AN Olympic silver medallist last night made a poignant return to the Suffolk cycling club where he first made his name.

Dave Gooderham

AN Olympic silver medallist last night made a poignant return to the Suffolk cycling club where he first made his name.

The talents of Ross Edgar were first spotted by the West Suffolk Wheelers more than ten years ago - long before he became one of the sport's brightest stars and claimed silver in the Beijing Olympics.

But the affable Newmarket rider has returned to the Bury St Edmunds-based club to talk about his experiences and admitted he was surprised by the level of interest with dozens of members turning up.

Edgar, 25, said: “This is the club where it started for me and it is great to be back and see so much support from my local team. The West Suffolk Wheelers is a great team which help so many youngsters with advice but also through fun.

“After the initial high in Beijing, it has been great to come back and meet people and get congratulated - I still can't believe it really.

“I was hopeful of a medal before the Olympics but even halfway through the final, I wasn't sure that I was going to get anything.

“Now I hope to go one better in London in four years time.”

Edgar picked up the silver medal in the men's Keirin in Beijing finishing behind fellow Briton Chris Hoy in a thrilling final. It followed his performance four years earlier when he finished fifth in the individual men's pursuit at his first Olympics in Athens.

Stephen Hill, press officer for the Wheelers, said it was a great honour to have the rider back in Bury, where his talent was first noticed by club members.

Mr Hill said: “We all watched the Olympics with a mixture of pride and excitement and Ross did fantastically well. His association with the club goes back more than ten years when we first saw him whizzing around a circuit at the British Sugar factory in Bury.

“I think a lot of people spotted his talent straight away and he showed tremendous promise. He has always shown great loyalty to the club and come back for events whenever he could.”

Mr Hill said the club was booming at the moment adding: “We have had so many new members in the last few years and we are now riding the crest of a wave created by the Olympics euphoria.”