The nation’s most promising track cyclists will be heading to Manchester Velodrome this Saturday for the DHL Sprint School’s annual Race Day, where they will compete for the chance to race in front of a capacity Revolution crowd that evening. Fifty young cyclists aged twelve to fifteen will contest a series of Keirin heats throughout the day, with the six fastest finishers qualifying for the evening final. Offering expert advice to the youngsters on the day will be British track heroes Jamie Staff and Craig Maclean.

 

The race day is the climax of the 2009 season of DHL Sprint School, a development programme offering young riders expert tuition from top British Cycling coaches and international track stars. Thanks to the ongoing support of DHL, the Sprint School scheme continues to thrive and is helping to identify the next generation of cycling talent.

 

“2009 has been another great year for Sprint School,” commented DHL CEO, Guy Elliott. “Every rider has shown incredible levels of improvement since the start of the season and the standard of riding continues to amaze us all. It’s now fair to say we have the best trained twelve- to fifteen-year old sprinters in the world!”

 

For many of the riders, Saturday’s event will be their first taste of how it feels to race like a professional and the competition to qualify for the final at Revolution will be fierce. No doubt there will be a few nerves amongst the finalists as they take their places behind the durney bike but they will be guaranteed a warm reception from the sell-out crowd, who may well be watching the next wave of Olympic champions.

 

For more information about DHL Sprint School and how to get involved, please see the website www.sprintschool.com