In 2012, the West Midlands Region will be selecting teams of youth riders to take part in prestigious Inter-Regional Championships. The first of these is the UK School Games.
The UKSG (Inter-Regional Road Championship) will take place on the 7 and 8 May at the Redbridge (Hog Hill) cycling circuit in East London. As in 2011, there will be a wide-range of road based events but for 2012 year will include shorter sprint racing. Separate to the Inter-Regional Road Championship, on the following day (9 May) will be a one day track event at the Olympic Velodrome for all the cycling teams at the School Games. This will be the final event to be held there prior to the Games themselves and a fantastic opportunity for youth riders to experience.
Backed by the Youth Sport Trust and National Lottery, the School Games is a multi-million pound sporting event; effectively a Youth Olympics complete with opening / closing ceremonies etc. Around 2500 young athletes will stay together in an athletes village, be mentored by Olympic Champions, and compete for their regions across 12 different Olympic and Paralympic disciplines. The cycling events will be contested between teams of Youth riders from British Cycling’s 10 English regions, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Later in the year, the Inter-Regional MTB Championship will provisionally take place from 31st August to the 2 September. This is a new event as a legacy from the 2011 School Games which included mountain biking. As last year, there will be a wide-range of off road events; Dirt Crit, Team Relay, Uphill, Time Trial and Cross-Country.
Also in September will be the Inter-Regional Track Championship which will take place from the 14 to 16 September. This is a continuation of the events staged in 2010 and 2011 as a legacy from the 2009 School Games. Riders will compete in the 9 World Championship events: Sprint, Keirin, Time Trial, Scratch, Points, Pursuit, Madison, Team Sprint and Team Pursuit.
Selection criteria
MTB Inter-regionals - Date TBC (September/early October)
(A team of four males and four females)
Riders three best performances from the five races below will count for selection. West Midlands top five male and female riders in each event will be given 5-4-3-2-1 points irrespective of their actual race position. For males – the three highest points scorers from youth A plus one wildcard selected by regional panel. For females – the three highest points scorers from youth A plus one wildcard which may include youth B selected by regional panel.
After the last selection race, our top scoring three male and three female riders will be invited to confirm their selection to represent the region. In the event of a tie on points the decider will be the highest placing in the Midland Champs on 13 May. The fourth male place and fourth female wildcard place will be decided by the regional panel, and may take into consideration other later results. Reserves – a reserve male and female rider will also be selected by regional panel.
- 18 March Midlands XC Series Round 2 – Cannock Chase
- 25 March National Series Round 1 – Sherwood Pines
- 15 April Midlands XC Series Round 3 - Birchall
- 13 May Midlands XC Series Round 4 – Hanchurch
- 27 May National Series Round – Hopton Woods
Track Inter-regionals – 14-16 September 2012
(A team of four males and three females)
The selection will be based primarily on the Midlands Omnium Series, as follows:
Points will be awarded 15 for 1st to 1 for 15th for final position in the Midlands Regional Omnium series. Male - three highest points scorers from youth A plus 1 wildcard selected by regional panel Female – two highest points scorers from youth A plus one wildcard which may include youth B, selected by regional panel. Reserves – a reserve male and female rider will be selected by regional panel.
This selection process has been developed and approved in consultation with the West Midlands Regional Board. Any concerns regarding the criteria or riders selected should be directed via riders Clubs to the Regional Board. An announcement about the West Midlands Team Manager and Coach for the mountain bike and track events will be made in due course
This selection process has been developed and approved in consultation with the West Midlands Regional Board. Any concerns regarding the criteria or riders selected should be directed via riders Clubs to the Regional Board and not to the team staff. For information, the West Midlands Team Manager and Coach for the UKSG are Paul Swinnerton and Debbie Capewell, and the Region is very grateful for their volunteer commitment in helping at this event.
