Cycle club looks to get on track

CYCLE Club Ashwell hopes to attract more young members with a new grass track cycling initiative.

The grass track will be set up at Ashwell recreation ground in May, and the club hopes to hold sessions on Wednesday nights throughout the summer.

Geoff Godschalk from Cycle Club Ashwell said: "Grass track racing is very similar to the track cycling races you would see in the Olympics.

"The bikes have no brakes, so riders have to be trained thoroughly beforehand.

"This club will be aimed primarily at nine-16-year-olds. We hope plenty of youngsters will join so that we can teach them to ride properly and let them experiment with bike racing. They are bound to fall off a few times while they're learning, so it's better that they do that off the road rather than on it."

Last week North Herts District Council's Baldock area committee agreed to provide £500 from its discretionary development budget to fund the project.

The club has also applied for £7,500 of funding from National Lottery grants scheme Awards for All.

Mr Godschalk said: "The track will need to be marked out every week, so we need funding for that.

"We also want to buy some track bikes so that people who don't have their own can come and give racing a try.

"It is also our intention to set up a youth development fund, which we can distribute to talented youngsters whose parents can't afford to enter them in competitions."

Cycle Club Ashwell started seven years ago, and now has more than 90 members, who compete in road and track races across the country.

It holds its own annual road race, the CCA Primavera, each May.

The grass track scheme has been set up in association with British Cycling's Go Ride campaign, which encourages under-18s nationwide to get involved with cycling.

Anyone wishing to join the club should contact Mr Godschalk on 01462 742837, or email geoff@cerdan.co.uk.