This week we head West to meet with Gower Riders who have recently restarted outdoor activities following months of daily sessions delivered online to the club’s young members.
As with all cycling clubs in Wales, Gower Riders have been affected with this pandemic. Phil Walton, the club’s secretary said, ‘The impact on the club has been significant as we rely on organised activities to exist. The focus for us is around our Go-Ride sessions of a Saturday morning which teaches bike handling skills for junior riders, also our Sunday sessions which were gaining momentum as we approached the road racing season. Over the course of the pandemic and during lockdown, we took the decision take our sessions online. These proved to be very successful with up to 40 riders joining sessions every day for more than 120 days consecutively.’
The club is primarily focused on their junior section and so one aspect they missed dearly was the social element of not being with their friends. The culture and environment in the club is friendly, encouraging, and welcoming, which generates a fun place to be. In addition, many members were gearing up for a season of racing and competition through the summer which has now unfortunately been postponed.
Although members were able to meet online and maintain their friendships, it has not been the same as being together in person.
Gareth Govier, their Head Coach said, ‘We’ve been able to resume Go-Ride activity (at the National Closed Road Circuit in Pembrey and Gowerton School), road rides, Mountain Bike sessions, and one Cyclo-Cross session. Cyclo-Cross has been slow to start due to issues with venue availability and the uncertainty about whether the season is going ahead.
The main activity we have yet to resume as a club is our Sunday crit sessions. Our regular venue is closed for the time being, but we are hoping the situation may change in the near future.’
Christian Fox, the club’s COVID-19 Officer said, ‘We were made aware of COVID training through the Welsh Cycling webinar and as a club, we made the decision to put most of our coaches through the course so we had a full and consistent understanding of the expectations and regulations. The impact on club sessions has been an appreciation and awareness of infection control. In general, I think the club members are reasonably satisfied with what we have been able to deliver in the circumstances. There is also the social element of cycling - even simple things like stopping for a coffee - are that much harder when you may have to book.’
Welsh Cycling’s West Wales Development Officer, Aled Jones said “Our nation’s children have had to adapt to this new way of life in a very short space of time with massive changes in every aspect of their life since March. It’s credit to the clubs young riders in how they have adapted to the changes and remained so engaging in all the activities the club have laid on to ensure they keep cycling in a virtual world and can now take place together to develop skills further.
We also must recognise the fantastic effort by the clubs coaches and volunteers in the hours of work they have put in to ensuring the riders have had so many opportunities to take part in our sport.”
Find out more about Gower Riders and how to take part in the clubs activities
Gower Riders take coaching online during lockdown
