McKINLAY’s 1st Chard Wheelers will be providing half the South-West region team for the inter-regional track championships later this year.

The Wheelers selected for the eight-strong squad of four boys and four girls are Ryan White, Emily Attfield, Ruby Bond and Joe West with Rowan Ellis picked as first reserve.

The riders will fly to Manchester in September to compete in a variety of races on the Velodrome as part of the Sainsbury’s 2014 School games.

Club chairman Brandon Ellis said: “I'm absolutely thrilled both for the club and particularly the riders who have worked so hard to get here. All those long trips to Newport Velodrome have been worth it.”

Meanwhile junior rider Oli Cooper enjoyed quite a week. On Thursday he rode with great aplomb in the Category 3 race at Merryfield. Cooper put in some great attacks during the race and even opened a 20 second gap before being caught.

However Cooper wasn’t done yet. He attacked again on the last lap and even managed a sprint, to finish just outside the top ten.

On Saturday he set a new personal best time for a ten mile Time Trial of 22 minutes and 40 seconds in the Somerset Road Club event. Other top times came from Dave Moffett (21m 55s), Tom Aliban (22m 18s), Dean Ward (24m 25s) and Mark German on (27m 27s).

Ben Moran, who has only started Time Trial racing this year, tackled his first ever 25 mile TT and put in a great performance with a time of 59m and 5s on the course near Buckfastleigh in Devon.

Another rider in top form is Under-16 Ruby Bond, who celebrated her South-West call up with a narrow victory in her first senior ladies race, pipping team-mate Emily Attfield with a very strong sprint. Wiebke Rietz took fourth place.

The Team Tor 2000 summer series event saw 17-year-old Rob Hogg finish eighth in the E12 race.

Joe West won the Under 14 event with Rowan Ellis a close second while Evan Richards won the Under 12s with young George Bond putting in a swift ride for second.

A Wheelers 1-2-3 came in the Under-10’s with Max Taylor claiming victory from Jack Webb and Oscar West.