Cycle club hopes Tour of Britain inspires children
BBCA cycling club for children has said it hopes more will be inspired to learn to ride by the visit of the Tour of Britain Women.
Lakeland Sprinters Go Ride meets for off-road bike sessions at a karting track in West Cumbria - near where the cycling race route will pass through later.
The club said the traffic-free circuit at Rowrah was an ideal venue to teach pupils as young as three to make the transition from balance bikes to pedalling, before learning skills such as bike handling and riding safely close to other people.
Former racer Esther Livesey, whose children have been attending the club since they were toddlers, said the youngsters "can't wait" for the race to pass through the county.
This year the club, which has about 85 members and is affiliated to British Cycling, has doubled the number of classes it runs for the youngest children and has a waiting list.
One of the coaches, Fiona Graham, said activities took place entirely away from roads and focused on "fun, fitness and friendship".
She said the group was grateful to Cumbria Kart Racing Club for the use of their "brilliant" circuit, which was much more suitable than the car parks on which other similar cycling groups have to operate.
Calum Tinnion, whose three-year-old daughter Yolanda takes part in club sessions, said: "You want your kids to be confident bikers as early as possible."
He said she had learned how to pedal at the circuit, before developing the skills to turn and stop in a straight line.
Livesey, from Keswick, has been bringing her four and seven-year-old daughters to Rowrah since they were two.
Before they were born, she was an elite downhill mountain bike racer and now takes her children with her husband to international biking events.
She said "it would be nice for them to have a passion for a sport, but there's absolutely no pressure - it's just all about us having fun, and all of us getting out there and enjoying ourselves".
Her daughter Rhona said she enjoyed taking part in "biking games, like limbo and going in and out the cones", adding: "I've got lots of friends helping me and cheering me on."
Livesey said her daughters "can't wait" for the Tour of Britain Women to ride through Cumbria later, because "they're always amazed to see how fast the pros go".
She said it was important "just to get everyone out and have the community involved in cycling, because we've got some of the best cycling in the world right on our doorstep here".
"So it's just great to see the big races come here, and everyone getting out and making the most of it."
The opening stage starts and finishes in Cockermouth, Cumbria, and takes riders on a 158.9km (99-mile) route through communities across west and north Cumberland.
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