Round four of the British Cycling National Youth Circuit Series took place around Morecambe and Lancaster, as the Screentek International North West Youth Tour began on Saturday.

The second three-day tour in four weeks, the event kicked off with a Promenade Time Trial in Morecambe. Day two sees a road race on a 5.5km closed road course near Lancaster, with two further stages on day three at the Salt Ayre circuit.

As well as the Under 14 and Under 16 National Series events, this year’s North West Youth Tour includes non-championship Under 12 and Junior Girls competitions – although the starting order was mixed up a little thanks to delays on and round the M6.

It was the Green Jersey Junior Girls Tour that kicked off the afternoon’s competition, with 30 girls coming to the start line in the brilliant sunshine. Despite the beautiful weather, the 2.3km out and back Prologue course is exposed and there was a strong tailwind on the homebound leg.

Jessica Roberts of Liv Cycling Club-Epic Coaching is continuing where she left off as an Under 16 at the North West Youth Tour and took the Prologue with 3:07, four seconds ahead of former team-mate Eleanor Dickinson of Drops Cycling Development Team with Henrietta Colborne of Team Ford Ecoboost in third on 3:13.

The National Series riders set off in reverse order of their finishing position in the Isle of Man Prologue - with riders who didn’t compete in Douglas going off before them – to raise the possibility of a few fast early starters mixing things up – and, hopefully, ensuring lots of swapping around in the hot seat.

The first of the Under 16 Boys to set off was Jamieson Blain of Halesowen who set a benchmark time of 3:10. That didn’t last very long with the very next rider - James Codd of Backstedt Cycling going seven seconds faster on the very next ride - a time that would eventually see him round out the top 20.

Codd’s time at the top lasted for seven minutes until Isaac Peatfield of Bolton Hot Wheels shaved a second off his time - only for Alfie Peters (T1Diabetes.Info) to snatch the lead 28 seconds later!

Peters’ time lasted a little longer but within three and a half minutes he was down to second with William Tidwell of 1st Chard Wheelers clocking 2:54 to take over the hot seat by six seconds and become the first rider to break the three second barrier.

A second was enough to earn Charley Calvert of Bournemouth Arrow/Hotel Collingwood top spot some 11 minutes later - with just over 20 riders still to go. Four more riders - Lewis Askey of RST Racing Team and Nathan Huynh of Cotswold Vedrijden on 2:57 and Alfred George of Discovery Junior Cycling Team and Samuel Watson of ChevinCycles.com Trek on 2:56 – also went inside three minutes, but they couldn’t trouble Calvert’s time - or Tidball’s.

Gallery

Matt Shaw of Solihull CC rolled off the start ramp with only Matthew Burke of Backstreet Cycling to follow. The series leader clocked 2:53 to take over top spot and extend his series lead over Jim Brown, who could only manage 12th; Burke finished down in 66th.

In the Under 16 Girls it was Anna Armstrong of Speedflex Race Team who was the only rider guaranteed a turn in the hot seat but her time of 3:36 only kept here there for a minute, before being replaced by Emily Ashwood, who pipped her by a fraction of a second. Next up was Ella Barnwell of Backstedt cycling who put a stop to the hot seat musical chairs for almost half an hour - clocking 3:17 and giving herself plenty of breathing space.

In fact, it wasn’t until the top three took to the start ramp that Barnwell was challenged - nobody else coming within three seconds of her time. Cardiff winner and series leader Pfeiffer Georgia of Liv Cycling Club-Epic Coaching put in a 3:10 to take the lead – and held it when penultimate starter Ellie Russell of Sportcity Velo finished a second adrift.

Anna Doherty – second in Cardiff last weekend and lying third overall in the series - set off last thanks to her performance in Douglas and proved that short time trials are something of a speciality, taking a second off Georgia’s time to take the win and the leaders Jersey for tomorrow’s road stage.

George Ball of the Furness Future Flyers was the first of the Under 14 Boys away and the Barrow boy set a very creditable time of 3:21 to take his place atop the leader board. He had to find somewhere else to sit after just two and a half minutes, though, when Aaron Freeman of Chelsea CC smashed his time and took provisional ownership of the hot seat with a 3:08. Even with over 60 riders left, it looked like a time that might stand for a while – and, indeed, it was eventually good enough for fifth.

