Day one of the Screentek International North West Youth Tour saw some thrilling racing as some of the best young cycling talent took part in round three of the British Cycling Youth Circuit Series.

The event follows a slightly different format to previous events – although two out of three venues are the same. The action kicked off with a technical, uphill time trial through picturesque Williamson Park in Lancaster – and even with the fastest of the riders completing the course in just 68 seconds, the large field took three and a half hours to seed for the two circuit race stages.

The weather was similar to that at the Prologue in the Isle of Man Tour at the beginning of May – with beautiful sunshine offset slightly by a slight breeze. With any luck, the weather for days two and three would not mirror the later stages of the previous round.

In the Under 8 Girls it was Megan Lloyd (Harry Middleton CC) that took the honours in 1:39.886 – just 0.016 seconds ahead of Elise Hawkins of Palmer Park Velo with Anna Lloyd of Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club 6.935 seconds off Lloyd’s pace.

In the Boys, Cian Howard (Team RL360 Isle of Man) took another win with a 1:13.197 – 4.488 seconds ahead of his nearest rival Ryan Oldfield of Redditch Road and Path CC – with Seth Jackson of Kirklees Cycling Academy third, just over a second behind Oldfield.

Bethany Bennett of Towy Riders was the penultimate Under 10 girl to start, and completed the course in 1:08.198 – 1.246 seconds ahead of team mate Awen Roberts. Stephanie Kingston of Lichfield City CC was third, 3.741 seconds off the lead.

In the Boys event it was Hillingdon Slipstreamers rider Jed Smithson who took the win – although he didn’t get to sit and wait in the Hot Seat at the finish line, having started last in the category. He completed the course in 1:00.039, 4.758 ahead of Kyle Jones with Arlo Carey of Palmer Park Velo just under a second further back in third place.

In the Under 12 Girls Eva Young of Royal Albert CC took the leader’s jersey into day two, setting a time of 57.660 while Magnus Backstedt was at the side of the course cheering his daughter Zoe to second for Maindy Flyers – just a third of a second back. Naimha Albones of Liverpool Century rounded out the top three with a 58.608.

Joshua Giddings of Heanor Clarion took the Under 12 Boys result with a 52.835 – eight tenths ahead of Max Poole (Bike Box Alan/Envelopemaster) who was just a fifth of a second ahead of Owen Lightfoot of Rutland Rouler.

Poppy Wildman of Nottingham Clarion took the Under 14 Girls leader’s jersey with a 53.068 – ahead of Ella Barnwell of Cranc Cyclesport on 53.724 and almost a second and a half up on third-placed Amelia Sharp of Team RL360 Isle of Man.

Lewis Askey of Lichfield City clocked 47.790 in the last run of the Under 14 Boys event – leap-frogging Jack Cruden of Glasgow Riderz who had started 30 seconds before and barely had time to take his place in the Hot Seat. Cruden was a quarter of a second behind with Alfie George of Discovery Cycling Team another second back.

Jessica Roberts (RST Racing Team) and Lauren Dolan of Giant Cycling Club-Halo Films have been the leading duo in the Under 16 Girls so far, but today it was Tara Ferguson of Team RL360 Isle of Man who topped the standings after a storming ride in the opening event of the Tour – setting a time of 50.506 with Georgia Ashworth of Cycle Sport Pendle over a second back. Roberts and Dolan weren’t far away – taking third and fourth – a tenth behind Ashworth and just a tenth apart.

A total of 64 riders took to the start of the Under 16 Boys time trial with top seed Fred Wright of VC Londres way down in 19th place at the finish. Stephen Dent of Nevis Cycles Racing Time spent just over eight minutes in the Hot Seat after setting a time of 44.652 – before being replaced by Thomas Pidcock of Speedflex Racing team who shaved off a tenth.

Pidocock was there for just three minutes, though with Daniel Tulett of Specialized Racing taking over on 44.107 with just three more riders to go.

None of them could touch his time, though and – while the Time Trial results probably won’t be significant in the overall GC calculations on Monday, Tulett and the other overnight leaders do take a slight psychological advantage into the first circuit race stage at the UCLAN Sports Arena in Preston on Sunday.

