Matthew’s magical Mall ride

Cycling:

MATTHEW Walls admitted he was blown away as hordes of fans roared the Oldham racer down the home straight on The Mall to finish as the third under-16 rider in the inaugural Prudential RideLondon Junior Men’s Grand Prix.

And while it may have been double Olympic champion Laura Trott who claimed the column inches after winning the women's race later that evening, 15 year old Matt was adamant he would never forget the experience of competing in front of the TV cameras on the same course as his Olympic heroes.

Matt, who rides for Velocity, was part of a strong mixed junior field which enthralled the crowds as they raced a 1.3-mile loop around St James Park in the Prudential RideLondon festival of cycling.

In the biggest bike event ever held in Britain, Walls more than held his own in a strong junior men's field and was delighted to finish third.

“It was hard and fast but the crowd was great because I was born in London, so it’s good to be back,” said the Crompton House School pupil.

“The Olympics has made more people try out the sport and has definitely got more people racing.

“Last year was very inspiring so I am more determined to be in the Olympics in the future.”