The second day of the 2018 Screentek International North West Youth Tour was always going to be different in character to the first. The short, out and back time trial made way for a gruelling, hilly road stage – but it was the weather that provided the biggest challenge to competitors.

In the end it was Jack Rootkin-Gray who took the stage win and the leaders jersey in the Youth A Boys, while Eluned King won in the Youth A Girls, and took the leaders jersey.

Youth A Boys

The day kicked off with the Under 16 Boys who had both the longest race of the day – 12 laps of the 3.3km course – and the worst of the weather conditions.

The pace at the front was relentless meaning there were no breakaways and, while riders were being dropped out of the back at regular intervals, at the front everything stayed together.

The lead group had been whittled down to 11 riders by the run-in with Rootkin-Gray, Will Corkill, Oliver Stockwell and Max Poole surging clear.

In the end it was Solihull CC rider Rootkin-Gray who took the win, just ahead of National Series leader Stockwell, with Poole third.

And that success was enough for Rootkin-Gray to move into the overall lead with Aaron Freeman surrendering the jersey as he came home more than two minutes back.

Stockwell sits just one second back, while Poole is still in contention seven seconds behind Rootkin-Gray.

Youth A Girls

The weather didn’t improve much for the Under 16 Girls but the slightly smaller field (still a healthy 53 riders) made it harder to keep a large bunch together and within a lap the lead group was down to 14.

Abi Smith animated the race throughout with the Clifton CC rider taking the opening Queen of the Mountains points and doing the same on each of the next three checkpoints for a clean sweep.

By the final lap it was down to a trio at the front of King, Smith and Millie Couzens of PH-MAS/Paul Milnes Cycles.

And while Smith had been the fastest for each of the Queen of the Mountains points, there was no way King was going to let the stage pass her by as she powered through for the sprint victory.

Smith took second, and now sits five seconds behind King in the overall classification, with Couzens 12 seconds further back after finishing just behind the front two.

Eve Barrow had gone into the day in the lead but could not live with the pace and finished back in 21st to give up her leaders jersey.

The Tour concludes tomorrow on a new, narrow, bumpy circuit at Treales – which may yet offer a few surprises.

Youth A Boys

Stage 2 Result
1 Jack Rootkin-Gray Solihull CC 1:13:30
2 Oliver Stockwell Welwyn Wheelers same time
3 Max Poole Bike Box Alan st
4 Will Corkill Team RL360 Isle Of Man @ 2 seconds
5 Joe Kiely Welwyn Wheelers CC st
6 Finlay Pickering Wold Top Actif RT st
7 Oscar Onley Squadra Scozzese st
8 Max Bolton Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club @ 4
9 Oscar Nilsson-Julien VC Londres st
10 George Ball Furness Flyers @ 6

General Classification After Stage 2
1 Jack Rootkin-Gray Solihull CC 1:16:29
2 Oliver Stockwell Welwyn Wheelers CC @ 1 seconds
3 Max Poole Bike Box Alan @ 7
4 Finlay Pickering Wold Top Actif RT @ 13
5 Oscar Onley Squadra Scozzese @ 14
6 Oscar Nilsson-Julien VC Londres @ 15
7 Joe Kiely Welwyn Wheelers CC @ 16
8 Will Corkill Team RL360 Isle Of Man @ 29
9 George Ball Furness Flyers @ 35
10 Max Bolton Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club @ 37

King of the Mountains Overall
1 Oscar Onley Squadra Scozzese 20
2 Max Bolton Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club 16
3 Oliver Stockwell Welwyn Wheelers CC 11
4 Finlay Pickering Wold Top Actif RT 9
5 Will Corkill Team RL360 Isle Of Man 7
6 Jack Rootkin-Gray Solihull CC 2

Youth A Girls

Stage 2 Result
1 Eluned King Towy Riders 1:13:47
2 Abi Smith Clifton CC @ 1 second
3 Millie Couzens PH-MAS/Paul Milnes Cycles @ 4
4 Flora Perkins VC Londres @ 29
5 Lucy Hart Mid Shropshire Wheelers @ 30
6 Kinga Ingram Halesowen A & CC @ 31
7 Maisy Vasic Pink Jersey Race Team @ 32
8 Imogen Chastell VC Londres @ 37
9 Eva Young Pedal Power RT @ 41
10 Danielle Parker Team Backstedt/Hotchillee @ 3:13