Provisional results

Under 8
Girls
1 Megan Lloyd Harry Middleton Cycling Club 1:39.886
2 Elise Hawkins Palmer Park Velo RT 1:39.902
3 Anna Lloyd Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club 1:46.821
4 Danielle Barker Halesowen A & CC 1:51.406
5 Ella Harris Halesowen A & CC 1:52.899
Boys
1 Cian HOWARD Team RL360 Isle Of Man 1:13.197
2 Ryan OLDFIELD Redditch Road & Path CC 1:17.685
3 Seth JACKSON Kirklees Cycling Academy 1:18.993
4 Struan SHAW Royal Albert CC 1:20.320
5 Orry LUND Team RL360 Isle Of Man 1:20.446
6 Ben SCOTT Newcastle Phoenix Cycling Club 1:23.127

Under 10
Girls
1 Bethany Bennett Towy Riders 1:08.198
2 Awen Roberts Towy Riders 1:09.444
3 Stephanie Kingston Lichfield City CC 1:13.185
4 Greta Carey Palmer Park Velo RT 1:13.553
5 Millie Coleman Hillingdon Slipstreamers 1:16.101
6 Bobbie Obrien Hillingdon Slipstreamers 1:18.732
Boys
1 Jed SMITHSON Hillingdon Slipstreamers 1:00.039
2 Kyle JONES Maindy Flyers Youth CC 1:04.797
3 Arlo CAREY Palmer Park Velo RT 1:05.662
4 Joshua JACKSON Lyme RC 01:05.924
5 Joseph O’BRIEN Hillingdon Slipstreamers 1:06.337
6 Scott FISHER Furness Future Flyers 1:06.523

Under 12
Girls
1 Eva YOUNG Royal Albert CC 57.660
2 Zoe BACKSTEDT Maindy Flyers Youth CC 58.077
3 Niamha ALBONES Liverpool Century RC 58.608
4 Anna WADSWORTH Beeline Bicycles RT 58.980
5 Libby SMITH Fossa Racing 1:00.146
6 Isabella ESCALERA VC Londres 1:00.167
Boys
1 Joshua GIDDINGS Heanor Clarion CC 52.835
2 Max POOLE Bike Box Alan/Envelopemaster 53.608
3 Owen LIGHTFOOT Rutland Rouleur 53.794
4 Odhran DOOGAN Errigal CC 54.917
5 Finlay PICKERING Clifton CC 54.966
6 Frederick NEWMAN Preston Park Youth CC 56.005

Under 14
Girls
1 Poppy WILDMAN Nottingham Clarion CC 53.068
2 Ella BARNWELL Cranc Cyclesport 53.724
3 Amelia SHARPE Team RL360 Isle Of Man 54.426
4 Lucy NAYLOR Cycle Sport Pendle 54.834
5 Fleur NAGTEGAAL AXA Valleirenners 55.030
6 Eve BARROW Salt Ayre Cog Set 55.040
Boys
1 Lewis ASKEY Lichfield City CC 47.790
2 Jack CRUDEN Glasgow Riderz 48.038
3 Alfred GEORGE Discovery Junior Cycling Club 49.048
4 Joshua GREENWOOD Kirklees Cycling Academy 49.652
5 Matti EGGLESTONE Beacon Wheelers 50.046
6 Oliver REES Holmfirth Cycling Club 50.106

Under 16
Girls
1 Tara FERGUSON Team RL360 Isle Of Man 50.506
2 Georgia ASHWORTH Cycle Sport Pendle 51.789
3 Jessica ROBERTS RST Racing Team 51.867
4 Lauren DOLAN Giant Cycling Club - Halo Films 51.950
5 Lucy HORROCKS Cycle Sport Pendle 52.777
6 Ellie PARK Billy Bilsland Cycles 52.819
Boys
1 Daniel TULETT Specialized Racing 44.107
2 Thomas PIDCOCK Speedflex Race Team 44.532
3 Stephen DENT Nevis Cycles Racing Team 44.652
4 Jim BROWN Holmfirth Cycling Club 45.864
5 Hamish TURNBULL Speedflex Race Team 45.894
6 Joseph NALLY Hardie-Bikes.com 45.977