St Ives Cycling Club's Andy fountain had to combat some difficult weather conditions as he raced to a twelfth-place finish in round one of the Crank it Series.

The race was held at Sherwood Pines on March 18, with Andy racing in the Male Vets 50-59 event against 33 other competitors in his category.

Andy said: "After a week of snow, rain and cold weather, the course was very demanding, and with snow still on the ground in several places, riding was very tricky, and tyre choice was critical in the ankle-deep mud in certain sections.

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Racing on mountain bikes, Andy still had to tread carefully and was fortunate to avoid a big crash on the muddy first corner, enabling him to gain places and pick slower riders off in a war of attrition.

By the end of the five-lap 90min race, Andy had moved into 12th position and, with a little more confidence and technical skill, could reach the top ten later in the series.