Trail Rides

Unfortunately we have to discontinue the trail rides which have been happening on the third Saturday of each month. Low numbers turning up has made it increasingly hard to get coaches to volunteer their spare time. The trail ride scheduled for this Saturday will NOT take place.  The coaches will get together to work out what we can do instead. This is not the end of KJCC in Richmond Park!

Strictly Cycling

Strictly Cycling ( run by Twickenham Cycling Club, British Cycling and Richmond Council ) are offering grass track race training at Kneller Gardens in Twickenham every Thursday evening this term from 6.30 - 8.30 pm. Cost is £1 per rider per session, payable on the day. The finish time is subject to weather conditions! Sessions are open to all ages and are coached by British Cycling regional coaches. And me! Any changes or bad weather cancellations will be posted on this blog.

They also created and run Bikefest - an all day event in Kneller Gardens which this year will be on Sunday 29th June. Pictured below are some of the KJCC riders past and present who took part last year.


You would not believe how many times this photo had to be reshot as the KJCC medal tally increased! Thanks to Alex and Jack for posing so patiently again......and again...

 Olympic Talent Team rider (and former KJCC member) Alex Jones overtaking on his way to victory in the grass track omnium.

He may have trained with Team Sky but Alex is still happy to race for a free lollipop!

                                                Alex Franks on the cross country course.

                                  Michael, Jay and Thomas on the start line for the scratch race.

BoxHill Ride - Sunday 4th May.

We had a huge turnout for the Boxhill ride - nearly 40 cyclists, including Mums & Dads. Weather was excellent. We all met at the Ryka's Cafe at the bottom of Boxhill, dodging the stream of large Harley Davidsons, Triumphs and other assorted motorbikes which were going in and out of the car park.

We set off in various groups - some at quite a fast pace and some at a more leisurely pace. Some even had time to admire the stunning views from the top! Once we reached the top we rode past Headley cricket ground (this was all part of the 2012 Olympic road race route) before heading down the fast descent of Juniper Hill and back around to the start. Several riders decided to stretch their legs a bit more and did another lap!  Well done to all the riders and a big thanks to the Mums and Dads who helped and kept an eye on the proceedings. We hope to run another Boxhill Ride in October. In the meantime, for the more experienced/faster riders only (with road bikes) there will be a KJCC ride to Leith Hill on Sunday July 20th - 10am start from Ryka's - about 20+ miles (quite tough!). More details soon....

Mud, Sweat and Gears.

Mud - Please note that due to the weather forecast for over night and tomorrow all riders should bring mountain bikes where possible and not road bikes. THE CLUB WILL BE OPEN WHATEVER THE WEATHER!

Sweat -  Can all riders please remember to bring bottles of water with them for this and every session. Dehydration can occur whatever the weather, affecting both health and performance.

Gears - Whether you are planning to compete or not it is worth bearing in mind the British Cycling guide on gear restrictions which changes as riders get older. This can be carried out quickly and easily at most local bike shops. KJCC coaches have found the following article a really helpful guide. http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/zuvvi/media/bc_files/volunteer/Youth_Gear_Restrictions_for_Riders.Parents.pdf

British Cycling Young Volunteers

Ever wondered how the teenage coaches at KJCC get to where they are? What training do they receive? Well wonder no more. Myself and Lucy, 2 of the Spokes’ coaches, took our preliminary steps down the path to coach-hood 3 ½ weeks ago. It was exhausting, exhilarating and entertaining but predominantly it was enlightening. Here is the beginning of our journey. 

On Saturday 9^th March 2014 I tumbled out of bed at crazy o’clock (6:30 am) threw on some clothes and flopped into the car, toast in hand. Bleary-eyed and displaying the mannerisms of a zombie I greeted Mel, an experienced coach and important personnel at KJCC, whilst munching my toast. We met Lucy in Twickenham and, with our party finally complete, set off for the Go-Ride conference in Reading. The journey was long. Fortunately Lucy and I have a talent for talking, (as most of our coaches will tell you) and being fully awake by that point we did not hesitate to utilise that skill. Thus our journey was swiftly and pleasantly spent. 

Upon arriving in Reading we ventured across the dauntingly lush golf courses into the spacious and modern atrium. We collected our nametags and lanyards before milling around the shining room as the crowds accumulated with cycling enthusiasts and fellow coaches. Our daydreaming was interrupted by a beaming man sporting a British Cycling uniform who called for all participants of the Young Volunteers Program to follow him. After exchanging a few perplexed glances Lucy and I established we were included in that bracket and hastily followed the athletic people our age heading after the smiling man. The group, comprising of roughly 15 teenagers, congregated in a boardroom and distributed ourselves across 2 tables. After a series of amusing, and slightly awkward, icebreakers we retreated back to our seats to begin the real activities. First we received an initial briefing about health and safety and codes of conduct when coaching, which I’m pleased to report we already knew. Then we split off into groups of 3 with the task to design an ideal cycling club. This activity too was tailored to make us consider the complexities of establishing a successful club and the key roles played within it. We presented our ideas before watching a couple of videos displaying cyclists with a variety of technical improvements to be made, both strategically and mechanically. Our task was to identify these issues and state how best to overcome them. This enabled us to gain a considerable amount of knowledge from the varied experiences and expertise of the other participants. It was really interesting! Simultaneously our coaching abilities were further developed.

After that we took a short break where we were able to fully interact with the people in our session, all of whom were our age (15). As we all shared a common interest in cycling this was really simple and we found that everyone was very friendly and good-natured. At the end of the break we made our way onto the golf course, turning our attention away from coaching to racing. As a group we agreed on, and mapped, out a trial cyclocross racecourse for children age 8-12. That put our understanding of course adaption to test along with our ability to identify hazards and knowledge of race days. We then proceeded to fill in a risk assessment form and exchange knowledge and tips for ideal race briefings, something that is more complex to create and deliver then you would envisage.

After perfecting our briefing skills we then proceeded back to the boardroom, chatting continuously, to collect an extensive amount of paperwork and learn about the programme. Over the course of the next year we have to log a certain number of hours in a variety of cycling activities centred around coaching. We cannot participate as cyclists in any of these activities; we can only be there as organisers or coaches. If the specified hours are successfully logged within the timeframe the participant will become a registered Level 1 Coach with British cycling. This is the scheme myself and Lucy have entered into. It's a slightly formidable challenge but a challenge nevertheless, and one I am determined to see through.

With the sky growing dark Lucy and I departed from our new found friends with the prospect of seeing them in a year’s time when we're all qualified coaches. We crawled into the car and spent the journey in a sleepy silence. It was an exhausting but rewarding day. I loved it!

Ruhi Walsh

We currently have three young volunteers Ruhi, Lucy and Harry who are doing great work with the Spokes. If you would like to join them and are aged 14 yrs or above, please speak to coaches Mel or Liz at a club session.

Sports Relief Champions

Huge congratulations to KJCC riders Lucy Adams and Jenna Lyle who made enormous quantities of biscuits and sold them at the club on Saturday in aid of Sports Relief. Their efforts raised £90. Lives saved at home and abroad thanks to two nine yeear olds. What can the rest of us do?

Richmond Park ride next Saturday 1st March at 9:30. On road session - experienced cyclists only. Bring your parent! Meet at Ham Gate.