Junior Team
“There’s a feeling that you can only get from racing and finishing--the feeling of pushing yourself beyond what you’re capable of doing in training. It’s about achieving the ultimate physical accomplishment--and you can’t feel that on the sidelines.”
--Ned Overend, Mountain Bike and U.S. Bicycling Hall of Famer
The Annapolis Bicycle Racing Team junior program seeks to advance amateur bicycle road racing. We are a year-round racing team.
In the spring and summer months, the team organizes group rides that leave from either Annapolis or Davidsonville, and occasionally farther afield for variety. During cold weather months, juniors racing age 13-18 head indoors for spinning classes Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings with a USA Cycling Level 3 coach and core conditioning with a certified trainer at Evolutions Body Clinic in Annapolis.
Because we are a race team, we focus on fundamental race skills such as cornering, riding in a pace line, pack riding, physical conditioning, and group ride etiquette. If you are a junior cyclist with a firm grasp on cycling basics and a desire for the thrill of
competition, contact us to find out more about ABRT juniors.
2010 was a notable racing season for juniors on the Annapolis Bicycle Racing Team. Starting with an early season race at Jefferson Cup in March and ending with Junior’s Day Out in late September, the team grew and developed in many ways. Several junior riders consistently finished in the top 10. We met our team goal for the season, which was to have at least one ABRT junior place in the top 10 of MABRA juniors racing age 15-18. Junior cyclists new to bicycle racing worked through first year challenges and participated in road, criterium, time trial and cyclocross races with great results.
The ABRT juniors program supports group cycling opportunities for young people, ages 10 to 18, who love to ride bicycles. Members come from Annapolis, Arnold, Crofton, Davidsonville, and Severna Park and have a wide range of abilities. A group of dedicated adult volunteers and cycling mentors help guide the team, and they assist the juniors in developing good racing and training habits.
Riders are split by racing age (ages 10-14 or 15-18 on 12/31 of current year). Members support each other with more experienced riders mentoring novices. The juniors participate in group rides throughout the cycling season, and they train and race to improve physical fitness and cycling skills. Most of the races that the team participates in are affiliated with the Mid-Atlantic Bicycle racing Association (www.mabra.org); and some members, depending on their ability and desire, compete in events beyond the
Mid-Atlantic region.
The ABRT junior program supports and encourages all types of cycling disciplines, including road, criterium, time trial, cyclocross, track, and mountain bike racing.
