CHARLESTOWN cycle star Joe Nally is set to make his debut in a European track cycling championships in Portugal later this month.

The 17-year-old Hardie Bikes rider has been selected by British Cycling as part of the junior squad that will compete at the UEC (European Cycling Union) Track Junior and Under-23 European Championships.

The event will take place at the Sangalhos Velodrome in Anadia from July 18-23 and Nally is one of 16 riders picked from British Cycling's Junior Academy.

He is one of six debutants - the others being Anna Docherty, Alistair Fielding, Pfieffer Georgi, Caleb Hill and Will Tidball - while he will be joined by riders including current junior European team pursuit champion Fred Wright, and junior Madison champion Rhys Britton.

Britton, Wright, Tidball and Jake Stewart will join Nally in competing in the junior men's endurance events.

Among the 14 under-23 riders picked are Olympian Ryan Owens and Podium Programme sprint team-mates Jack Carlin and Joe Truman, and head coach Iain Dyer said: “The European championships are one of the main competition targets for our junior and under-23 track riders this year, and we’ve selected a big team for Anadia accordingly.

"The preparation for this event is going well across all the squads, with training camps and competition opportunities provided for all the riders in the run up.

"We saw some impressive results from the under-23 riders last season at the elite world cups and the world championships and I’m pleased to welcome them back as they look to build towards next season.

"For the junior riders, the execution of their performances and what they can learn from it is as important as the results for them, and this competition is a great opportunity for them to gain some quality racing experience.

"Rider development is at the heart of our pathway programme and this event provides a great opportunity for our junior academy riders to observe and learn from the more experienced riders operating in a Championship competition environment.

"Equally, I’ll be looking to the senior academy and podium riders to set the example to their younger teammates based on what they’ve learned at elite level major events."