Pre-European Championships Training Camp

 

Story posted July 5
By Larry Hickmott

Great Britain Team for Europeans: >Read more

 

The Great Britain Junior Team Pursuiters (Peter Kennaugh, Adam Blythe, Luke Rowe and Mark McNally) were in fine form on and off the bike on Tuesday in Newport (Wales).

This week in Newport (Wales), a large team of young and talented British riders are preparing for what will be for most, the biggest competition of their life so far, the European Track Championships in Cottbus. With a mixture of first time GB representatives and experienced world class cyclists in the squad, the track centre was a hive of activity as one of the largest GB major event squads ever assembled went to work on fine tuning their form before what is an important milestone for the riders.

 

Competition for places in this young Great Britain team has been fierce and there are many fine athletes who have not been able to squeeze into the squad as the GB Cycling Team looks to repeat their medal haul from 2006 in Athens. Walking into the track centre, the place had the typical look of a pre-championship training camp. In one area, under the watchful eye of Iain Dyer and Jan van Eijden was the biggest squad of young (Juniors) sprinters I had ever seen assembled for  a major championship and that’s without the Under 23’s who were absent as they had a day off.

 

In another area, and very pleasing to see, a large group of Under 23 and Junior Endurance girls were being coached by Womens National Endurance coach Dan Hunt whilst in another part of the track centre, the male endurance Under 23’s and Juniors were altogether with the Academy coach Rod Ellingworth and ODP coach Darren Tudor.

 

Olympic Academy coach Rod Ellingworth talks to the riders in the morning session of training on Tuesday.

 

After a quiet morning on the track with only Jonny Bellis, Ben Swift (both Under 23 Academy) and Rhys Lloyd (Junior) on the track doing some paced bunch race  workouts with Rod Ellingworth, the afternoon was non-stop action as everyone in the team squeezed their efforts into a packed programme of training. And what an afternoon it was!

 

There were many very fine performances during the afternoon which bode well for the European Championships which meant the camp had an air of confidence about it as wave after wave of riders, some wearing their GB kit for the first time, took to the track. And whilst everyone was looking sharp, there were some memorable performances on the day to go with the many more the team have seen during the week.

 

The Junior Team Sprinters had a very busy time of it as the coaches tried different riders in various formations, every time split being logged by the coaches and each pedal stroke  recorded on video by Duncan Locke of the EIS. Christian Lyte, David Daniell,  Tom Buck and Peter Mitchell all felt the pressure to perform as the team looks to finalise the line up and formation for the Europeans.

Another team of Juniors were also busy as the Junior Team Pursuiters had a 3k dress rehearsal (race effort) all kitted up and their fast time certainly had them all happy and smiling afterwards and perhaps after that performance, it’s only over confidence that is their main rival at the European championships.

 

Iain Dyer, National Sprint coach, explains to the riders the plan for the warmup.

 

National Olympic Development Endurance coach Darren Tudor goes through the numbers from the Team Pursuit.

 

Olympic Women's Endurance Academy and Development riders warm up on the rollers.

 

But one performance above all was memorable – ‘Burkeys’ 3k Individual Pursuit. When all the athletes around you are putting in great rides on the track and that includes Steven Burke’s teammate Andy Tennant, a former World Junior Pursuit champion, it takes a really special ride to get people talking and Steven’s ride that afternoon was certainly that being only a three seconds slower than an inform Bradley Wiggins was pre World Track Championships over 3K.

 

Steven had already made an effort or two when he made his mind up he was going to go all out for a 3K race effort. Race bike, wheels, even his GB overshoe covers were used. Prior to the effort, Steven, one of the quieter and unassuming riders in the team who had been beating no less a rider than Mark Cavendish in sprints after six hour training rides in Italy, prepared on his own on the rollers and when the time was available on the track for him to race, he went about it in that assuming manner of his.

 

Afterwards, not realising the quick time he had just recorded Steven rolled around the track getting his breath back, his face calm and showing little emotion. It was perhaps for him just another effort, one of hundreds he has made on a track in his short career. Whilst the coaches and staff talked over this time, the rider rolled to a stop and his coach Rod Ellingworth went up to him and broke the news.

 

Steven Burke’s face said it all as it lit up, first disbelievingly and then a big smile appeared as he rode away repeating the time to himself as if he had to convince himself it was all true. His time was probably the equivalent of a 4.21/4.22 for a 4 kilometre pursuit which for a rider of his age, 19, is quite an achievement even though everyone including Steven is aware his time was for 3k and not 4 and so much can happen over that last final 1,000 metres.

