How Abergavenny became a cycling capital

IT’S home to one of Britain’s biggest cycling festivals as well as the most successful British cyclist at a world championships in history, but how has Abergavenny become the cycling capital of Wales?

“You’ve got everything. It’s great for roads, it’s great for mountains, it’s great for leisure cycling,” Argo Bowsher, manager at Abergavenny’s M&D Cycles says.

“I love the fact that I can go out the door and cycle. I don’t have to get in the car and go anywhere else, I can just go, that’s what makes Abergavenny so great for cycling.

“I suppose it’s where we are, the Monmouthshire landscape,’ agrees Bill Owen, who heads up the organising team at the town’s annual festival of cycling, which attracts thousands of cycling mad visitors each year.

“You’ve got the flat lands and the hills, it’s perfect really,” he continues.

It’s a sentiment that was echoed by the town’s double world champion, Team GB star Becky James when she returned from the track world championships in Belarus in March.

“It is the best place in the world and I love being at home,” she said.

It is of course true.

The rides around Abergavenny are astonishingly beautiful.

But the UK isn’t short on areas of pretty countryside, yet the towns of the Cotswolds or those within striking distance of the Malvern Hills that form the Herefordshire and Worcestershire border are not teeming with the levels of talent and participation in cycling of all forms in the same way as Abergavenny.

The landscape is a useful starting point, a key attraction that everyone we spoke to conjured as their first response when quizzed on the reasons for cycling’s resonance in the town.

But there are other key factors.

The huge dedication and hard work of Abergavenny’s cycling community has been key.

From the volunteers who give up time to coach children, to marshals for the town’s sportives and other races and the committee of the festival of cycling, hard work as ever has been crucial.

Steve Hale, club secretary at Abergavenny Cycling Club explains.

“We’ve got 196 members, 144 of whom are also British Cycling members – 110 of those are children between about 5-16. I would say as we’ve grown we’ve still got the same number who want to be competitive and race but we have seen a lot more people come as casual, social riders.”

On Saturday mornings local King Henry VIII school’s redgra is packed with youngsters learning to ride.

The club has had such an influx of members that they are on the hunt for extra funds to finance extra coaches they need to deal with the demand.

A ‘chaingang’ of adult riders meet on a Tuesday night, the children meet on Saturdays, and the traditional club run, the lifeblood of club cycling heads out onto the regions roads on a Sunday, and it’s remarkable how many people join them.

And it’s not just the locals who head out on the roads, mountain bike and cyclo cross trails.

“The other week we had someone who had come up from Kent just to ride in Abergavenny,” Mr Hale said.

“There’s something about this area. It’s a magnet.

“People have moved to this area because it is still commutable to Bristol, Gloucester, Cardiff and they like the cycling.”

“You’ve got a lot of proactive people in Abergavenny,” Mr Bowsher says.

“And you’ve got such great access to such a variety of riding. There’s people out riding the road, mountain bikers, there’s that choice to do any type of riding you want and people to do it with.

“Cycling is a great sport for that. It can be a team sport or if you want to be alone, you can do that too,” Mr Owen adds.

Hard work has been a key to the ever growing festival, which returns next week. It attracts thousands to watch the weekend’s racing and attend talks with cycling writers, coaches and riders.

Looping through the town centre, the free spectator event is one of Gwent’s sporting highlights and again this year has attracted top level riders like double Olympic champion Ed Clancy and the former British National champion for road race Kristian House, while GB coach Shane Sutton, the Aussie who has been a key component in the careers of Sir Bradley Wiggins and Welshman Geraint Thomas will be a guest speaker at the Angel Hotel.

Sutton, who will ride the marathon 100 mile Iron Sportif at the festival too said of the festival: “There is so much in favour of the area. There is less congestion, you have a great number of environments to ride – you can get flat, hilly, you can get whatever you want.

“And it has been like the mecca of cycling not just in Wales but in Great Britain for many years. From the days of running national championships down there – the support of these in that area alone is incredible – and I think you will see the same in this event as well that people will come out and have fun.

“It is cool to be riding a bike now with kids. Before it used to be cool to go out and play football and no doubt there is a wide amount of footballers out there but everyone wants to ride a bike now.”

And Steve Hale summed it up when he said: “It’s like the old Mars bar slogan. Abergavenny’s a great place to work, rest and play.”

Local girl's a local hero

YOU can have all the participation in the world, but no cycling mecca is truly complete without talented riders at the peak of the sport.

In the James family, the town obviously has that in abundance.

Sisters Becky and Rachel became national champions in the team sprint in Manchester last year, and their younger sisters, Ffion and Meg are also both talented cyclists in the GB programme.

It was of course Becky’s stunning performances at the world championships that intensified the spotlight both on her and her home town.

James became only the second woman in history to win four medals at a world championship, claiming gold in the keirin and sprint.

She celebrated by returning home to Abergavenny, before hitting the roads to train, but also to share her knowledge by riding with local youngsters.

It is that kind of role model, and impressive gesture which can only help cycling continue to flourish in the town.

Festival events available for all ages and abilities

WHAT’S ON at the Abergavenny Festival of Cycling 2013, held in partnership with the South Wales Argus.

Tuesday July 9 Handicap Race (7pm).

A 45 mile handicap race for all abilities on the Abergavenny/Raglan/Abergavenny circuit.

Wednesday July 10 Hill Climb Time Trial (6pm).

Thursday July 11 Evening Fringe Event (7.30pm) Screening of documentary Janpar.

23-year-old Englishman Tom Allen is all set for a successful career, but he finds himself persisted by the question of our time: isn’t there more to life than this? Leaving it all behind, Tom sets off on the ultimate quest for freedom.

For the next 12,000 miles, with neither maps nor guidebooks, Tom films the unfolding of his dream as he cycles and camps his way across three continents. But the journey takes an unlikely detour when he falls in love with an Iranian- Armenian girl.

Friday July 12 The Wales Open Criterium (5pm).

Roads close at 4pm racing starts at 5.30pm with youth and carnival events. The elite race, which will see double Olympic champion Ed Clancy among the field, starts at 8pm and forms part of a six race national series.

Saturday July 13 The Iron Mountain Sportif (9am).

100 mile event starts at 9am with an escort through the town followed with groups until 10am.

50 mile event starts at 9.30am.

20 mile event starts at 10am.

Biking in The Bailey Community events and youth racing throughout the day in Bailey Park.

Evening Fringe event (7pm) An evening with Shane Sutton and guests, at the Angel Hotel.

Sunday July 14 The Grand Prix of Wales (11am) 100 mile premier calendar national series road race for elite riders.

The Para Grand Prix of Wales (11.15am).

The event will be for tandems, trikes and handcycles and they will compete in a single event of 1 hour plus a lap on the town circuit.