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Olympics 2012.
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BEING WIGGO The road to take to be the next Bradley Wiggins or Lizzie Armitstead Team GB’s cyclists will inspire a new generation. It is becoming a regular, four-yearly occurrence around the UK: the British cycling team collect a clutch of OlwWympic medals and suddenly velodromes and bike clubs are inundated with interested newcomers. So, if your 12-year-old son or daughter has decided they want to become the next Bradley Wiggins or Lizzie Armitstead – or, indeed, if you fancy your chances – where to begin? “That whooshing feeling made the whole journey worthwhile. If I can get on any more sessions, I’ll definitely be back.”
The Cycle - Bieng Wiggo
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How do I start? By far the best way to get involved in
Mod for bikes.
competitive cycling is to join a local club. As well as providing people to ride with, and sometimes facilities, clubs have on tap decades of collective knowledge and experience. If you’re not sure what sort of cycling is for you, or what bike to buy, this is the place to start. British Cycling, the sport’s governing body in this country, has around 1,400 clubs affiliated to it, and a facility on its website to find your local one. It recommends calling the secretary of a local club to discuss what sort of things they do, and whether this suits you. A few clubs can be a bit fixated on very competitive, high-speed events, but increasing numbers offer rides for more or less every ability and experience level. What sorts of cycling can I do? The list is very long. Traditionally, clubs tend to specialise in road racing and/or time trials, the latter being the flat out, against the clock contest in which Wiggins triumphed on Wednesday. Alternatively, those with access to a velodrome or outside track
“It’s really weird. It feels wrong that you’re defying gravity and going against all the laws of physics when you ride around those bends. It’s a real adrenaline rush.”
Relaxing after another win.
will often be geared towards that. But there are plenty of ther competitive options – mountain biking, whether cross country (up and down) or downhill (just the latter); BMX, usually undertaken on a specially-built circuit; and cyclocross, the increasingly popular challenge is which riders race thick-tyred road-type bikes over muddy ground and hills. Each has its particular quirks and appeals – try more than one out if you can. How can I try track cycling? There are two options: the indoor velodromes of the type used in the Olympics, surfaced in polished wood, or outdoor tracks, again usually oval and banked, but more often concrete or asphalt. They’re both essentially the same thing, although velodromes clearly have an advantage if it’s raining, or winter. There are more than a dozen outdoor tracks of various sorts spread around the UK, and a handful of velodromes, for example in Manchester and – once the Olympics are over – east London. You can’t just begin track cycling without supervision.
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Working hard.
The Cycle - Bieng Wiggo