The British Cycling Youth Circuit Series reached its penultimate round with Susie’s Youth Circuits at the Castle Combe circuit in Wiltshire.

Famous for its flat and fast three-kilometre track in motor racing, it is renowned for its strong cross winds, but was sunny and still on Sunday.

The under-8 race opened up the day with a brisk eight laps on the small circuit and by the end of the first lap it was series leader James Brown, Finlay Tarling and Joshua Jackson who had gained a healthy lead on the rest of the small field.

Brown had the legs and just before the midway point the Palmer Park Velo rider had made his intentions clear and rode away from his companions, a lead the youngster kept until the chequered flag completing his race in a little over 17 minutes from a chasing Tarling and Jackson. Carys Lloyd was the first girl home. Brown retaining his lead ahead of Tarling going into the final round.

When your father happens to be Magnus Backstedt you probably may learn a few things about bike racing and Zoe Backstedt showed the rest of the under 10 field a clean pair of heels.

Thirty-one riders lined up to contest four laps of the full circuit and it was a group of four that rode away from the bunch crossing the line for the first time: Joshua Tarling, Lewis Dolan, James Gostick and Jed Smithson looked as though they may have made the race if they had worked as a group but coming out of the first bend they almost came to a stop looking at each other thus allowing the rest of the field to close them down.

The field stayed together until the final straight and Backstedt played her hand to perfection crossing the line ahead of Gostick and Dolan, Gostick getting the better of Dolan in the sprint for second. Series leader Tarling goes to Scarborough still ahead of Dolan for their final encounter in the competition.

The early stages of the under-12 race proved to be attack and immediate reaction by the bunch, no one was allowed to make any move off the front until Mossely CRT's Tom Bates put in a big effort on lap three and managed to make a useful gap that saw the group looking at each other.

Coming round to the midway point it was Bates who was still a lone figure at the head of the race until team mate Robert Donaldson and George Southerby took up the chase and made the gap, the main bunch again not looking to chase.

The three leaders stayed away until the flag Bates taking a well-deserved victory from series leader Donaldson and Southby. Becky Surridge was the first girl home taking fourth from Hugo Lutz-Atkinson in the bunch gallop. With Matti Eggleston not taking the start Donaldson looks to have taken the series overall.

Alistar Leivers took the win in the under-14 boy’s race, the Blackpool youth rider played a waiting game, taking the sprint from Jim Brown and Jack Barton. Another race of cat and mouse ensued for pretty much all race, no one willing to go for any meaningful attack until the fourth lap when Hally Woods took his chance with Cavan Walker and eased out a 15-second lead.

Evan Rouse and Jack Barton jumped the field and went on the chase, seeing a decent gap forming the bunch began to react and worked to bring the four back to the fold. William Matthews took his chance as the bell rang taking Alfie Peters along for company and the two almost stayed away but the main field caught the pair coming out of the last corner.

Anna Docherty took the victory in the under-14 girls race, The Clifton CC rider outsprinted Niamh Jones and Lorna Bowler in a race that saw the whole field stay together until the line

In the under-16 girls race it was Emily Attfield and Lauren Dolan who animated an exciting tussle for much of proceedings.

The two getting away from a group of 12 fairly early on in the race. Working well together the pair increased their lead to over a minute and with two laps remaining it seemed the pair would make the finish ahead of the race. Maddie Gammons made a brave move to go for a solo chase but to no avail, the Bourne Wheelers youngster suffering for her actions as the race drew to its conclusion.

Lucy Lee tried an attack but with the bunch starting to work together and another move was extinguished . Attfield and Dolan came out of the final bend together, heads down and no game playing, full tilt to the line but it was Attfield who got the better of the pair to take the victory, Lowri Thomas took third in the bunch kick.

Fifty-seven riders took to the start of the under-16 boy's race, the biggest field of the day and arguably the best field for an interesting race but it was status quo until six laps to go when Samuel Wadsley took the bunch by surprise and jumped away as the field rode past the pits but the attack was soon nulled out and the race again went back to a ride round the track.

With three laps remaining Lewis Bulley went for broke which caused a stir in the bunch and Zak Corum-Haines and Charles Page went to chase him down, a flurry of reaction ensued, the three returned to the field.

Marcus Barnett then attacked with Matt Draper and Tom Reid and the three started to work together, looking like they may stay away until Reid cracked and left the Barnett and Draper out on their own, the two took the bell alone and it looked like they could stay away but coming out of the final bend the bunch swallowed them up to set up the sprint which saw Robert Grey take the spoils from Joshua Waters and Tom Pidcock

Provisional results

Under-8 boys

1. James brown
2. Finlay Tarling
3. Joshua Jackson
4. Alfie Cullender
5. Max Robinson

Under-8 girls

1. Carys Lloyd
2. Greta Carey
3. Rebecca Codd
4. Rebecca Woodvine

Under-10 girls

1. Zoe Backstedt (Winner)
2. Jamie Gostick
3. Lewis Dolan
4. Joshua Tarling
5. Jed Smithson

Under-10 girls

1. Zoe Backstedt
2. Ella Maclean-Howell
3. Grace Lister
4. Caitlin Loveless
5. Elen Price

Under-12 boys

1. Tom Bates
2. Robert Donaldson
3. George Southby
4. Becky Surridge (1st girl)
5. Hugo Lutz-Atkinson

Under-12 girls

1. Becky Surridge
2. Ava May Oxley-Szilaggi
3. Maddie Wadsworth
4. Imogen Chastell
5. Emma Finucane

Under-14 boys

1. Alistair Leivers
2. Jim Brown
3. Jack Barton
4. Matt Burke
5, Euan Cameron

Under-14 girls

1. Anna Docherty
2. Niamh Jones
3. Lorna Bowler
4. Ella Lazenby
5. Elizabeth Catlow

Under-16 boys

1. Robert Gray
2. Joshua Waters
3. Tom Pidcock
4. Harry Hardcastle
5. Charlie Quarterman

Under-16 girls

1. Emily Attfield
2. Lauren Dolan
3. Lowri Thomas
4. Emily Wadsworth
5. Lauren Murphy