MINEHEAD Cycling Club members were on the start line at the second round of the Southwest Cyclocross at Redruth on Sunday.

On a dry, bumpy and grassy circuit with some very slow tight sections, first off was Louise Crossman (2nd V60). Stephen Crossman (9th V60) followed, trying to keep riding those tight bits rather than getting off and running.

Best ride of the day was surely Matthew Waddams (2nd V60). The Veteran classes are often the tightest racing, and so it proved with Matthew having to fight hard for his second place in a field littered with talent. He turned in consistently fast lap times which was enough to beat one of the two former World Masters champions in the race, but not the other.

Elsewhere MCC members enjoyed rides on and off road across Exmoor. The Friday evening MTB ride this week was in the Croydon Woods, where the trails are in top condition.

Meanwhile, Porlock will be the venue for the National Hill Climb Championships on Sunday, October 25.

The event will bring leading riders, spectators and cycling enthusiasts from across the country to Exmoor, with the Porlock Toll Road providing a spectacular setting for one of the most distinctive events in the British cycling calendar.

Minehead Cycling Club is working with partners and sponsors across the area to deliver the events and showcase Porlock and Exmoor to a national cycling audience.

Steve Crossman, Minehead Cycling Club’s chair, said: “This is a marvellous opportunity for everyone to watch some of the very best hill climbers in the country taking on Porlock Toll Road.”

Local riders have already had experience of the course during September and will know how difficult it will be for competitors in the national championships.