Weekend of 6th/7th October

Another busy weekend for our riders who've been taking part in coaching sessions and racing all over the place!

I'll post updates from all the sessions as I get them.

• Go Ride at Stocks Green School - Kary, Damian, Michele, Calvin, Toni & Luke
• Club Cluster at Cyclopark - Andrew & Gary
• London League Cyclocross at Herne Hill 
• National Trophy Cyclocross, Derby - Malcolm

Go Ride at Stocks Green

A rather grey morning and our first distinctly chilly session of the term.  Sixteen riders signed on and the focus of our session was cornering.  We kicked off with a group warm up on the playground. I call this drill Clock Sprints, but no one else has ever heard of it, so I must have made the name up at some time!  The riders are split into two groups and given a number. One rider from each group sets the pace for their riders and their job is to keep their groups half a lap apart.  Lucy and Harry took this role on.  On the whistle one or more riders from each group (based on the number called) have to get to the front of their group and join the back of the other group.

Lucy's setting a good pace for her group and keeping them all under control!

On the face of it, the drill itself looks quite simple, but there are lots of skills going into making it run so smoothly; excellent controlled group riding, smooth riding, changing pace and moving through a group.  It also takes a lot of concentration, especially in a group of riders mixed by age and experience.  In true KVK style they made a great job of it.

After our warm up we split into two groups and worked on pin end turns. Michele, Claire and I had fun challenging our riders to make their tight turns without overshooting the cones and encouraging them to go much faster in the straights.  We also ran some Australian Pursuit heats on the course which ended in a few minor spills as the grass got increasingly slippery!

Back on the playground, we switched to carving turns.  We practised and practised until everyone could get through the five gates we'd set up with their pedals in the correct position.  After so much hard work, it was time for some fun, so we ended with some swimming pool style relays on the grass.

End of session photo from Group 1 on the tyres

Next week Saturday 13th October we are Kingdom, Penshurst for Go Ride.

Club Cluster - Cyclopark

10 KVK’s signed on for the BC club cluster at Cyclopark on Saturday. With road or cyclocross sessions available, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and thankfully the rain held off until the end of the session. Thanks to Jimmy and the other coaches on the day.  The next club cluster that we will be taking part in is on Saturday 2nd December.

London League Cyclocross - Herne Hill

A beautiful morning at Herne Hill Velodrome welcomed the competitors for round 5 of the London and South East Cyclocross League. 

With Hope at the nationals in Derby and league regular Oliver having a week off, the KVK team consisted of Lucy and Albert in the U12’s and Betsy and Ivo in the U10’s. 

After a coached lap lead by Luke from British Cycling, the races began starting with the U10’s. A good performance by all the team, with some tough close racing at this wonderful historic venue. 

Chapeau also to Lucy’s dad Johnny for not only supporting but also racing.

Happy and relaxed - Betsy and Ivo chatting in the front row of the U10's

National Trophy Cyclocross - Derby

Thanks to Claire for the race report from Derby: 

Last weekend, Hope was very excited to be going to her first National Series Cyclocross race which was being held in Derby. There was a strong field of 44 U14 riders starting the race. It was a bright but frosty morning, a big improvement from the rain of the previous day but the ground remained damp to give some fast but tricky conditions. It was a bit sketchy in places. The technical course included some bridges to provide sharp inclines as well as steps, hurdles and challenging sharp bends. It was a step up from other races and so was the level of kit being stored in the pit area. There was a special area for people to use their diesel powered jet washers and there was a line of spare bikes each much fancier than Hope's one and only. This was a steep learning curve for Malcolm as much as Hope!

Hope took it cautiously, feeling unsure of the slippery conditions having fallen on the practice lap. She picked up a bit as she went along and managed to finish without being lapped by the leaders. Her finishing position was 32nd which she was pleased with but she is keen to improve in the next race in November. She definitely enjoyed the experience. 


