IN the week that British cyclist Chris Froome could once again win the Tour de France, Herefordshire could also have a future star on the cards.

Josh Sandman may only be 16, but he has already shown great potential.

The Climb on Bikes star, from Sellack, near Ross-on-Wye, gained a silver medal in the Under-16 British National Road Race at Redbridge Cycle Centre in London and is set to step into adult races next season.

Competing against 120 other riders, Sandman quickly moved into the top 10 after 30 minutes of the race.

His first attack upset the group and the decisive move happened when Sandman raced across to join the eventual champion Sean Flynn.

They quickly opened up a gap of 30 seconds as they approached the draining "Hog Hill", which would turn out to be the winning move.

The pair worked perfectly together, knowing they were due to claim gold and silver.

And that's how it stayed until the final ascent on the hill; Flynn just having the extra energy to prevail.

"Josh Sandman is a name to remember and watch out for, could he be a future Olympian or Tour De France rider?" asked his coach Jonty Williams.

"Only the future will decide, but for now, we’ll celebrate this outstanding athlete's achievement."

Other Herefordshire cyclists who took part in the race were Max Williams, from Ledbury, and Dilwyn's William Truelove.

Both competed in the Under-14s category, while Truelove's younger brother Emyr was in the Under-12s.

William Truelove finished 21st in his race, while Emyr fought hard to claim fourth.

Sandman went into the race having recently won the 11th race in the Wheelers Evening 10 Time Trials Series on the Lugg Bridge.

The teenager clocked a personal best time of 22 minutes 29 seconds to win ahead of KTM rider George Bartlett, who came in at 22:37.

Third place was Steve King, of Hereford Tri Club, in 23:05, with fourth-placed Paul Jones (23:11) being the first Wheeler home.

The women's race was won by Wheeler Katie Price in 24:21, who pipped Hereford Tri Club's Kylie Mansfield.

Third place went to Wheeler Sarah Jones in 26:03.

The next race at Leominster was won by Liam Bromiley ion a record-breaking time.

The University of Bath rider went round the course in a fantastic time of 20:02.

Second placed was shared between Climb on Bikes' Lee Truelove and James Griffiths, of Clee Cycles, who both recorded a time of 22:58.

The first Wheeler was junior rider James Morris, who finished fifth in 24:02.

The women's race was won by Wheeler Christie Jones in 24:18, ahead of team mate Price (24:24) and Hereford Tri Club's Mansfield (25:08).

Most of Sandman's training sessions are held at Wyevale Business Park on Sundays.

If you are interested in joining the growing junior club at Climb on Bikes, visit spot-on-coaching.co.uk