BOXER Mike Rose was delighted to muscle his way into the top six at last weekend’s Castle Combe Chilly 10K.

Rose, 28, from Norton St Philip, is preparing for his first-ever title fight at the Forum, in Bath, in April – being due to box for the International Masters Bronze light-middleweight belt – and he got some intense cardio work in the bag as he raced into sixth place in 37:53.

“I’ve always liked getting out there running and I do it all the time to keep my weight down,’’ said Rose, who trains at Paddy John’s Gym in Bristol.

“I wanted to do some aerobic work and I raced in the morning, and then went sparring in the afternoon.

“My aim was to try and get into the top ten, so I was delighted with where I finished. I’m doing the Bath Half-Marathon this weekend and the Castle Combe half-marathon the weekend after that.”

Another sportsman putting himself through his paces was Trowbridge motorcycle rider Victor Cox.

Cox, who finished sixth in the National Superstock 1000 series last season, was 13th overall with a time of 39:57.

The Wiltshire rider, who is 28 today, is preparing for his first season racing for new team Direct CCTV SBR Kawasaki.

“I’ve always been into running and I do duathlons and 10ks when I’m not competing in winter – it was one of the fastest 10k times I’ve had but I wanted to try to get under 39 minutes,” said Cox.

“I’m off for testing in Spain with the new team at the end of March. The team owner (Steve Brogan) has been talking to me for about a year and I just felt that I was ready for a change.

“I had a win and a few good results with the last team (ILR Kawasaki) but it’s nice to have a fresh start – I’m excited about it.”

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