britishcycling.org.uk/go-ride Winter 2016
GO-RIDE MAGAZINE
DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CYCLISTS
GO-RIDE RACING:
SUMMER SIZZLER VS. WINTER WARMER
PLUS
2017 CONFERENCE PULL-OUT POSTER
EXPLORE EIGHT FANTASTIC YEARS WITH SKY MEET THE GO-RIDE GRADUATES ON THE GB CYCLING TEAM RIDER ROUTE
BRITISH CYCLING CLUB AFFILIATION 2017 Renew quickly online to benefit from: continued Go-Ride registration free or discounted British Cycling membership for new members a club profile on the British Cycling clubfinder secure online club subscription collection a club activity manager for your coaching sessions and events access to the national and regional rankings support from your regional British Cycling team public liability insurance of up to £10 million for club activities* For further information visit britishcycling.org.uk/clubs or email clubtool@britishcycling.org.uk *Full details of British Cycling’s club insurance (including important exclusions) at britishcycling.org.uk/legalandinsurance
2 / GO-RIDE MAGAZINE
“ WE HOPE THAT YOU SHARE OUR EXCITEMENT FOR WHAT IS AHEAD AND ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING PART OF GO-RIDE AS THE PROGRAMME EVOLVES” With 2016 now coming to a close, I would encourage you to look back and consider all of the hard work that went into some wonderful projects and performances during the year. From the cycling achievements of Team GB and Paralympics GB in the summer through to your own club development and rider successes: there is plenty to celebrate.
In this magazine we take a closer look at how the Go-Ride programme has changed, together with our accomplishments since 2008, which help to tell the story of how the programme has developed to delivering over a half a million opportunities for young riders annually. As you hold AGMs or award evenings over the winter, we encourage you to do the same: reflecting upon the ways your club has changed and how you might tackle any future challenges.
British Cycling announced a new lead partner deal with HSBC UK in September which puts us in a really strong position to grow the programme over the next eight years. It’s important however to remember all of the huge participation targets we have set and achieved and the exciting initiatives you’ve played a part in delivering over the eight years with Sky.
We hope that you share our excitement for what lies ahead and are looking forward to being part of Go-Ride as it continues to evolve. From 1 January British Cycling and all of its programmes will look a little different, though what’s important is that we continue to offer young riders the best possible start in the sport, working with committed volunteers like yourselves at a grassroots level. With best wishes for the festive period. John Mills Coaching, education and development director, British Cycling
If you have any views, comments or ideas for the Go-Ride magazine, we want to hear from you! Send your ideas to: go-ride@britishcycling.org.uk and you might see them in a future issue.
GO-RIDE MAGAZINE / 3
GO-RIDE
NEWS British Cycling and HSBC UK announce lead partner deal We’re delighted to announce that HSBC UK will be coming on board as our lead partner from 1 January 2017. They have already indicated that they are big fans of the Go-Ride programme and want to see it grow over the eight year partnership, so we’re sure there will be some exciting announcements on the horizon.
Congratulations to the golden Go-Ride graduates We’re sure you won’t have missed the brilliant news that Go-Ride Ambassadors, Jason Kenny and Laura Trott, tied the knot in September. With both riders starting out at Go-Ride Clubs, we wanted to pass on our congratulations and best wishes to the two Olympic champions – and the rest of the Kenny family (their two dogs).
Going Nutz for Lazer helmets winner Congratulations to Brian Johnson who won the signed Lazer helmet advertised in the summer edition of the magazine. On receiving the helmet, Brian generously presented it to Watford Cycle Hub where it has since been passed on to a lucky rider during an October half term event.
4 / GO-RIDE MAGAZINE
IDE GO-R UATE GRAD
Role of the Volunteer Coordinator workshops Over 60 volunteers attended our brand new workshop this autumn, gaining top tips around the role of a volunteer coordinator including where to find potential new volunteers, how to encourage them to get involved, and how to keep them coming back. Our National Youth Reps joined adult volunteers to tell them about the Cycling Award for Young Volunteers, explaining the value of youngsters taking on a role within clubs. If you missed the workshop but feel that the content would be beneficial, please contact your regional development manager to arrange a visit.
Olympic star joins the coaching team at a holiday session Riders attending a session at the Tameside circuit during the October half term were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime coaching opportunity, when Olympic champion, Callum Skinner, turned up with a session plan. Callum had been training towards completing the Level 2 certificate in coaching cycling and chose the opportunity to complete his final assessment. Throughout the afternoon Callum coached each of the 50 riders that attended, focusing on mountain bike techniques and finishing up with some Go-Ride Races. Passing the coaching course with flying colours, he also remained at the closed road circuit to hand out prizes. Speaking of the experience, Callum said: “As a rider you can get quite focused on one discipline – which for me is track sprint cycling. So it’s good to branch out, where today I’ve been coaching mountain biking to these kids and it’s been great. It really broadens your mind as an athlete – and teaches you a lot as a coach as well.”
