British Cycling is set to field the full Junior Academy endurance and sprint squads at the International Contest which takes place at the Sportpaleis Alkmaar, Netherlands from 9-10 January 2016.

The International Contest offers a full programme of track racing to junior riders across Europe over a period of two days, and 24 riders from the Junior Academy will represent the Great Britain Cycling Team in what will serve to provide an invaluable learning experience to the young riders.

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Performance Pathway manager Ian Yates explains: “We are taking a full complement of junior academy endurance and sprint riders to Alkmaar with the primary objective of exposing them to international competition and the demands that come with it.

“For many this will be their first experience of international competition, and it will give them a good taste of what a major event will be like should they be selected.’

“It’s an ideal opportunity for  them to learn about operating in a competition environment, dealing with the long days and long travel, learning about how and when to fuel, coping with the pressure and everything else that is part of being an elite cyclist.

“With such great attendance from a number of other nations, it is also provides a really good racing environment for them to put into practice what they have been working on in recent weeks and it also allows the riders and coaches to identify areas for future development.”