PERSHORE High School pupil Tom Charles will pull on his Stratford club jersey to race in the European Junior Cycling Tour Assen 2017 in the Netherlands.

The teenager will compete from July 31 to August 5 with more than 60 under 14s riders from 10 different countries.

The tour will involve five days of racing including a time trial, three different distance-based criterium races and a closed road race.

It’s the Pinvin 13-year-old’s first multi-day event and first experience of racing outside the United Kingdom.

Ahead of Assen Charles will be racing in the West Midlands Circuit Race Series and starting this month he will be track racing at the velodrome in Newport and Derby for the National Youth Omnium Series.

He races in the West Midlands Cycle Cross League during the winter months, coming 13th out of 50 riders in the 2016-17 under 14s category.