Spread 12 Columns.

12

Olympics 2012.

The road To Take To be The nexT bradley WigginS or lizzie armiTSTeadTeam GB’s cyclists will inspire a new genera-tion. It is becoming a regular, four-yearly oc-currence around the UK: the British cycling team collect a clutch of OlwWympic medals and suddenly velodromes and bike clubs are inundated with interested newcomers. So, if your 12-year-old son or daughter has decided they want to become the next Bradley Wig-gins or Lizzie Armitstead – or, indeed, if you fancy your chances – where to begin?

BEINGWIGGO

“That whooshing feeling made the whole journey worthwhile. If I can get on any more sessions, I’ll definitely be back.”

13

The Cycle - Bieng Wiggo

How do I start? By far the best way to get involved in

competitive cycling is to join a local club. As well as

providing people to ride with, and sometimes facilities,

clubs have on tap decades of collective knowledge and

experience. If you’re not sure what sort of cycling is for

you, or what bike to buy, this is the place to start. Brit-

ish Cycling, the sport’s governing body in this country,

has around 1,400 clubs affiliated to it, and a facility on

its website to find your local one. It recommends calling

the secretary of a local club to discuss what sort of

things they do, and whether this suits you. A few clubs

can be a bit fixated on very competitive, high-speed

events, but increasing numbers offer rides for more or

less every ability and experience level. What sorts of cy-

cling can I do? The list is very long. Traditionally, clubs

tend to specialise in road racing and/or time trials, the

latter being the flat out, against the clock contest in

which Wiggins triumphed on Wednesday. Alternative-

ly, those with access to a velodrome or outside track

will often be geared towards that. But there are plenty

of ther competitive options – mountain biking, wheth-

er cross country (up and down) or downhill (just the

latter); BMX, usually undertaken on a specially-built

circuit; and cyclocross, the increasingly popular chal-

lenge is which riders race thick-tyred road-type bikes

over muddy ground and hills. Each has its particular

quirks and appeals – try more than one out if you can.

How can I try track cycling? There are two options: the

indoor velodromes of the type used in the Olympics,

surfaced in polished wood, or outdoor tracks, again

usually oval and banked, but more often concrete or as-

phalt. They’re both essentially the same thing, although

velodromes clearly have an advantage if it’s raining, or

winter. There are more than a dozen outdoor tracks of

various sorts spread around the UK, and a handful of

velodromes, for example in Manchester and – once the

Olympics are over – east London. You can’t just begin

track cycling without supervision.

“It’s really weird. It feels wrong that you’re defying gravity and

going against all the laws of physics when you ride around those

bends. It’s a real adrenaline rush.”

14

Relaxing after another win.

Mod

for

bike

s.

15

The Cycle - Bieng WiggoWorking hard.