Watch out for teenage cycling star

Fast-improving Mid-Devon Cycling Club teenager George Watch has been in record-breaking form during the current Hill Climb season.

Watch, who was 18 only two months ago, posted eye-catching performances in the Porlock Hill and Porlock Toll Road events, run by Minehead CC.

He was third overall in both climbs, beaten only by two of the best specialist riders in the country.

Birmingham’s Cameron Biddle (HUUB Wattshop) won on the viciously steep 1.3-mile Hill in 10mins 9secs, beaten former UK champion Ed Laverack (Backpedal) from South Wales by just four seconds.

Watch was only 31 seconds behind in a new Junior course record (10.40).

Laverack (15.42) turned the tables on Biddle (16.23) when, only two hours later, attention switched to the 4.2-mile Toll Road, where Watch was only 16 seconds slower (16.39) in third.

On Sunday all eyes were on the Exeter Wheelers’ Stoke Hill (1.2m) event, which attracted reigning national champion Andrew Feather (Hunt Bike Wheels).

Feather, from Bath, won in 4mins 23.8secs, from Exeter’s former national junior champ George Kimber (Embark Spirit BSS) in 4.31.9.

Watch was third again there, in another Junior record 4.34.1.

Other MDCC times included Jacob Start (Youth), seventh in 5.11.7, Josh Snow (Junior) 5.34.9), Chris Barrett 5.59.7 and Ben Picton 6.13.1.

MDCC riders will be heading in force to Round One of the South West Cyclo-Cross League this Sunday – it’s at Cricket St Thomas near Chard.

The nine-leg series will run until early December and will include Round Seven at Paignton’s Torbay Velopark (November 24).

That’s the weekend after the MDCC hosts the Third Round of the National CX Trophy Series for the third successive year.

Hundreds of the UK’s best off-road riders, of all ages, will descend on the Velopark on November 16/17.