Graham Briggs column: Cycling academy is my way of giving something back to the community

Coronavirus has changed everything and it has been a difficult time for everyone.

For myself and Ed Clancy the launch of our cycling academy in Doncaster has kept us both on the right track and, despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, it has already given us a huge sense of satisfaction.

I’ve known Ed for years. I met him when I was picked to ride for Great Britain and from 2007 we were in the same professional teams. We’d room together and we always had a good laugh – and that friendship made me think a joint venture would work well.

We were actually on a training camp in Australia when we were talking about what we might do when we retire and the academy idea came up from there. Initially we thought about just offering it in schools but then the opportunity became bigger once the Doncaster Cycle Track opened next to the Dome.

Lots of people have helped me in my career so I wanted to try and pass on the knowledge that I’ve got to the kids coming to the academy.

Seeing the smiles on their faces is brilliant. When you get a parent that’s tried for so long to get their kids riding without success and then you get them riding in a couple of sessions – that feels really good too.

It’s great to see them on the track, socialising and making new friends. When new kids come to the groups and some of the existing members look after them and take them under their wing it’s so nice to see.

We take the stress out of teaching kids to ride by offering support and advice on all the details such as bike fit and bike helmets.

We turn the kids into bike riders while the parents are able to keep their feet flat on the floor watching proudly from the sidelines!

Our programme constantly assesses pupil development. We tailor plans to meet individual needs whether that is learning to balance, introducing pedals, roadcraft or more challenging bike racing skills.

We use the best games, drills, exercises and materials available – aspects of these programmes have been part of our personal development as Ed and I have been coached by world class coaches.

*Cycling has definitely become more popular as a result of the new lifestyle imposed on us by coronavirus.

Bike sales soared during lockdown as people discovered new ways of exercising and getting out of the house.

Post lockdown I definitely feel that parents were keen to get their kids active and outdoors in a different setting.

In some ways that’s helped us to get our numbers up quite quickly at the academy.

Parents were able to start sending their kids to something social but safe and outdoors where they are able to learn new skills.

After the pain of home schooling I think many parents were just thrilled to get them out on their bikes!

Like so many small businesses we were absolutely devastated to have to close in March so soon after we had launched.

We’d had a strong start – and since we re-opened in July we’ve been going from strength to strength.

We have a number of classes that are sold out now and have had to introduce more time slots to accommodate demand.

We’ve also opened a new venue at Ranby House School in Retford where we run sessions on a Thursday evening.

In addition we had a brilliant summer holiday camp that pretty much sold out in the space of a week and we’ve got additional masterclasses planned for October half term.

We set ourselves some initial targets and we’re happy with how it’s going but we’ve had to re-think some aspects due to Covid-19 safety measures.

It’s possible that cycling as a sport will benefit if more children have been encouraged to get on a bike over the course of this year.

We could see a lot more talent coming through the ranks to get to the top of the sport over the next five to ten years which would be amazing.

The average car journey in the UK is about five miles so if this pandemic means more people jumping on their bikes instead then that has got to be a good thing.