PEDAL POWER CHAMP S
THEY might only be a small regional club, but on the biggest stages of Australian cycling the kids from Townsville like to box with giants.
With a national champion and three state champions in their junior ranks, the Townsville Cycle Club is putting paid to any notions of just being another country club.
All the juniors who went away for the Queensland Road Championships last month returned with a medal. Three of them brought home gold including Sienna Monteith in the under-11 criterium, Kobe Ormes in the under-15 road race and criterium and Chloe Pankhurst in the under-15 time trial.
For Ormes it was a follow on from his gold medal performance in the 2000m individual pursuit at the National Track Championships in Brisbane. He had also finished the nationals with two silver medals in the sprints and 500m time trial.
Townsville Cycle Club president Simon Ormes said it was a massive achievement but one that was not easily earned.
“Our club bats well and truly above our weight across both state and national levels,” Ormes said.
“These kids are unbelievable, they would be training anywhere between 15-20 hours each week. They ride on the road most mornings, they are at the track most afternoons.
“Then they are at home on the rollers and wind trainers. They never stop.
“I think they are passionate about it but they also have a great group of friends. When you get a good group of friends together, it makes the hard work and the training just that little bit easier.
“A little bit of success also goes a long way to keep everyone motivated.”
Ormes said the undying support of the kids’ parents also went a long way to helping them succeed, with high costs involved in competition.
The club has also encouraged anyone who wants to give cycling a go to join them at their Townsville velodrome on Stuart Drive.
“We have got kids here anywhere from about six to seven years old right through to our senior kids that are just going into under-19s,” Ormes said.
“It is the full spectrum of kids, from young ones who are just learning to ride the bike on the velodrome to very accomplished cyclists.
“It is a great family environment.”