TAMWORTH teenager Sam Spokes excelled when he rode against some of Australia’s best riders in last weekend’s Trust Ride For Life at Sydney’s Centennial Park.

The 16-year-old Spokes finished ninth in a field which included the likes of Australian Under 23 champion Richard Lang, who won the recent Sundowner (Coonabarabran to Gunnedah), a Commonwealth time trial champion and Peter McDonald, a recent professional winner in Europe.

Sam’s father and coach, Alan Spokes, was delighted with the performance of his son.

“He was up against the best of the best. There were some big teams riding there and he was one out, that’s pretty tough stuff.”

Sam Spokes tried to match every break early but then opted to sit on Peter McDonald’s wheel.

A five-man breakaway then developed and they took that out to 35 seconds before McDonald and three others including Lang and Spokes tried to ford the gap.

With three laps of the criterium remaining the chasing bunch started to take time out of the leading group, knocking off 30 seconds in two laps before McDonald “sat up”.

Spokes kept going and almost bridged the gap before McDonald, Lang and one other cyclist pipped him for sixth, seventh and eighth. They finished a few seconds behind the first five.

It was an outstanding effort from Spokes on a day that raised $250,000 for the Prince of Wales cancer unit.

“They also had about 150 to 200 CEOs riding in a corporate day,” Alan Spokes said.

“And after the race Peter McDonald came over and had a chat. He couldn’t believe how well Sam was going and was just 16.”

McDonald also enquired about the riding at high altitude Sam had done while on tour with the Real Aussie Kids in the Rocky Mountains in the USA.