CYCLIST Emilia Shuttleworth may only be an under-12 but she is already on a roll.

The Bury rider followed up her victory in last year's Tameside Cycle Development Track League u10s league by racing to the older age-group girls' title in the summer.

Nicknamed The Flying Shuttle, the Hollymount Primary School pupil overcame the challenge of rivals from the North West, Yorkshire and Derbyshire to win the series which runs for 20 weeks.

Dad Paul, a qualified British Cycling coach and ride leader, and volunteer coach at Bolton Hot Wheels where Emilia is a member, said: "When Emilia won the under-10s league last year the races were 5k long.

"This year they were 15k and had a mixed entry with boys and girls in u16s, u14s and u12s all competing on the 1k-long track at the same time.

"The races were very fast and hectic, and every few laps the u16s would pass Emilia at nearly 30 miles an hour – I was a very nervous dad on the trackside for the first couple of races.

"Emilia has had a big learning curve this year, not only has she increased her fitness and endurance but she has had to learn new track skills and race craft.

"This year has been a challenging one for her. In March we had the snow and cold weather limiting her outdoor training.

"In April she caught scarlet fever and had an ear infection, and it took her about four weeks to get back to full fitness."