ONE of the most successful youth cycling clubs in the North-East wants to mark its tenth anniversary by helping to ensure the best homegrown talent remains in the region.
With domestic road racing facing numerous challenges and the demise of local professional team, Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling, at the end of last season, it is fair to question where the next crop of talented cyclists will compete from in the future.
The most telling current example of that is how Charlie and Harry Tanfield, from Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, have had to head elsewhere to further their careers. Charlie is with Cornish team Saint Piran, although based in Manchester, while Harry is racing in Europe with Dutch-based TDT-Unibet.
Neither really get the opportunity to compete in their native North-East anymore, something that pains Hartlepool-based Manilla Cycling’s club principal Adam Brooks.
Brooks, fresh from returning with an individual pursuit bronze medal at the World Masters Track World Championships in Manchester earlier this month, has invested heavily in developing talent in the area.
And the former British Cycling coach believes Manilla, based at the Summerhill Cycle Circuit, are correctly positioned to go on to the next level if they can secure the sort of financial support required from sponsors to achieve their targets.
Brooks said: “We are the best represented youth club at races in the North-East and we want Manilla to become a more professionally-run junior team, enabling us to support riders at national and international races in the future. That will in turn create a pathway to professional sport.
“It would be fantastic to see more cyclists from this area competing on a world stage. We want to develop professional riders from our Hartlepool base and support them to reach the professional ranks. We want to produce the next Tour de France riders.”
Manilla are fantastically placed to deliver and develop young talent. As well as laying down a strong claim to be the most successful road cycling club for young people in the region already, their Summerhill home boasts the only technical road circuit of its kind here.
Brooks, having raced and coached for Manilla Cycling, took over the running of the club from Tony McDonough, who founded the club in Middlesbrough in 2013 when he named it after his company, Manilla PR.
He said: “I’m extremely proud how the club has developed in a short space of time and where we have got to over the years.
“When I took over we started with a couple of young riders in a college car park in the centre of Hartlepool and now we have 50 or 60 regularly turn up aged from three to 18, plus the adults come along to Summerhill too.
“We are the most well-represented club in these parts at regional and national events and we boast various regional champions and national medallists across various disciplines. We want to keep building.”
Brooks has gone into schools and colleges for years as a British Cycling coach and with his own business, North-East Cycling Academy. He has also worked with the North-East’s latest Talent rider, Matthew Brennan, from Darlington, who has this year become Junior World champion on the track.
“The North-East doesn’t currently have a professionally-run junior outfit that can support the riders at national and international level,” said Brooks.
“The region does have some fantastic clubs for youngsters but we want Manilla to provide that environment for a youth and junior team to give youngsters the platform to achieve the next level.
“Josh Charlton and Matthew Brennan (both from County Durham) have the potential to progress to the next level from this area and are both currently competing on the world stage. The Tanfield brothers have also previously represented the region well within the professional peloton. However, we need to be doing more in the region to support our homegrown talent.
“Cycling is resource-heavy. You need a lot of equipment, you need the money and the support to get to that next level. That’s why at Manilla we want to create a professional and youth environment to nurture future stars.
“We have the track in place, the facilities in the area, we want to align with local North-East companies who would be keen to support our vision over the next few years to allow young talent to compete on the highest stage.”
Brooks left British Cycling two-and-a-half years ago. He added: “I have branched out into schools and communities across the North-East and I know how good Manilla already is.
“Now, it is about helping Manilla to become the most professionally-run youth and junior academy in the country. That’s the broader aim.
“We want to fill the current void where there is a gap to jump across and make sure that our region can offer our young riders the same opportunities and support whilst staying local.”
* If you want to get involved in cycling or to support Manilla Cycling then contact adam@manillacycling.co.uk or check out www.manilla-cycling.co.uk
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