Birchwood High School cyclist Will Gilbank recovers from crash to come 22nd in British National Junior Series first round

Will Gilbank recovered from an unfortunate crash to claim an admirable 22nd-place finish in the first round of the British National Junior Series.

The Birchwood High School student lined up in Melton Mowbray for the Cicle Classic, a 105km race around Rutland, with the course featuring roads as well as rutted and muddy farm tracks.

There was rain overnight that continued into the morning, making for a brutal day of riding for 18-year-old Gilbank and his fellow 125 athletes.

The teenager was unlucky to crash after 30km when a rider fell in front of him on one of the worst sectors, their wheel flying up and knocking him to the floor.

Undeterred, Gilbank resumed the chase through the convoy of team cars until he reached the peloton where, although exhausted from his efforts, hung on to come 22nd.

He is now preparing to head out to the Netherlands to compete in a UCI International race at Ster van Limburg before travelling to Penn ar Bed in Brest, northern France, for another three-day race.

The day before the race in Melton Mowbray, Gilbank was the guest of honour at Cycle Stortford’s mass walk and ride to drive support for a £1m northern route linking the town centre to St Michael’s Hurst.

Gilbank is kindly supported by Highway Cycles, Matt’s Auto Repairs, TLC Live Tutors and Knight Frank. Any businesses interested in backing him can go to gilbankracing.com for more information.