Saturday 3rd October Go Ride & Youth Ride

Go Ride - Twenty nine riders signed on this morning which makes it our busiest regular Go Ride session since we started in 2012.  Very exciting to see lots of new riders alongside our regulars and of course for our more experienced teenagers to have the opportunity to help out!

We ran out of time we were having so much fun!

All our riders were on site today, we split into two groups to work on MTB skills, mainly focussing on body position; the older riders experimented with the effect of shifting their weight around to try and get their bikes on, off and over various obstacles while my group focussed on some core techniques including riding out of the saddle and ducking down low to get under the limbo bar.  We finished the session with a giant obstacle course which included planks, see saws and pallets.  Lots of extra helping hands made it possible to station marshals at all the tricky points allowing all the riders to have a go.

Youth Ride

This is still a challenging turnaround after Go Ride but once again we did it! Seven riders signed on for Youth Ride with two routes to choose from: In Search of Henry VIII 22 miles and in Search of Sidney 14 miles. With no incidents or accidents we made good progress, the Henry VIII ers clocked just over 17 mph.  Both rides took in Grove Road in Penshurst we've found to be both an excellent training hill and a good indication of fitness and progress.

Next Week Saturday 10th October - Go Ride sign on 9.15am, Youth Ride 11.30am - contact Damian to sign on dwilkes@winterscott.co.uk

Sunday 27th September - Lee Valley Velodrome Club Cluster Session

Today was a big day for those riders who have regularly been attending these sessions as they were being assessed for their Stage 4 Track Accreditation.  This is basically like a driving test for track cycling, once accredited, riders can compete in track racing at indoor velodromes all over the country. The assessment is under test conditions, so once it is underway they are briefed on the drills they need to complete but they can't ask any questions they just have to get on and ride.  Starting with some basic techniques each block of the assessment progresses towards the highly skilled moves of stacking and rider slalom.  This last one is where the rider from the back of the line literally weaves in and out of the other riders to get to the front as quickly as possible.  Toni is our quickest rider slalomer and the only one who says she loves it!

Distinctly nervous riders ready for their Accreditation briefing. L-R Calvin, Toni, Polly, Sophia, Catriona & Ellen

Three hours later the same riders (plus Hope minus Ellen)  looking a lot more relaxed! 

Newly accredited riders Sophia, Calvin, Toni & Polly. Catriona needs a little more practise before she has another go at Stage 4.

Ellen making a quick getaway with her recently acquired accrreditation!

Sophia, Toni, Calvin, Ellen and Polly successfully completed their Stage 4 Track Accreditation and join Hannah as our track accredited racing team - bring on the podium :-)

These sessions are available to riders from Go Ride clubs aged 12 - 18 years old.  Please support these sessions and help us maintain access to this amazing facility for our young riders.

Upcoming Dates

25th October 2015, 8am-11am (top group will have team pursuit focus - bring tri-bars if you have them)

22th November 2015, 8am-11am (top group will have keirin focus)

20th December 2015, 9am-12pm (time TBC) (top group will have elimination race focus

Saturday 26th September Go Ride & Youth Ride

I can't quite believe it now but when I woke up this morning I felt tired and not quite my normal bouncy self. Seven hours later and I'm feeling on top of the world, this is what happened in between times......................

Go Ride - Twenty riders signed on this morning, including five new riders who had been subject to my guerilla marketing campaign. This involves me accosting parents I see out riding with their kids with a shout of "Kent Velo Kids, look us up", it seems to be working so I shall persist.  We were light on regulars as Claire, Hope and Ellen were supporting Chairman Malcolm in the Hever Tri, Katy, Sophia and Izzy were involved in non bike stuff and Hannah was racing at Lee Valley.

Anyway Damian headed off for Col de Coldharbour with Freya, Luke, Ben and Albert with Jacob and Gareth lending a hand.  This ride is an old favourite of ours and a great way to build fitness as it is pretty much all up hill on the way out and all downhill on the way home.  They were speedy so stopped at the pump track on the way home.

Meanwhile back at school, Michele and I worked with the riders on straight lines and lots of one handed riding.  We progressed onto taking an object from a helper and then from boxes.  Lots of great concentration and focus from all the riders.  Polly took the riders for a spin round the site before we had a quick biscuit break.  After the break we did some team relays and sprints on the field.  Faaz had been working with Polly and Toni on his riding and joined the other riders for the last part of the session.  Thanks to Neve's mum who reminded me to take a picture!  It was Neve's birthday and she had a bag of sweets to share with everyone.

Youth Ride - just a short 14 mile route this morning with a small but perfectly formed group of riders.  The main objective was to avoid Hever Tri so we headed off towards Plaxtol and back down Mote Road.

We got back to the news that Hannah had raced well at Lee Valley, ending up in a bunch sprint and taking 5th place (TBC).  Still waiting of news of Malcolm's Tri, but it was sunny and saw their car heading home around lunchtime so can only assume all went well.