Hope enjoyed seeing so many other crazy cross people, including the Junior Men's world champion resplendent in his rainbow jersey. She saw him again at training on Tuesday night, still wearing his lovely striped shirt. Now, how does his mum keep that clean with so much of it being white??

Weekend of 29th & 30th September

• Col de Coldharbour Off Site Ride
• PPYCC Youth Racing at Cyclopark
• London League Cyclocross Racing in East Brighton Park

My group made it ALL the way to the top of the lane without a stop - Hurray!!!

Yes, it was another hectic and varied weekend for the Kent Velo Kids. Here's a few photos to give you an idea...........I don't have any from Brighton, but I think the team was Hope, Ivo and Oliver this week.

Michele insisted on a photo with me in it.

Our youngest riders celebrate arriving at the top of the lane - well done everyone

Look who I bumped into at Cyclopark on my way to a meeting :-( They are smiling 'cos they love racing :-)

Weekend of 22nd /23rd September

Go Ride at Stocks Green

It felt a bit like turning the clock back this morning, as we had just sixteen riders to work with; what a treat.  Smaller numbers mean we can get stuck into some really good quality

Getting set up for a big endurance block

coaching.  Our initial focus was pedalling, the aim being to banish the pedal-pedal-freewheel approach from all our riders. Lovely smooth pedalling makes riding in a group so much more enjoyable.  To challenge the smooth pedalling, we practised Thread The Needle and Chaingang before moving onto some classic Post Office Queues but in pairs and groups.  All the coaches agreed that the riders' excellent focus during the session resulted in noticeably smoother riding by the end of the skills block.

To finish off we set up a fast and furious endurance block with lots of twists and turns.  Despite a few inevitable unscheduled dismounts everyone finished the session smiling and puffed out.

Great riding today from everyone today at Go Ride and then later at ...................

Herne Hill Velodrome
This was our second session this year at Herne Hill, sadly the weather was not exactly on our side.  Everyone put on a brave face though and got stuck in.  Those rides who'd been before and were confident got started with Pairs on the Blue, whilst coaches Tony and Joseph briefed the other riders.  Once they'd got the basics of starting and stopping on the fence, it was straight onto riding the Five Lines of HH; black, red, blue, ghost and fence.  No one wavered, and before long everyone had made it up to the fence, even our youngest rider Isaac.  Our Go Ride coaching came in useful as everyone quickly picked up Half Lap Changes, which led smoothly onto a block of Trains and Stations; four riders ride off the front of the bunch and work together to rejoin the back of the bunch.  The finale of the session was an Australian Pursuit, Ivo just pipped Christophe to the line!  Well done to everyone who took part, don't forget to check out their website if you fancy trying some more sessions there: https://www.hernehillvelodrome.com/

London League Cyclocross at Leeds Castle
The crazy gang that turned up to race in very challenging conditions were: Betsy, Albert, Ivo, Oliver.  Lucy made her first appearance on the team and Hope raced later (although it was difficult to believe when I saw how clean her bike and shoes were at 5pm).

Unfortunately I wasn't able to be there :-(, If I had been I would have been cheering VERY VERY loudly for these gritty bike riders, who showed true KVK spirit, even managing the odd smile.  I believe Johnny (Lucy's Dad) raced too...........Great Work Everyone!

Lee Valley Olympic Velodrome

Finally, I was up early to join Harry at Club Cluster Track session at Lee Valley Velodrome.  I didn't take any pictures, which means he'll have to go again, but I'm guessing that won't be a problem ;-)

Please talk to me to find out about riding track, as members of Kent Velo Kids you can access the Club Cluster sessions.

Weekend of 15th/16th September

The bike paths at Kingdom, Penshurst.

