Caerphilly’s world champion mountain biker, Manon Carpenter, has won the top prize at the USN Welsh Cycling Awards.
Carpenter was named Elite Cyclist of the Year for her consistently superb performance, at the Millennium Stadium ceremony on October 18.
The 21-year-old won the UCI Mountain Bike World Championship days after winning the UCI World Cup Mountain Bike Downhill Series, making her a double world champion.
She also added the British National Downhill Series to her victories in a remarkable season Carpenter described as “pretty crazy”.
After receiving the award she said: “It’s really amazing, I was really nervous as I was against such tough competition and it is really nice to see mountain biking get recognised.
“Winning the world championship was a highlight of the year for me, I was happy with my performance that day, and it was a really close race.
“I’m looking forward to changing a few things over the winter and making some improvements, and really excited for next year.”
Carpenter rides for the Madison Saracen Factory Team and was crowned junior world champion and world cup winner in 2011, adding the elite accolades to her success for the first time this season.
At the awards, Jason Carpenter, Manon’s father, came runner-up in the Unsung hero of Cycling category for his work with Dragon Downhill.