Next Week: Saturday 3rd October - Go Ride at Stocks Green school, MTB skills (including planks and pallets)

Sunday 4th October - Thanet RC Oktoberfest races at Cyclopark.

Saturday 19th September

U8's - U16's smiling in the sunshine at Fowlead Country Park

No Go Ride today as we are off to Fowlmead to take part in The Vuelta de Fowlmead, organised by Thanet RC. You know that saying "a picture tells a thousand words"?  The only one that's missing here is the one of me smiling like a Cheshire cat just thinking about our amazing riders :-)  Great work from everybody today, I even got to see Hope's autograph book!

U10's Girls Podium - Hope in 3rd position

Another one for the trophy cupboard!

U14's Girls and Boys line up together 

U14's podium, Polly 2nd, Toni 3rd

 U14's Ellen 5th, Sophia 4th

U16's podium - Hanna 2nd

U16's series podium - Hannah 1st

Pre-race photo - Izzy, Hope, Sophia & Ellen

12th - 13th September - Go Ride, Youth Ride & Lee Valley Velodrome

Go Ride - slow riding techniques

Sixteen riders signed on this morning for Go Ride including ten new starters.  Maybe our new start time is paying dividends?  We started off warming up on site, riding a few circuits and practising dismounting and saddle push.  Once everyone was sorted, six of the more experienced riders headed off with Damian, Katy and Jane to tackle Col de Coldharbour.

Safely back from Col de Coldharbour

On site we made excellent progress with our slow riding techniques.  After a quick break we used "Chase the Snake" to practise our bunch riding on the playground together with some sprint efforts, before heading over to the infant playground where Claire & Toni had set up a set of tight bends on the playground linked by a loop of the field.  This was a good opportunity to put some of the techniques we've been focussing on into practise.  To round up the session we sneaked in a quick game of Sardines, before it was time to go home.  Great riding and some big improvements in slow riding and cornering today, sadly I forget to capture much on film :-(  Just managed a quick snap before all the riders had left.

Go Riders, including some new and familiar faces

Malcolm organises the riders for me.

Youth Ride - Bore Place & Baileys
Eight riders this morning for Youth Ride, it was nice to see Catriona back after the holidays (and Chris too of course :-)).  Our routes took us along the Causeway and up the lovely Hale Oak Road, where we split, older riders continuing the climb up to Sevenoaks and the younger ones headed back to Hildenborough via Weald.  Another dry and trouble free ride, long may they continue.

Back at base (minus Izzy & Catriona)

Sunday 13th September - Lee Valley Velodrome

Catriona & Sophia passed their Stage 3 track accreditation.

No Go Ride next weekend (19th September) we are off to Fowlmead.

Next Go Ride session Saturday 26th September.

Next day we were up at Lee Valley for a Club Cluster session on the track.  Damian was coaching and I ended up helping out on the team pursuit session along with several of our parents who are now much more experienced at held starts.  Catriona and Sophia joined the Stage 3 accreditation group and successfully completed the session and the assessment so now all our regular riders are signed off for Stage 3 and just waiting to complete Stage 4.

Go Ride and Youth Ride Saturday 5th September

Go Ride - cornering technique
This was our first session back after the summer holidays so it was good to see our returning riders looking fit and healthy and ready to get on their bikes.  Fourteen riders signed on for the session which focussed on cornering technique.  We split the riders into two groups; older riders tackled a course on the grass while our younger riders got to grips with some tight turns on the tarmac.

Youth Ride - Plaxtol Up and Mote Down (20 miles/12 miles)
Ten riders signed on for the Youth Ride, they split evenly between the two rides and headed off towards Plaxtol, splitting at Ivy Hatch  where the medium group returned via Mote Road and the longer group made a loop down to Seal.  Everyone was in good spirits and fitness levels seems to have survived the holidays!

Great work from everyone day, look forward to seeing you next week.

Next Go Ride Session: Saturday 12th September 9.30am - 11am

Saturday 25th July - Last Ride Out before the Summer

8 KVK left Hilden in dry, sunny weather - such a relief after Friday's drenching.  A steady ride up Lower Lane and then Egg Pie Lane got us to Weald in no time, but it was not time to stop for an ice cream yet (to Izzy's disappointment); instead we took on the off-road (technical?) route up Bailey's Hill to get properly warmed up and to really earn an ice cream.  Everyone made it and was rewarded with the fun of free speed as we rolled back down the road to Hale Oak Road.  A little section through the woods brought us back to Weald and the village green.  Now it was time for an ice cream.  We then rolled back to Hilden the way we had come and it was (truly) all down hill - well ok then, apart from the uphill and flat bits!

Is there an ice cream shop round here?

 Well done Izzy, Sophia, Tom, Ellen, Hope, Calvin, Toni and Luke  - good riding (and thanks to Katy, Malcolm and Heather). Hope you all have a fabulous summer.  Don't forget to spend lots of time on your bikes ready to hit the road pedalling in September:)