Rick Zabel's path to professional cycling was like something out of a picture book: as a child, he was on the shoulders of his dad Erik at victory celebrations on the Champs-Élysées and was infected with the cycling virus. At the age of 14 he went to a sports school, at 17 he signed with the Rabobank junior team and at 22 he was already racing for the BMC World Tour team at the Giro d'Italia. A steep road to success that only very few talents manage. However, the basic patterns are exemplary: interest in cycling must be awakened and then structures must be in place to enable further development.
Awakening the fun of cycling
In many places, cycling clubs provide the basis for working with young talent. Jens Schwedler knows this work from all sides: He started cycling at the age of nine and, thanks in part to the club's support, has enjoyed a successful career with several German cyclocross championship titles. The 56-year-old has been a member of the Harvestehude Cycling Club for 30 years and helps as a youth coach to ensure that kids have fun on their bikes. As the sporting director of a junior team, he also has his eye on the next level of cycling training. But how do you get kids interested in cycling? Schwedler knows that the desire for cycling is awakened either at home, through friends or at school. The Stellingen comprehensive school, just round the corner from him, has been offering cycling for years. Because the pupils ride cross bikes, Schwedler has always been there to support them. And once the youngsters have found fun, they also find their way into the clubs. This does not necessarily mean that they will find their way into racing. In the Hamburg cycling world, for example, St. Pauli manages to make cycling fun without prioritising performance too much for the kids. The "Young Radicals" ride on the road, on the track and off-road and primarily experience the sport in the community.
Health, ability to work in a team, self-esteem
A good approach that reminds us of what cycling can offer children and young people: It not only contributes to their physical health, but also to the development of team spirit and self-esteem. Through sport, they learn discipline, determination and how to deal with success and failure. Sporting activities also promote the ability to concentrate and persevere, which can have a positive effect on school performance. In addition, cycling offers a balance to the stressful school day. The World Health Organisation reports that 81 percent of children and young people do not get enough exercise. This is reflected not only in their physical health, but also in their mental health. The "Move 2023" research project by the German Sports Youth shows how sport improves well-being: "Young people who are more active in sport are generally less likely to suffer from worries, stress or fatigue than those who are not active. In addition, physically active children and young people are more likely to be satisfied with their lives than non-active ones." So there are plenty of reasons to get children and young people involved in sport. But what's the best way to start?
The motto of basic training is: versatility
The German Cycling Federation (BDR) explains how children should be introduced to racing in its "Young Cyclists' Programme" guidelines. Up to the age of twelve, coordination skills should be learnt through games and gymnastics and fitness should be promoted not only on the bike, but also in running, swimming, cross-country skiing and other sports.
The desire for cycling develops either at home, through friends or at school. - Jens Schwedler, youth coach
The motto of basic training is: versatility. The cycling component is only increased from the age of 13 - especially in terms of riding technique. Starting with a cross bike or mountain bike is considered ideal. "Starting off-road is great. You don't need an expensive racing bike and can try out riding away from dangerous roads. Some then switch to the road later on and are delighted at how fast it rolls," confirms Ewald Strohmeier, founder of the Tour of Bavaria, who is involved in promoting young talent in the Munich region. Of course: Licensed cycling in the older youth classes is a tough selection process. But talents only grow if they are challenged and supported. We present initiatives that do just that.
Schoolbikers: Arouse curiosity
The earlier interest in cycling is awakened, the better. AKTIONfahrRAD wants to get children and young people at schools interested in cycling. This is to be achieved through the "Germany's most bike-friendly school" competition, the "German School MTB Championships", the "Climate Tour" and teacher training programmes. With the schoolbikers.de platform, the initiative operates Germany's largest network on the topic of schools and bikes. Exemplary projects such as the Bikepool-Bayern have been integrated into the Schoolbikers platform. It offers information on projects and races as well as tips and information material. The "Germany's most bike-friendly school" award illustrates how schools can promote cycling. Pascal-Gymnasium in Grevenbroich is the most bicycle-friendly school in Germany 2024. The school promotes cycling through secure bicycle parking facilities, excursions with rental bikes, the "Car free to school day" campaign, a bicycle workshop that is run as a work group and the integration of sustainable mobility into the curriculum.
The Schoolbikers not only arouse interest in bicycles, but also in cycling. In cooperation with the BDR, the two-day German MTB School Championships are held every year. In 2023, 45 schools with 324 pupils took part in the event. The first day is all about bike mastery: technical skills and dexterity are tested at five stations. The second day focuses on the sport with a cross-country race.
