Record breaking cyclist Harry Jukes becomes South West Champion
Harry Jukes was crowned Junior South West TT champion after taking almost one minute off the previous record
A young student from Cornwall has beaten over 100 cyclists to become the South West Junior Champion after completing the South West 10Mile Time Trial Championship and shaving almost one minute off the previous record.
Harry Jukes, a Year 12 student at The VI Form Academy of Camborne Science and International Academy, finished first in the Junior category whilst setting the new course record, and was a rewarded with a very competitive 8th place overall after competing against elite adult national riders.
Harry said, “There was a gusty headwind on the day so it made for a brutal race but I’m so pleased with my time and setting a new record was the cherry on the cake! I’ve put in lots of hours and miles on the bike this winter – often in tough weather conditions! – as well as balancing school work and sunlight hours through the weeks, so I’m proud to say that all the hard work has paid off.”
The cycling championship took place in hilly Ladock Valley near Tressilian earlier this month. Harry took almost one minute off the previous junior course record, setting a time of 21:23 and moving with an average pace of just over 28mph for the 10 mile course. Over one hundred cyclists entered the main event, in which Harry finished behind only the best, nationally-ranked riders.
Since the start of his season, Harry hasn’t lost a single TT race to another junior and has placed between 1st-10th in the overall finishes every time.
Harry’s currently a rider for the Mid Devon Cycling Club. His training routine involves coaching from Saint Piran team rider and manager Steve Lampier who is one of the best domestic cyclists in the UK, as well as working with pro-rider Max Stedman from Cornwall-based elite cycling coaches Duchy Coaching. Max is the current UK ‘Everting’ record holder – the fastest person to effectively cycle up and down the height of Mt. Everest. Harry also trains at Cornwall High-Performance Gym which specialises in coaching young athletes between the ages of 10-18 to develop maximum skills for their chosen sports.
“I’ve got at least one, two or three races every week until October now, so I know there’s lots of hard work and training coming my way!” Harry said. “I’ve got big plans – with top results in national time trials and national series events as key goals, I’m working towards potential selection for the Junior World Championships in Belgium this September. I know this is going to be a hard goal to achieve but I’m determined to get there!”
CSIA Principal Ian Kenworthy explained, “We’re so proud of Harry and everything he’s achieved so far. His hard work and dedication to mastering his sport is simply inspiring, and we have no doubt that he’ll continue to set more cycling records in the years to come!”
