Isle of Man cyclist Alec Sorby finished off a strong first year in the junior ranks with a trip to Flanders in Belgium to ride two kermesse races last weekend.

Kermesses are the cornerstone of road cycling in Belgium and there’s no better place to learn for any young bike rider than some of these races.

First up for the 17-year-old Utmost-Mezzo Junior rider was Saturday’s Heestart 84km kermesse which was borderline rideable thanks to Storm Amy.

The 45mph gusts and showers provided epic conditions, with crosswinds on many sections of the circuit which was covered 11 times.

This clearly didn’t deter the field as attacks started straight from the flag, with riders not wanting to get caught near the back of the peloton on such narrow roads in windy conditions.

Sorby followed some early attacks but didn’t quite have the legs to go with the final splits in the last half of the race, but finished with what was left of the peloton in 32nd. Of the 100 starters, only 48 finished which puts it into perspective how tough conditions were.

Sunday’s 84km kermesse in Tielt, near Waragem ran in slightly less wind, albeit still challenging enough on Flanders roads.

Many of the 100 starters didn’t race on Saturday. Alec rode strongly, holding good position for the first half and getting involved in many of the early attacks.

Unfortunately the combination of Saturday’s race and attritional conditions caught up with him, coming in with the main peloton behind a front group of 18 riders in a tired 49th.

Of the 95 starters only 65 finished.

‘I’m happy to have experienced a couple of tough races in the heartland of Belgium, although conditions were really challenging, particularly on Saturday.

‘I’m keen to build on some encouraging results in 2025 and get to work on how I make a step up in my progression for 2026.

‘A big thank you to Utmost-Mezzo, Bikestyle, Isle of Man Sport Aid, Van Mossel Motor Mall and my coach Elliot Baxter for all their support.’