National Talent Camp 2016 The National Talent Camp returns to Loughborough’s prestigious university for 2016. Receiving a large number of applications, it was not easy to make a final selection given the incredibly high standard. Commiserations to those who were unsuccessful on this occasion; we hope to hear from you again in the future. And good luck to the successful young leaders who will experience an excellent programme over the four days in December.
Get in touch if you have any news you’d like to share with us: go-ride@britishcycling.org.uk
GO-RIDE MAGAZINE / 5
REACHING FOR THE SKY 2008
In 2008 British Cycling and Sky got together to form a groundbreaking partnership, beginning an amazing journey to inspire more people to get on their bikes for fun and fitness – and to support our athletes to achieve even greater success.
T
he Go-Ride programme is supported by Sky’s investment in cycling and in the last eight years has achieved some incredible things. We’ve pulled a selection together from 2008 right up to the present day, but encourage you to think of all the other great activities your club will have been involved with.
2008: The Go-Ride programme expands, recruiting 14 new Go-Ride Coaches to support activities across the country.
2010 2009: The Cycling Award for Young Volunteers is created, arming a new generation of volunteers with life-changing skills.
2009
6 / GO-RIDE MAGAZINE
2010: Go-Ride Racing launches, offering fun, entry level competition that prepares riders for the next step.
2011: Coaching qualifications are developed for all six cycle sport disciplines, helping coaches to explore the sport and pass their knowledge on to young riders.
201 1
2012
2012: The Go-Ride Games get 4,000 youngsters cycling, inspired by the excitement of London 2012. 2013: Our National Youth Forum meets for the first time, providing a platform for young volunteers to play their part in furthering the sport.
2013
2014 2014: Disability Hubs launch, with accessible coaching available at traffic free facilities across England.
2016
2015 2015: We commit to delivering over two million opportunities by 2020, in partnership with Evans Cycles and The Bicycle Association.
2016: The Go-Ride Summer of Cycling gets 8,000 youngsters out riding, with clubs running over 300 events during August.
GO-RIDE MAGAZINE / 7
WHAT A SIZZLING SUMMER OF CYCLING! During August we all joined together in bringing the carnival spirit of the Rio Olympics back to clubs and coaching spaces. By organising dedicated Summer of Cycling sessions, you gave young riders a chance to practise their bike handling and celebrate the sport’s success.
I
n total 328 events went onto the calendar, resulting in a whopping 8,000 young people getting active in cycling. An incredible 3,000 of these riders did not cycle regularly so all of the clubs who welcomed new riders should be really proud of the difference they have made in their local community. Mel Perkins, club contact at Hethersett Hawks, a cycle speedway club in the South East, welcomed the initiative: “The youngsters who attended the two sessions have now spread the word and in recent weeks we have had more new young members come to the club.” Meanwhile in Wolverhampton, the sessions helped young riders to get excited about the approaching cyclo-cross season. Club coach and Breeze Champion Karen Langford said of their event: “The kids had a brilliant morning; it built their confidence up in competing. One mum told me that her daughter was excited about competing in the cyclo-cross competition the next day, where usually she would have been nervous.”
8 / GO-RIDE MAGAZINE
“ It’s all thanks to club volunteers and everyone involved should be incredibly proud of the contribution they have made. The Summer of Cycling really did make a big impact for the month and we heard some brilliant stories of the sessions taking place. “ Reaching 3,000 young people who previously weren’t active riders is a wonderful achievement and we are all hopeful that each of those youngsters will continue their relationship with their local club and of course, the sport.” Rob Mace Development manager, coaching and competiton British Cycling
“IT’S ALL THANKS TO CLUB VOLUNTEERS” Over 6,500 hours of volunteering went into the Summer of Cycling!
WINTER WARMERS What better way is there to keep warm this winter, than whizzing around a field in festive fancy dress? That’s what we were thinking when planning the Go-Ride Racing winter offer.
O
K, so having a hot chocolate in front of the fire might be slightly warmer… but you know what they say about winter miles! We have had a busy couple of months processing all of your Go-Ride Racing events and wanted to say thanks to every single volunteer who has given up evenings and weekends to make these happen. Organising activities throughout the winter months is incredibly important to keeping riders engaged – plus it’s a great excuse for a social get-together.
Festive freebies To help you run Go-Ride Racing this winter, we are offering resource top-ups to those clubs registering a series of races that take place before the end of March. All you need to do is get these set up by the end of December. These resources are in addition to the Go-Ride Racing prize packages available to clubs delivering two, four or six events in this period. Counting down to Christmas During December, each region will be hosting Santa cycling coaching and racing events. These are open to U16 British Cycling members who have taken part in any Go-Ride Racing event during the year and are a chance for clubs to ride together. As these sessions take place over the next few weeks, we’d love to see your photos and videos – especially where
riders (and volunteers) really embrace the festive theme. Remember to share these with us on Facebook and Twitter (@BCCoaches). To find an event, search ‘holiday coaching’ on the website. Holding your first Go-Ride Race? Organising an event is easy; all you need is a Level 2 coach and some enthusiastic volunteers. Clubs that introduce Go-Ride Racing for the first time are also entitled to a free kit bag, including everything you could possibly need for running a race.
