WEM cyclo-cross star Isaac Vickery faced off against older opposition last weekend in his first outing in the West Midlands Cyclo Cross League.

Vickery, who is 10, battled against under-12 riders, for the first round of the league, held at Henley-in-Arden in Stratford.

More than 30 riders took part in the event, including the two fastest U12 Welsh boys and the fastest U12 Scottish girl, Olivia Poole, who had travelled from Inverness.

The race started with random gridding, as there were not enough results from last year to place the competitors accurately on the grid.

This meant Vickery was gridded centrally.

A frantic start into a sharp corner saw Vickery nearly taken out, but he narrowly avoided the crash to start the race in the top 10.

A dry course with long grass ensured it would be a tough afternoon for Vickery, and the introduction of hurdles was also a new challenge. These planks of wood placed across the track can often be jumped if on a downhill section, but as they were on an uphill Vickery was forced to dismount and carry his bike over.

Vickery spent the first three laps sharing the lead with Gower CC rider Kellan Heuberger, with the rider from Abergavenny Road Club in third, and Poole in fourth.

There was a steep uphill section just after the hurdles and on the fourth lap Vickery sensed the Gower rider was struggling, so was able to power away, and by the end of the lap was more than 100 meters clear.

The final four laps saw Vickery build a bigger lead, skilfully navigating the downhill sections and showing his strength on the uphill sections.

He crossed to take the victory, 46 seconds ahead of Heuberger in second, and one minute ahead of Poole in third.

Dad Richard said the win put him in great stead for the rest of the season.

"It was a great start to the season for Isaac which will give him so much confidence for the rest of the season," he said.

On September 12, he heads back to Henley to race the same track in the opposite direction.