promenade, with Lloyd proving victorious, clocking 4:42.78 over the flat two-mile course. Ferguson came in second, three seconds back, while Isabel Mayes (JRC-INTERFLON Race Team) took third on 4:49.20.
Ferguson fought back on stage two, whipping around the two-mile circuit and ascending Daisy Bank Hill with speed to win eight seconds ahead of a chasing trio. Lloyd sprinted for second, and Alice Colling (Shibden Cycling Club) came in third, while Ruby Oakes (JRC-INTERFLON Race Team) had to settle for fourth despite her efforts.
The final stage at Lancaster University showed Ferguson leave it late to surge for the win, outsprinting Lloyd to cross the line first, while the VC Londres rider had to settle for second. Mari Porton (Halesowen A & CC) finished third in the bunch sprint.
Ferguson and Lloyd’s battle for first and second places throughout showed them as the future stars of the British peloton, with a classic 1-2 on the overall podium. Imogen Wolff (Shibden Cycling Club) took third in the overall standings after consistent performances in the North West Youth Tour, taking fourth, fifth and ninth place finishes.
Youth A Boys
Oliver Dawson (RTD-JsCycleShack) secured the overall Youth A Boys win over the weekend, with one of the toughest fields at the North West Youth Tour.
Sebastian Grindley (North Cheshire Clarion) took the first win on the opening time trial stage, just over a second ahead of Seth Dunwoody (Eastlands Velo), while Joseph Cosgrove (Anexo Group Race Team) came in third.
Stage two was Dawson’s time to shine, storming to the win five seconds ahead of second placed Samuel Coleman. Third went to Oliver Moss (Clifton CC), ten seconds off the winner, as the rest came in the bunch finish.
The third stage saw Ryu Roberts Hayamizu (Evolution Racing Academy) surge to take the win just ahead of James Ingham (Green Jersey CC), while William Salter (Backstedt Bike Performance RC) outsprinted the bunch to take third.
Dawson’s second stage win secured him the yellow jersey by just under 10 seconds, having finished 12th and 22nd in the first and third stages. Coleman came in second overall, after 11th, second, and 28th place finishes, and Dunwoody came in third in the standings. The Eastlands Velo rider took home second, fourth, and 25th places to finish on the podium.
Youth B Girls
Melanie Rowe (Deeside Thistle) secured the overall Youth B girls win, having won the Youth C girls the year before at the North West Youth Tour.
Rowe came in second in the opening time trial, finishing less than half a second behind Megan Cherry (Origin Race Team), while Mabli Phillips (Maindy Flyers CC) came in third.
But the Deeside Thistle rider fought back to take a solo win in the second stage, crossing the line five seconds ahead of Phillips, while Phoebe Taylor (Eastlands Velo) took third.
Cherry took her second win of the weekend with a first place finish on the third stage at Lancaster University, with Rowe again taking second behind her, and Niamh Waters (Edinburgh RC) came in third. Phillips’ fourth place finish was enough to secure her second overall.
Rowe’s time bonuses catapulted her into the yellow jersey ahead of Phillips, while Cherry took third with two stage wins under her belt.
Youth B Boys
Alex Coles (Evolution Racing Academy) took the overall Youth B boys yellow jersey, having won two stages at the North West Youth Tour.
Coles won the time trial by just under two seconds ahead of Daniel Thompson (Cleveland Wheelers CC), while Albie Jones (North Cheshire Clarion) came in third.
Coles went on to storm to a solo win in the second stage circuit race, sprinting away from the bunch to win three seconds ahead of Thompson again. Curtis McKee took third, just sprinting ahead of the bunch to win.
The final hour-long stage saw Joshua Jewitt (Stockton Wheelers CC) take the win ahead of Harry Speak (Clifton CC), while Coles’ teammate Oliver Tregear (Evolution Racing Academy) finished third.
Coles’ 13th place finish was still enough to secure him the overall win, while Speak managed second, and Tregear got in the podium in third after both secured three top ten finishes.