General Classification After Stage 2
1 Eluned King Towy Riders 1:17:15
2 Abi Smith Clifton CC @ 5 seconds
3 Millie Couzens PH-MAS/Paul Milnes Cycles @ 17
4 Flora Perkins VC Londres @ 41
5 Lucy Hart Mid Shropshire Wheelers @ 44
6 Kinga Ingram Halesowen A & CC @ 45
7 Maisy Vasic Pink Jersey Race Team @ 53
8 Imogen Chastell VC Londres @ 56
9 Eva Young Pedal Power RT @ 2:47
10 Danielle Parker Team Backstedt/Hotchillee @ 3:26

Queen of the Mountains Overall
1 Abi Smith Clifton CC 20
2 Eluned King Towy Riders 14
3 Millie Couzens PH-MAS/Paul Milnes Cycles 14
4 Flora Perkins VC Londres 3
5 Eva Young Pedal Power RT 3
6 Lucy Hart Mid Shropshire Wheelers 2

Youth B Boys

Stage 2 Result
1 Ben Partridge Hetton Hawks Cycling Club 42:27
2 Euan Woodliffe Welwyn Wheelers CC @ 9 seconds
3 Nathan Hardy Welwyn Wheelers CC same time
4 Alex Barker Team Backstedt/Hotchillee st
5 Joshua Tarling Team Backstedt/Hotchillee st
6 Noah Hobbs Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club st
7 Archie Ellen Edinburgh RC st
8 Olivier Mangham VC Londres st
9 Lewis Dolan Manilla GRN Cycling @ 12
10 Sam Hollis Albarosa Cycling Club @ 13

General Classification After Stage 2
1 Ben Partridge Hetton Hawks Cycling Club 45:33
2 Euan Woodliffe Welwyn Wheelers CC @ 20 seconds
3 Noah Hobbs Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club @ 28
4 Olivier Mangham VC Londres same time
5 Joshua Tarling Team Backstedt/Hotchillee st
6 Nathan Hardy Welwyn Wheelers CC @ 30
7 Lewis Dolan Manilla GRN Cycling @ 34
8 Archie Ellen Edinburgh RC @ 35
9 Finley Douglas Rhyl Cycling Club @ 36
10 Alex Barker Team Backstedt/Hotchillee @ 41

King of the Mountains Overall
1 Olivier Mangham VC Londres 12
2 Nathan Hardy Welwyn Wheelers CC 9
3 Jamie Maxen Verulam - reallymoving.com 6
4 Alex Barker Team Backstedt/Hotchillee 5
5 Noah Hobbs Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club 5
6 Oliver Akers Holmfirth Cycling Club 5

Youth B Girls

Stage 2 Result
1 Zoe Backstedt Team Backstedt/Hotchillee 52:26
2 Awen Roberts Towy Riders @ 1 minute 36 seconds
3 Ella Jamieson Clifton CC same time
4 Grace Lister Wolverhampton Wheelers st
5 Morven Yeoman East Kilbride Road Club st
6 Eleanor Bolton Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club @ 2:54
7 Ella Maclean-Howell Cardiff JIF @ 2:58
8 Anoushka Minale Cycling Club Hackney @ 3:11
9 Imani Pereira-James East Kilbride Road Club @ 3:29
10 Lucy Dalgleish Salt Ayre Cog Set @ 4:18

General Classification After Stage 2
1 Zoe Backstedt Team Backstedt/Hotchillee 55:43
2 Grace Lister Wolverhampton Wheelers @ 1 minute 59 seconds
3 Ella Jamieson Clifton CC @ 2:00
4 Morven Yeoman East Kilbride Road Club @ 2:08
5 Awen Roberts Towy Riders @ 2:11
6 Anoushka Minale Cycling Club Hackney @ 3:33
7 Ella Maclean-Howell Cardiff JIF @ 3:38
8 Eleanor Bolton Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club same time
9 Imani Pereira-James East Kilbride Road Club @ 3:47
10 Lucy Dalgleish Salt Ayre Cog Set @ 5:01

Queen of the Mountains Overall
1 Zoe Backstedt Team Backstedt/Hotchillee 15
2 Ella Jamieson Clifton CC 7
3 Awen Roberts Towy Riders 5
4 Grace Lister Wolverhampton Wheelers 5
5 Morven Yeoman East Kilbride Road Club 4
6 Anoushka Minale Cycling Club Hackney 4