Cycling
Get the wheels turning and join the Cycling Section at Gordon’s.
- We ride our MTBs on Saturday mornings, weather permitting, throughout the winter, mainly in Lightwater Country Park, the trails around Deepcut and Swinley Forest on trails like Jubilee, Bikini Carwash, Berminator and Babymaker.
- We also train indoors in our cycling studio on Zwift and Whoosh on the Kickr smart trainers on P7 bad weather cycling days.
- There are 20 spin bikes in No9 and the Pavilion.
- We have a number of school road bikes and MTBs.
- We have a 12 bike road bike trailer and a 20 bike MTB trailer.
- We have set up an affiliate school membership to Palmer Park Velo Cycle Club in Reading. The club meets on Saturday mornings and some of those signed up for Saturdays will be heading to the velodrome for coaching and trying out fixed wheel. The school pays the club membership and those that join receive their first year's membership of British Cycling free.
- The plan is to organise race meetings at the velodrome, and MTB race meetings locally, with other schools with cycling sections.
- We have our own on-site 1.1km MTB circuit with a woodland section and a mound with a drop off.
- We will continue to develop the skills and handling ability, and confidence, with further visits to Swinley, Highlands Farm, Tunnel Hill and Porridgepot.
- The aim is to deliver to the students a range of cycling discipline experiences in a structured and fun manner.
- Obviously cycling has its element of risk, as do all sports and we have been delivering coaching advice and road awareness advice whilst out on the road sections.
- We have covered pre-riding checks of bikes, clothes and equipment and preparation, to minimise the risks and improve performance.
- We have covered necessary elements of the bike check, the importance of clean bikes, the highway code, riding in a group and riding etiquette.
- The Cycling Section is growing all the time, and we have had over 100 students participate over the last two years.
- Students are earning colours for cycling for performances in external races riding in Gordon’s kit, leading by example and showing commitment, passing on their skills and knowledge to the younger ones, and also for taking on long distance endurance challenges and raising funds for the charities supported by the school.
- Our Captain of Cycling is Ben Speller- Khartoum, Vice-Captain is Toby Pewter – Buckingham , and we have a Chef de Mission in Oliver Brownhill-Griffiths.
- On Saturday afternoons we run a Residents Cycle Session and some students have actually learned to ride a bike for the first time. We focus on core handling skills and taking on new challenges.
- We have our very own mechanic on the team Mike The Mechanic who supports our Tours, and helps us out on Saturdays when needed. He looks after all our school bikes and is available for servicing staff and student bikes.
- We have some exciting plans in development such as a brand new purpose built storage unit for the MTBs, and some other exciting projects, so keep checking in.
Below are some links to a number of Global Cycling Network (GCN ) videos on YouTube that are worth watching if you haven’t already. They reinforce the information and the advice that we have been trying to share.
Setting saddle height and position
There are many other interesting and informative cycling videos by GCN to watch on YouTube.
And we go on Tour every year with our MTBs.
In 2023 we went to Studland and stayed at Brenscombe Outdoor Centre.
Four days of cycling with a couple of activities thrown in. The Centre organised a team building exercise and we rode the zip wire from the end of Bournemouth Pier to the beach.
In 2024 we took 26 students and stayed in a 12th century castle in St. Briavels in the Forest of Dean, cycled the Wye Valley, hit the trails at Bike Park Wales, and stopped off in Bristol on the way back at The Wave to do some body boarding.
https://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/yha-st-briavels-castle
This year we are off to The Cotswolds sleeping in teepees next to a lake, raft building, and two full days at FlyUp417 Bike Park.
https://www.cotswolds.com/listing/the-real-outdoor-xperience/85775301/
Let’s ride.
A big shout out to the rest of our team Mr Sinclair, Miss Jones, Mr Griffiths, Miss Whitehill, Mr Depoix and Mr Pewter who often volunteers and rides with us on Saturdays.
For further information about cycling, contact the Head of Cycling David Butler - Dbutler@gordons.school