The first session of the inaugural Scottish Schools Cycle Speedway League is set to take place at Edinburgh’s Jack Kane Centre Friday 3 February 2012.

Up to six schools from South East Scotland will be competing in the indoor league which will take place on Friday afternoons during February/March. It will then be time to take the riders and their new found skills outdoors to Redbraes Park, Scotland’s only surviving shale cycle speedway track, for a summer term of inter-school races.

The idea of an inter-schools cycling league was conceived after Gavin Kennedy, coach of the Edinburgh Falcons Cycle Speedway Club, invited members of Liberton High School’s after school bike club to a ‘come and try it’ session at the club’s Redbraes Park circuit.

A Scottish Schools Cycle Speedway League statement said: “The idea of just turning up with a group of pupils equipped with no more than their bike helmets to a fixed venue where specialist bikes were provided seemed too good to be true but as soon as the riders had been given some basic coaching and were off racing within an hour of arriving it seemed obvious that this was a model that could make inter-schools cycle racing a reality.”

At a meeting chaired by Scottish Cycling and hosted by City of Edinburgh Council, representatives from Edinburgh Falcons Cycle Speedway Club, Sustrans I Bike and Bike Club Scotland supported the formation of a Scottish Schools Cycle Speedway League.

Funding to cover the costs of hiring the hall has been provided by Sustrans I Bike, Edinburgh Falcons Cycle Speedway Club and Liberton High School Bike Club. The City of Edinburgh Council Outdoor Education Department has kindly offered to help with bike maintenance and repairs. Funding is, however, still required to help pay for some new specialist bikes. Potential sponsors should contact Gavin Kennedy at Edinburgh Falcons Cycle Speedway Club in the first instance using the details below.

More information

Gavin Kennedy, Edinburgh Falcons Cycle Speedway Club
kennedygavin@hotmail.com