Olympic and world team pursuit champion Ed Clancy will be in Bradford this weekend.
He is visiting East Bradford Cycling Club’s Kids’ Saturday Bike Club at the Richard Dunn Sports Centre at Odsal for two hours (10.30am-12.30pm) as a reward for two of their under-12 teams.
The eight boys and girls took part in an Italian Team Pursuit competition, which was held at the end of each stage of this summer’s Tour of Britain, and they turned out to be the two fastest teams in the country.
The Italian Pursuit consisted of two teams of four competing on a 60-metre course but starting at opposite sides.
At the end of the first lap, the first rider peels off and on the second lap the second rider peels off etc until four laps have been completed.
East Bradford CC coach Mike Healey said: “Our teams competed on the finishing straight of the York Tour of Britain stage and were only separated by one-tenth of a second.
“We also lent a couple of riders to another team!”
Clancy, from Huddersfield, is not only a four-time gold medallist but also part of the world-record breaking Beijing pursuit team and winner of the individual pursuit at the recent Manchester World Cup round in the third- fastest time ever recorded over 4,000 metres.
Only Olympic and world champions Bradley Wiggins and Chris Boardman have gone faster.
Clancy will ride round with the youngsters and explain to them what it’s like to be a world and Olympic champion and how he got there.
Mandy Parker, who coached the two teams, said: “We’re all absolutely delighted that the children’s hard work is being rewarded like this and we’re really looking forward to the chance to meet one of Britain’s greatest riders.
“I just hope that he won’t find it more exhausting than the Olympic final!”
Healey added: “The 11-year-old Kids’ Club has been going from strength to strength since we successfully applied for a £160,000 grant to redesign and rebuild the cycle circuit in 2005.
“We have already turned out multriple regional and national schools’ champions, so who knows? Maybe the club will produce its own Olympic and world champion one day.”
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