Thanks to Bryan Taylor and Steve White

When the Velo Club Londres ended 2001 with five national champions the general feeling was that this would be a club record that would last several years. Now, at the end of 2002 the club can reflect upon an equally successful season. The juniors got the club off to a flying start at their national championships in April. Kathryn McClelland won bronze medal in the womens points race and Tom White retained his points race crown, & added the gold medal in the Pursuit to his collection.

Next up were the masters, for once able to contest the championships on their home track. The team took a total of five golds, two silvers and four bronze medals. Gold medals went to Bryan Taylor (2), Steve White, Laura Stewart & thankfully for the sake of domestic bliss, Laura�s other half Mike Craig. Laura also picked up two silver medals, & Clive Burr & Eric Martin won bronze medals. Bryan also put up a strong performance in defence of his senior omnium title but had to settle for the bronze this year and also collected a silver riding the Madison with club captain and life member Russell Williams, not bad for a team with a combined age of 73!

Tom White�s results at the National Junior championships led to him joining up with Marshall Thomas�s GB junior squad. Further good performances internationally, including winning a round of the Junior Nations Cup, led to his selection for the World Junior Championships in Australia. In a tight finish Tommy gained 5th place in the Scratch race.

August saw the bulk of the National Track Championship action. In the youth categories, Tom Wilshire and Simon Lewis represented the club. Although both were out of the medals they showed great determination and will be back to challenge next season. The club can also be proud that three of it�s riders (John Scripps, Bryan Taylor and Tom White) qualified for the national 20km final, contested by the entire national squad. More surprisingly, Tom�s qualifying ride took place only a day after returning from the Junior Worlds. The next day Bryan and Tom were in action in the 40km points race, both gained top ten places in an event won by world champion to be Chris Newton. We believe that they were the highest placed amateur riders in the race.

In September came the World Masters & the club was again to the fore, with Gold medals won by Bryan Taylor in the 30-34 Points & Pursuit, and 4th place for Clive Burr in the 45-49 Pursuit. Finally, to end the season, Jason Cattermole qualified for the junior event in the Gent Six where he improved each day to take 8th place overall, having thoroughly enjoyed the experience once it was all over�.

Many more VC Londres members were in track league action all season at Herne Hill, with riders in all the categories, from A & B cats to Women & Youth.

So � what is the secret to all this success?
The club has no sponsors, but a wealth of experience that is freely passed on to all newcomers, young and old. Dave Creasey and Russell Williams are key figures with the youngest members. The emphasis is upon enjoyment and acquisition of skills. After graduating from the Saturday training sessions at Herne Hill, to get them started the youngsters receive a jersey for free & get their first racing experience at the track league on Monday evenings, with their racing program structured to give all a chance of success with lots of handicap races and controlled races.

The older Youth riders are then encouraged to ride some of the senior races when they are of sufficient standard. Thanks to an Awards for All grant, Peter Cattermole has renovated a number of track bikes, enabling new riders to try track racing without having to buy expensive equipment first. The club also organises pre-season trips to Calshot, where sessions are structured to suit the needs of the riders. >>> More on page 2

� British Cycling 2002/2003

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