CYCLING: James Shaw is in a great position to win the U-23 National Series following his Championship victory the previous weekend.

The 19-year-old Bristol University student finished third in number three of the five-race series in Scotland.

Shaw, of Ferndale, lost an early lead in the 90-mile contest but took the King of the Mountains prize for an outstanding start.

He declared: "That puts me into an immensely strong position to win the U-23 national series. I have the fourth round this weekend in Rockingham Forest in the East Midlands.

"No-one else has been as consistent and points mean prizes. I'm leading the series with about 90 points to the next on 54 points.

"But the National Championships the previous weekend was pretty much the big one as everyone came back from racing abroad for it."

The one race was not enough for Shaw though as he took on a Scottish Grand Prix competition while he was in the country staying with the parents of his coach Neil Walker.

Shaw took on some of the best senior riders in Scotland and finished second - just.

He admitted: "I should really have won it. I mistimed my sprint and finished second by three-quarters of a wheel."

Looking ahead to the weekend, Shaw added: "I'm aiming to win it. It's the best one for me with two stages on the day. There is a 5km time trial followed by road race.

"I will need to win the first stage and get the famous yellow jersey. If I can get that for the road race then I don't think anyone will get away from me in that event."