To register a Go-Ride Racing event, please contact the Go-Ride team on 0161 274 2070 or go-ride@britishcycling.org.uk
GO-RIDE MAGAZINE / 9
A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF GO-RIDE
As we reach the end of 2016 we take a look back at the major achievements of what has been an amazing 12 months for cycling and for Go-Ride. JANUARY Go-Ride volunteers Alison Grant and Michael Pusey are recognised for their outstanding contributions to cycling in the New Year’s Honours list.
FEBRUARY Building on the legacy of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Go-Ride partners with the Mayor of London’s Office and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority to provide activities through two dedicated Go-Ride Coaches.
MARCH 500+ volunteers join the Go-Ride team at the six Go-Ride Conferences, exploring ways to improve rider performance and ensure their club is the best it can be.
APRIL Go-Ride teamed up with Blue Peter presenters Barney and Radzi to take on a track cycling challenge, with three episodes showing both presenters competing head to head in a mini omnium at the final round of the Revolution Track Cycling Series.
MAY We celebrated our first year of the Evans Cycles partnership, with a coached session at the Hoy 100 Sportive in Cheshire.
JUNE The first 2016/17 National Youth Forum meeting takes place at the National Cycling Centre, giving young people the chance to turn ideas into opportunities and contribute to the future development of the sport.
JULY Six of the eight British riders at this year’s Tour de France started their journey at a Go-Ride Club, highlighting the pivotal role that Go-Ride plays in nurturing champions of the future.
AUGUST The Summer of Cycling sweeps the nation, with over 324 special events delivered by Go-Ride Clubs across the country. 8,000 youngsters get involved, with 3,000 of these riders new to cycling. And of course, Team GB tops the cycling medal table at the Olympics.
SEPTEMBER 11 enthusiastic young volunteers became team attachés at the School Games, supporting regional teams over the three days of inter-regional road competition and showcasing the value of young volunteers in the sport.
OCTOBER A series of volunteer coordinator workshops are held around the country to help clubs recruit, retain, reward and recognise volunteers.
NOVEMBER The Go-Ride Racing winter offer is back, providing clubs with additional resources to support races throughout the winter months.
DECEMBER 25 young coaches and officials attend a National Talent Camp, learning from experts to develop their skills and ensure the future success of cycling.
10 / GO-RIDE MAGAZINE
Go-Ride Clubs up and down the country really stepped up to run fantastic events this summer, where we caught up with Hillingdon Slipstreamers to hear all about their Summer ParkLife project.
PARK LIFE S
peaking of the initial idea, young volunteer coordinator, Asti Kanaris, said: “After contacting Hillingdon Council to suggest a coach led summer skills programme for school children, we discovered they were running the ParkLife programme for the wider community. This fitted in well with our aim to provide opportunities to develop the skills of our young coaches and volunteers outside the usual club sessions; particularly as coaching adults and women only sessions were not something all of them had previously done.” The initiative really embraced the ethos of Go-Ride and thanks to the hard work of the club, there were over 160 participants – of which 90 returned regularly. By offering a broad mix of sessions, the club welcomed these new riders and ran progressive coached activities in a safe and enjoyable environment. Young members leading the way While the results and community integration reflect an initiative that was clearly successful, even more impressive is that the entire project was managed by the club’s young volunteers. For example, all sessions were planned and delivered
by young coaches aged 18 – 24 (Sam Grant, Mark Passey, Ella Buckroyd, Simon Passey and Hannah Gunn), assisted by young volunteers Seth and Tim. Asti expanded on this point: “What we are most proud of as a club is that these seven young people delivered almost 400 hours between them to ensure cycling reached the community and made an impact!” Spanning administration, planning, delivery and analysis, there was a lot of work that went into the series. For the young volunteers, this was a great opportunity to expand on their existing club duties and bolster experience gained through their involvement in the Cycling Award for Young Volunteers (CAYV). “Such a welcoming atmosphere” After each session, the club asked all participants to briefly review their experiences. A hugely positive 94% of all respondents stated that they would like to return for more sessions, with an equally impressive 89% of respondents rating the sessions they were involved in as ‘Very Good’.
Further feedback described the sessions as “fun and exciting”, with the activities helping one rider to make new friends and develop their confidence. These are exactly the sorts of interactions that spark a lifelong enjoyment of cycling and it is therefore so important that Hillingdon Slipstreamers are actively creating these new opportunities.
