A PAIR of Herefordshire cyclists will be travelling to Poland later this year to compete against the best amateur racers in the world.

Fiona Mundell and Jonty Williams have both qualified to compete in the UCI Grand Fondo World Championships.

The race in Poznan, Poland will see 4,000 cyclists from 40 countries gather to race in their respective age group categories on September 1.

Each rider had to earn their place in the championships by finishing in a qualification place at a UCI Grand Fondo World Series qualifier.

Mundell and Williams both took part in the Tour of Cambridge earlier this month with an aim of qualifying for Poland.

After finishing fifth in her 50-54 age category after an extremely windy 67 miles in three hours, 34 minutes and 34 seconds Mundell was unsure if she had qualified.

"It was a hard race as it was windy from start to finish and it felt like a strong head wind all the way round," said Mundell.

"I didn't think I had qualified with a fifth place in my age group. It wasn't until I got an email two weeks later that I discovered I had."

Meanwhile Williams competed in the 100-mile Grand Fondo qualifier in the 50-54 age category and completed the course in a time of four hours, 27 minutes and 49 seconds averaging over 22 miles per hour.

The pair have now booked their travel to Poland and are awaiting their Great Britain team kit.

The achievement is a remarkable one for Mundell who only began cycling in July 2016 after signing up for the London to Paris cycle event with her husband as a challenge.

"We had watched cycling on the television and fancied a challenge," said Mundell.

"I hadn't cycled since the age of 10 and two months before the event I decided to buy a road bike.

"We did the event and I have carried on cycling since. Poland will be my first time competing abroad and I'm just looking forward to seeing where I can get."