HOPE Factory Racing prospect Cat Ferguson had an eventful time at the North of England Cyclo-Cross Championships but still managed to win the junior female category.

The 16-year-old from Glusburn had an early delay in the pits when her second bike wasn’t ready, and she later crashed into a photographer, but she still coped with the cloying mud at York Cyclesport to finish on top of the podium.

South Craven School pupil Ferguson said: “I was leading into the pits on the first lap and my dad wasn’t ready in the pits with my bike.

“I had to wait about 20 seconds, which wasn’t awful, but it is not what you want at the start of a race.

“When I came out of the pits I was third but then came down on a technical banking section and crashed into a photographer.

“He was fine and I was fine, and then I just rode to finish third overall in the women’s race, about 10 seconds behind second but there was a big gap to fourth.”

Added Ferguson of a course that involved much pushing or carrying of bikes rather than riding them: “I like the mud but not as much as this.”

Ferguson, who is taking at A-Levels in sports science, business and psychology, wants to become a full-time cyclist and was pleased to finish fourth in the European Championships in Namur last month.

She also had another good result in Belgium in the iconic Koppenberg race.

Part of the British Cycling Junior Academy, she has to pick and choose her domestic events due to GB training camps and overseas races.

However, she will be taking part in her local round of the National Trophy Series at Barnoldswick on the weekend of December 17-18.