It goes without saying that without the support of clubs and dedicated volunteers British Cycling’s Go-Ride programme would not continue to grow. For that reason we want to thank and congratulate not just the success of Hillingdon Slipstreamers, but all clubs that deliver such impressive events – especially where young volunteers are involved. If your club would like to do more work with young volunteers and offer the CAYV, just visit britishcycling.org.uk/ youngvolunteers to get started.
GO-RIDE MAGAZINE / 11
YOUNG VOLUNTEERS LEAD THE WAY An enthusiastic group of young leaders from Manchester BMX Club attended a Cycling Award for Young Volunteers Workshop back in the spring. Here’s what happened next.
T
he workshop held by Rob Hawker (Go-Ride Coach, Manchester) set the scene, showing how the youngsters could start volunteering in cycling and putting forward suggestions for the different events and projects they could get involved with. Since then the club has made huge advances and are proactively seeking a huge variety of opportunities, with just a few picked out below. Following the workshop a number of the group were given the opportunity to volunteer at the UCI Supercross event at the National Cycling Centre’s indoor BMX arena. This bustling three day event welcomes some of the very best BMX racers from around the world and the young volunteers were right at the very heart of the action.
12 / GO-RIDE MAGAZINE
With the support of the local commissaries team the young leaders were entrusted with supporting the more experienced marshals and wider race support team with various race administration roles. As well as being challenging, this was a really enjoyable opportunity that everyone definitely made the most of. Since working under the bright lights of the National Cycling Centre’s BMX track in full event mode, the young leaders have carried their enthusiasm across to all that they do as they continue to volunteer their time. A number of the group now lead club sessions and are really helping to drive the sport forwards by being actively involved in the organisation of regular BMX race events. Thanks to the time invested in mentoring these young volunteers, Manchester BMX Club is now reaping the benefits of an extended volunteer workforce. The leaders are also constantly developing – with three offered a place on the 2016 National Talent Camp.
What’s on offer for young people? For Manchester BMX, everything started with a Cycling Award for Young Leaders workshop. This is the first step of the expanding Young Volunteers programme, details of which can be found under ‘Young People and Go-Ride’ on the British Cycling website. The National Youth Forum continues to go from strength to strength, with 12 young leaders meeting throughout the year to help British Cycling shape new offers, help young people get recognised and organise events. This is an excellent opportunity for the most dedicated young leaders and we will be looking for new members in 2017.
For a discussion around what British Cycling can offer young people in your club, please contact Joel Callister joelcallister@britishcycling.org.uk or 0161 274 2126
PLATINUM BLOG SENSATIONAL SCHOOL GAMES B ritish Cycling’s Young Leaders programme helps existing Gold Volunteers to further their skills and take their volunteering to the next level by leading on activities to achieve their Platinum Award.
David of Thanet RC attended the School Games as Young Volunteer. Here are just a few highlights of his experience.
Image: Huw Williams
From the athlete village, to street sprints in the pouring rain: the School Games provided a four day experience like no other for 11 dedicated young leaders.
A
unique opportunity for all involved, the School Games is designed to replicate a major sporting competition. All athletes, coaches and support staff stay in the athlete village and eat meals specifically designed for sporting professionals, with the opening ceremony including appearances from Olympic gold medallists across numerous sports. For 11 British Cycling young leaders this was an unmissable opportunity to work alongside regional teams. Their role was to support some of the country’s best young riders hoping to follow in the footsteps of previous School Games athletes from the world of cycling, such as Owain Doull and Elinor Barker. Arriving on day one, the young leaders spent the morning with British Cycling development staff and were treated to an excellent workshop from Ben Greenwood (Great Britain Cycling Team foundation coach) in order to prepare them for the days ahead. Meeting their assigned regional team and team managers later that evening proved to be the start of a rewarding three days ‘in the field’, actively supporting teams and individual riders to perform to their best across a number of exciting race events. Come rain, sleet and sunshine
(they had all three!), the leaders got involved and rarely stopped helping from breakfast at 6.30am until athlete curfew at 10.30pm. A tiring yet rewarding few days to say the least! Each and every young leader excelled in their role and it was clear that team managers and riders alike were able to rely on them to lead important parts of the games. Leaders were entrusted with warm ups, as well as assisting with the maintenance and handling of top end bike equipment – tasks that will really help them in their future in the sport. As the games drew to a close it was safe to say that all the young leaders had an invaluable experience and for the duration of the games were a true credit to themselves and also to British Cycling. Everyone at British Cycling would like to say a big thank you to the young leaders involved, who are: David, Thanet RC Joseph, East Bradford CC Maria, Kettering CC Mitchell, Team Terminator Rosa, North Devon Wheelers Carl, Team Corley Cycles Joshua, Summit MTB Katy, Hetton Hawks CC Megan, Spalding CC Tilly, Holmfirth CC Tom, Dove House School Academy
Attending the opening ceremony was amazing, with all the inspirational speeches and dance acts really setting me up for the days ahead. After an early start I spent the day giving the riders from my team the support they needed in their race preparation, before assisting our team manager in motivating the riders to perform to their maximum. Being part of the team meetings was a great chance to discuss the positives and negatives from the day, suggesting to riders different ways they can improve. Read David’s account in full and many more young leaders volunteering experiences at: nationalyouthforum.co.uk
To view all the latest blog posts from Young Leaders, please visit bcyoungvolunteers.wordpress.com
GO-RIDE MAGAZINE / 13
DISABILITY HUB VOLUNTEERS British Cycling’s disability hubs are continuing to grow through the commitment and dedication of volunteers. During recent hub visits, we took a few minutes out to discuss the programme with volunteer coaches Eugene Kertzman and father/daughter team Brian and Kiera Byland.
