Carlisle Cycling Association Youth Cycling

27/04/2026

We focus on U12, U10 and U8s this week! No U14/U16 racing this time so there's extra time for the younger kids. You'll get 2 races and a bit of extra fun at the same price as usual and everyone gets a goody bag. New riders welcome - booking link in the comments.
Weather looks great so if you're born in 2014 or younger come and have some fun in the sun on Thursday!
🌞🚴‍♂️🌞🚴‍♀️🌞🚴‍♂️🌞🚴‍♀️🌞

20/04/2026

News about our next Youth Race night - Thursday 30th April.
This will be a special night for our youngest riders with extra time for U8,U10 and U12 riders,especially suitable for newcomers. Prizes for everyone guaranteed!
Details in the comments ⬇️

15/04/2026

We have a brilliant number of entries for our first evening races of the year tomorrow with lots of new children and some very young ones having their first try. We are super excited to see so many of you but we would really appreciate a few more helpers, especially for the first race. If you can lend a hand to encourage the little ones and keep them heading in the right direction please get in touch via Messenger or email .
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28/01/2026

We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting our Round of this year's North West Youth League on Saturday 13th June. Riders, parents and helpers put it in your diaries!

06/01/2026

Here's an outline of our 2026 season. Youth training for ages 9-16 at 6pm every week from the end of Jan until the Easter holidays, then racing all Youth categories alternate Thursdays through the Summer. We will also be hosting a round of the North West Youth League in the Summer - more details coming soon. New riders are always welcome. Riders 10+ need a road bike but hybrids are fine for the younger age groups. Email us on [email protected] with any questions

News for 2026!

We've decided to run a mix of Tuesday and Thursday nights for the post Christmas block of Winter training. The poll did favour Thursdays but quite a few of the riders who were most committed in the pre Christmas block and turned up week in week out can only come on Tuesdays. So we think the fairest option is to mix. The dates are below - they ALMOST alternate but there's a couple in the middle that don't due to coach availability, so write them in your diaries carefully! Plus we will remind you here each week. The Circuit is booked and we will upload the dates to British Cycling as soon as possible. Same times and structure as before Christmas, so we look forward to seeing you on:

Thursday 29th January
Tuesday 3rd February
Thursday 12th February
Tuesday 17th February
Tuesday 24th February
Thursday 5th March
Tuesday 10th March
Thursday 19th March
Tuesday 24th March

We then have a couple of weeks off for Easter before kicking off this year's evening race series on Thursday April 16th. This will run through to Thursday 16th July with a half term week off on 28th May. The structure will be similar to previous years with a mix of races for Youths and adult riders of all categories. We also have a few weekend events in the pipeline that we can't yet share the details of, but watch this space for more news coming soon!

Fingers crossed for lots more great days like last year.
📷 Arenberg Photography

18/11/2025

Well done to the youngsters who braved the cold tonight! We finished a bit early because of the weather but everyone should be proud of themselves. Tonight's session focused on improving aerobic fitness and everyone worked very hard. The coaches were very impressed by you all. Fingers crossed for better weather next week!
❄️🚴‍♀️🥶🚴‍♂️🥶🚴‍♀️❄️

15/10/2025

Well done to everyone who attended last night's coaching at the Circuit.
We started with a warm up then an endurance block with sprint efforts that came with a learning point about the importance of pacing yourself!
After that we did some work on improving sprint technique including some small group work supported by our adult expert riders when the young riders worked on figuring out for themselves where they could launch a sprint from without fading before the line, and what gear was best for them.
We finished with some group riding practice - thanks to the riders from the adult session who joined in at the end so that our young people could have some practice riding in a bigger group than usual.
Rider of the night was Kobe who made some big improvements to his position on the bike.
For "homework" have a look for some videos of sprint finishes in races and watch how the pros do it. Which of the techniques that we talked about can you see being used?
If you want to plan ahead, next week's session will include some work on cornering.
New riders are always welcome. The sessions are aimed at riders aged 10-16 but slightly younger or older may be able to come depending on experience - drop us a line on [email protected] for more info. You need a road bike with drop handlebars and gears (the activities are not suitable for mountain bikes sorry), a helmet, someone with parental responsibility to sign the paperwork and enthusiasm for riding your bike! The session lasts 80 minutes and you'll be on the move for most of that so don't forget a drink and a snack too.
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16/09/2025

Winter training sessions suitable for children born in 2015 or older who are confident road bike riders begin next Tuesday, 23rd Sept at 18.00.

British Cycling

09/09/2025

Youth sessions will run from 18.00 - 19.20 on Tuesday nights this year. These are primarily aimed and young people who will be in British Cycling age groups A,B and C next year, so birth years 2010 -2015 though slightly younger children may be accommodated if sufficiently experienced and older teens are welcome too. You don't need race experience to join us but you do need a road bike and to be confident on two wheels. These are not "learn to ride" sessions but are designed to improve stamina, speed and bunch riding skills in confident young cyclists. Booking details coming soon, but email us on [email protected] if you have any questions.

📣News from last night's Committee Meeting.📣
This year Winter Training will be on TUESDAY nights.
The results of the poll were in favour of Tuesday, it works well for all the regular coaches and the Circuit is free every week, so Tuesday it is. We know this won't please everyone and we're sorry if you'd like to come but can't manage a Tuesday. Unfortunately we can't please everyone so have gone with the majority vote. There are just a few Is to dot and Ts to cross but all being well the first one will be two weeks tonight, Tuesday 23rd September . Watch this space for more info coming soon, but pencil that date in your diaries for now .

17/06/2025

Advance notice re next week - Thursday 26th June.
We will have racing for all Youth age groups from Under 8 to Under 16 and there's a double special offer.
For those who don't hold British Cycling race licences we will pay the cost of your day licence this week and for those who do have licences we'll deduct the BC admin fee if you book online.
Special thanks to Velo Club Cumbria whose financial support has enabled us to keep our entry fees down this year and allowed us to run these special offers.
This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to try racing for the first time and also a good chance for anyone who is racing in the North East Youth League event run by Tyneside Vagabonds Youth Coaching on June 29th to get in a bit of extra practice on the Circuit.
Email us on [email protected] if you're interested and want more info.
📸 Arenberg Photography

05/05/2025

Racing for all Youth age groups at Carlisle Circuit this Thursday night! Whether you are just wanting to try racing for the first time or are an Under 14 or Under 16 chasing British Cycling ranking points you are very welcome.
Midweek racing for kids unfortunately is becoming increasingly rare with very few opportunities in the North now. We think that's a shame because these grassroots entry level races have been the starting point for so many riders in the past. Plus it's fun! We really want to keep ours running but we need more riders to keep the events viable.
To encourage newcomers this week we'll be paying the day licence fee for any children who don't currently have a British Cycling race licence. Our volunteers are friendly and helpful and will show you the ropes if you're unsure. Under 8s and Under 10s can take part of any kind of roadworthy bike and there are no restrictions on gearing- just make sure you have a well fitting helmet. Under 12s,14s and 16s do need a road bike and to follow British Cycling's gear restrictions for the age group, but we'll help you if you're unsure.
Our races are run under British Cycling Rules and Regulations and attract ranking points for the older riders but we aim to keep it as informal and friendly as possible so they're a great way to try out racing in a welcoming environment. And everyone gets some sweets at the end! 😂
You can book online (link in the comments ) which is preferred as it helps us plan ahead, or if you make a last minute decision you can pay cash on the night.
Come on down to the Circuit and have a try! Email us on [email protected] with any questions.
📸 Arenberg Photography