By John Leitch
Posted: Sunday, June 12, 2016 - 19:03

This summer term is proving to be quite a ‘home and away’ period… but today we were at home.
 
Let me start with a report.
 
A welcome to two new riders, Madeleine Humphreys (aged five) and Amy Hart (aged nine).
 
Strictly speak that’s not quite true as Amy has been in the distant past, but after taking part in the girl’s school challenge at Wray Common School last week, the urge for more cycling has returned.

Perhaps because she was the fastest of 40 girls who took part that day…. well done Amy.
 
And as a bonus…. she’s already signed up to come to Burgh Heath to race in our colours in a fortnight's time…. splendid.
 
Alan Gayle was in action with the high-flyers while I roamed off round the world once again with then mini-team, instructing them to follow their engine who was either Mark Cavendish (given that he had a HTC-team-kit cycle top on) or Harry Adshead’s dad called Andrew.
 
Round the back of the school are four paths that make a square. Riders rode behind the engine until the whistle went, then they had to sprint to the centre of the grass and be the first to the ‘ice-cream van’ for a cone…. we all bought into the concept really well.
 
Then they went down to slope and to prove that they could brake, they had to stop halfway down.
 
It’s a tad un-nerving as straight ahead at the bottom are some glass doors leading into the school.
 
With no bales of straw available I had to position a line of parents there instead… like cannon-fodder I guess.
 
Madeleine’s older sister was one…. which might trigger her to bring a bike next time.
 
The grass was dry, the ground was hard, the saplings were in leaf so we did an exercise riding through them to put steering to the test…. if you click to look at our Facebook page you’ll see the outcome…. there are two clips in fact.

 

Not linked to our Facebook page.... please take the plunge.

 

John