JUNIOR Tobyn Horton was crowned Guernsey Velo Club senior criterium champion after a hard-fought 20-lap race at Delancey.

ith pre-race favourites Marcus Elliott and Andrew Reeves in the field, Horton had to overcome quality riders.

The race started at a slow pace with no one rider willing to do more than his share.

But with seven laps to go, Horton attacked hard from the front and having opened a gap, kept the hammer firmly down to extend his advantage.

The impressive junior had worked up a 10sec. lead at one stage and despite repeated attempts by Stuart Le Tisser, Elliott and Reeves, they could not catch him.

With one lap left, Reeves put in a huge effort to close up on Horton’s wheel and with the finish line in sight, both riders gave one last effort.

Horton, though, was not to be denied his biggest victory to date and he crossed the line with a wheel’s length to spare.

‘That was the hardest race of my life,’ said an exhausted Horton afterwards.

‘My coach [Ann Bowditch] gave me orders to work hard and that’s what I did.’