Cycle speedway taster a success

Just a few weeks ago, British Cycling coaches and top Cycle speedway riders came to Exeter to offer a ladies only cycle speedway taster session.

The event which took place alongside a Cycle Speedway Women’s League competition, was a roaring success, as the girls who took part learnt the ropes of Cycle Speedway.

The sport, which is an up and coming event in British Cycling, is not dissimilar to the popular Motorbike Speedway that many flock to go and watch.

The bicycles only have a single gear and no brakes, and the sport requires hard work and a lot of endurance.

Charlie-Jane Herbert, an Exeter born GB Cycle speedway star helped with the taster session, by teaching the twelve young girls the basics of Speedway. Core skills such as cornering, pedalling and getting ahead of your opposition were executed wonderfully.

The Women’s competition was also a huge hit, with it being the second in the Annual competition. Sheffield faced Exeter in a gruelling battle. In the individual competitions, talented Exeter based GB Speedway cyclist Lauren Hookway took first place, with Michelle Whitehead and Vicky Brown of Sheffield taking a respectable second and third position. The next competition takes place on Sunday 3 August with Sheffield Cycle Speedway facing Leicester Monarchs Speedway.

The team who organised the taster session, was led by Sheffield Cycle Speedway chairman Ian Brown, and they plan to build on their success by running more Taster sessions alongside the Women’s League Speedway competitions. Plus, the team at Exeter Cycle Speedway will now be running smaller taster sessions for Women and Girls every Tuesday from 6.30pm.

Ian is also involved with a Cycling and road safety campaign called Ride With Vision. Based in Sheffield, Ian and his team at Wosskow Brown Solicitors, work hard to promote Cycling and Cycle safety. With the Tour De France the biggest event this summer, Cycling is sure to be at an all-time high, and safety is crucial to everyone taking to two wheels.

For more information on Cycle Speedway competitions and the free taster sessions, visit www.britishcycling.org.uk