James McLaughlin flies down the west coast on his record-breaking run. (Picture by Mike Brehaut, 0578446)

BRILLIANT rides are coming thick and fast from the best crop of junior talent the Guernsey Velo Club has had in its history.

In a week that saw Tobyn Horton win a big road race in Belgium, on home roads James McLaughlin, Dan Arblaster and Callum Hill-Smith were setting new island bests to excite the GVC’s top brass.

Twenty-four hours after  winning the Liberation Day road race, McLaughlin, 17, smashed the club’s junior 10-mile time trial record with a stunning time of 21 minutes and 16 seconds, which is just two seconds shy of the outright senior club record held by Paul Brehaut, who was staggered by the excellence of the youngster’s ride.

‘It’s an absolutely stunning record and hats off to him,’ said Brehaut. ‘I will be the first one to shake his hand if he gets it [the island record] this year. I know how hard it is to train to do that and to push your body through a 10-mile time trial.’