Cycling Reports

Neil Walker is the young Scotsman in charge of the Great Britain team in this years Junior Tour. The 23 year old had to stop racing after a bad accident left him unable to compete at the highest so he turned to coaching instead.

“This squad is part of the WCCP set-up we have at home for the senior rides. We’re trying to set up a program just now of high quality races to prepare the riders for the World Championships and this race is part of the preparation for that. We wanted to get a good hard stage race in and this fitted the bill perfectly.”  

With the GB team winning every stage so far and holding the leaders jersey, things were going well for the young Scot. “Yeah, everything has went well for us. We knew Kieran (Page) would be a favourite for the time trial on Monday and yesterday we just tried to keep it together for Dave (Heaven) who is one of the fastest sprinters here. Today we knew the course was going to be hard and we wanted to get two men in every move if we could , but Kieran winning the stage was a bonus for us.”  

Walker has ridden the Junior Tour himself in 1984 and 1985 . “It’s a great race. It’s changed a bit now, it’s not quite as brutal as it used to be. This format’s quite good, it gives everyone a chance to get around it, rather than get their heads kicked in.”  

As members of the World Class Performance Plan, Walkers charges are constantly physiologically tested and monitored in a bid to give them every possible chance of realising their ultimate goal – a professional contract. “Part of the membership criteria the riders have to meet to actually get on the plan is the riders have to pass a certain fitness test. They’re monitored all the way with medical and physiology testing to check there’s no potential injurys around the corner. The plan is for riders up to under 21 and then they can progress at any time - once they’re  Senior - onto the full plan up until they’re 23. That’s as far as it goes. Once they’re 23 they can’t stay on the road program because the aim of that plan is to get them a professional contract.” 

“Kieran is 17, he’s a first year junior, he won the European Youth Olympics time trial last year, so he’s showed his class for a long time now. He was hoping to win a medal in this years World Track Championships this year but things didn’t go to plan and he finished fifth ,but he’s learned from the experience and should be a hot favourite next year. Dave Heavens the only second year junior on the team. He won a stage here last year and he’s one of the fastest sprinters at home, even in senior races. He was at the track World’s too and was 11^th in the kilometre. Richard Sutcliffe was a multiple track champion at juvenile level last year and a former record holder. He’s just come to form in the past few weeks and was brought in as a late replacement for another rider. James Bell is currently leading our domestic Road Race season long competition by quite a margin. He was a bit unlucky yesterday, he came down in a crash in the final kilometre and there was question marks as to whether he would actually start today but he seems to have pulled through really well.”