8-yr-old - Where to start competitive rides? Manchester

NFMC
NFMC Posts: 232
edited February 2012 in Family & kids cycling forum
My son (aged 8 ) loves riding his bike and wants to start doing some races. Not too sure if this is too young?

I think he wantst to do road cycling (mainly because that's what I follow on TV) but I also guess he may want to try the Velodrome. Manchester Velodrome lets kids aged 9 and up start riding so I may get him a taster session for his birthday.

Does anyone have any hints or tips? Or know of anywhere in the Manchester region?

Comments

  • simon_e
    simon_e Posts: 1,706
    It's not too young (though IMVHO it's too young to take it seriously). I'd recommend you find a Go-Ride accredited club via BC website or word of mouth.

    http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/a ... oad-Racing.

    Good luck, I hope he enjoys himself.
    Aspire not to have more, but to be more.
  • Mike Healey
    Mike Healey Posts: 1,023
    Look up Eastlands Velo on BC's club finder page
    Organising the Bradford Kids Saturday Bike Club at the Richard Dunn Sports Centre since 1998
    http://www.facebook.com/groups/eastbradfordcyclingclub/
    http://www.facebook.com/groups/eastbradfordcyclingclub/
  • juggling mum
    juggling mum Posts: 24
    For road racing there is a great NW youth(U16)'s league run by CDNW. http://www.cdnw.org/youth_league.html
    All held on closed tarmac circuits - U8 and U10 are normally run at same time and had a short and a long race - I think 1 and 3 laps normally.

    Age group is based on year of birth so U10 (Cat D)this season is 2002 and 2003, U8 (Cat E) is 2004 and younger. My daughter rode U10 last year and will be doing U12 this year. My son (born in 2005) will do U8's this year on a isla beinn 24 as he will be there with his sister anyway.

    Depending on where in Manchester you are based there are evening races on Tuesdays at Tameside from the start of May (2012 dates not up yet)
    http://www.tamesidecyclingdevelopment.c ... 4550241645

    You could look at the final results and see if any of the kids who did D/E are in clubs near you.

    When you get to September there is a very active NW cyclocross league with kids starting about 5. My son used his Beinn 20 for this for the season just finished. a lot of these races are fairly close to Manchester. All the U12s start together - about 40 at most races this year and a really friendly format for entry to racing although serious racing for the top end. http://nwcca.org.uk/

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