News – Team Launch for Corley Cycles-Drops

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Corley Cycles-Drops Cycle Racing Team met on Saturday night to celebrate the new season – Gordon Wiseman was there … 

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News – Team Launch for Corley Cycles-Drops

Corley Cycles-Drops Cycle Racing Team – Aspirational – from Gordon Wiseman

With their eyes very much on the future of bike racing in and around Milton Keynes, friends and supporters of Corley Cycles-Drops Cycle Racing Team met on Saturday night to celebrate the new season and the emphasis on youth that’s being cultivated by the city’s newest racing team.

20150314 - Corley Cycles-Drops - 2015 team roster

Led by team principal Phil Corley – the 1978 National Road Race Champion – the team brings together years of experience and reunites Corley Cycles with Bob Varney who used to managed Team Milton Keynes youth outfit, Team Keyne. The team is also tapping into the enthusiasm and support of many of the parents of the team’s younger riders who can see the health and sporting benefits of the racing programme that’s been planned for the five teams within the Corley-Drops set up.

Kicking off the evening’s entertainment – that included a Q&A with UnitedHealthCare pro rider Hannah Barnes who gave many of the younger riders a glimpse of what they could achieve on two wheels – Phil explained what was behind the Corley Cycles-Drops set up: “This is the fulfilment of an idea I had in June or July last year whilst watch some crit racing in Milton Keynes. I saw lots of young, local riders who were racing for teams based outside the city and I realised we had to do something to tap into and develop that local talent. Things have just snow-balled since then”.

Drops are the idea of Bob Varney who runs the locally based Queensway Print group of companies and they provide cycle based wallpapers and graphic designs. Having managed Team Keyne in the early ‘noughties’, Bob helped local icon Ian Stannard (Team Sky) in his early racing career. But as Bob honestly explained during the evening, “What Team Keyne achieved is in the past but tonight is about aspiring for the future and I think what we’ve pulled together with Corley Cycles and Drops can achieve so much more”.

Part of the programme in the evening included awarding Ben Chapman – this year riding for Catford CC-Equipe Banks – the MK Rider of the Year award, a trophy created in memory of local legend Andy Hardy and which has previously been won by Hannah Barnes and Ian Stannard. Ben had previously ridden for Corley Cycles and told the young riders present, “Enjoy riding and racing your bike whatever you do and remember to mix your bike racing disciplines”.

20150314 - Seniors

Presentations were also made to Sarah Hooper and Katy Simcock for their long time background support of Corley Cycles racing teams and for helping bring the 2015 racing programmes together. Corley and Varney have also tapped into support from Rob Vernon of EA Scaffolding – whose son Vernon rides in the Under 16 team – long time Corley Cycles supporter Mavic and Perkins Motors of Braintree through which connections the team has a gleaming array of Ford support vehicles.

Key to the whole programme in 2015 is to bring on the younger riders in the city and other younger talent and although the team will also be supporting some senior riders, they are expected to give some support and coaching advice to the younger riders.

A mentoring programme is being provided with Corley and his now retired business partner Dick Hooper and Elite riders Roy Chamberlain and Ian Knight at the centre of that font of experience. Ben Chapman, remembering his racing roots, is also included as a team mentor.

Sam Skeggs of the Under 14 team commented about that mentoring programme; “The training for this season has been really good and we know that with Roy and Ian we’ve got some great support for the year to come”. A winner earlier in the day at the MK Bowl, Riley Searle – also of the Under 14 squad – said; “Our programme includes some racing in Belgium and the Assen Youth Tour will be very important to us”,

Another winner earlier in the day, the Under 16s Jacob Tresham underlined Ben Chapman’s comment about mixing their racing disciplines when he said; “I’ve raced ‘cross during the winter and won today at the Bowl. Having the Cyclo-cross World Cup come to Milton Keynes last year really was an inspiration to me”,

The team has also set up a Women’s squad that will be managed by Senior rider Jamie Scott who helped bring in the support from Perkins Motors. The Women’s team promises to be one of the gems of the 2015 programme as the five strong Women’s line-up includes Hannah Payton – who with Becky Wormsley were the only two riders not present on Saturday evening as they are taking part in a six week block of training in Spain. Hannah has also been racing for Team GB in the Cyclo-cross World Cup this year – and Clover Murray.

20150314 - Women (Hannah & Becky not present

Clover is a former triathlete and who in 2013 when aged just 15 won the European Triathlon Sprint championships in Turkey even though she was racing in the 16 to 20 year old category: “I’ve moved from Tri because cycling was always my strongest and favourite discipline and although this will be my first year concentrating on the road, I’m looking forward to racing as part of the Corley Cycles-Drops set up and gaining experience. The televised Tour Series
will be a big goal for us in 2015”.

Corley Cycles-Drops Cycle Racing Team are hoping to achieve so much in their first season but with so much energy and enthusiasm – and winners! – being involved in their debut year, all those present on Saturday evening fully expect their season long goals to be fully achieved.

Corley Cycles-Drops Cycle Racing Team

2015 Rider Roster

Under 14
Oli Knight
Riley Searle
Sam Skeggs
Aaron Stone
Noah Tresham
Team Manager – David Skeggs

Under 16
Callum Bulley
Evan Carter
Theo Modell
Jacob Tresham
Ethan Vernon
Team Managers – Katy Simcock & Chris Bulley

Juniors
David Barnes
Marcus Burnett
Louis Carter
Rob Hogg
Luke Morgan
Harry Paine
Team Manager – Rob Burnett

Women
Charlotte Broughton
Clover Murray
Hannah Payton
Abi Van Twisk
Becky Wormsley
Team Manager – Jamie Scott

Seniors
Tim Allen
Roy Chamberlain
Matt Exley
Will Goulbourne
Ed Palfreeman
Don Parry
Jamie Scott
Mike Smith
Ed Watkiss
Team Manager – Sarah Hooper

Mentors
Roy Chamberlain
Ben Chapman
Phil Corley
Dick Hooper
Nick Jones
Ian Knight
Kevin Morgan
Greg Simcock
Sue Skeggs

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