SEVEN Isle of Man children have received an unexpected surprise from Lloyds TSB with tickets to visit the Olympics test cycling event in London in February next year.

Lloyds awarded the tickets at the Isle of Man Youth Cycling League annual presentation which saw over 425 children come to the Villa Marina with their families to celebrate their sporting achievements over the previous year.

The tickets were awarded to the top riders from the under 16, under 14 and under 12 racing bikes categories. The lucky winners were Anna Christian, Jake Kelly, Breeshey Cain, Mathew Bostock, Nathan Draper, Eleanor Davies and William Draper.

The children and their parents will go down to London next February to see some of the finest cyclists in the world compete in the Olympic Test at the newly-completed London velodrome.

Youth cycling is an incredibly popular and successful sport on the Isle of Man and the Youth League has been encouraging children between the ages of 2 and 16 to participate in the sport for over twenty years. World cycling superstar Mark Cavendish is a former rider in the league.

Dot Tilbury, the organiser of the Youth Cycling League, said, “On behalf of all the children I would like to thank Lloyds TSB for their generous donation of the tickets.”

Jo Wright, senior manager personal banking for Lloyds TSB, who attended the presentation, added, “I am so pleased that our position as an Olympic sponsor has meant that we are able to reward the children for all of their hard work in such a fantastic way.

“The commitment that they show to their sport at a young age is very impressive and I really hope that attending the Test event in February will inspire them to keep up their participation. I’d like to extend my thanks to the Isle of Man Youth Cycling League for inviting me to their presentation – I had a brilliant time and it was lovely to meet the children.”

Lloyds TSB is the exclusive banking and insurance partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.