- That is the goal: Arouse interest in the bicycle
- You can find information here: www.schoolbikers.de
- Target age group: The focus is on children at secondary schools
- Further initiatives: www.radfahrenindergrundschule.de, www.fahrradfreundliche-schule.de
Kids Kross HH: Fun and games on two wheels
All beginnings are fun: that's how you could describe the Kids Kross concept. Children and young people aged 6 to 14 can plough through the terrain on the outskirts of Hamburg in Cyclocross Land, undisturbed by road traffic. Kids Kross is organised by Cyclocross Hamburg. Once a week, almost all year round, kids can whizz over hill and dale on a simple children's bike, mountain bike or cross-country bike.
The Cyclocross Hamburg club even provides a few bikes for hire. Cyclocross-Land is located in Moorredder in the far north-east of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg. Various routes are laid out there, colour-coded according to difficulty. Many bends, long ascents and descents, challenging paths through a small wood, ramps, a staircase and even sand passages have been built by the club members with a great deal of voluntary commitment. Races and workshops are also held regularly on the site.
Club founder Jörg Steffens had the idea for Cyclocross-Land in 2017 when he became aware of a vacant plot of land (see TOUR 10/2020). The coordinator for track cycling in Hamburg recognised the potential of the site for young cyclocross cyclists. Regular road rides are now also part of the programme.
- That is the goal: Encourage fun on the bike, learn bike control in a playful way. Older children can also take part in their first races
- You can find information here: www.cyclocross-land.de
- Target age group: 6 to 14 years
Stevens Racing junior team: talent for competitive sport
For more than 20 years, the Hamburg-based bicycle manufacturer Stevens has been promoting cross sport with a racing team - now also with a junior team for younger riders in the U15 and U17 classes from clubs in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The aim is to pave the way for them to enter competitive sport. In this junior team, the youngsters learn how to eat properly, train more specifically and ride better tactically in races. The sports director is cross-country veteran Jens Schwedler. He particularly emphasises the team spirit. "If you get on well and have a good community, then you become successful more quickly," says Schwedler.
In order to promote this community, joint training camps and training weekends are organised. For formal reasons, the team is registered with the BDR as a "MTB racing community". Depending on the youngsters' preferences, they compete in road, cross and individual mountain bike races. The advantage of the racing community: the young talents, who are often individual starters in their age group in their home clubs, can take part in higher-class and international races as members of the Stevens junior team, for example in the European Junior Cycling Tour Assen, a six-day stage race in the Netherlands, or in the TMP Youth Tour in Gotha, Thuringia, which is also known as the "little peace ride". In its first year, the team consists of seven riders from northern Germany.
While the organisers of the young talent project are looking for new sponsors in the background, the somewhat more distant vision for the future is to promote talent up to the U23 class. Ideally, the team will then also arrange an apprenticeship with the sponsor Stevens, which fits in with cycling. "The project should also have a social aspect," explains Sports Director Jens Schwedler. So far, the team's budget is still manageable - the basic prerequisite for a future beyond 2025 is additional sponsors.
- That is the goal: Promoting talent in the U15 and U17 classes
- You can find information here: www.instagram.com/stevensracingnachwuchsteam/
- Target age group: 14-/15-year-olds
Thursday race: Training races in series
Without cycle races, there are no cyclists, is the simple equation. The problem is particularly evident in the greater Munich area: even bike races with a decades-long tradition are dying out because they no longer receive a licence or can no longer afford the effort involved. "This was very frustrating for parents, because they had to travel longer and longer distances to their children's races," says Ewald Strohmeier. So the founder of the Bayern-Rundfahrt got partners on board and launched a race series in 2019. Since then, the Thursday races on five dates during the season have allowed riders to compare their performance in different age groups.
Within sight of Munich's Allianz Arena, a 1.5-kilometre circuit becomes the stage for riders with and without a racing licence. The races are organised by the Munich Bike Stars, a cooperation between the Bayern-Rundfahrt e.V., the traditional Munich clubs RC Die Schwalben 1894 München, RV Sturmvogel München 1952, RSG Olympiapark München, RC Concordia 86 München, the MTB Club München and the Upper Bavaria District Association of the Bavarian Cycling Federation. At least 200 starters took part in the individual races in 2024. In view of the thinned-out racing calendar in Bavaria, the series is particularly enriching for the junior classes. A look at the start list shows its importance: boys and girls travelled from Weissenburg in Middle Franconia, Aichach in Swabia and Passau in Lower Bavaria. One race was also part of another series: athletes in the U15 and U17 age groups can take part in a cross-discipline race series on the road, track and off-road in the Innobike Bavarian League. The final event of the Thursday races was one of them. Plans for the future include developing the circuit on the outskirts of Munich into a permanent sports facility. It doesn't take much: the concept provides for easier closure of the paths and a permanent timing system. The circuit would be run on the wide escape routes of the Allianz Arena - clubs could easily organise training races there or train with children away from traffic. Munich schools could also use the facility. The plans have already been submitted to the City of Munich.
