If your five-year-old tells you they want to become the next Mark Cavendish or Peter Sagan after getting bitten by the bike racing bug at the PoCo Grand Prix on Friday, you may want to reign them in a bit.
That’s because real opportunities to learn the skills and strategies to become a bike racer won’t present themselves until they’re 12 or more years old, according to Ben Chaddock, the provincial coordinator for Cycling BC’s iRide program that encourages and develops young cyclists in school and after-school programs.
Chaddock, a former professional racer for four years, said it’s more important for young cyclists to develop a love and passion for the sport before they take their place on the start line of a competitive race. That gives them the time to learn skills and gain confidence on the bike that will put them in a better position to succeed once they make a commitment to stick with the sport.
“Our alignment is to create healthy human beings,” Chaddock said. “It’s not about medals and it’s not about turning yourself inside out when you’re 10 years old.”
That measured pace is achieved by exposing young cyclists to different types of riding that will keep them safe while they’re developing their skills and fitness; the youngest will start on a BMX track, then progress to mountain or cyclocross bikes on park trails and then to the enclosed oval of the velodrome track at the Harry Jerome Sports Centre in North Burnaby before they ever get a chance to ride on the road.
Chaddock said the progression also gives parents some assurance their child is excited and passionate about their chosen sport.
“It lets them figure out how skilled their child is.”
iRide has several programs to help develop those skills, from its in-school sessions over three days for students in grades four to six, to the community-based Sprockids, to five-day camps for kids aged 10-14 that expose kids to cycling’s various disciplines, like mountain bike, BMX, track and longer riding for fitness. After that, youth development programs are available at some local cycling clubs, like Escape Velocity’s DEVO program that teaches kids how to train and compete while refining their skills.
A new camp being offered by iRide this year will be a Super Camp at Simon Fraser University that gives participants a chance to improve their skills for a half a day and then go to the various races that comprise BC Superweek to watch the pros at work up close, possibly even meet them.
That kind of exposure can light a fire in young cyclists.
“It shows them it’s a real sport to meet friends, to push your boundaries,” Chaddock said, adding it’s important for aspiring racers and their parents to have the proper motivation to pursue their passion because the road ahead of them can be gruelling.
“If you start racing at 10, you’ll be burned out by 20,” he said. “It’s a very delicate balance keeping kids engaged and holding them back.”
• The kids races at the PoCo Grand Prix go at 6 p.m. (3 to 5 years of age category is full), followed by the youth race at 7 p.m. They’ll be preceded by men’s CAT3/4 races (3:15 p.m.) and the corporate challenge (4:15). The pro women racers take over the streets at 7:50 p.m. while the men will race at 9:15 p.m. For a detailed schedule go to www.pocograndprix.ca/schedule/
