Leon Mazzone competed in the North of England Cyclocross Championships in Burnley at the weekend.

Having rode in the fourth round of the National Trophy Series in Crawley in early November, the 22-year-old decided to miss the fifth round in South Wales in order to concentrate on training.

With one eye on the final round in York this weekend, Leon wasn’t expecting to feature high up in the results but he produced an excellent performance. ’I didn’t specifically taper for this event with the final round of the national series in mind next weekend in York so I wasn’t expecting miracles with a strong start list.

’There was heavy rain the night before so I knew the course was going to be extremely hard to ride due to last year’s experience in a regional round on the same course layout.

’It was a first for me but as 70 per cent of the course was unrideable because of how deep the mud was, I started with the bike on my shoulder. The first half of the lap was basically a running race so I took my chance to move up the field as I had to start from the back of the grid.

’By the end of lap one I felt better than expected placing within the top three and by the end of lap two it was a two-man battle for the win with myself and experienced cyclocross rider Giles Drake.

’Our lead kept on increasing but that didn’t slow us up. He held a small lead coming into the final lap but I knew I had to keep the pressure on.

’I only managed to get back to him in the final section of the course where I didn’t quite have the legs to make the pass, finishing in a respectable second place in the senior and under-23 men’s class.

’I am super happy with this performance and it gives me great confidence going into the final round of the National Trophy Series this weekend.

’None of this would have been possible without the help of my family and sponsors so I’d like to thank the following:

Nigel Watson at Luvi-Air LTD, LMS Partners, Patricia Wild Opticians, IoM Steam Packet, Kate Stobart/Rehab Lab, Genesis Bikes, Hunt Bikes Wheels, Challenge Tires and Madison Cycles.’