Just a reminder about this week’s Go Ride session at Hinchingbrooke.
Last week
We had a great session with 20 riders rocking up on what started out as quite a bright looking pleasant day. Unfortunately that was soon to change and it cooled down, although luckily the rain held off until they had packed up and were heading home.
We had a number of new riders join the group, so a detailed ‘M’ check followed by the helmet and clothing check was the order of the day. The group then warmed up as normal with a bit of Simon says, before heading out as a group up in to the woods, weaving our way up to the fence area to do start stands with the Boardman and Cavendish groups. Atherton group worked on their track stands,
Lotty and Sam doing exceptionally well, with Sophie balancing for a good time. While our new riders did exceptionally well, the others have clearly been working on increasing their skill level and were able to balance for much longer.
We all then headed back to the base where we learned about drafting. We then put that into practice by splitting up into teams comprising one rider from each of the three groups (Atherton, Boardman and Cavendish) practicing the benefits of working together as a team. The assigned task was to get the whole team round a pursuit course, using drafting to get all the team round faster than the other group.
We had some fantastic races, where certain strategies worked really well, and others were rethought and used in the next race. Charlotte had an interesting take on the drafting, and actually stayed at the back of her group, which allowed her to keep giving Florence a push to win their races. We then joined the teams up into groups of 6 and 7, where they had to work together, drafting round all the riders in their team in a two lap pursuit against another team. Again we had some fantastic races, the winners getting a goody jar of sweets and lollies to share amongst themselves, whilst all the other riders were given a lolly which they munched down with gusto.
Rider of the week
No rider of the week last session, but it will return this week!
Race update
MSG started on 1 April and we have had a couple of MSG races so far. Report from James below:
Well, what can I say, except rain, rain, rain, rain and mud, mud and a lot more mud topped out with a cold old wind! Emma and Sophie Saberton, Alex Dower and Lotty and Harriet Wylde all braved the day and had a cold wet and windy Go Ride training session out on the open field while, Jim Saberton and James set off for the open race. It was a very tough challenge, the course being very wet and muddy and getting worse the more it was ridden on.
They both survived and completed the two laps, pleased to have finished without too many spills, James coming home in 42nd and Jim doing fantastic in his first ever mountain bike race to come in 52nd. On to the under 12’s race, which was completed by Emma, Sophie and Lotty. Due to the weather and the overall conditions, the course had to be rerouted and shortened considerably, resulting in an increase to 10 laps.
This made for a gripping race with lots of action throughout. Lotty made a strong getaway to take the lead in the girls race with the others in hot pursuit! The course and conditions proved to be tough for all the riders, but Lotty pushed on with Sophie right behind her, slowly reeling her in. Emma pushed on behind, making good ground, all being cheered on by Harriet and the rest of us. Lotty and Sophie had a fantastic chase to the finish line over the last few laps with it neck and neck right up to the last lap, when out they both popped from the trees and headed up the finish straight with Sophie in the lead, crossing the line with Lotty only one second behind! Emma pushed on and came over the line in 6th for a fantastic result in her first Mud Sweat and Gears. They were all exhausted and needed a little time before they could gather enough breath to congratulate each other and claim their prizes.
And so another fantastic St Ives Go-Ride 1st, 2nd and 6th, well done girls you did us proud.
For those of you wanting to have a go at MTB racing, the next race is on 13th May at Thetford Forest, so relatively (!) local. James has competed in the last two and has thrown down the gauntlet to me to have a go, so I am expecting to be there. It is cheaper to book online ahead of time and this can be done here. Mum and Dad can also have a go. Jim Saberton, who has been helping on many of our sessions, throughly enjoyed it and will no doubt be looking to have another go. Maybe we could even get a parents league together?
Next session
As usual, we will meet just the other side of the zip-wire from the cafe, since that gives us some protection from the elements. Please remember to bring a water based drink and a helmet. If this is your first time with James or myself, we will also need a signed parental consent form, copies of which I always have.
We have had a lot of rain recently, and although mud is lots of fun, it’s not so much fun if you are also getting rained on heavily. At the moment, the forecast is dry for Saturday morning so it should be fine. However, just in case, please check your email on Friday evening as I will circulate a note then if it is cancelled due to too much water!
We will continue to hold these sessions on the first and third Saturday of the month. Therefore, the proposed dates for the remainder of this term are as follows:
May 5, 19
June 16 (Nothing on June 2 as its half term and Diamond Jubilee)
July 7, 21
Being the last session before breaking for summer, July 21 will comprise Go Ride racing open to all, so I hope that we may get some new members from that. Please note we are also looking to hold a larger Go Ride race on 11 August that will be advertised more widely as part of British Cycling’s Go Ride Games nearer the time.
And finally…..
If you fancy something different, check out this year’s UCI BMX World Championships which are taking place from 24th – 27th May at the NIA Birmingham.
The UCI BMX World Championships promises to be the biggest and best BMX show this year. Tickets are on sale at http://www.bmxworldchamps.co.uk.
The event will host over 2,000 riders from across the world, including Olympic GB hopefuls, Shanaze Reade and Liam Phillips who will be gunning for world titles in their last major outings before the London 2012 Olympics, with the event also providing the final opportunity for elite athletes to secure points to count towards qualification to the Games.
The event will showcase four days of BMX Racing with two different standards of rider competing, including an elite racing ‘Championships’ competition and the amateur ‘Challenge’ class. Whilst tickets can be bought across the whole Championships, the organisers have packed most of the finals into two showcase nights of racing and entertainment. ‘Challenge’ class finals and elite time trials will be the focal point of the Friday evening, whilst Saturday night will see the Elite Championship finals, where the world’s best riders will race elbow to elbow for the honour of wearing the rainbow stripes of World Champion for the next 12 months.
To get tickets for the UCI BMX World Championships go to http://www.bmxworldchamps.co.uk
Family passes (two adults, two children) range from £56-£66 and an adult ticket is priced between £21-£25 for the Friday and Saturday evenings.
I also still have a jacket and a drinks bottle in my “lost property”. Any takers?
