Sam Watson claimed the British Cycling Youth Circuit Series after a seventh-place Scarborough Cycling Festival finish saw him take top honours overall.
Dylan Westley took the race win thanks to a late sprint, but it wasn’t enough to usurp the Chevin Cycles.com Trek man onto top spot on the Series podium.
Amelia Sharpe maintained her series lead by just a solitary point ahead of Kate Wootton, after Lauren Higham took the Youth A Girls honours in Yorkshire.
Max Poole finished as he started in the Youth B Boys competition to claim the series win, while Imani Pereira-James also took the overall crown in the Youth B Girls event.
Youth A Boys
Westley (Pedalsport CC) sprinted to his first win of the series in the Youth A boys race but it was Watson who added the Series crown to his National Champion title finishing 43 seconds back on the day.
Westley’s win ensured him third place overall in the series whilst Lewis Askey (RST Racing Team) confirmed his second place after a spirited race-long chase to the leaders.
It was an early attack by Fred Ball (Andover Wheelers), Jamieson Blain (Halesowen A&CC) and Daniels Kucerjavijs that defined the early part of the race, the trio putting in a strong move on the top circuit on the second lap to get a big enough lead to take them onto Quarry Climb on the front for the first time.
A chasing George Mills-Keeling (WWCC) almost hooked onto the leaders as they hit the climb but his effort would ultimately prove too much to hang on.
Max Walker (Team RL360 IOM), Westley and Max Rushby (Pedalsport CC) set about chasing the leaders the third time up the Quarry Climb and once caught it all but sealed the race.
Ball was unable to hang on in the closing metres had to watch the remaining four from the group sprint for the line, Westley having the legs over Walker, Rushby and Blain to take a fine win on one of the toughest circuits in the series.
Youth A Girls
Higham (Welwyn Wheelers CC) outshone the favourites to take the win in the Youth A Girls race, taking her debut win of the series, outsprinting Wootton (Lee Valley Youth), Amy Monkhouse (Team Jadan-Weldtite), Elynor Backstedt (Team Backstedt/HotChillie) and series leader Sharpe (Team RL360 IOM).
With Ella Barnwell not starting, all eyes were on Wootton and Sharpe for the overall series, ultimately it was latter who retained her lead from Wootton by a single point.
Higham made the first move half way up Quarry Hill, with Wootton and Sharpe quick to respond and the three riders soon eased away from the chasing field.
Monkhouse and Backstedt worked hard to get up to the leaders and with two laps remaining the quintet would take it to the line for the sprint.
But it was Higham who was to stop the clock first, as Wootton and Monkhouse rounded off the top three, though a fifth-place finish proved more than enough for Sharpe to celebrate a big Series success.
Youth B Boys
Poole (Bike Box Alan) book-ended his series taking a fine second win of the season and the overall title after another close race with national champion Joe Kiely (Welwyn Wheelers CC) and Finley Pickering (Hull Thursday RC).
An early attack on the top circuit saw Dan Kain (Ythan CC) take the race onto the final four laps of the big circuit.
But the first time up Quarry climb saw the Welshman go backwards to the chasing field triggering a counter attack by Poole, Kiely and Pickering, such has been the general order of the series.
No one had any real answer to the trio but a useful looking chase from Josh Giddings (MI Racing Academy), Finley Douglas (Rhyl CC) and Jack Brough (MI Racing Academy) worked well to chase the leaders down but they would fall short by some 31 seconds.
Pickering made a play on the penultimate lap leaving Kiely and Poole to chase him down but the pair rallied and were as one on the final climb.
It would be Poole who attacked on the finish straight to take the win leaving both Kiely and Pickering a handful of seconds adrift.
Youth B Girls
Zoe Backstedt (Maindy Flyers Youth) took a fine win in the Youth B Girls race but a fifth place ensured Pereira-James (East Kilbride RC) retained her lead in the series.
Eva Young (Pedal Power RT) took second and Ella Coleman (Hillingdon Slipstreamers) rounded out the race podium.
It was Backstedt who took on the race from the start, setting a quick pace that soon took the field around the opening 6 laps on the top circuit before descending on to the big circuit.
Backstedt, along with Grace Lister (WWCC) and Pereira-James, set a brutal pace up Quarry climb for the first time stringing the field out on to the long finish straight.
Young, Coleman and Cardiff JIF’s Ella Maclean-Howell joined the leaders but it would be Backstedt who skipped away to take her third win of the series in the closing metres, Young rolling across the line just ahead of Coleman.
Results
Race Results
Youth A Boys
Youth A Girls
Youth B Boys
Youth B Girls
Overall Standings
Youth A Boys
1. Sam Watson 208 points
2. Lewis Askey 183
3. Dylan Westley 150
Youth A Girls
1. Amelia Sharpe 207 points
2. Kate Wootton 206
3. Ella Barnwell 172
Youth B Boys
1. Max Poole 224 points
2. Finlay Pickering 178
3. Josh Charlton 168
Youth B Girls
1. Imani Pereira-James 227 points
2. Grace Lister 192
3. Eva Young 181
Gallery
