Verulam Cycling Club were the hosts for another successful running of the Muddy Monsters Cyclo-cross race series – the fourth round of this year’s championship.
Originally created by British Cycling, the series covers the whole of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire area and has continued to grow with more aspiring young racers and more events being added.
It is the second year Verulam has hosted the event, held at the Marlborough Club in St Albans, with a challenging course designed by Verulam Reallymoving’s cyclo-cross specialist Tom Martin and Verulam chairman Doug Driscoll.
In total nearly 60 children participated in 12 races including sprint, endurance and handicap events for the different age groups.
The series runs throughout the cyclo-cross season with prizes on offer for each event and trophies once all the rounds have been completed.
For those racing for established clubs like Welwyn Wheelers, Bedford Road CC, Team Milton Keynes and Hitchin Nomads, there was a lot at stake.
But among the fields in each age category were also a lot of first-time racers who just wanted to join in and have fun, precisely the aim of the series.
There were plenty of outstanding performances to admire but for the host club the likes of Joel Kaye, Henry Barker, Samuel Stacey, Molly Barker and both Ben and Alex Taylor-Rose all stood out, putting in impressive efforts.
Davinder Bhatia, head of Verulam’s youth development programme, said: “It was inspirational to all of us.
“This is Verulam CC at its best - giving something back to the community and cycling and it was a great day out for everyone.
“We hope to see all the racers again at Muddy Monsters next season and progressing into the next levels of cycle racing in the future.”
The next round of the series take place on Saturday at Bedford Priory Marina before it returns to Hertfordshire on March 2 when the Gosling Sports Park in Welwyn Garden City is the venue.
More details are available at https://muddymonstershertsandbeds.wordpress.com/
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