Cycle Sport Pendle launch at Colne Grand Prix
Cycle Sport Pendle at Colne Grand Prix 2008
Pendle's own road circuit ?
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
Steven Burke Olympic selection

Cycle Sport Pendle launch at Colne Grand Prix

With announcements, hundreds of leaflets, a new website and a Go-Ride course - we had an excellent local response to the launch of Cycle Sport Pendle.

The Go-Ride session was attended by two teams from Pendle Vale School, who raced the course in the Union car park. Then despite the rain, many other local children had a go at the course - and one or two adults! We even had some of the youth riders who had taken part in the Colne Grand Prix support race demonstrating their skills on the course.

Young riders interested in riding with us should call us or drop us an e-mail - our contact page will tell you how.

16th July 2008 - Cycle Sport Pendle at Colne Grand Prix 2008

Cycle Sport Pendle will be at the Colne Grand Prix on the 16th July 2008, helping the local British Cycling Go-Ride coach run a fun team challenge between Pendle Vale School and Craven High School.

The course will involve quick reactions and good bike skills: riding round cones, under limbo bars, picking up bottles, starting and stopping. Each team will be timed, with penalty seconds deducted for errors.

14th July 2008 - PENDLE’S OWN ROAD CUIRCUIT ?

Take a look at the artists impression’s of Pendle vale sports campus on the home page, look closely at the aerial view ………… what you won’t see is the proposed jogging or exercise lane running around the perimiter of the campus grounds, but there will be one when the site is completely finished in summer 2009.

Exploratory discussions have started in the hope that the lane could be wider than proposed and therefore support cycle coaching and even racing. Pendle Vale will also be home for approximately eighty students with disabilities and the circuit would be a superb addition for multi use adapted bicycles.

British Cycling's national facilities manager Dave Cockerham visited the site in June to meet with head teacher Steve Wilson and to take a look around the campus grounds. Dave’s initial thoughts are very encouraging and his experience will prove invaluable. Funding is clearly an issue when additional costs are proposed but the benefits to the college and the community would be invaluable. We will lobby hard for the required support and seek guidance from British Cycling President Brian Cookson*, L.C.C and Pendle B.C ………….Watch this space !

* Brian’s ‘day job’ is director of regeneration for Pendle.

14th July 2008 - THE JOURNEY SO FAR

Dear Bikie !, Parent or Young rider.

Earlier this year a few of us from my own club started to get our heads together to chew over the prospects of new and young riders from Pendle and East Lancashire entering our sport. What set out to be a genuine desire to regenerate our own club, Clayton Velo, has evolved into a much clearer vision of how we can influence the growth and regeneration for all our clubs in East Lancs.

From club run chats and a general gathering of people’s views popped up a group of riders, coaches and officials keen to make a difference, they are : Myself, Peter Boast Clayton Velo.  Martin Brass Pendle Forrest CC (level 2 coach candidate).  Len Woffindin Sportcity Velo (Club coach, level 2 track coach, level 3 candidate, BC cyclocross Commissaire).   Alan Roper  (Clayton Velo /B.C Commissaire).  Chris Edmondson (Sports lecturer UCLAN/Clayton Velo).  Chris Ridings (Clayton Velo). Neil Welsh (British Cycling P.M.). Simon Wilson (B.C Go Ride coach)

If you keep up with local news you will have seen how committed Pendle Borough Council are to developing cycling as a pastime, sport and for the healthy lifestyle local, regional and national government are keen to encourage.

The Borough has many interesting ‘Jig Saw’ pieces we want to put together and the completed picture will give us a very strong platform to promote our sport, now and in the future.

The corner pieces …..

• Pendle vale sports campus amenities and the possibility of an on site road circuit.
• Opportunities for disability participation at the campus.
• Olympic Gold medal prospect, Steven Burke, committed to our aims.
• Pendle B.C. support for Bikefest, Colne Grand Prix, Pendle pedal etc.
• Excellent regional facilities and coaching opportunities including Manchester Velodrome, Preston Arena and Mountain bike and BMX facilities.
• Modern I.T  !  We hope you like this Web Site….it will allow us to percolate news, opportunities and information for everyone, but in particular young riders who will contribute to the site’s content. (Look out for ‘Burkies Blog’ coming soon.

Add to that all the other interesting pieces…… Local coaches…. British Cycling Go Ride support…. Strong Local Clubs, Pendle Forest, Nelson Wheelers, Clayton Velo, CTC. Experienced racers past and present (see local hero’s) and of course the beautiful countryside accessible by bike.

One crucial piece has been the enthusiasm in which the Head of Pendle Vale College Mr. Steve Wilson has embraced our approach to launch Cycle Sport Pendle at the brand new school. British Cycling’s Go Ride scheme will underpin our start up campaign, and here too is another crucial piece of the jig saw, British Cycling Full time coach and elite rider Simon Wilson.

Simon Wilson, with Pendle Sports Development Manager Neil Stuart have co-ordinated Pendle’s first Go Ride Taster sessions with Nelson and Barnoldswick schools culminating in a Head to Head fun skills competition staged prior to the racing at Colne Grand Prix on Wednesday 16th July.

We sincerely believe Pendle Bikie’s will get behind this exciting project and we would love to hear from you if you can offer help in any shape or form. Parents, please get in touch if you have a son or daughter interested in Cycle sport, or better still if you are under 18 and find the thought of competition on two wheels exhilarating get in touch your self via the contact form.

Finally, Steven Burke started out on a bike age fourteen and with help and support from his dedicated family and others. At twenty he’s part of a Great Britain team that starts favourite for a Gold Medal in Beijing ! Imagine that.

Steven Burke

6th July 2008 - Steven Burke Olympic selection

Local Cyclist Steven Burke has this week been selected to ride in the British cycling team at Beijing Olypic Games - well done to Steven.

He will ride in the Team Pursuit. The men's team pursuit event in cycling consists of matches between two teams of four cyclists. The teams start at opposite sites of the track, and ride for 16 laps of a 250meter track (4 kilometres) in which each team tries to catch the other team. If neither team catches the other before the 16 laps, the times for the distance (based on the third rider of the team to cross the line) is used to determine the winning team.