A Darlington cyclist warmed up for next week's national championships in Birmingham by winning a regional event.

Richard King, 25, was victorious in the North-East Divisional Road Race Championship after a gruelling contest in Northumberland.

His triumph, achieved in a race with 50 other riders, followed closely his winning performance in the four-day Tour of the Border race in the same area.

The Teesside University student, who is working as a physiotherapy assistant at Darlington's Woodlands Hospital, now has his sights set even higher.

Looking ahead to next week's national event, he said: "That's the one I'm really hoping to win and I'm training hard for it."