WHILE the rest of us get to grips with the fast approaching chills of a British winter, one local cyclist is making the most of an Australian summer.

Hottly-tipped future star of British cycling, Kieran Page, showed that a summer spent mixing it with the best talent France has to offer has done nothing but improve his racing skills.

Competing with some of the top professional cyclists in the world, Page, from the Isle of Wight, finished 21st overall in the eight-day Tour of Queensland.

More importantly the 21-year-old, pictured above, also ran out victor in the race-long sprints competition. Points are awarded for sprints along the route of each stage and it takes a hugely consistent rider to win a competition such as this.

On the other side of the globe, and in the slightly chillier surroundings of Moscow, Rob Hayles from Cowplain took second in the individual pursuit at the first round of the UCI Track World Cup. Hayles took fourth in this discipline at the Athens Olympics and his performance showed that he has now fully recovered from a long, hard season.

The Track World Cup comes to the Manchester Velodrome from January 7-9, 2005 and Hayles will move on to the winter six-day circuit this week. He heads to Gent in Belgium to take on the world's best in six days of gruelling track racing.

It is a truely exhausting way to make a living, but Hayles is one rider who thrives in this environment.

While Keiran Page works on his tan, Simon Saunders, also from the Isle of Wight, continued his comeback to good form in the Calshot Winter Track League.

Saunders, of the MCS-Wightlink-SP Systems team, powered around the short 150m Calshot velodrome to take victory in both the points race and the match sprint, while also claiming second and third in the two scratch races that open and close the day's racing.

Another MCS rider, Pete Moore, also showed a welcome return to form, taking second and third places in the veterans' 2km and unknown distance.

Youngsters always like to mix it and and show their metal against their senior opponents and Swanmore's Matt Coates is no exception. Racing for the VC St Raphael-Wates Contracts squad, 17-year-old Coates is using his age and subsequent leg speed to his advantage. He finished Sunday's league with a well-deserved victory in the B League, Unknown distance and two seconds and a third to move himself into third overall in the winter-long series.

Coates finds himself just eight points off the pace and well within striking distance of the overall leader. Consistency is the key to this competition, as is learning the skills and craft needed for the sport of track cycling.

Racing around a steeply banked wooden track on a bike with no brakes may sound dangerous, but youngster Jon Dibben is going from strength to strength on the steep boards of Calshot.

Dibben overcame the combined might of two riders from Bournemouth Arrow to take a total of three wins, three second places and two thirds in an exhausting afternoon of competition. Dibben, who now sits in third overall, does have a mountain to climb if he is to snatch the lead, but he is certainly showing true grit and determination in his quest for overall victory.