Teenage bike rider Luca Thurlow, who started out at Cyclopark, Gravesend, on his journey to the World Cup Championships

Teenage bike rider Luca Thurlow has come a long way since he started out in the sport in Kent.

Thurlow is a mountain bike racer these days and has been involved in the 17-18 juniors World Cup Championships right across the globe this season.

The 18-year-old had first begun bike riding at Cyclopark in Gravesend. He has come some way since.

“The season kicked off towards the start of June,” he said. “I ended up getting special consideration for my A-Levels and I did an A-Level - then flew to Switzerland that night!

“We did Switzerland, Austria and Italy, which was pretty nice. Then, there was the Cycling World Cup in Fort William. There was sort of a French leg - which was Andorra and two French regions.

“I think there were something like 70,000 supporters there! The track was up in the Alps. It was packed with crazy French people. That was next level.

“We finished up in America and Canada.”

Indeed Thurlow, who has more than 8,000 followers on Instagram, did well in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, in October.

He said: “I got fourth at the last race in Canada.

“I’d started off a bit ropey at the start. I think it really depends on the track. Sometimes, you get tracks that suit you.

“A lot of people compare it to the Formula 1 of cycling. There’s so much work to do every week. Me and the mechanics had to work hard most weeks.

“There’s a lot of setting up that goes into it.”

But the chance to travel the world was one Thurlow relished.

“It’s incredible,” he stated. “As a 17 and 18-year-old, travelling all around Europe - and further afield - that was amazing.

“In Andorra, we started at nearly 3,000m high. We got the most incredible views. You’re going to drop into some scary track - but you do get some special views.

“The