Saturday 29th October marked another significant Milestone in The future of Milford Tritons Cycling Club with our very first Club Ride dedicated to our Junior Members.
We have had a great response to our Junior Section and on Average have at least 10 riders at every session which for a section that was only started a few months back is some achievement and is a credit to the hard work put in to get this off the ground and deserves recognition alone
Now onto the ride itself –
Registration complete 18 Juniors and what looked like 20 parents/grandparents and senior club helpers all ready to be let loose onto the Cycle path from Steynton to Neyland Marina … Majority of the conversation between the Juniors prior to departure was how much Ice cream and cake they would be consuming upon arrival at the café stop (5 miles away) .Some of the riders young and old had not cycled this distance as a group before and were rightfully anxious of what lay ahead , The groups were split Juniors ahead with 2 of the coaches at the front (Jeff and Dan) and Sara Sweeping at the rear , Tom was our out rider and progressed from crossing to crossing ahead of the group ensuring we were able to keep moving (where safe to do so) and the Parent/grandparent/sibling group followed on with a few of our Senior club members assisting (to whom we are grateful)
We arrived at the café after approximately 45 minutes which in fairness was faster than predicted and can be put down to the hard work and dedication the Juniors had done in previous weeks at the sessions and there ability and understanding to ride together as a group this was tested at the Honeyborough roundabout where mid crossing we could hear Ambulance sirens coming toward us the group did exactly what was asked of them. Everyone seemed to enjoy the decent known as the “Zig Zags” and one rider in particular was seen “tucked” in an aero position ….(Teifion)
The Café stop was a nice reward for what the Juniors had achieved and equally just as rewarding for the Parents group. The Juniors on a whole represented the Junior Tritons well and a number of comments were made by members of the public how nice it was to see the Kids out on bikes. We stayed at the café for approximately 40-50 minutes which proved to be more than sufficient.
Talk amongst the juniors about the return leg of the journey had neglected the fact that the “Zig Zag” Decent on the way here would in fact become an “Ascent” on the way back …. Everyone Young and Older made it up the Climb with no issues which again is an achievement each and everyone who attended can be proud of however one persons determination stood out and deserves a mention therefore our Queen of the Mountain for the ride goes to Caitrin who battled her way to the top and conquered the “Zig Zags”
The ride back was more or less exactly the same as the ride down however with the addition of Cake, Ice Cream, Chocolate and fizzy drinks the juniors concentration started to wander which was instantly noticed by myself and the group was brought to a stop and refocused on the task in hand after this the ride was on point.
We arrived back at the School at approximately 1220 and all in all everyone seemed to enjoy it (both groups) All the key skills taught at the Sessions were used during this ride and each and everyone of our Juniors managed to ride 10 miles in a group which 8 weeks ago none had done. Its great to see the Children forming new friendships and every session these bonds are getting stronger and stronger.
We hope as a club this kind of ride will happen frequently and the next one is all ready being planned (stay tuned for more info)
last but not least a huge Thankyou to each and every one of Junior members and parents for your support and we hope to see you at next weeks session (5th November 2016)
Dan Devine
sending...