 

“That was a PB by five seconds” he told us. “I do enjoy the Pursuit in a way and hopefully can do more of them later in the year in World Cups.” Steven put his improvement down to the time he has spent in Italy. “Being out there has helped me develop my strength from doing all the long road rides and racing.”

 

“I found Italy a lot harder than the track side of the programme but I’m getting there bit by bit.” Steven says the Team Pursuit is still going to be his favoured event. “I think we have a good chance of winning and I’ll just see how it goes with the Individual”.

 

But, his performance did cap off a great afternoon for all the Great Britain riders, most of whom will be heading off for Germany in a few days.

 

World Class Rider Support

It is well known around the World now, that the support the cyclists receive when they are selected to join a Great Britain Cycling Team programme is as good a package as any that sporting teams worldwide get. From the experienced people in the office taking care of the logistics of trips all over the world, to the coaches, managers, mechanics and other staff who look after the riders.

 

The support package for GB cyclists also includes medical help and at a major Championships such as Majorca (Track Worlds, 2007) and throughout the year, the team have with them the experienced healing hands of cycling doctor Roger Palfreeman and someone commonly referred to in the team as the ‘Head’ coach, psychiatrist Steve Peters.

 

In the track centre at Newport with the GB Cycling Team was Gemma Eyres (right) who works for Steve. Gemma is a rider’s mentor providing support for riders who wish to discuss issues with someone outside of the coaching staff whether they relate to on or off the bike matters. It’s part of a pilot scheme to help a riders performance by  looking at their mental preparation for an event as well as their physical training. The scheme is just another of the Team’s forward thinking plans where they provide similar levels of support for the Development and Academy programmes as they do for the riders on the Podium programme. Part of the seamless pathway the riders travel along from programme to programme as they mature and get closer to World Championship and Olympic competition.

 

Gemma works with riders from across many disciplines in the Olympic Development and Academy Programmes and says “at the end of the day, the mental side of a riders preparation is just as important as the physical side of it and it can make the small differences required between winning and not winning. Training the mind for racing at this level takes training and you can’t just switch on a mental process -- it takes practice just as it takes practice to learn the physical skills these riders are taught.”

 

Juniors changing their gears prior to an effort whilst right, World Junior Scratch race champion Peter Kennaugh talks to Martyn Ashfield about a problem with his bike...

 

The GB programme is also aware that these talented young riders have a lot of pressures on them whether its performance related on the bike or issues off the bike such as school exams. “It’s stressful enough just doing exams without coping with cycling as well so I act as a sounding board and help them come up with logical solutions where they can deal with things logically, not emotionally which can be very helpful.”

 

Gemma is already well known to the riders on the GB ODP and Academy Programmes and spent much of the training session we attended standing back and helping when required, whether it was discussing matters with riders themselves or with their coaches. In a sport, where there is a fine line between succeeding and not, need I remind everyone we it was 5,000ths of a second between first and second for the Team Sprint title this year in Majorca,  Gemma’s presence in the track centre is another example the lengths the GB Cycling team is going to so their riders get the absolute best from themselves when they step up the line at a major championship. Our thanks to her for speaking to us.

 

Rider Interviews

During the afternoon, britishcycling.org.uk spoke briefly to many of the team who will be heading for their first major championships wearing proudly the colours of Great Britain.

 

Jonny Bellis (Olympic Academy): Back on the track after months of racing up and down mountain passes in Italy, was one of the Isle of Man’s up and coming young riders. He explained that he expected to struggle at first in Italy with the intensity  and the length of the races out there. “They were definitely harder than the junior races we had been doing the year before. There is a lot of team work and if you don’t have a strong team committed to one rider, you don’t have a chance against the other teams”.

 

“So we’re out there learning to ride as a team properly and dealing with the style of racing and how to win at that level. With the climbs, the bunch gets smaller and smaller and then Rod has a chat on the radio with us and we have a talk about who is feeling the best and we just commit to that one rider.”

 

 

“I felt with the amount of racing we had, I was improving all the time. A lot of the time, we were spending our time racing and recovering for a few days.” Asked for key moments for him out there, he said “with Ian (Stannard) and Swifty (Ben Swift) getting good  results, we had all done something to help them get that result and when they do, we all feel good about what we have done.”

 

“It’s a bit early to expect anything result wise for myself but highlights included the win by Swifty in the  Regioni Tour and then working for Ian in Germany recently when he was lying second overall and we committed on the front for 20 or 30k to deliver him in the best position at the end and the final 10k.”

