FOOTBALL and cricket are not the only growth areas for women’s sport as cycling is also enjoying a boom - and across all disciplines.

Females used to be lumped in with the older veteran men in the Yorkshire Cyclo-Cross Association’s Points Series races, but not any more.

Almost 50 females lined up at the start in the fourth round of the series at Leeds’ Temple Newsam Park, and Burley-in-Wharfedale’s Alison Kinloch (Shibden Cycling Club) could not have been more delighted.

“It is absolutely fantastic that there are so many women racing, and now we have got our own race,” said the 49-year-old, who won the women veteran’s 40 category.

“There were 49 riders lined up but I got off to a bit of a slow start but caught up in the woods and over the barriers but Ilkley junior Freya Whiteside (Shibden Cycling Club) pipped me on the sprint because she has 17-year-old legs!

“It was much drier than last year but I was glad of that because I have only got one bike with me so I was glad that I didn’t have to go through the pits.

“Going through the woods was really good, which we didn’t go through as much last year (due to Covid restrictions and dog walkers).”

Kinloch, who was won all of the veterans’ races in the Yorkshire Points Series races so far, was third in her category in the National Trophy at Derby the previous weekend and came eighth in the Three Peaks, was accompanied on the Temple Newsam podium by her five-month-old labrador Lottie, who is already getting used to going to cyclo-cross races.

One of her targets this winter is the World Masters Championships at Ipswich, where she hopes to be on the podium.

Men’s winner Bjorn Koerdt, a former pupil at Prince Henry’s Grammar School, was the class act in the men’s Temple Newsam field, winning by 4min 27sec from clubmate Will Thompson, and admitted: “It couldn’t really have gone much better.

“I made a good start and held a lead for the whole race, squeezing out everything that I had.”

The 18-year-old, who got two A-Levels, now turns his attention to next weekend’s National Trophy round in Falkirk and then the European Championships beckons as the full-time cyclist plans to make an impact as a professional.

The Shibden Cycling Club member added: “This was problemless compared to my other Yorkshire round at Wakefield, where I had a few hiccups such as a couple of mechanicals, but I was top 15 in the National Trophy and top-ten under-23s in my first race at that category.

“I am hoping for a top-five under-23s placing in the National Championships at Milnthorpe, where I quite like the course, and ultimately the aim is to be on a top team in Europe.”

Ilkley’s Stefan Macina (Shibden Cycling Club) was prominent in the men’s 50-59 years’ category, and said: “It was a very tough start and three of us got away at the front but a couple of laps in I lost my chain on the top section of the course so the guys got a gap on me and then I punctured on the bottom field.

“I had to work my way back up and pick a bike up and I had hell on getting back up to the guy in second and thought that I had done enough then but managed to sneak past him on the last lap for second.

“I can’t complain at that - it was a good effort and a good work-out.”

The 51-year-old added: “I have been on the podium every time in the Yorkshire Points Series this season but haven’t been on the top step yet.

“I crashed in the National Trophy at Derby so I will see how my body feels about the next round in Falkirk but I hope to give the National Championships a go.”