Despite that, Freeman only held on the hot seat for a minute and a half - when Alec Gregory of Leicestershire Road Club knocked a second off and took over at the top. That one did stick - he was on top until Sami Vaudrey of Zappis Racing Team set off with just five riders remaining. Vaudrey clocked 3:04 to take the lead and first Oliver Stockwell of Welwyn Wheelers finished a second adrift and then series leader Emile Alexander of Lichfield City CC slotted in between Stockwell and Gregory on 3:07.

Isle of Man Prologue winner Oscar Nilsson-Julien of VC Londres set off last and looked to be on good form but a crash at the trunk put paid to his attempt – a DNF leaving him in last place on GC and three minutes and eight seconds adrift.

The first off in the Under 14 Girls was Niamha Albanese of Liverpool Century RC who covered the 2,300 metres in 3:44. Natalie Bloomer of VC Londres was next off and it took her just 3:38. Laura Curle of Bristol Cycling Development Squad shaved another couple of seconds off that and Georgia Ferry of Glasgow Riders took off another.

Emma Finucaine of Towy Riders wasn’t interested in chipping away at the times and lopped 12 seconds off - which was only enough to hang on to the hot seat for three minute before Fleur Nagtegaal of Dutch team AXA Valleirenners pepper her by a second. As we got to the end of the order, other riders came close - Amy Cole of Towy Riders slotting in behind her team mate Finucaine with just one more rider to go.

Becky Surridge of VC Londres had, when she left the start of the Prologue, been beaten only once – finishing second to Anna Flying of Edinburgh RC in the opening round at Hetton – winning every other stage in every race in the Series. By the time she reached the finish she had extended her Series lead and kept up her 100 per cent podium record, but her time of 3:24 was only good enough for third.

With the Prologue out of the way the riders went back to prepare for the first road stage of the Tour – the Under 14 Girls facing a race 10 times as long as today’s, the Under 16 Boys and Junior Girls almost 20 times.

Results:

Youth A Boys
Stage Result

1 Matthew Shaw Solihull CC 00:02:53
2 Charley Calvert Bournemouth Arrow/Hotel Collingwood 00:02:53
3 William Tidball 1st Chard Whls 00:02:54
4 Samuel Watson Chevin Cycles.com Trek 00:02:56
5 Alfred George Discovery Junior Cycling Club 00:02:56
6 Nathan Huynh Cotswold Veldrijden 00:02:57
7 Lewis Askey RST Racing Team 00:02:57
8 Alfie Peters T1Diabetes.info 00:03:00
9 Oscar Mingay Cardiff JIF 00:03:00
10 Max Rushby Pedalsport Cycling Club 00:03:00

General Classification

1 Matthew Shaw Solihull CC 00:02:53
2 Charley Calvert Bournemouth Arrow/Hotel Collingwood st
3 William Tidball 1st Chard Whls at 00:01
4 Samuel Watson Chevin Cycles.com Trek at 00:03
5 Alfred George Discovery Junior Cycling Club st
6 Nathan Huynh Cotswold Veldrijden at 00:04
7 Lewis Askey RST Racing Team st
8 Alfie Peters T1Diabetes.info at 00:07
9 Oscar Mingay Cardiff JIF st
10 Max Rushby Pedalsport Cycling Club st

Youth A Girls
Stage Result

1 Anna Docherty Clifton CC 00:03:09
2 Pfeiffer Georgi Liv Cycling Club - Epic Coaching 00:03:10
3 Ellie Russell Sportcity Velo 00:03:11
4 Ella Barnwell Backstedt Cycling 00:03:17
5 April Tacey Leicestershire Road Club 00:03:20
6 Isabel Darvill VC Lincoln 00:03:20
7 Amelia Sharpe Team RL360 Isle Of Man 00:03:20
8 Georgia Ashworth Cycle Sport Pendle 00:03:23
9 Ellie Park Johnstone Wheelers Cycling Club 00:03:24
10 Felicity Gledhill Sportcity Velo 00:03:25