 

Jonny says being in Italy is the ‘life’ and that he wants to go on as his fellow Manx rider Mark Cavendish has done and go on to be a professional. “The track has been a great help to that what with all the lifestyle stuff we do as well. So when we do move on, we hopefully will know how to look after ourselves. And doing all the big races helps us bring to the track all the endurance we have gained from working hard and helps us step up a level.”

 

Jonny then went on to say that their coach Rod Ellingworth has been really clear on what is needed to succeed at this level. “One of the key things from that for me is resting and  recovering” Jonny says. “When I first went out there, I wasn’t resting enough and Rod had a chat to me and told me I had to rest that bit more.  Like we’d go out and do five or six hours in the morning and then come back and I’d be down the shop or walking about the house instead of lying on the bed and chilling watching a DVD. Once I turned that around and started to rest more, relax more, I started feeling the benefits in racing and training.”

 

Steven Burke can't believe the numbers of the watch after doing a 3.17 for a standing start 3K.

 

He says he doesn’t feel homesick at all living out there and it helps not just having his academy teammates but also the likes of Geraint Thomas and two other riders from Wales, Dale Appleby and Rob Partridge just down the road as well as visits by pros Steve Cummings, Ed Clancy and Mark Cavendish.

 

Going back to the sterile environment of the track was difficult for a few days when he returned to train for the European Championships but added that the motivation soon returned  when things started coming together and the Team Pursuit formation (Jonny, Steven Burke, Andy Tennant and Ben Swift) started going quicker than they ever have. “We can’t wait to race now” he says.

 

The final word though was on his fellow Manx rider Mark Cavendish and Jonny is crossing his fingers that there is a TV channel in Germany showing the Tour so he can watch as the T-Mobile rider shows to the world just how good he really is. And who knows, with the help of his Academy coach, perhaps Jonny Bellis will join the growing list of Academy riders progressing from World Class track riders to fully fledged professionals on the road.

 

“It’s great seeing Ed, ‘G’and Cav coming though the system and hopefully by putting in the work, we can be in their position one day”.

 

 

Dani King, who rides domestically for iTeam.co.uk is a young lady who came onto the Olympic Development Programme last October as a first year Junior, and has been busy since then preparing for the biggest major championship of her young career so far. “Preparation has gone well for Cottbus” she explained  “and I have put everything into my training as well as doing all the other things right like resting, eating and staying the best I can.”

 

“I do feel a  bit nervous as its my first major championship and also because I was an endurance rider before and now I am a sprinter but all I can do is go there and do my best and see how it goes.”

 

 

Part of Dani’s preparation has included going to the track in Germany for a training camp where as well learning about the velodrome, she got to feel the pressure of what it was like to be abroad and having to do all the things she does at home such as changing the wheels and gears on her bike in a strange environment. In  Cottbus Dani’s events include Sprint, 500m TT and Keirin.

 

 

Jess Varnish: A young lady who has been racing for a long time and is now of an age to represent her country at a major championship is Jess Varnish. Starting out mountain biking when she was 5, the Halesowen rider has been showing great form on the track over recent years and is part of the Sprint squad for the Olympic Development Programme.

 

Jess has come along way since she started racing the track at 9 years of age and despite all those years of winning youth races, she admits to being nervous. “I am nervous but pretty excited as well because this will be the biggest event I have ever done.”

 

 

Having been working on the development programme for a few years now, the first year Junior explained that having been through the drills over and over does help give her confidence going into the Europeans. “I know how everything works now and the pressure we are under not just to race but all the other stuff.”

 

The events Jess is looking to compete in are the Sprint, 500m TT and Keirin. Adept  at riding outdoor tracks like the one at Dudley in the West Midlands, Jess says of the Cottbus Velodrome “it’s a lot different. The bankings are a lot steeper and the track is a lot longer (333 metres) so the flying efforts for example will be a lot different to those at Manchester or Halesowen.”

 

 

Andrew Fenn: The first year Junior endurance rider who has years of experience of racing track was showing no signs of nerves as he prepared for his European Championships at Newport: “For the pursuit, I sort of know what times I can do so I’m looking forward to it more than being nervous.”

 

 

He explained that his preparation has included a lot of Team Pursuit work and that has helped them all out. “Even though Rhys and I are not doing the team event, the training has helped us for our own races.” Andy’s events are the Individual Pursuit, Points, Road Race and Time Trial.

 

“I am pleased with the times I am doing as before I wasn’t sure what gears and what times I was capable of.” Finally he said that having done all the drills on the track and knowing what times he is capable of now, that gives him the confidence he needs going into the Europeans.