- That is the goal: Performance comparison through training races for young and old
- You can find information here: www.munichbikestars.de
- Target age group: from U11
Red Bull Junior Brothers: young professionals
The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team wants to become the best cycling team in the world - and one of the ways to achieve this is by investing heavily in talent scouting and development. The Red Bull Junior Brothers are a small building block in the big plan. The talent scouting programme offers young riders two places in the U19 team.
As Director of Development, South African John Wakefield steers the path of the talents. In addition to the two junior teams, he is also responsible for the scouting department. As Head of Scouting, Belgian ex-professional Tim Meeusen is tasked with recognising future talents and promoting them in the Red Bull Junior Brothers team. Ideally, the path to the top of the sport of cycling takes place within the framework of the company's own youth development programme: selection through the Red Bull Junior Brothers programme and a contract with the Grenke-Auto Eder U19 team, followed by a move to the U23 development team and finally promotion to the World Tour team.
- That is the goal: Finding talent for the U19 team
- You can find information here: www.redbull.com/de-de/projects/red-bull-junior-brothers/
- Target age group: 16- to 17-year-olds
- Further initiatives: www.zwift.com/eu-de/zwift-academy
Information on starting cycling in adolescence
All beginnings are playful
Whether it's the football pitch, swimming pool or ski slope: Many sports that children enjoy prepare them for cycling. It doesn't have to be too focussed. Firstly, interest in cycling must be awakened - at primary school age, the focus should be on playfulness. Fun is best conveyed through experiences without pressure. A cycling club then makes it easier to get into the sport.
Age-appropriate volumes
In its "Talent Guide", the German Cycling Federation (BDR) recommends weekly training distances of seven kilometres for children up to the age of nine and 20 to 24 kilometres for children aged between ten and twelve. Experience has shown that a cycling holiday also allows significantly longer distances without overstraining. From the age of 13, training three times a week is recommended.
The first race
"Fat tyre races", which often take place as part of the supporting programme of road races, allow children to gain their first racing experience. The youngest children compete on children's bikes and older children usually compete on mountain bikes. The counterpart is the "fat snail race", where the aim is to ride as slowly as possible without touching the ground with your feet. Those who already own a racing bike but do not yet have a licence can take part in "first step races". www.fettereifenrennen.de
Racing licence
Anyone who enjoys cycling races can apply for a licence. The BDR divides the junior classes into pupils (U11, U13, U15), youth U17 and juniors U19. Girls and boys in the U11 class are ten years old and younger, those in the U13 class are eleven or twelve years old. Young riders in the U11 to U19 classes who have a BDR annual licence are not allowed to take part in everyman events. www.bdr-jugend.de
Race distances road
In the U11 class, road races are run over a maximum of 20 kilometres, in the U13 up to 25 kilometres and the U15 up to a maximum of 40 kilometres. The maximum distances permitted by the BDR are the same for boys and girls. There are only gender-specific differences from U17 onwards. Individual time trials are significantly shorter.
Bike choice
A mountain bike is the best choice when starting out in cycling. Only at the next stage does it make sense to switch to racing handlebars and narrow tyres. The range of new children's and youth racing bikes is very small and buying second-hand is usually the best option. Cycling clubs sometimes have rental bikes for their young members or know who still has a bike in the cellar. The right size is crucial - and must be checked regularly.
Translation restrictions
The BDR prescribes gear ratio restrictions for the youth classes, which are checked during the races. It is not easy to optimise the combination of chainring and sprocket set for maximum development. Cassettes from niche suppliers such as Miche are a popular option in the low U classes. Online tools such as ritzelrechner.de help to work out possible combinations. Before the race, a commissioner checks the maximum run-off length. The maximum run-out length is the distance that a wheel covers in one complete revolution of the crank in the highest gear. www.rad-net.de/altersklassen-kategorien.htm
Kristian Bauer
Editor
