I’ve been intrigued by the weekly reports we receive for Cumbria Crack from Fiona Graham about the Carlisle Cycling Association meetings.
A leading light in the Association, Fiona is a retired doctor who moved to Cumbria from Manchester in 2000 to work at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven.
Fiona gave a fascinating insight as we discussed cycling in the city, her involvement and other cycling ventures in the county.
What first got you involved in cycling as a serious hobby?
I rode bikes regularly from my early childhood into my mid-20s. Growing up in the 70s and 80s in a family with not a lot of money to spare, my bike was my main method of transport, but I didn’t really view it as sport or a hobby, just a means of getting around.
When I finally had enough money to learn to drive and buy a car I stopped cycling completely. It wasn’t until my youngest child started wanting to go out for rides but was too young to go alone that I dusted off my ancient bike and started riding again.
I was very lacking in confidence so I joined some of the local Breeze rides which I really enjoyed.
Breeze is British Cycling’s programme of free women-only rides and I’d definitely recommend it to any woman who wants to get into cycling for the first time, or get back into riding after a break.
I was soon riding regularly, and as my son started to take cycling more seriously I also got involved with the clubs he joined, eventually training as a coach and helping to run things.
What is the history of the Carlisle Cycling Association?
I wasn’t around at the beginning of the association so I don’t know a lot of details, but cycling clubs in the county had wanted a facility for closed circuit racing and training for a long time.
Previously anyone wanting to race had to travel long distances – the nearest circuit used to be in Lancaster and after that, Middlesbrough or Manchester.
The circuit we now use was opened in 2018, jointly funded by British Cycling and Carlisle City Council and the Association was formed primarily to promote race events at the Circuit, though we have branched out a bit since then and also run training sessions and have run races elsewhere too.
Originally there were half a dozen clubs in Carlisle and north Cumbria who came together to form the association but we’ve had a few more join since then.
Tell us about the track used by the association….
The circuit is located next to Harraby Sports Centre and is 1km long and 6m wide with a tarmac surface.
We have a portable building by the circuit that we use as our HQ but we have to use the sports centre for things like changing facilities.
The circuit is floodlit, so can be used all year round and it remains pretty grippy even in the wet, which is obviously important in Cumbria!
It’s a well-designed circuit which can be subdivided into several smaller loops which makes it ideal for coaching groups of different abilities.
It’s popular with racers as it’s an interesting circuit to ride on and it’s good for spectators as you can see the whole circuit, unlike some others where the lay-out means you can only see part of the race.
We regularly get riders from as far away as Glasgow coming down to race because they like the circuit and what we have to offer.
I really enjoy coaching at the circuit. It’s a first class facility and a really safe place for beginners to practice as well as for experienced riders to race.
How often does the CCA hold meetings and what are the various sections for participants?
In the summer months CCA runs racing on Thursday evenings. We try to put on a mixture of races for all ages and abilities ranging from first time racers to those racing with semi professional teams.
We have racing for children every other week, from under-eights to under-16s. We’re building up a reputation as a friendly venue and we are very inclusive.
The rules and regulations can seem a bit daunting at first but we’re very happy to explain things and help new people to get started. Over the winter we run weekly training sessions. The first part of the evening is for youngsters over-10 and the second session is for adults.
Older teens and women are welcome at either or both sessions.
The training does have a race focus but you don’t have to be a racer to come along or to benefit. Lots of people come just because they want to get fitter or improve their skills in a friendly social environment and that’s absolutely fine with us!
We run other things on an ad hoc basis, such as children’s holiday activities and we have run some very successful youth and adult race days at weekends, including some regional competitions.
Of course we aren’t the only people who use the circuit. Other clubs such as Border City Wheelers and the local triathlon club train on it regularly, and members of the public can use it for free when it’s not booked for exclusive use – they just have to ask at the sports centre reception.
You’re also involved in a venture at Rowrah. Tell us about that and how you got interested in that?
Yes, I’m also a coach and the chair at Lakeland Sprinters cycling club for children in West Cumbria.
This is the first club that my son joined when he was about eight, and like many parents whose children get involved in sports or other hobbies, I answered a call for help when there was a shortage of helpers.
