London 2012 inspiration hits Ysgol Bro Myrddin

Pupils in Carmarthenshire have taken the task of reaching their personal best on two wheels under the watchful eye of a European champion. ( WATCH A FILM CLIP HERE)

As part of Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week (27 June - 1 July), around 50 secondary school pupils from schools in Carmarthenshire battled it out for the title of top mountain biker at the Ysgol Bro Myrddin track.

With its own purpose-built single-track mountain bike course, Bro Myrddin is the ideal school for mountain bike enthusiasts. But this was the first time a competitive event had been run for the pupils.

Co-ordinated by Welsh Cycling and Carmarthenshire Council's 5x60 officers, they joined nearly five million young people in taking part in Britain's biggest ever school sport event. 

Picture: Matthew Page (centre) with winners (left) Gethin Davies from Ysgol Pantycelyn who won the race for Years 7 and 8, and Bro Myrddin's Owain Davies who won the Year 9 race.

And a special sporting guest - world endurance mountain biker Matthew Page - was on hand to pass on some tips and help inspire the riders to reach their personal best.

Matthew, from Llandovery, recently won both the UK and European titles in his gruelling main event - 24 hour solo racing. He also competes at shorter distances and in other forms of cycling, such as road racing and cyclo-cross.

Twenty-seven year-old professional rider Matthew, who rides for the renowned Wiggle team, said:

"I really enjoyed the event. I wanted to come along and help out with the kids going around and just be part of the day.

"In cycling I do a bit of everything but mainly mountain biking endurance and the extreme disciplines.

"I just started off gradually through riding and it just progressed from six hours to twelve hours and so on. There are quite a few big races that take place in the UK, it's very accessible.

"I played hockey in school, squash, tennis and did some running as well. I didn't get into mountain biking until I was 16.

"To have a mountain bike track at school is great. Hopefully the pupils have enjoyed and will carry on."

Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week uses the excitement of the London 2012 Games to inspire young people to do more sport. The initiative, run in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, is part of the London 2012 Get Set education programme.  In Wales it is promoted by Sport Wales.

In the build up to the day, the pupils have been going on regular trails in popular mountain biking areas such as Brechfa during their 5x60 sport sessions.

5x60 Officer for Carmarthenshire Council, Matt Adams commented:

"The pupils have been taking part in mountain biking for the last three years or so and we wanted to give them a taste of competition for the first time.

"We hope that we can help boost the number of clubs and competition available locally to give junior riders an outlet for the enthusiasm they are showing."

Hefin Elias, Head of PE at Bro Myrddin commented:

"The track is a teaching track to prepare them for going out onto tracks.

"The competition is something different we wanted to offer. We've know some of the pupils are involved in cycling clubs and we hope they'll carry on in competitions and progress from there.

"As far as I know we're the only school that has got a teaching track on site."

With London 2012 fast approaching, research carried out by Lloyds TSB* reveals that one in four (25%) British parents are worried that their children aren't active enough.  The same survey also found at 81% of parents think that sport can play an active role in their child's development, so parents are being encouraged to get behind National School Sport Week and pledge their support for their child taking part in the week. 

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) said:

"Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week gets bigger every year, with more young people being encouraged, inspired and motivated to take up sport and be the best they can be. This is what our London 2012 legacy vision is all about."

Parents of school pupils taking part in National School Sport Week can pledge their support to their child's school at www.lloydstsb.com/nationalschoolsportweek.

Schools that reach the minimum level of support will be in with a chance of winning tickets to London 2012 or the chance to carry the Olympic Flame in the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.