B
rian and Kiera’s local hub is Manchester’s Tameside closed road circuit, a 1.1 km tarmac and floodlit circuit which is part of a wider sports facility. They both attended the hub as riders, but decided to take the next step and qualify to become Level 1 British Cycling coaches. Eugene is based further south, volunteering at Odd Down Circuit in Bath. He is responsible for planning, delivering and coordinating hub activity, which runs once per month. At each of the six disability hubs across the country, experienced coaches volunteer their time to provide activities. As Eugene highlights, it’s a great opportunity to develop your coaching and really delve into your own delivery style in order to give riders the best experience possible: “Good listening and communication skills are essential when coaching, along
with an ability to be adaptable in your planning and delivery. With the hubs building in popularity we are always welcoming new riders, so from month to month you might be working with different groups who have varied aims for the session.” When it comes to what drives each of the coaches to volunteer their time and run these sessions, Brian and Kiera highlight that they “love the interaction with riders and seeing each progress with their bike handling and social skills”. The sessions are also the first step for para-cyclists on The Rider Route for the Great Britain Cycling Team, so participants could one day go on to bring home some Paralympic medals. One of the key areas of development is the recruitment of new volunteers across each of the hub sites. It’s simple to get involved and a hugely rewarding role, where Eugene has some useful tips on how to get started: “Anyone wanting to get involved should join a local hub session and see what it is all about – or encourage your own club to start a disability session.” If you would like further information on the disability hubs or becoming a volunteer coach, please visit britishcycling.org.uk/disabilityhubs or contact philball@britishcycling.org.uk
MY STORY: ANDREW PINK Club coach Andrew was in the process of completing the CAYV with Charlotteville Rascals when a fellow Go-Ride Coach put him in touch with Wheels for All, a cycling project for people with disabilities. From volunteering at a disability hub to recently joining the Great Britain Cycling Team as a para-cycling foundation coach, Andrew also picked up the Young Coach of the Year Award along the way! You coached at the Rio Paralympics; how did that come about? Whilst continuing my volunteer coaching I was involved with the Inter-Spinal Games and was selected to be head coach for the GB cycling team at the Invictus Games. I was extremely proud to be named Heather Crouch Young Coach of the Year at the 2015 UK Coaching Awards, which led to me being selected to go to Rio with the Paralympic Inspiration Programme. How was the experience of going to Rio? To see the biggest competition in disability sport on the planet was an unforgettable experience. I was able to learn so much about the Games and what it takes to coach at this level. What are your plans for the future? I am just starting a new job at British Cycling and my eyes are most definitely on coaching the team for Invictus Games. Long term I obviously want to be there in Tokyo!
14 / GO-RIDE MAGAZINE
ENJOY THE RIDE, TOGETHER Evans Cycles are proud partners of Go-Ride, and also run the UK’s largest series of organised rides. On-road and off-road; short, medium and long routes; 40 locations nationwide – we’re pretty confident there’s a great day’s riding for you & your family. Especially as children under 16 can ride for free at any event. Tickets start from £7.50
TO BOOK TICKETS AND FIND YOUR LOCAL EVENT VISIT: evanscycles.com/ride-it
Proud partners of
KIDS GO FR EE
CONFERENCES 2017 Delegates at the 2016 Go-Ride Conference
A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY Bookings are now open for the 2017 Go-Ride Conferences
CONFERENCE DATES 2017
Academy athletes help to celebrate the award winners at the 2016 conference
W
ith a conference in each region, we invite you to find your nearest free event and book online. The pull out poster across the page will also help you to extend the invite to other club volunteers and make sure you’re all set for the year ahead. We know that volunteers undertake a huge variety of roles within clubs, so tailored the Go-Ride Conferences to provide support and help Go-Ride Clubs to go from strength to strength. In the spring of 2016, over 500 delegates attended the conferences to undertake training, share best practice, learn about new initiatives and discuss key issues of club development.
16 / GO-RIDE MAGAZINE
The Go-Ride awards The annual Go-Ride Club and Volunteer awards will recognise the hard work and dedication shown by the most outstanding volunteers across the Country. We’ve received lots of nominations, with competition high in each of the regions! There are four categories this year, where there will be an award ceremony at each of the regional conferences with prizes and certificates presented: Coach of the Year Volunteer of the Year Special Recognition Go-Ride Club of the Year Thanks to everyone who has given their time to put forward a hardworking volunteer or incredible club. We are accepting entries until Sunday 11 December and will then put them in front of our expert judging panel.
