Your chance to shape our race-track!… This April we’re heading back into our racetrack area, to resuscitate our series of grassroots mountain bike races – join us and help decide where our race-track goes, and how our racing is run!
We’re looking for budding course designers, new marshals, first-aiders, lap-scorers, coaches, supporters, and of course racers (of all ages and abilities)! On Saturday the 25th of April we’re holding a mega-coaching session – our “Introduction to Racing” – aimed at explaining how everything to do with our racing works! We’re inviting all local clubs andindividuals to our race-track area, from 10am to 12noon. Non-members welcome! The session is aimed at Under 8s/10s/12s, Juvenile and Youth racers, but we’d love it if they could bring their adults with them, to learn more about the racing! Juniors are also welcome to join us and share their love of racing!
After a short introduction, we will start by grabbing a number board each, and then we’ll split intotwo or three groups, depending upon numbers on the day – each with a couple of coaches, focussing on a couple of key sections of the course, before moving on to the next. Once you’ve mastered all the different parts of the course, we’ll all head out for a sighting lap of the whole course. Then we’ll line you up in your age groups for a couple of faster laps – the perfect introduction to the course for all local riders. The ideal chance for everyone to find out how the racing works, without things getting too serious! Whilst technically a coached session, rather than a race, we will probably have a few prizes in our presentation, for riders who impress the coaches!
Whilst the kids are learning the course with the BFCC coaches, we’ll support where it’s needed, but also spend time discussing how you can get involved with our races. From simply helping and supporting the race itself, right through to volunteering on the day, and even on the run-up to the races via our trail-build days. we’ve got plenty of roles to fill, and plenty of trail-builds to get involved with!
On race days, we’re looking for help with registration, marshalling, lap scoring, first-aid, commissaire(ing), course building/repairs, photography, and welfare. Behind the scenes we’re looking for more people to help design and shape our course, help with admin, promotion, coaching, and ideas for improvements. If you think you have any way to help (even if it’s not listed), please come along on the 25th (or the 11th), or get in touch. For now, we’ve got plenty of Spring Cleaning to get working on and we need your help with this on the 11th of April – if you can spare a couple of hours, we’re running the first of our Trail Builds, on the existing trails which make up our Little Oaks track, and our new/redesigned Fur Tree Track. From 10AM on the 11th please join our Adult/Advanced Junior Group and help us by investing a couple of hours in giving our trails the attention they deserve. Watch out for a dedicated Trail Build Post with all the details about what to expect, how to join, what to wear, etc.
Our coaching sessions in the training area start on the 4th of April – contact us now if you’d like to come along and see what it’s all about!
