Go-Ride Competition at Tour Series
After weeks of training and coaching by Go-Ride Coach Tom Leivers the big race day was here. On a closed section of Blackpool's famous promenade in front of the Pleasure Beach Amusement Park 4 local high schools were about to decide who had the fastest young riders.
Year 7 and 8 pupils from Montgomery, Highfield and Bispham High schools in Blackpool and pupils from nearby Lytham High School were competing in 3 races after taking part in lunchtime and after school cycling clubs over the previous 2 months. Tom was ably assisted by 10 young volunteers from Blackpool's Leadership Academy getting helmets fitted correctly, checking bikes and marshalling riders in preparation for the races. After a safety briefing and an outline of the races, they were ready.
The first race was a team relay with one rider from a team of 6 from each school completing a shortened lap of the circuit to be used by the professionals later that evening. The black bibs of Lytham got off to a great start and despite the best efforts of the other teams to rein them in they came in to comfortably win the first event.
The next event was the Girls scratch race over 2 laps of the course with years 7 and 8 racing together. After a few tense moments around the tight hairpin before the home straight, the finish was a classic sprint to the line worthy of any elite race with the winner coming over the line only a tyres width in front, and these were two girls from the same school! Montgomery took the medal for the year 8 girls and Lytham for the year 7 girls.
The last event was the Boys scratch race and as with the girls before, the 2 year groups were combined but the Boys had 3 laps to decide the winner. Another exciting race followed with all riders giving it their all, but at the finish it came down to 2 riders who were challenging for the win. Even though the rider from Highfield employed some brilliant race techniques, cornering well and even riding in the slipstream of the rider from Lytham it wasn't quite enough and the black bibs of Lytham won. Lytham won for the year 7 boys and Highfield for the year 8 boys.
A great evening was had by all the riders with everyone finishing their race and going away with smiles on their faces. Given that most of the riders had never raced before, and none had ever raced on a circuit before, they all showed how cycle racing can be a fun and rewarding experience and can't wait for the next one.
