Peel Park is again the focus of national attention on Sunday.
Last January the Bradford venue staged the National Championships, with Keighley’s Tom Moses winning the junior title.
This weekend the park is the venue for the fifth and penultimate round of the National Trophy Cyclo-Cross Series, with both Tom Moses and Chris Young battling to preserve their leads in the junior and veterans’ categories respectively.
The chances of local glory are therefore greater, particularly when you take into account the form of in-form Otley woman Adela Carter.
Confidence is also high in the Moses family. Tom, 17, and Joseph, 15, head to Peel Park with the North of England titles under their belts.
Bronte Wheelers rider Joseph was crowned youth champion and Tom, of Team Wallis CHH, was the junior winner on a slippery course last Sunday at Thornes Park, Wakefield.
Tom Moses is happy to be returning to the scene of his national triumph and remembered: “The support was massive for the Yorkshire riders and I had a good ride.”
The course will be harder this time as one trip up the stone steps has been replaced by two climbs of the adjacent banking.
But Tom Moses isn’t fazed, the double business and leisure student adding: “That suits me fine.”
He can clinch the series this weekend as long as he finishes ahead of Luke Gray.
Gray has 96 points from the four rounds so far, with Tom Moses having an impressive 136, his lead being a whole race win of 40 points.
Chris Young (JD Cycles Ilkley) has a 37-point advantage in the veterans’ category over Philip Roach (Coventry Road Club).
Joseph is also looking for-ward to tackling Phil Thackray’s course, saying: “I missed it last year as I was on a skiing holiday with Oakbank School.”
Over 300 have already entered overall, including Belgium’s Jan Van Dael, who is in the World Cup’s top 20.
Those numbers will be swelled by under-tens and under-12s who register on the day.
Sunday’s race schedule: 10.30am, junior men; 10.31am, women; 11.45am, youths; 12.30pm, under-tens; 12.45pm, under-12s; 1pm, veterans 40-49 years; 1.01, veterans 50 plus; 2.15pm, senior men and under-23 men.
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