YOUNG Black Country cyclists have had a boost in their bid to become a new generation of star riders at their club.

The academy at Halesowen Athletic and Cycling club has secured renewed and increased sponsorship from bottled water company Wenlock Spring.

The 2017 deal covers both sponsorship of the academy, a unique group of seven promising young cyclists, and the club's Friday night track league at its Manor Abbey Stadium.

Club chairman, Dave Viner, said: "The success we have had this year, and renewed backing from our sponsors speaks volumes for the quality of our young rider development programme and in the efforts we make to organise races in our area.

"We have a long and proud history of developing talented young cyclists, both male and female, and Wenlock Spring’s support is helping us to further that goal.”

Matthew Orme, director of Wenlock Spring, said: "Halesowen Athletic and Cycling Club are dedicated to helping young people realise their cycling ambitions, and we are delighted to be able to play a small part in that."

The academy is also supported by Stoke’s ProVision clothing company and nutrition specialist OTE Sport.

In 2016 long-standing Halesowen member Charles Walker won a dozen races, including a dominant ride for overall victory in the five-day Ras de Cymru, Britain’s second-longest stage race after the professional Tour of Britain.

Walker also took the points prize and a stage win, while with the backing of team mates Jack Stanton-Warren and Tom Swingler, the Halesowen academy took the team prize.

Walker’s strong riding came in spite of a serious accident in March in which he was knocked down by a car, putting him out for several weeks.

His string of wins was sufficient to earn him a place with the prestigious Catford CC under-23 team, sponsored by the designer Jeff Banks.

While Stanton-Warren rode to the overall standings in the season-long West Midlands Road Race League, Walker dominated the region’s other road-race series, the Shrops and South Staffs Cycling Clubs League.

Stanton-Warren, aged 21, continued to make strides in national-level racing in only his third year of serious competition, finishing third in the prestigious North West regional championship, while Nick Clayton, Olli Dighton, Patrick Fotheringham and Isobel Whiteley all crossed the line first as well - second year junior Clayton’s best ride being a stage win in the Newry 3-Day in Northern Ireland - while both Joe Hobbs and Swingler came close to victories as well.