8-year-old Finley Manser-Grundy produced an impressive ride through the field to finish 5th in the opening round of the Wessex Cyclo-cross League.
Finley began his cyclo-cross season in style at Reading, competing against a strong field of 41 riders in the highly competitive Under-10 category.
The youngsters faced a dry and well-prepared course featuring plenty of technical twists and turns, together with a challenging climb on every lap.
Finley faced an additional obstacle before the race had even begun. With no previous league results to determine his starting position, he was ungridded and forced to line up at the very back of the 41-strong field.
Despite his starting position, Finley made a strong start to the 10-minute race and immediately began working his way through the pack, picking off riders as he moved towards the front.
Pacing his effort well around the technical course, he continued to gain positions and, with around 4 minutes remaining, had climbed all the way to 5th.
By that stage, the leading riders had already established a gap at the head of the race, but Finley maintained his pace and successfully defended 5th position all the way to the finish.
It was an impressive result from the 8-year-old after starting at the back of such a large field, and Finley was delighted with both his performance and his first taste of Wessex League racing.
