Go-Ride Opportunities In Yorkshire & North East On The Up

 

News Posted 10th November

 

The number of opportunities that young people have to get involved in cycling is on the up in Yorkshire and the North East. Yorkshire and the North East regions saw 2 more Go-Ride Coaches join the Go-Ride Team in April 2008. These coaches have been working hard taking cycling around the 2 regions and generating interest in young people. This new interest in young people has been joined by more clubs signing up to Go-Ride and offering safe, fun and challenging traffic free activities for young people. Young people have 6 new Go-Ride Clubs that will be working towards their Go-Ride Clubmark Status where they can go and enjoy cycling.

 

Keighley Just Ride Cycle Club

 

Keighley Just Ride Cycle Club are a new club and they have decided to sign up to the Go-Ride Programme straight away. By catering for young people the club will have a constant influx of potential members, racers and volunteers. This is because as the skills of young people develop they will be able to enter races and help with the running of the club with their parents as they get older. For example many Go-Ride Clubs now have a Youth Officer in their committee that let the adults know what the youngsters want to do in the club.

Keighley Just Rice CC deliver regular coaching sessions at Worth Valley Primary School (BD22 7AX) at 9:30 am. Each young person is required to pay just £1 and this includes the loan of a bike and helmets meaning that when attending the coaching sessions young people “just ride” and don’t have to worry about equipment.

 

If you would like to join the club officials Richard Taylor and Janet Arkwright you can contact them on kjrcc@hotmail.com

 

Hamsterley Trailblazers

 

In County Durham Hamsterley Trailblazers are already an extremely active club and this can clearly be seen on their website www.hamsterley-trailblazers.co.uk. They regularly get together to build trails and discuss club affaires at formal or social occasions and now they will be delivering regular Go-Ride activities.

 

The Trailblazers are a group of MTB enthusiasts with the common aim of making Hamsterley Forest a centre of excellence for mountain biking so that people can find top quality Off-Road riding and racing in County Durham. The people driving the development are the club volunteers, volunteers such as the Club Chairman Andrew Samanjoul, Web Master Craig Cummings, Coach Oliver Graham, Go-Ride Contact Vicky Chilcott and the Club Welfare Officer Bill Pike.

 

It is just £5 for an individual to join the club or £7:50 for the whole family and there is many benefits members enjoy in the local community thanks to the clubs excellent relationship with several local partners. partners such as Iron Horse Cyclery, Wood ‘n’ Wheels, Forestry Commission, Teesdale Marketing and Groundwork. The club reports that “The project is already under way and the forest is being transformed as we speak. In a year or so you will be amazed at the difference. Check it out !”

 

Ampleforth

 

The most recent re gistration on the Go-Ride programme is the recruitment of Ampleforth Cycling Club onto the Go-Ride programme. This is because Jane Butler, Mandy Butler, Karen Teasdale have taken up the positions of coach, Go-Ride Contact and Club Welfare Officer respectively. They will now be able to claim the free silver memberships that accompany their roles.

 

These volunteers, like volunteers at all other Go-Ride clubs have agreed to work towards Go-Ride Clubmark Accreditation. This means that they will demonstrate a set of excellent operating standards in 4 key areas, key areas of Safeguarding Young People, Sports Equity, Club Management and Coaching. Luckily Ampleforth already have several practices in place required by Clubmark reducing the evidence they need to produce, for example the club already has a coach attending a coaching course.

 

Ampleforth can be found every Saturday morning at 9am in the St. Alban Centre (YO62 4HA). If you would like more information about the club please contact them on jlb@ampleforth.org.uk.

 

Ferryhill Wheels

 

Ferryhill Wheelers Cycling Club are an older club that has also decided to join the Go-Ride programme. The club was founded in 1926 and has around 130 members aged from 10 to 90, who participate in most cycling disciplines. Membership costs just £17 for adults and £12 for under 16’s. The club has always been very active and are now formalising their provision of activities for young people. For example while the older members race, train or potter around the lanes young people are also able to learn the skills of cycling and get into racing. For example Ferryhill Wheelers regularly host an evening of racing at the Croft Closed Road Circuit (DL2 2PN).

 

If you would like to get involved in the club and join the club’s coaches (Roberts, Stephen Davies, David Morton and John Foster) more information can be found from their website at www.ferryhillwheelers.org.uk.

 

Leeds and Bradford Triathlon Club

 

Yorkshire and the North East has also seen several multi-sports clubs focus on developing the cycling departments of their club. One of those clubs is Leeds and Bradford Triathlon Club. Coach Paul Drinkwater, Go-Ride Contact Jon Hendry and the Welfare Officer Fiona Hoare will be fast tracking the clubs achievement of Go-Ride Clubmark Accreditation. This is because the club has already achieved Clubmark status through the British Triathlon Association and are already a Beacon Club that parents can be confident of taking their children too. All that is left is for the club to demonstrate some cycling specific aspects and they will have double Clubmark Accreditation.

 

The club has amazing benefits for junior  members paying £15 or adult members paying £30 for the year. Benefits such as the loan of club kit including bike box, tent, turbo, aqua jogger £30 or £15 junior/concession. The club can be found at Leeds Met Carnegie on Saturday Mornings between 9 and 11 am. For more information visit www.lbt.org.uk.

 

Lincsquad

 

The second multi-sports club to register recently has been Lincsquad. They cater for 4 different sports, Running, Kayaking, Swimming and Cycling. The club will be working closely with the Regional Manager Peter Root and develop their Go-Ride activities. The Lincolnshire Quadrathlon Club is for anyone who enjoys the world of multi-sport from the full on Quadrathlon events down to Duathlons or just single discipline. "Our aim is to be a friendly and supportive club with an emphasis on enjoying the sport."

 

The Youth Academy's main aim will be to give local youth with the opportunity to try out various sport disciplines and progress to either the world of mult-sport or perhaps just the opportunity to excel in one discipline. For example the club currently trains and races for Road Racing, Time Trials, Track and Mountain Bike Racing. They started their cycling specific training back in June with a visit to the Quibell Park Track in Scunthorpe that have been running weekly at 9:15 am since. The sessions run for 1 ½ hours and cost just £4. Young people can also become members for just £8.50 or be part of a £30 family deal. More information can be found at www.lincsquad.co.uk.