When I rolled up to the school it looked like everything might need to be put on hold as there was a row of chunky, person-proof, orange barriers right across the middle of the playground... no-one had warned me of that.
 
Anyway, they proved to be dismantleable and stackable... so we got under way as normal... though the two parked mini-buses made for interesting variations on the usual bendy circuit.
 
Welcome
 
Roseanna, aged five, made her start into the world of cycling.... we've seen older brothers George and Arthur in the past.... and mum reports how intimidating it is (given her size) to face the prospect of lifting all three bikes on-off and then on-off again, too and from the car roof.
 
Another fresh sibling was Finlay who was supported by Isabel, his older sister. Aged just six, Finlay had ridden to Furzefield on his bike.... well done.... and went home in the rain without the slightest protest.
 
Finally...Harry wnho was in need of stablisers when I met the family at the Redhill CC airfield barbeque a fortnight ago... but he's now jettisoned them and was proud as punch to be amongst our line-up.
 
What we did.
 
The second of the 'new' exercise that the coaches did at Preston Park, Brighton and which I've never done before, was a sprint elinminator... so rather than eliminate the last over the line in each lap as in the event known as 'the devil', instead the winners were pulled out and the race was then re-started with one,two or three fewer participants.
 
I think it's a much better concept as those who benefit most from the extra challenge, from the thrill of being nearer and nearer the front, finally get the satisfaction of a win or a second place. That has to be motivating.
 
Then.... with the bikes parked up against the wall and riders waiting for the whistle to run towards them, we had the Raiders' speciality event... the Le Mans race.... with five-year-old Oscar Hough being quite the star.
 
Gabriella pleaded to upgrade, after two goes at this, to a running race.... everyone did a full lap and eight-year-old Gabriella won... excellent.
 
The question from me of 'Shall we get the parents to have a go?' resulted in a massive 'yes vote/cheer and off they went, Maddy negotiating for the mums to get a modest handicap start.
 
Five of the dads bounced into the first corner like sumo wrestlers, all shoulders and elbows. It was so exilerating that one dad fell flat on his face as he crossed the line. Fortunately he was a doctor so he could prescribe the appropriate cure/medicine... I think I saw him writing 'four glasses of Shiraz'.
 
Final race - younger ages - three laps - handicap
 
1 Oscar Hough
2 Chloe Pullen
3 Gabriella Wright
 

Final race - older ages - eight laps - handicap
 
1 Freddie Davy
2 Joshua Golliker
3 Nick Gill
 
Green Jersey: special  award to Graham Haysom... even though he's over 70
 
It seem that the Bellinghams all live in the same road as Graham who is a keen cyclist and is the former chairman of Redhill Cycling Club.... mum reports that when the three kids run into a mechanical problem or have a puncture, Graham is only too pleased to help out.
 
Well done that man.
 
You might suspect that I have an ulterior motive for this award when I tell you that I've heard that Graham will be in France next Saturday doing the 125km cyclosportif called La Ronde Picarde with 1,200 others.
 
It starts and finishes in Abbeville on the river Somme, just a 90-min drive from Calais.
 
I've signed up as well and my gold medal standard time is 4hr 20min..... so softening him up like this in advance could mean that if i puncture he'll feel obliged to stop and help out. 

Photo: 

A great line up 040911

Submitted by admin on Wed, 07/09/2011 - 19:50

Photo: 

Event: 

Raiders session 4 September

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