Feature: A GOLDEN GENERATION

John Vicars, a cycling recruitment consultant for UAETeamADQ, writes about the Golden Generation (Cat Ferguson/Imogen Wolff/Amelia Cebak etc) and his trip to Netherlands & Belgium last weekend

Feature: A GOLDEN GENERATION

John writes … It was no surprise to me when I saw from the results at the National A (Senior) road race at East Cleveland earlier this month that two of the Shibden Apex Race Team superstars, Cat Ferguson and Imogen Wolff, had dominated the race.

It is quite remarkable however when you consider that both are only 17 years of age and are performing so well at this level. I’ve not asked and I’m not even sure whether a 17-year-old has ever won a National ‘A’ Senior level road race or if two 17-year-olds have been on a podium together at such an event. Either way, it won’t have been done many times.

Photo: Omloop van Borsele on twitterX

By coincidence, my work took me to the lowlands this last weekend to watch two races that featured the very best junior women in Europe plus teams from the USA, Canada and Australia. I had an idea how the British riders would fare but it’s always good to see it for yourself to confirm your thoughts.

I started in the Netherlands in a remote village about an hour’s drive north of Ghent in Belgium where a Nations Cup event known as Omloop van Borsele was being held over 3 days. There were five riders representing Great Britain in the race, the aforementioned Ferguson plus her Shibden Apex teammates Lucy Glover (Dudley GP winner 2023), Arabella Blackburn and Evie Smith. Also present was Carys Lloyd from Tofauti Everyone Active. (Shibden and Tofauti are the two leading junior women’s team in the UK).

What struck me upon arrival in this sleepy little hamlet was the depth of organisation. A proper ‘Start and Finish’ structure, a stage podium, the advertising banners, the PA announcer, fluent in English alongside his native language, probably 30 or so Moto’s, a small army of police and stewards and a live ticker constantly updated on the organiser’s website during the race. To all intents and purposes this was a professional race. Oh, and by the way, not a pothole in sight!

Some of the European based teams looked very professional too, with sizeable buses and sponsored bikes, the latest helmets and very expensive wheels.

Photo: Omloop van Borsele on twitterX

In the race however, against around 140 competitors, the first stage, a time trial was won by British champion Cat Ferguson and teammate Carys Lloyd won stages 2 and 3 (with Ferguson in 2nd place on both stages). Ferguson also won the overall general classification. Quite some statement from the GB women especially after Wolff and Ferguson had occupied the top two steps in the previous Nations Cup event in Italy in March. Domination was a word being used in many different languages by the end of the weekend.

GENT WEVELGEM

From there, I made my way to the ancient and historic town of Ypres in West Flanders to see the Gent-Wevelgem junior races – there were two races for the junior women at U19 and U17 level. The majority of teams in these races were made up of the best club teams from around Europe although a couple of countries actually fielded national teams.

The picturesque Grote Markt, by the Flanders Fields Museum, was the start and finish point for the junior men and women’s races. Each team in every race was welcomed onto the stage and introduced to the gathered audience. Incredibly, there was a giant TV screen which showed the start of the races and a live stream of the last 20 kilometres of each race.

The town centre was closed to vehicular traffic for 12 hours and there was a carnival type atmosphere within the square which mirrored the atmosphere of a fully-fledged World Tour race – and this was solely for junior cycle racing! Cycling really is King in Belgium.

 Amelia Cebak and Rebecca Gardiner on the podium for the Junior Women’s Gent Wevelgem. Photo: GentWevelgem

One of the favourites for the U19 race was Shibden’s Imogen Wolff but unfortunately, she was brought down in a crash and badly injured her leg before the first ascent of the infamous Kemmelberg climb. The race approached the finish with a group of 20 coming back into Ypres where strong sprints from Amelia Cebak and Rebecca Gardiner of Tofauti secured the first and second places. The injured Wolff bravely took 4th place with her two Shibden teammates Ruby Oakes and Esther Wong claiming 6th and 7th place respectively.

So, in the heart of Belgium and competing against the hosts (in a race of well over 100 entrants), against the Dutch, the French, the Germans and a strong Slovakian team, British riders took 5 of the first 7 places. I can tell you there were plenty more ‘British domination’ mutterings in the Market Square as the locals downed their bottles of Duvel and Leffe Blond.

But in truth, they hadn’t seen anything because the Shibden Apex production line of talent was about to send no fewer than 9 riders into the U17 race. The 100 strong field took off into Flanders Fields as I stood in the Grote Markt with Shibden Apex boss and Sporting Director, Tim Ferguson.

  Millie Salmon wins Gent Wevelgem for U17 Women with Aelwen Davies(right) third. Photo: GentWevelgem

With 20 kilometres to go, the images on the big screen changed from aerial shots of the town centre to a picture of two riders at the front of the race. Millie Salmon of Shibden was clear with a Belgian rider and had what looked like a gap of around 30 seconds to a group of 4 riders that we could just make out in the distance.

Fortunately, the gap held, and Millie comfortably outsprinted her rival to take the win. Tim needn’t have worried though about the group of four chasing because as they came into the camera’s vision all four were British riders, Aelwen Davies, Melanie Rowe, Maia Howell and Peggy Knox. I think I’m right in saying that three of them were from Shibden and the fourth is about to join! And then to cap it all, another Brit, Anna Lloyd took the 7th spot meaning 6 out of the first 7 spots had the image of the Union Jack by their name on the giant electronic scoreboard.

So how on earth is this possible you might ask? At the junior women level, Great Britain simply has the best talent in the world. When I checked the UCI website this morning it ranks all junior riders in the world based upon a race points system. Cat Ferguson is in 1st place, with Imogen Wolff 3rd and Carys Lloyd 4th.

One thing I did notice however as I spent the day with Tim, is how everything has to be done on a tight budget. Mums and Dads, Grandparents, nieces and cousins all making the trip over to Belgium at their own expense – not a cheap excursion these days. And the races at home and abroad are coming thick and fast now.

I saw Mums inflating tyres, Dads pinning numbers on and fitting transponders to the bikes. The riders have to use their own bikes and sit in the back of cars to get ready. No big buses with fancy sponsors logos for them, or half a dozen helpers to act as soigneurs. Shibden and Tofauti, the two British teams, actually agreed to join forces to hand out bottles to either team as they were so short on numbers.

Imogen Wolff shaking hands with organiser James Hawkin – Imogen, a junior, won the National B two day Peaks Two Day

I heard a story about a big junior race where the British girls had to sit outside in really cold weather under a gazebo to have their meal on their knees with plastic cutlery whilst next door the French juniors sat in their fancy bus in the warm eating theirs in comfort and with proper cutlery!

Maybe it’s the fight against the odds that is so character building and provides the mental toughness that inspires these young women to dig so deep against their more affluent rivals, who benefit from the sizeable commercial sponsorships available to cycling teams on the continent . One thing is for certain however, is that without people like Tim and all the parents who muck in and put their hands in their pockets to make it happen then we wouldn’t be in a situation to suggest that we may be just about to witness the birth of a golden generation in women’s cycling within the UK.

And just a final thought for the team I spent the day with.

If you use the UCI World Ranking system, which awards points to riders in the races in which they appear, then Shibden Apex from Yorkshire are ranked the number one team in the world which is an incredible achievement when you consider what they are up against.

And guess what, they still can’t find a bike sponsor in the UK for their 10 junior riders!

John Vicars is a Cycling Recruitment Consultant for UAETeamADQ 

 

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