BICYCLE motocross was catching on and Oxfordshire was setting the pace, with a British champion.

Dave Thomas, 20, of Mayfield Avenue, Grove, near Wantage, became the top British rider on his 24in wheel cruiser bike at the national BMX championships in Derby in 1983.

He is pictured second from the right with three other up-and-coming riders, left to right, Christopher Eddings, nine, Simon Cox, 12, and David Taylor, 12.