Finlay Pickering is in control of the Youth Tour of London after a stellar stage two victory at Redbridge in the Youth Circuit Series.

In the afternoon’s circuit race, the Wold Top Actif RT rider stormed ahead just before the bell rang on his way to victory, crossing the line 20 seconds clear of PH-MAS/Paul Milnes Cycles’ Joseph Pidock.

He leads the Under 16 Boys A standings, ahead of Pidock and Lichfield City CC rider Matthew Kingston – who won the first stage of the day on the time trial.

Kingston pipped Giant Halifax Race Team’s Robert Donaldson by just two hundredths of a second, winning in 2m47.31s.

But it was Pickering who stole the show in the afternoon, finishing comfortably clear of Pidock and Edinburgh RC’s Alexander Gibb in third in the circuit race.

Welsh delight

In the Under 16 Girls A, it was an all-Wales top three in the circuit race with Towy Riders’ Eluned King narrowly taking top spot ahead of Team Backstedt/Hotchillee’s Danielle Parker and fellow Towy Riders peddler Emma Finucane.

Intense heat and strong crosswinds made it a tough race, with the hills particularly challenging and they prevented any breakaways sticking.

But King kept her cool and delivered when it mattered most to win.

She leads the overall classification ahead of PH-MAS/Paul Milnes Cycles’ Millie Couzens, who topped the timesheets in the morning’s time trial.

Couzens got off to a flying start on the downhill opening section and kept that momentum going to set a time of 3m9.31s, 3.2s clear of Maddie Wadsworth.

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