OF ALL of the competitors in what was at times a brutal day of National Trophy Series cyclo-cross at Peel Park, no-one made things look easier than Otley's Tom Pidcock.

Cyclo-cross may not be his premier discipline but the Oldfield-Paul Milnes Cycles ERT rider won the junior men's race by 1min 42.9sec.

Whereas virtually everyone else found descending against a camber so difficult that they had to slow down or even get off their bikes, Pidcock gracefully went down the slope at speed and managed to keep his balance to boot.

Bradford cycling sage John Rawnsley was certainly impressed, saying: "If he rides the World Championships, he can win it."

William Gascoyne (Pines Cycles-Felt-Enve) and Mark Donovan (Beacon Wheelers), who was over two minutes down on Pidcock, filled the minor placings.

Series winner Pidcock, who already had a 30-point lead over clubmate Ben Turner going into the fifth round, said: "My main discipline is road racing, where I am a part of the British Academy set-up, and I was riding in the snow and rain in the Yorkshire Dales on Saturday.

"My race went well, and I just use cyclo-cross to give myself something to do in the winter."

Otley Cycling Club's Ryan Middlemiss was 29th, over six minutes behind Pidcock.

Former Otley resident Delia Beddis (Vicious Velo) was eighth in the elite women's race, Ilkley Cycling Club's Ethan Whiteside was a creditable seventh in the under-14 boys' race and Otley Cycling Club's Joe Howcroft was 36th in the under-16 boys in 37min 35.7sec

Nowhere was the brutality of the course shown more, however, than among the under-14 girls, so it was credit to 12-year-old Amber Hull (East Bradford CC) that she got around the course.

After finishing 16th on her National Trophy debut in a race that was cut short because of its severity and had some competitors almost in tears, the Guiseley youngster said: "It was really hard but it was aim to finish, and I did it."