To find out more about the awards, please visit britishcycling.org.uk/ go-rideconference
Saturday 28 January South West, Exeter Sunday 5 February South, Swindon Saturday 18 February West Midlands, Solihull Saturday 25 February East, Cambridge Sunday 26 February North East, Durham Sunday 26 February North West, Manchester Sunday 5 March Central, Aylesbury Saturday 11 March East Midlands, Leicester Sunday 12 March Yorkshire, Leeds Sunday 19 March South East, Kent Conference attendance is free to all Go-Ride Volunteers who are British Cycling members. Simply visit britishcycling.org.uk/go-rideconference to explore the events and book.
CONFERENCES 2017
Saturday 28 January South West, Exeter Sunday 5 February South, Swindon Saturday 18 February West Midlands, Solihull Saturday 25 February East, Cambridge Sunday 26 February North East, Durham Sunday 26 February North West, Manchester Sunday 5 March Central, Aylesbury Saturday 11 March East Midlands, Leicester Sunday 12 March Yorkshire, Leeds Sunday 19 March South East, Kent
To book your place, visit britishcycling.org.uk/go-rideconference and select your venue and workshop.
COACHING WORKSHOP
VOLUNTEER WORKSHOP
Led by your regional Go-Ride Coaches, this workshop will focus on creating engaging coaching sessions that develop the fundamental movement and physical capabilities of young riders.
Aimed at contacts, secretaries, volunteer coordinators and young volunteers, this workshop will be delivered by your regional development manager and will support club volunteers to develop the infrastructure of their club.
Requirements Delegates must have a coaching qualification and a current First Aid certificate.
Requirements Delegates must be British Cycling members and volunteer in a Go-Ride Club.
Book now: britishcycling.org.uk/go-rideconference
GO-RIDE MAGAZINE / 17
SETTING CLUB GOALS
With January around the corner, the next few months are the perfect time to get everything in order. Why not give your club a new lease of life by making some resolutions?
1. Appoint a keeper of the calendar Make sure someone in the club is aware of important dates and is in contact with your regional development manager. Your club’s British Cycling affiliation will expire on 31 December. With over 2,000 affiliated clubs, save time by renewing early and online. Once you’ve registered on the Go-Ride programme, you’re expected to apply for Clubmark within one year. Once Clubmark is achieved, the club needs to renew every three years.
18 / GO-RIDE MAGAZINE
2. Verify your volunteers We all know that volunteers are invaluable in running your club, but it’s important to make sure they know what is expected of them and what support they can expect from you. Volunteer agreement forms are a great way of doing this. It’s also worth doing an annual check of volunteer qualifications, making sure coaches have up-to-date first aid certificates and ensuring that you have seen DBS certificates. If you’re not sure who needs a DBS check, email compliance@britishcycling.org.uk 3. Get on down to your local conference Back again for 2017, Go-Ride Conferences are a great place to meet your regional British Cycling team, arm your volunteers and coaches with ideas to improve their sessions and share ideas with other clubs (see page 16 for details of the 2017 events).
4. Run the Cycling Award for Young Volunteers (CAYV) Retain teenage riders by arranging for them to attend a CAYV workshop. Not only will it provide them with a range of skills and opportunities to get involved in other programmes, but it also means more volunteers for your club and excellent role models for younger riders. For workshop dates, visit: britishcycling.org.uk/youngvolunteers 5. Get on board with Go-Ride Racing This entry-level competition format is only available to clubs on the Go-Ride programme. Register your events to receive a free kitbag to help put on the event as well as prizes to reward your youngsters. Go-Ride Racing can be held on its own, with other Go-Ride Clubs or as part of another event. You can access further opportunities and resources by getting involved this winter (head to page nine for details).
A PLACE TO RIDE Go-Ride makes the most of a new closed road circuit in Wakefield After six months of construction, a new closed road circuit at St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School in Wakefield opened in September 2016. The facility provides a purpose built, traffic-free cycling environment for school pupils and the surrounding community. In the short time it has been open British Cycling has made the most of the new facility, as Go-Ride Coach, Chris Young describes: “Already in the first few weeks since opening we have provided hundreds of young people with their first Go-Ride coaching experience, culminating in some really exciting races on the new circuit. “We have been working alongside local Go-Ride Club coaches to provide sessions both in and outside of school time, which have been massively popular. The Go-Ride Clubs using the facility are also welcoming lots of new young people to their sessions”. During the school day the facility is currently used by pupils from 12 primary and secondary schools, which are all part of the Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust’s (BKCAT) family of academies but plans are in place to expand this in the near future to other local schools.. Out of school hours the circuit is home to three Go-Ride Clubs: BBM Revolution Cycling Club, Calder Clarion Cycling Club and Wakefield Junior Triathlon Club – which between them boast over 500 members.
