Super cyclist Max Robinson, 16, has been invited to take part in a competition hunting for the next generation of Olympic stars.

The pedalling whizz helped Team Richmond win gold at the London Youth Games in July and now has his sights set on representing England in the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

The Olympic hopeful will take his first steps towards his goal at the Power2Podium sports programme trials, a competition designed to discover young Britons with raw sporting talent who will be trained by world class coaches in the run up to the 2016 games.

He will follow in the footsteps of Olympic skier Chemmy Alcott, who started her career with Team Richmond at the London Youth Games.

The eager sportsman said: "My ambition [is to go] all the way to the top and win a gold for GB. Sport is about having fun, and winning, for me, is what makes it fun.

"Power2Podium is a great opportunity to take a first step on the path to the top. You can set yourself huge goals, but it's the little steps that take you there, and so I'm grateful to have the opportunity to take the first step and hope I can make the most of it."

Max, the son of Richmond councillor and borough cycling champion Katharine Harborne, has been cycling all his life because the family has not owned a car since before he was born.

He said: “My first birthday present was a little plastic tricycle, just after I learned to walk, and I have been cycling ever since. I got my first proper bike, I think, when I was about three. I cycled this and subsequent bikes, most notably our family triplet bike, everywhere.”

Max joined Twickenham Cycling Club when he was 14 and now trains there under British Cycling coach Graham MacNamee, spending much of his spare time cycling around Richmond Park, completing 7.5 mile laps in 17 minutes.

He said: “I usually ride out and around the local area, trying to find the long flat stretches of good road where I can get some speed up, and then force myself to do some local hills, as the only way to get good at something you're bad at is to keep doing it.”

The trials take place on Sunday, September 18.