Previous session
At Hinchingbrooke Park, we were very pleased to welcome back Rhys after his A&E crash last time. We worked out in the open again, primarily on following a wheel and sprinting. The two teams started at opposite sides of an oval track and set off at a steady pace, and on each whistle blow the front rider had to sprint across to the other team. We finished off with team pursuits and then by popular demand, timed individual flying laps, where Sam H, Sam T and Dexter put in some quick times.
Riders of the week were Dexter, Lottie and Archer
At the afternoon road session at Alconbury Weald, we looked at group riding with the riders first orgainsing themselves into single file, then 2 abreast, 3 abreast, etc on instruction. They then had to negotiate a short circuit by holding onto each others shoulders in groups of two and three which involved greater levels of communication. By the end of the session, all riders were much more confident at riding at close quarters with only one hand on the handlebars.
Mountain biking
The MSG 2013 series is now over, with the final round being held at the Olympic track at Hadleigh Farm last Sunday. We were delighted to see so many St Ives CC Go Riders (we outnumbered the St Ives CC adults!) and we have had a fantastic result in the series overall this year, with podiums in all youth female categories.
Harriet and Molly took 1st place in the U9 and U16 series respectively, whilst Holly and Sophie took 2nd place in the U14 and U12 series categories. The overall positions for everyone have not been released yet as the MSG guys are busy preparing for this weekend’s inter regional championships, but I will ping then round when they are.
In addition to Molly, Holly, Sophie and Harriet, we also saw Emma, Lotty, Max, Ralf, Sam H, Sam T and Sapphire competing at this iconic venue. We hope to see even more of our riders competing in MSG in 2014! There are pictures of U9 and U12 on www.flyingtigers.co.uk/MSG2909GROMMITS/ and U14 and U16, racing with the adults on www.flyingtigers.co.uk/MSG2909RACES13/
We are all immensely proud of what all our riders have achieved this year in the racing and their hard work has clearly paid off judging by the results they have posted. 2014 is going to be very exciting!
Track racing
Whilst we were all messing about on rocks in Essex, Amber and Poppy were competing in the Omnium at Welwyn track. Amber and Poppy are also off to Newport in October to the first Winter track Superclub together with Holly, Sam H and Sophie so I will let you know how that goes in due course
Club Time Trials
The TT season is now over, with only the (postponed) hill climb that ran one week later than planned. Alex, CC, Holly, Molly, Oliver and Sam H all enjoyed their first year at this event, Oliver putting in a star performance with a sub 4 minute climb. Go Riders made up nearly half of the total competitors this year so shows what an eager bunch they are!
Cyclocross
Round 3 of the Eastern League was held (relatively) locally at Baldock and was a great course again. Holly, Sophie and CC came 4th, 7th and 9th respectively in an 11 rider field. This Saturday sees riders competing at Welwyn Cross, another relatively local venue so is a great opportunity to try it out if you haven’t previously. All levels are welcomed, cyclocross racing is good value, very good fun and you don’t need a cyclocross bike to compete – you can race on a mountain bike. More info available on www.easterncross.org.uk.
Next session
Two sessions again this weekend:
- Mountain bikes: Hinchingbrooke Park at usual time of 10am – 11.30 am
- Road bikes: Alconbury Weald will need to be slightly later again this week. The session will run between 15.30 and 16.30 as last time.
Sessions cost £3. Please bring a water based drink, bike and helmet. I would also recommend gloves, particularly on tarmac! As the days are getting cooler (and wetter), wear appropriate clothing!
Future dates
All the dates for Hinchingbrooke Park are on the St Ives CC website so please check that out. Alconbury sessions will generally follow in the afternoons on the same day as Hinchingbrooke, but may be variable due to other commitments. Anyone interested in taking up coaching so we can extend the availability of sessions, please get in touch!
And finally
Good luck to all those competing this weekend, in particular Holly and Molly who are flying the flag for the Eastern Region at the Inter Regionals this Friday, Saturday and Sunday!