General Classification

1 Anna Docherty Clifton CC 00:03:09
2 Pfeiffer Georgi Liv Cycling Club - Epic Coaching at 00:01
3 Ellie Russell Sportcity Velo at 00:02
4 Ella Barnwell Backstedt Cycling at 00:08
5 April Tacey Leicestershire Road Club at 00:11
6 Isabel Darvill VC Lincoln st
7 Amelia Sharpe Team RL360 Isle Of Man st
8 Georgia Ashworth Cycle Sport Pendle at 00:14
9 Ellie Park Johnstone Wheelers Cycling Club at 00:15
10 Felicity Gledhill Sportcity Velo at 00:16

Youth B Boys
Stage Result

1 Sami Vaudrey Zappis Racing Team 00:03:04
2 Oliver Stockwell Welwyn Wheelers CC 00:03:05
3 Emile Alexander Lichfield City CC 00:03:07
4 Alec Gregory Leicestershire Road Club 00:03:07
5 Aaron Freeman Chelmer CC 00:03:08
6 Bryn Davies Towy Riders 00:03:09
7 Hamish MacLaren Johnstone Wheelers Cycling Club 00:03:10
8 George Southby East Bradford CC 00:03:11
9 Hayden Norris Lichfield City CC 00:03:11
10 William Corkill Team RL360 Isle Of Man 00:03:12

General Classification

1 Sami Vaudrey Zappis Racing Team 00:03:04
2 Oliver Stockwell Welwyn Wheelers CC at 00:01
3 Emile Alexander Lichfield City CC at 00:03
4 Alec Gregory Leicestershire Road Club st
5 Aaron Freeman Chelmer CC at 00:04
6 Bryn Davies Towy Riders at 00:05
7 Hamish MacLaren Johnstone Wheelers Cycling Club at 00:06
8 George Southby East Bradford CC at 00:07
9 Hayden Norris Lichfield City CC st
10 William Corkill Team RL360 Isle Of Man at 00:08

Youth B Girls
Stage Result

1 Fleur Nagtegaal AXA Valleirenners 00:03:22
2 Emma Finucane Towy Riders 00:03:23
3 Becky Surridge VC Londres 00:03:24
4 Amy Cole Towy Riders 00:03:24
5 Eve Barrow Salt Ayre Cog Set 00:03:28
6 Eva Young Pedal Power RT 00:03:28
7 Sophie Lewis Cycle Club Ashwell (CCA) 00:03:30
8 Danielle Parker Cycle Specific 00:03:31
9 Isabella Escalera VC Londres 00:03:32
10 Maisy Vasic Sportcity Velo 00:03:33

General Classification

1 Fleur Nagtegaal AXA Valleirenners 00:03:22
2 Emma Finucane Towy Riders at 00:01
3 Becky Surridge VC Londres at 00:02
4 Amy Cole Towy Riders st
5 Eve Barrow Salt Ayre Cog Set at 00:06
6 Eva Young Pedal Power RT st
7 Sophie Lewis Cycle Club Ashwell (CCA) at 00:08
8 Danielle Parker Cycle Specific at 00:09
9 Isabella Escalera VC Londres at 00:10
10 Maisy Vasic Sportcity Velo at 00:11

The Green Jersey North West Junior Girls Tour
Stage 1

1 Jessica Roberts Liv Cycling Club - Epic Coaching 00:03:07
2 Eleanor Dickinson Drops Cycling Development Team 00:03:11
3 Henrietta Colborne Team Ford Ecoboost 00:03:13
4 Savannah Morgan Team 22 00:03:17
5 Rhona Callander Team Jadan-Weldtite 00:03:17
6 Emily Tillett Liv Cycling Club - Epic Coaching 00:03:19
7 Jenny Holl Team Jadan-Weldtite 00:03:19
8 Sophie Enever Speedflex Race Team 00:03:19
9 Phoebe Martin Team 22 00:03:20
10 Charlotte Cole-Hossain VC Londres 00:03:21

General Classification

1 Jessica Roberts Liv Cycling Club - Epic Coaching 00:03:07
2 Eleanor Dickinson Drops Cycling Development Team at 00:04
3 Henrietta Colborne Team Ford Ecoboost at 00:06
4 Savannah Morgan Team 22 at 00:10
5 Rhona Callander Team Jadan-Weldtite st
6 Emily Tillett Liv Cycling Club - Epic Coaching at 00:12
7 Jenny Holl Team Jadan-Weldtite st
8 Sophie Enever Speedflex Race Team st
9 Phoebe Martin Team 22 at 00:13
10 Charlotte Cole-Hossain VC Londres at 00:14