HHV U18s JULY NEWSLETTER
Its been blisteringly hot this month and there’s more to come! Please make sure to stay hydrated and take it easy whilst enjoying the sunshine!
News this month …
Well done to London Youth Games riders
Breakaway Femmes Documentary Screening
Summer Road Bike Riding Sessions
Summer of off road updates
BC licences - proof of membership/race licence
Other upcoming racing for youth riders
Convene Track League
South London Grand Prix 2026 - Youth Races entries open **NB earlier start time for Saturday races
4 Jul 2026 Lee Valley VeloPark
Congratulations to all riders who took part in the London Youth Games cycling events at Lee Valley. Some technical issues on the day meant that many results were not announced nor all medals awarded but we have been assured by the organisers that medals will get to the recipients one way or another!
The results have now been shared and the overall team borough winners were:
1st - Greenwich, 2nd - Southwark, 3rd - Bromley
For full team and road race open results click here, for girls results click here and for the ITT results click here.
There were a plethora of local riders competing, but special mention goes to the following riders:- in the A category girls road race, Mila and Eva Unsworth who placed 3rd and 4th and Edie Wright and Evie Galbraith who placed 5th and 6th. The A category boys race was won by Colin Benezet-Minns, with Laurie Dutton 2nd and Jasper Shapton 4th.
In the B category road race, the girls race was won by Greta Wilkinson with Grace Aderibigbe taking 3rd. In the boys race, Jacob Matthews finished 2nd with Tora Kim Saito 6th and Theo Woodhouse in 8th.
In the ITT, the A cat boys race was won by Laurie Dutton with Colin Benezet-Minns 3rd, Jacob Day 4th, Oscar Krol 5th and Jasper Shapton 6th. The A cat girls ITT was won by Emma Buffa with Kitty Belton-Owen and Mila Unsworth taking 2rd and 3rd.
Thursday 16 July
Doors open at 6.30pm, Screening starts at 7:15pm
For six glorious years during the 1980s, a women's Tour de France was held alongside the men's race, but until now was largely forgotten. Their story is finally being told in this documentary by Eleanor Sharpe.
Cold drinks, light snacks and fresh frites for sale in the cafe.
8:40-9pm Tour De France Femmes discussion space - Stick around and tell us what you'd like to see happen at next year's TDFF in London, and how we can help. This will be a casual space with different options for feedback and plenty of space to just have a chat.
BONUS: every ticket gets a raffle ticket to win a copy of Paul Maunder's new book, For a Yellow Jersey: The Scandalous History of the Women's Tour de France - N.B. - you must be present at the screening in order to participate in the raffle
Summer Road Bike Riding
This summer we are opening the track to road bike riders wanting some extra training in a car-free environment most afternoons after holiday clubs. Sessions will run every weekday 3-5:30pm, unless otherwise stated, from 27 July until 2nd September.
FAMILY SESSIONS: Monday & Tuesday sessions are open to families wishing to ride together: children from 8-14yrs are welcome as long as they are accompanied by an adult. The sessions are also open to solo riders 14+yrs, but bear in mind that it may not be appropriate for interval training. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday sessions are for riders aged 14+yrs only. Our Thursday and Friday lunchtime sessions for 14+yrs continue as normal.
More information and booking for these sessions can be found on the Eventrac page - just click on the button below.
SUMMER OF OFF ROAD
Our youth off-road sessions continue throughout the summer with our Monday MTB sessions continuing until the end of July and our cyclocross programme has now started as well! Whether you're already planning your winter CX campaign or simply curious to see what all the fuss is about, the Tuesday sessions are a great place to get involved.
We're also delighted that this year's Summer CX series is being supported by Rapha and we have already had two rounds of racing. Entries for the remaining Summer CX series are open and the Tuesday CX sessions will provide the perfect build-up to the racing.
Mondays
5:00 - 6:00 pm - Youth MTB Skills
6:00 - 7:00 pm - Youth MTB Intermediate
Tuesdays
5:00 - 6:00 pm - U12 CX Skills
6:00 - 7:00 pm - Youth CX Training
Wednesdays
5:30 - 6:30 pm - Girls Off-Road
Fridays 17 and 31 July : Rapha Summer CX
Weekdays from 27 July - 2 Sept - Holiday clubs for 8-16yrs 10am-3pm
The best place to keep up to date with all HHV off-road coaching, camps and racing is the Off-Road Calendar which can be found here.
You can also join the HHV Off-Road WhatsApp Group for updates and last-minute information.
Race licences
Most of you have hopefully got used to the new British Cycling digital licences system with licences available online in your account or for download onto your phone or just to print out. Thank you for your patience with our sign-on desks whilst everyone tries to get their heads around the new system!
To clarify some misunderstanding, race organisers and commissaires MUST be provided with proof of a race licence when signing on for a racing event or the rider will need to buy a day licence in order to race. We are not being difficult (I promise!) but just entering your number when you register for an event is not enough because we do not have access to the BC systems to verify the licence status; proof must be presented at sign on.
To avoid disappointment, please do make sure that you have downloaded a copy of your child’s race licence from the British Cycling website in advance - not just proof of membership but also that they have a race licence. Maybe even print off a copy and leave it in your child’s kit bag, if they have one, just in case someone other than the parent who usually comes brings them along for a race!
Thank you!
UPCOMING RACES
SOUTH LONDON GRAND PRIX YOUTH RACES
The South London Grand Prix is next week and youth riders have their own races as part of this prestigious event!
U10/U12 riders will race on Friday 24th July 5-6pm and U14/16 riders will race on Saturday 25th July 4:30-5:30pm (**Please note the slightly earlier start time on Saturday to fit in with the elite racing).
All age categories will participate in a Scratch, Keirin, Points and a Marymoor crawl in front of the crowds and there will be podiums for all by age and gender!
All racers will be entitled to free entry for the day of their race for themselves and an adult supporter and friends and family will be able to purchase further tickets at a discounted rate.
Don’t delay but get yourselves entered now!