Fourteen of Birmingham’s finest track riders will be lining up this weekend at the BUCS Championships in Manchester as part of a 191-strong field of cyclists from universities across the country.
The UoBCC cohort consists of several newcomers such as Matt Clegg, an experienced racer who will be looking to make his mark during his year at Birmingham as a Masters student. Another new face – cyclist for the Irish National Team, Gaby Homer – is also looking to produce an eye-catching performance at her first BUCS competition.
On previous occasions, Birmingham has performed strongly, with the women’s team taking the overall prize for the event in the past two years. UoBCC Womens also took silver in the Team Pursuit, though the team expect to face hot competition this year from the likes of Derby and Loughborough.
Louise, a fourth year Materials Engineering student, is excited to relish one of her final chances to compete in an event that she has taken part in every year since she joined the club. In our interview with Louise earlier this week, she spoke about how she is looking forward to the excitement and buzz that the team gets from the whole weekend.
Louise is competing in four events this weekend: the Points Race; Individual Pursuit; 200m Time Trial; and the Team Pursuit. Having previous experience on the track puts Louise in good stead but having a passion for the sport is also a key factor. “It is just so much fun, and the team atmosphere is just so good throughout the weekend.”
Interview – Louise Scupham
The men’s team hope to improve on last year’s display, with Tiago Fuego looking to break into the top 15 in at least one of the four races he is taking part in (Individual Pursuit, Kilo Time Trial, Elimination, and Points Race).
Club captain Hal Ryan Gill and Treasurer Jonathan Allen are no strangers to BUCS track events, having both represented the university last year. “It’s a really good weekend,” remarked Jonathan when interviewed by Burn FM on Tuesday. “The races themselves are quite short, but you’re there for the full two days, and you’re just supporting everyone else, just chatting around in the pits. It’s a really fun two days.”
Interview – Jonathan Allen
University of Birmingham Cycling Club – Rider List:
8 Chris Hicks
9 Curtis Maltby
10 Emily Larwood
11 Gabriella Homer
12 Hal Ryan-Gill
13 Jonathan Allen
14 Louise Scupham
15 Madeleine Gammons
16 Matt Clegg
17 Nicola Greenwood
18 Patrick Mackie
19 Poppy Wildman
20 Tiago Fougo
21 Tom de Vrijer
The BUCS Track Cycling Championships will take place at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester on 23rd and 24th November. The weekend’s events will be covered by the Burn FM Sports team, with selected commentaries and a full report being released in the following weeks. Full event info can be found on the BUCS website. You can also follow the action on UoBCC’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds.