What do the Go-Ride Clubs think? “It’s an amazing facility that we have been waiting years to have access to. It’s as simple as that. It’s got everything that as coaches we could want – even a hill!” David Brown, coach at BBM Revolution “We were previously looking at a 50-60 mile round trip to find anything like this, which as you can imagine is just too far for our young riders to travel for an evening session – and that is a major commitment for parents whose children are new to the sport” Andrew Clayton, coach and chairman at BBM Revolution The clubs run weekly evening coaching sessions at the circuit and are working in partnership with staff from British Cycling’s development team and BKCAT to provide even more opportunities. Turning the vision into reality Whilst the need for a new facility in a community is often clear, it takes a lot of work to turn a vision into reality, as John Rooney, the school’s principal, explains: “Once the decision was taken by the school and approval granted by the Trust to pursue the idea, 12 months of hard work followed before construction work could start. This included plans, surveys, designs, planning permission and funding which all had to be addressed. It was a moment of pure joy when the facility finally opened and the vision of opening up this fantastic sport to young people became a reality.”
Circuit stats A 1 km tarmac surfaced circuit 6 m wide, with lighting for use in winter Cross-links enable the circuit to be broken into four sections Includes a 200 m sweeping hill loop Craig Moss, the sports, health and wellbeing manager at BKCAT, said of the development: “The first few months have been an enormous success! Through working with Go-Ride Clubs and other community clubs and groups in the area the facility is already almost fully booked through the evenings with just 1.5 hours of free space each week.”
The new facility was jointly funded by The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust and British Cycling. For more information about the circuit visit – cyclecircuitbkcat.co.uk
GO-RIDE MAGAZINE / 19
GO-RIDE TO THE RIDER ROUTE Over the years, Go-Ride has consistently nurtured talented riders towards the Great Britain Cycling Team Rider Route. It’s a proven programme of development that we should all be incredibly proud of, with the likes of Laura and Jason Kenny, Joanna Rowsell Shand and Adam Yates all starting out as regular riders at their local Go-Ride Club.
T
his year is no different, with a huge number of Go-Ride Graduates joining the Great Britain Cycling Team as part of the Junior Academy – or taking the next step up to the Senior Academy. Here are just a few riders with very bright futures ahead of them. Are any of them from your club?
TRACK SPRINT Jack Carlin and Joe Truman, Senior Academy – Two thirds of the gold medal-winning team sprint line-up (along with Ryan Owens from Welwyn Wheelers, Podium Programme) from the 2016 UEC Track Juniors and U23 European Championships Go-Ride Clubs: Jack – Glasgow Riderz, Joe – I-Team Cyclists
ROAD ENDURANCE TRACK ENDURANCE Lauren Dolan and Jenny Holl, Junior Academy – Secured a historic second place in the inaugural women’s Madison at the 2016 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships Go-Ride Clubs: Lauren – Mid Devon CC, Jenny –Stirling Bike Club
20 / GO-RIDE MAGAZINE
Fred Wright, Junior Academy – Took the overall win at the 2016 Isle of Man Junior Tour Go-Ride Club: VC Londres
MOUNTAIN BIKE/ CYCLO-CROSS Evie Richards, Senior Academy – Silver at the Junior Women’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in 2015 and current U23 UCI Cyclo-cross World Champion Go-Ride Club: Malvern Cycle Sport
THE GREAT BRITAIN CYCLING TEAM JUNIOR ACADEMY:
95%
BMX Bethany Shriever, Senior Academy – Junior women’s time trial silver at the 2016 UCI BMX World Championships Go-Ride Club: Braintree BMX / BAD BMX
THE GREAT BRITAIN CYCLING TEAM SENIOR ACADEMY:
93%
OF RIDERS STARTED AT GO-RIDE CLUBS To see the full list of Junior and Senior Academy riders, visit: britishcycling.org.uk/ 1617SeniorAcademy
OF RIDERS STARTED AT GO-RIDE CLUBS To see the full list of Junior and Senior Academy riders, visit: britishcycling.org.uk/ 1617JuniorAcademy
MOUNTAIN BIKE Frazer Clacherty, Senior Academy – 2015 British Cycling National Mountain Bike CrossCountry Champion and selected for 2015 Junior Men’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Go-Ride Club: Richardsons CC
GO-RIDE MAGAZINE / 21
TOP TIPS
RUN A SKILL CHECK SESSION
Bunny hop
Track stand Mount zone Limbo
Feed zone Dismount zone
Around the clock
Key:
With winter well and truly upon us, it’s a great opportunity to evaluate what your club has delivered over the past few months and gain an insight into your rider ability levels. With this in mind, why not think about running a Go-Ride skills assessment session?
