Team News: Lee Valley Youth Cycling Team

The Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club (LVYCC), based at Redbridge Cycling Centre in East London, is one of the largest youth cycling clubs in the UK – here are some race reports.

Team News: Lee Valley Youth Cycling Team

Strong Start to 2024 for Lee Valley Youth Cycling Team

Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club (LVYCC), based at Redbridge Cycling Centre in East London, is one of the largest youth cycling clubs in the UK. The Lee Valley Junior Team caters for 16 to 18-year-olds, enabling riders to progress from Youth through to U23.

With an even stronger line-up for the 2024 season the Lee Valley Juniors have hit the ground running as the season begins. With racing across the board in MTB, Cross, Track and Road. All disciplines feature strongly and the roster of 19 includes a healthy mix of established second years with National level wins and some promising first years.

The team enjoyed their annual – productive and at times punishing – February training camp in Majorca and competed in the Un Hivern Mallorca Open race over 130km, finishing part way up the slopes of infamous Cap de Formentor climb. Second year rider, Charlie Abraham joined a break of 6 riders that established a healthy gap but after one of the Continental Team riders in the move punctured their remaining riders subsequently hit the front of the bunch and pulled the break back just before the final climb began. As the finale approached, Ed Charles, Will Gilbank and Stanley Cooke lined out the bunch to pace Lee Valley’s ‘climbers’ to the front at the foot of climb with Reece Pittman finishing an impressive 5th, Abraham 14th, Tom Mead 15th and Paul Opie 16th. A great debut and team performance by juniors against some full-time Conti teams and a field of 150 starters.

The team’s next adventure was at two ‘opening weekend’ international kermesses in Flanders, Belgium. With high quality full fields of 150 riders each day and classic conditions of wind, rain and cold this is bike racing at it’s most brutal. Highlight of the weekend was an in-form Pittman who joined the break on lap one of the GP Serge Baguet on Saturday, the move never gained more than 30 seconds but held on to the finish with Pittman an excellent 9th and Charlie Abraham fourth in the bunch sprint – coming in 14th on the day. The Sunday race at De Klijte was even colder and wetter and saw many riders pay for their efforts the previous day as 60 riders were forced to abandon. Only 4 Lee Valley riders survived to the finish in the front group (with a notable performance over the weekend from first year debutant, Huw Watkins), frozen and ‘apparently’ loving it – welcome to Flanders.

Bob Griffiths, Team Manager, said: ‘’The team have been training hard during the winter and we’ve set clear and ambitious goals for the season ahead. With strong talent across all cycling disciplines, we’re looking forward to some first-class racing and great performances from our talented young riders.”
For more information about the club, visit the Lee Valley Youth Cycling club website: https://www.lvycc.co.uk/

Lee Valley Junior, Charlie Abraham, Impresses at Jock Wadley Memorial Classic
Sunday 10th March 2024 marked the 40th Jock Wadley Memorial Classic. A popular if grueling date in the early season calendar, the prestigious Classic sees riders race over 80 miles through the Essex lanes – previous winners of this race include former and current World Tour Pros such as Alex Richardson, Malcolm Elliot and Luke Rowe. The cold and wet conditions made this year’s race even tougher for the 80 riders on the start line.

This included three members of the Lee Valley Junior Team, who decided to ‘take on the big boys’ according to Team Manager, Bob Griffiths: Step up Will Gilbank, Ed Charles and Charlie Abraham.

Gilbank suffered an unfortunate early mechanical and was forced to abandon while Charles and Abraham continued to look strong and well positioned as the attrition rate increased lap by lap. With 3 laps to go the race was splitting to pieces and Abraham bridged across to the front group that now contained 13 riders. On the final lap this group split, and 6 riders held a small lead over the chasers – including Abraham – approaching the finish.

As they hit the long drag to the line into a strengthening headwind there were bodies everywhere and Abraham attacked from the chasing group to finish an exhausted but superb 7th – ahead of many Elite and ex-World Tour pros. Charles, while recovering from a recent virus, also finished a creditable 38th. Ex-Canyon DHB pro, Jacob Vaughan took the win.

Bob Griffiths, Team Manager, commented: “This was a great ride from Charlie. A top ten finish in this renowned Classic, over a long and difficult course is impressive – especially from a 17-year-old rider, it’s even more impressive.”

Charlie Abraham said: “I’m really pleased with seventh place in such a strong field of riders. It was a tough race and shows I have some good form heading into some National and UCI races in the coming weeks – a career highlight so far!”