Late October 2010 update

The Young Ones

Last week Geraint Thomas was the subject of the ride story I did for Cycling Weekly, this week it’s still a national road champion, but the junior one this time. Dan McLay is also a national champion on the track, and this year he won his first world title in the Madison.

He was partnered by Simon Yates, twin brother of Adam, who I did a ride with during the summer. They’re an interesting pair, so close that they start and finish each others sentences. It’s like listening in surround sound. But Simon is ever so slightly more chatty and just a bit in front of his brother as a cyclist. Or rather he does whatever in cycling first, then Adam emulates him a few months later. With McLay those two will be in top pro teams by their early 20s, you see.

Later this week I’m going even younger and doing a ride with the Yorkshire youth’s team, who are coached by former national champion Lisa Brambani. That’s the wonderful thing about the cycling community, the way ex-riders, even ex-champions, give up their time to help the next generation. Some even work full-time in British Cycling schemes to encourage young people into the sport.

I was in Yorkshire last week doing a job with Chris Young, a former top road cyclo-cross and mountain biker pro racer, who now works as a Go Ride coach, going into schools to get kids into cycling. Once he gets them started he passes them to Go Ride accredited local clubs, where some will develop into champions, but more importantly many will become life-long cyclists.