22 / GO-RIDE MAGAZINE
B
egin by evaluating the previous coaching sessions delivered and think about which skills you have worked on over the past few months. You can then create an assessment test course as outlined above, which will help to assess your riders’ bike handling and coordination techniques. This is an essential tool for coaches in gaining a greater understanding of how your riders are progressing and guide coaches in their planning for the future. The Go-Ride skills assessment can also be a key focus for riders and provide some fun competition during winter training. The skills assessment above is only an example of what could be delivered and can be adapted to suit your club/ riders’ needs. You could cover a number of different cross-discipline techniques or concentrate on specific disciplines such as mountain bike or BMX.
start/finish line ride direction marker cone technique
Make it competitive Every rider sets off against the clock on zero points and once they complete a skill using the correct technique, they gain a point – with a point on offer at each skill station. The riders with the highest points from each age category at the end of the assessment are the star riders of the day. If riders are level on points at the end of the assessment then the overall winners will be the riders who score the most points in the quickest time. Record it Record results on a leader chart so riders can try to beat their score from the last assessment. Recap coaching points During each assessment session, take notes and think about which skills riders have struggled with most in order to recap and improve these techniques the following week.
ROLL OF HONOUR AUGUST - OCTOBER 2016
New Go-Ride Registered Clubs:
Beacon Roads CC Charnwood Cycling Club Coventry CSC Durham City Velo Ely & District CC Fylde Family Cycling Club Harry Middleton Cycling Club Kesgrave Panthers CSC Manchester Wheelers North West Cycle Coaching Sprockets Cycle Club Swallowfield Velo Club Whitehorse Triathlon Club
New Go-Ride Clubmark Clubs:
Bury Clarion Exeter Wheelers Melton Olympic
Renewed Go-Ride Clubmark Clubs:
Bournemouth Arrow Cornwall BMX Racing Club Exeter Eagles BMX Club Ilkley CC Mossley CRT Penge CC West Suffolk Wheelers Willesden CC Witham Wheelers Woolwich CC Wyre Forest CRC
Cycling Award for Young Volunteers Bronze Adam Lightfoot Elliot Malenfant Elsa Finch George Hancock Jade Mansfield Rhianna Stoves Sophie White
Cycle Club Ashwood CC Hackney Wigmore CC Lyme RC Welland Valley CC Derwentside CC Wolverhampton Wheelers
Silver Gaby Homer Harry Hunt Jacob Scott Joshua Hussey Natalie Moore Nathan George
Wolverhampton Wheelers Ilkley CC Summit MTB Cotswold Veldrijden Cotswold Veldrijden Hillingon Slipstreamers
Gold Carys Field Charlotte Masters Danny Earl Dominic Rutter Emily Ashwood Hayden Challis
Ribble Valley Jnrs Field End Flyers Cherwell School Oxford Cycle Sport Pendle Sutton CC Braintree BMX
GO-RIDE CONTACTS John Mills
Coaching, Education and Development Director
Melanie Knowles
PA to Coaching, Education and Development Director melanieknowles@britishcycling.org.uk 0161 274 2072
Colin Humphreys
National Development Manager colinhumphreys@britishcycling.org.uk 0161 274 2077
Rob Mace
Stephanie Allmark
Phil Ball
Joel Callister
Development Manager: Coaching and Competition robmace@britishcycling.org.uk 0161 274 2078
Senior Development Officer: Coaching and Competition philball@britishcycling.org.uk 0161 274 2019
Andy Webster
Development Officer: Coaching and Competition andrewwebster@britishcycling.org.uk 0161 274 2019
Development Manager: Clubs and Volunteers stephanieallmark@britishcycling.org.uk 0161 274 2069
Senior Development Officer: Clubs and Volunteers joelcallister@britishcycling.org.uk 0161 274 2126
Julia Klinger-Moore
Development Officer: Clubs and Volunteers juliaklinger-moore@britishcycling.org.uk 0161 274 2069
Sarah Lewis
Senior Marketing & Communications Officer sarahlewis@britishcycling.org.uk 0161 274 2013
Emma Flynn
Senior Administrator emmaflynn@britishcycling.org.uk 0161 274 2070
Go-Ride inbox
go-ride@britishcycling.org.uk 0161 274 2070
GO-RIDE MAGAZINE / 23
The amazing performances of the Great Britain Cycling Team rely on the support of British Cycling members. If your club members wish to join British Cycling, membership for their first year is free or discounted, so there is no excuse for missing out on joining the team.
facebook.com/goride go-ride@britishcycling.org.uk britishcycling.org.uk/go-ride
Under-16s receive a bonus joining pack, which includes some awesome surprises featuring some of the biggest cycling stars from the worlds of track, MTB, BMX and road in action! In addition, membership includes a race licence (if requested) and all the benefits enjoyed by adults such as insurance, discounts and top tips from the experts at British Cycling.
So whether you race, ride or just want to become a part of the team that supports Great Britain’s line-up of elite stars, join British Cycling and get closer to the action!