By William Hamilton
ANNALONG teenage cyclist Poppy Hamilton travelled to Manchester at the weekend to compete at Sprintfest.
The race took place at the indoor velodrome and provided a chance for Poppy to race with the best U-16 riders in the UK.
First up was the standing-start 250 race, in which Poppy got the day off to a great start by setting a new personal best. After a short rest it was the march sprinting event and she comfortably won two rounds out of three.
Next up was the Keirin. Poppy qualified for the A final, which included the quickest U-16 riders from all over UK.
Poppy rode a superb race to finish second and in doing so beat some really big names.
This weekend was another massive stepping stone in the fast-developing career of this young Annalong cyclist. A result like this catapults her into the limelight.
The fact it was done in such good company, probably makes her performance at Sprintfest her best result to date.
Poppy’s next challenge is attempting to qualify for the School Games in Loughborough at the end of August, so a big few weeks of training are coming up.