We kicked off the weekend with our first trip to Kingdom in Penshurst for a Go Ride session.  We have been there before; a few years ago now, and of course for cyclocross racing, but this was the first of a few sessions we have planned there for this term. I spent few sessions before we arrived, exploring and thinking; this is going to be fun:-)

Getting started a the natural velodrome

As this was our first session, our main objective was to get to know the site and work out what we can do here in the future.  With this in mind, we started at the far end of the site in an area known as "the natural velodrome".  To be fair you do need a fairly good imagination to view this as a velodrome, but ridden anti clockwise you are just turning left.  Unlike most velodromes, the surface is fairly grassy and there is a wicked gradient.  Apparently there is hard core below the grass though and if we ride it enough it will emerge!

At the top of Heart Break Hill

Our next challenge was to climb Heart Break Hill.  This section provides a the opportunity to practise using gears to climb efficiently; the descent provides a good recovery and some practise at braking before going back up the hill, again and again......

Practising slalom on a flatter section

Once we'd climbed Heart Break Hill numerous times, we landed on a flatter section.  Once we'd had a quick biscuit break, Damian, Michele and Calvin ran some mounting and dismounting drills, while Jez and I marked out the course for our final team relays.

We had a great time at Kingdom, the coaches and the riders are already looking forward to being back there very soon. It was good to see a few riders and their families enjoying a post ride snack/lunch.  Damian took this photo of the cake, it did look very tempting...........


Meanwhile, up at Brands Hatch, Hope, Ellen and Polly was getting ready for the last of this year's National Youth Series races.

And finally, Sunday saw our growing cyclocross team competing at beneath the iconic mast (and steps) of Crystal Palace.  As ever it certainly was a busy weekend for the KVK.

Next weekend: Go Ride at Stocks Green, Herne Hill Velodrome Session, Lee Valley Club Cluster and Leeds Castle Cyclocross.

First September Go Ride - Saturday 8th at Stocks Green

There was a week's delay in our intended re-start date as I ended up going to Loughborough with the  South East Cycling Team for the UK School Games, but that is a whole another story............

So, better late than never we were back at Stocks Green (our spiritual home ;-)), the sun was shining, the grass was short and all the coaches were raring for action.  As well as our regular riders, it was good to welcome a few new faces to the session.

We launched straight in with this term with a group riding session. Splitting into two groups and working on riding close and riding in contact.  We also threw in some group riding drills; thread the needle and half lap changes.  The coaches commented on the high levels of focus and concentration shown by the riders (must be after the holidays ;-)), which all contributes to excellent riding and happy coaches.

Darcy & Felix leading the group out

Millie and Alice, concentraing hard on their group riding

We put the group riding skills we'd just practised to get the endurance block started.  Riders worked in groups of three, changing leader each lap.  As some riders started to tire, it became more difficult for some groups to stick together and this provided a great opportunity for some dynamic planning from the coaches.  We started to swap riders between groups.  The emerging opportunities to push a little harder saw the pace of some groups increase dramatically.

Getting organised into groups ahead of the endurance block.

A great session that combined valuable skills work with a challenging endurance block.  The riders certainly pushed themselves hard throughout the session.  Well done to everyone who rode and thank you to all our volunteers and parents.

Next Week: Go Ride at Kingdom Penshurst

PLEASE REMEMBER TO CHECK YOUR BAR ENDS ARE SAFE

Saturday 21st July - Tonbridge - Penshurst Off Site Ride

This was our last club session and club ride of the summer so I'd let Michele choose the route; she opted for one of our old faves, the Tonbridge -Penshurst Trail.  To mix things up a bit we met at Hayesden Country Park (beware the height barrier) and planned to ride all or part of a figure of eight with Hayesden being the intersection of the two loops, Penshurst and Tonbridge.

I rode to the start with Polly and it was very inspiring to see the Park Runners streaming out of Tonbridge Park towards Barden Lake.  When we arrived at the meeting point, Cayden & Leon were already waiting for us, quickly followed by Hannah, Daniel, Fin, Oliver and Ivo.  Hannah opted for a leisurely ride, so set off with Claire and Michele towards Tonbridge Park. The remaining riders all wanted to ride the hillier route, so we set off towards Penshurst.

