It may have been a ridiculously busy weekend of racing but the youngsters of Cycle Club Ashwell rose to the challenge in glorious style - landing podium places and strong performances.

It began with round six of the Muddy Monsters series, held at their home Smallgains track.

The series is open to riders between the ages of five and 15 and there were around 60 of them competing in sprint and endurance races.

The U8 category continues to be the most competitive, drawing the largest turnout and giving riders a tough introduction to racing.

Welwyn Wheelers' Ralph Manser held onto top spot in the league with a commanding double win but Phoebe Wilkinson of CCA rode strongly to consolidate her push for a top three finish.

Charlie Brazier battled hard and sits just outside those positions while the home team's Lucy Douillet edged out Winnie Ford of the St Albans-based Verulam Club in a photo finish.

Ashwell’s Remi Clark took a strong silver in the U10 girls while Fred Silk powered to gold with wins in both of the U10 boys' races.

The U12 girls was dominated throughout by home riders with Lottie Anderton taking gold and Sophie Harvey winning silver, the pair pushing each other throughout.

The U12 boys also saw a huge CCA turnout with Oscar Darton's battle against Benjie Williams just going the way of the Hitchin man.

He did win in the four-lap endurance race though.

Logan Ayers edged out team-mate Jacob Murphy to claim the final place on the podium.

One day later and the action took place at Milton Country Park in Cambridge for the next round of the Eastern Cyclo-cross League.

The course proved testing to say the least with no long straights to build momentum and the recent rain leaving the ground hard to ride.

It didn't stop the U8 and U10 riders having some intense battles with Toby Scott finishing third in the U10 race to secure a second place overall.

Fresh from his efforts at Muddy Monsters, Charlie Brazier had a strong league debut against a tough field from across the region.

Jacob Murphy was close to the podium again in the U12s, finish fourth by the end and beating Ayers (5th) and Darton (6th).

Ella Friedlander and Erin Hall celebrated a glorious winter in the U16 girls category with first and third finishes overall.

A spokesman said: "Their results provided welcome reward for an excellent season as they continue to set the standard for other club riders to aspire too, balancing their riding with supporting the younger riders at other club events."