One of the things that happens when you get older, is that the weeks, months and years always seem to pass much quicker from one year to the next. That is until you start registering for the European Youth Tour, in which case the elapsed time between 1st February when registration opens and the end of July when the tour starts, seems like an absolute age.
This year was no exception to the rule, and yet exceptional in many ways. Once registration opened, the places where swallowed up by eager cyclists with Glastonbury ticket-like velocity. In the first 90 minutes from registration opening at 8:30am, some categories were full. Luckily, Slipstreamer parents were on the ball, aided by the Twitter, email, phone calls and the club website, we secured 21 available places between us.
Bobbie in the “Special Sprint” White Jersey and Millie in the Pink Jersey
This builds impressively on the 13 places we had in 2014, and also reflects the statistic that at the 2015 iteration 25% of the riders had registered from the United Kingdom. This means that of the 800 riders from 19 different nations, approximately 200 were British!
By the time of the arrival to the event, unfortunately our number was down to 19 riders, but that was not going to hold back the performance of
Caitlin gives “the stare” to the competition
Slipstreamers. Remarkably, in the first few days Slipsteramers were featuring on podiums and collecting their leaders jersey – be it Yellow, Green, White or Pink. To say our young riders are strong is a huge underestimate. Strong in both leg and head as they picked through the strengths and weaknesses of each day’s performance and looked to put in a plan of action the next day. As Assen is a stage race, it’s not just the first few that make the difference – every rider has the opportunity to understand how little changes can affect overall standing within the General Classification – and races within races start to open up as the challenge to race against a marked rider appears.
Taylor enjoying his first ever European Youth Tour
However, it’s bike racing. Some days you’re flying, the next something happens and it doesn’t go your way. There’s smiles and tears, delight and anger. Overall, our riders demonstrated a maturity that showed that whilst it may not have been their day, tomorrow is just around the corner, and proving oneself on GC still counts.
There were also some other challenges. Incessant 4 day rain, in parts very heavy, dampened everything but spirit. When you’re camping, drying kit is always an issue and keeping the bike clean and race worthy a struggle. Being a displaced “Lancashire lad” it’s not often I get to say “that’s proper rain” – but Assen really did allow me that opportunity!
Pascal lining himself up for a well deserved finish
All the riders had plenty of downtime for some off bike fun, with the local swimming pool featuring heavily and our bowling night being a huge laugh. Friendships are made with riders from other clubs, and this year I believe we interacted much better than in previous years – very rewarding to see.
Back to racing – and yes, the Assen week continues to provide some of the most exciting moments I have ever witnessed in bike racing. The ability of Slipstreamers to make themselves visible in the most unlikely of racing scenarios was an absolute joy to behold. The commitment, determination, skill and prowess was awesome. And that echoes throughout the group – regardless of whether you end the day in a jersey or become the bearer of the “lanterne rouge” – amazing to the core! Riding to the best of your ability is the key – and soaking up the environment, learning from mistakes, and being comfortable in large group races is all part of the development process.
The 52nd edition of the European Youth Tour returns to Assen in 2016 from the 1st to 6th August. The club will be issuing reminders and useful information towards the end of the year. Full results and lots of information can be found on the Youth Tour website.
Bobbie collecting the trophies after a great week of racing