HALESOWEN rider Simon Wyllie really showed his cycling pedigree at last weekend’s National Cyclocross under-16 championships held in Hetton, near Sunderland.

Throughout the year Wyllie has been getting closer to podium finishes in national events with a fine third place the week before.

However, he saved his best for the big one in a pulsating race in the National Championships. The course was a really gruelling one with muddy descents, lots of deep ruts and a long, slippy climb designed to take the energy out of every rider.

Wyllie got off to a good start holding third position before a collision pushed him back into seventh. Undeterred, he fought his way back up through the field and at the start of the fourth and final lap was 11 seconds off first place.

The gap was reduced to about seven seconds and then closed on the climb. Going through the back markers he briefly took the leader before dropping back to second.

But, four corners from the end, the leader made a small mistake which was the only encouragement needed with the Hales rider attacking and going flat out to the line to win by just three seconds and take the coveted champion’s jersey.

Wyllie's result capped a fine weekend for Halesowen A&CC with Alex Barker, aged 13, securing third place in the under-14 race.

Nationally ranked 10th and therefore starting in the second row of a field of 66 riders, he suffered a poor start relegating him to 20th as the race left the tarmac onto the mud. His strength and skill saw him reclaim 14 places on the first muddy climb, to appear out of the technical section, and past the pits in sixth place.

At the start of the second lap, he attacked the pack with two other riders that subsequently battled throughout the race with Barker taking a fine podium finish.

Ex-Halesowen rider Beth Crumpton also took an impressive third place in the women’s championship, edging out her West Midlands compatriot Hannah Payton in the final lap and adding to her first National Series won the week before.