 

 

Luke Rowe (above): Another first year junior whose brother Matt has already been to a Europeans and come away with a title (Junior Scratch), the Recycling.co.uk youngster is part of the Team Pursuit squad for the European Championships and like the rest of his teammates, is confident of coming away from Germany with a title. Saying he’s not nervous, he told us “I’m just taking it day-by-day, following Darren’s instructions and staying relaxed. There is a lot of banter in the team and everyone is relaxed and gets along with each other so its all fun”.

 

“We have been training hard all week and I have lots of confidence in the other three riders (Adam Blythe, Peter Kennaugh and Mark McNally). They are all spot on hitting the turns and we’re confident going for the championship and happy to be part of this team.”

 

Although his Matt brother Matt competed for GB at the championships, Luke says because Matt rode different races,  it is like going into the unknown for the European Championships for him. “Whilst Matt did the bunch races, I have four races and three of them are on tri-bars, Team Pursuit, Individual Pursuit, Time Trial and Road Race.”

 

Of all these events, he says the Team Pursuit is the favourite and that he doesn’t know what to expect in the other events. “I don’t know what the standard is in the other events so I’ll give my all and hopefully come away with something”.

Hannah Mayho: Another of the many first year juniors in the team, this Bradford youngster is part of the Junior Women’s Endurance team. A rider like many who has progressed from the Talent Team programme, Hannah admits to being really excited at the prospect of competing at the European Championships. “I’m a bit nervous putting the GB kit on for the first time and really glad I have made the team after having a really bad winter.”

 

 

Asked if there is a key thing about the Programme that has helped her in the preparation for Cottbus, Hannah replied, “I wouldn’t say there is one thing and that it’s the combination of everything. The ODP tend to cover every aspect of helping a rider like I get physio support, great bikes, coaching and the psychological side of things with Gemma. Basically the ODP has addressed everything a rider needs to get to the top.”

 

Hannah is competing in the pursuit which she says is an event she doesn’t get to compete in that often but is one she wants to do in the future following in the footsteps of riders like Yvonne McGregor, Rebecca Romero and Wendy Houvenaghel. “Its great to have riders like that in GB we can aspire to. We went to a camp to Belgium and ‘Becs’ came with us then and seeing her training and how she starts on a gear of 102, it was like wow.”

 

Alex Greenfield. The Welsh young lady has been winning races for a long time now and has impressed a lot of people in the Revolution series of track opens and her victories in the Female Future Stars competition. Alex is no stranger to racing at a high level but says she is still nervous and worried about the competition even though she feels good.

 

“Preparing here at Newport, a home track, is good for the confidence. I’ll be doing the Points and Scratch race at the championships and enjoy both of them so I’m happy doing them. Training has been hard this week but I feel like am going well and going into the championships feeling confident.”

 

Peter Mitchell: The 17 year old sprinter who’s home track is Preston Park in Brighton, was wearing his GB jersey for the first time when we caught up with the team in Newport and admitted it felt weird watching himself on video as he looked at the Team Sprint drills.

 

 

Peter explained the biggest competition he has done so far is the nationals and that he has only raced abroad once before but because this year, his first on the ODP, is about learning, there is less pressure on him. Unlike some of the really seasoned campaigners in the team, he says “I’ve only been in the sport for three or four years and sprinting for a year and a half.”

 

Peter says that he didn’t realise he would be wearing the colours of his country in a major competition until about a year ago when he took up sprinting. “Coming up to the Nationals last year, I thought there was a chance but before then racing on the road, no, I didn’t expect this.” His favourite event along with the Team Sprint, is the Match Sprint event. “If I get my tactics right, the Match Sprint is the best but if you make a mistake, it’s the worst!”

OTHER PHOTOS

 

Rhys Lloyd in training with Jonny Bellis and Ben Swift

 

Ben Swift has taken his great form from the road onto the track.

 

Sprinters do an effort on the rollers.

 

Christain Lyte, World Team Sprint Champion for Juniors (with David Daniell also pictured) leads them round for the Team Sprint effort.

 

Morning sessions and a sprint from Bellis, Swift and Lloyd.

 

Katie Colclough and Tom Buck in GB colours.

 

Lizzie Armitstead and Nikki Harris during efforts on Tuesday.

 

Iain Dyer helping his riders Tom Buck (left) and Dani King during the session.

 

Sprint team goes through video feedback of their track efforts

 

World Team Sprint Champion (Junior) David Daniell leading Peter Mitchell during a test run in the Team Sprint.

 

Mark McNally concentrates during a Team Pursuit effort whilst Adam Blythe looks like he is on a club run...