Everyone was on top form and we made steady progress towards the hills, interrupted only by a fallen weeping willow obstructing the path, it was simple enough to negotiate but did require everyone to dismount.  Once we hit the hills, everyone rode for themselves and it was good to see how well they judged their effort; managing to keep pushing to end and arriving suitably tired at the top.  As usual we adopted a 'steady' approach to the descents with Calvin and Polly leading everyone out. 

On the return journey we met Hannah and co (just by the Willow incidentally), so we stopped for a quick photo then hopped back on our bikes and headed back to Hayesden and then onto Tonbridge for our second loop.  Another loop uninterrupted by punctures or other mishaps, which makes for a very relaxed Saturday morning.

Arriving back at Hayesden, we chatted about holiday plans and some of us sat down at the Cafe (Coach Damian would have loved this bit, the hot dogs looked good, Polly was very pleased with her egg baguette).

It's been a great term, thanks to all our parents and volunteers who keep the wheels turning :-)
Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and tweet your cycling photos over the holidays (preferably in a KVK jersey!).  Find us on Twitter @the_KvK

Sunday 15th July - Seaside Ride 2018

It's a special thing to arrive  by bike, and when you are arriving at the seaside it is even better.  This year I decided to try out the traffic free section of The Cuckoo Trail, that runs between Heathfield and Polegate, and then on towards the beach at Eastbourne.

After several recce rides on my own, I was finally happy that we could navigate a route from Polegate to Eastbourne without too much difficulty, so it was all systems go.  The route itself is thirty two miles in total; the outward journey is a breeze, being ever so slightly downhill all the way, the return journey is slightly tortuous, especially the last four miles from Hailsham where the gradient increases.  Whilst I was confident that most of our riders could complete the outward leg, I knew the return journey would be tough so I encouraged some dynamic planning; several families dropped their young riders and drove to Eastbourne to meet us, while Johnny and I both left our cars at Hailsham, in case we needed a rescue vehicle.  I also plotted a road route that Malcolm, Hope, Ellen and Polly opted to take.

The day started well; everyone made it to the start point and we were soon rolling towards the seaside.  The old railway line is largely shaded by trees, which given the extremely hot weather we've been having was very welcome.  We made good progress, with only a couple of unscheduled dismounts, the most impressive being when a squirrel ran out in front on Hannah causing her to swerve and skid.  We even negotiated the junctions and road crossings quite effectively on the way into Eastbourne.  No mean feat for a group of twenty cyclists.  Oh what joy to see the glittering blue sea ahead, the kids wasted no time getting into their swim suits and heading for the water.

Hannah, Bronnie, Alice (me), Cayden, Lucy, Joshua, Anna, Ivo
In the sea already Reuben & Mathias

Cayden feeling pleased with himself!

Hannah on a rock :-)

Ellen & Polly arrived via the road, it was hot, they had a few punctures.

Ready to roll: Ivo, Gary, Johnny, Anna, Alice, Bronnie, Mat, Me, Lucy, Joshua, Cayden + Mum
In the background Claire, Hope, Ellen & Malcom - finishing lunch???

An hour later, everyone was refreshed and refuelled and ready to start the return journey.  Just before we left, Ivo got stung by a wasp TWICE. Undeterred, we set off on the sixteen mile return journey (most of it slightly uphill, with no engine to pull us).  In true KVK style we pedalled on; stopping only for emergency Haribo and a couple more unscheduled dismounts (no first aid required this time).  All but one of our party made it all the way back.  We persuaded Anna to hop in the car with Johnny at Hailsham; she was asleep within a few minutes of the engine starting.

Thank you so much to everyone who road, drove or supported this ride.  A great day to recall on a dark winter day, when the prospect of a sunny seaside ride seems a long way off. 

What a great team! Back at Heathfield, 32 miles later.