I originally did my Level 1 coaching qualification with British Cycling in 2018 and I qualified as a Level 2 coach just over a year ago. My main role there is running the under 5 group, where I coach children as young as 2 years old riding balance bikes. It’s quite a contrast to what I do at CCA which is more focused on racing and higher levels of performance but it’s a lot of fun and I enjoy both sides of my volunteering.
Is cycling getting to be more popular or are participating numbers falling away?
We had a huge increase in interest once we restarted our activities after the lockdown ended and at CCA we have more than doubled our participants compared to before COVID.
At Lakeland Sprinters we had a big influx of younger riders, especially five to seven-year-olds.
Obviously we were able to open before quite a lot of other sports and activities, with being outdoors and able to social distance quite well so we attracted quite a lot of new members who have enjoyed what we are doing and stayed on.
Plus of course a lot of people started cycling during the first lockdown and some of them have got more involved.
Unfortunately we have seen a bit of a drop off in the last few weeks as the cost of living crisis has started to bite and people are reducing non-essential travel.
But we are still getting quite good numbers. We are keeping our costs as low as possible and are confident we can weather the storm.
Has the CCA a good working relationship with other cycling organisations?
CCA isn’t a club in it’s own right, but a collaborative of clubs from across the area which gives us a wide membership.
Our constitution limits which clubs can be formal members of the association to British Cycling affiliated clubs in Cumbria but we also have good relationships with a number of other clubs in the North West, North East and Scotland.
Most of the major clubs in the area are part of the association which makes us a good first point of contact for cycling-related things in the area.
For example a few months ago the Carlisle Half Marathon needed the help of a cyclist at the last minute and we were able to find them someone.
We’re keen to collaborate with other cycling organisations even if their focus is a bit different to ours.
A good example is that we ran several activities at last weekend’s Solway Coast Festival of Cycling in Silloth, including a children’s skills areas.
We don’t own any bikes for loan, so Carlisle Community Cycle Hub kindly agreed to lend us some.
We are a British Cycling affiliated organisation with our main focus on cycle sport where as they are a Cycling UK affiliated group who concentrate more on cycling as transport and informal exercise, but we are very happy to work with each other as we have got the common aim of getting more people on bikes, in whichever way suits them most.
That’s the beauty of cycling in my opinion – there are so many different ways it can be enjoyed.
If money was no object what would you do to promote the sport and increase participation?
That’s a tricky question! We’d love a proper HQ with toilets, changing facilities etc by the circuit and of course a fleet of loan bikes, helmets and so on would be brilliant.
Cycling can be an expensive sport so it would be good to be able to loan decent quality equipment to newer riders. But rather than cash, I’d really like more people.
We have got a fairly small group of volunteers doing most of the work and there just aren’t enough of us to do as much as we’d like.
If we had more volunteers we’d run more events, both more of the same and new ventures.
Money is always useful of course, but you can’t put a value on enthusiastic volunteers – they are priceless.
Have any star names competed at the CCA track or have any members gone on to bigger things in the sport?
This area has produced some good cyclists over the years, the most successful in recent years being ex Beacon Wheeler Mark Donovan who is now riding for World Tour team DSM, and we have had some good domestic level riders more recently.
Two of our local women, Liv Bent and Daisy Barnes are currently doing the area proud, riding in high level races including the Women’s version of the Tour of Britain.
They both drop in at races and training sessions at the circuit when they are home and they are great role models for our riders, especially our upcoming youngsters.
We have an ex-national champion on our committee in fact. Our chairman, Neil Withington, was previously a national champion in grass track racing and he’s still getting great results now.
How often do you cycle each week?
The answer at the moment is unfortunately, not a lot at all. I was seriously injured in a car accident in 2019 and the injuries I received made it very difficult for me to ride my bike.
I’ve bought an e-bike now though and am gradually regaining fitness and starting to get out more. I’m waiting for some more surgery in Newcastle, hopefully in the Autumn, and fingers crossed I will be more mobile after that.
Cycling, and the association in particular, have been really important in my recovery. It’s benefited both my physical and mental health and my cycling friends have been a huge support through a really difficult time in my life.
I do give a lot of time and energy to my voluntary work, but I get lots positive back so I’d say it’s worth it and I’d encourage other people to get involved too. If I can do it, almost anyone can!
