This time last year Lewis was due to ride his first ever race, the Loudon Road Club Drumclog Hilly Time Trial.

We prepared by riding the course the weekend before and then came the snow, cancelling the event and delaying everyone’s racing season by a month.

But not this year. The Drumclog TT kicked the season off in fine style last Saturday with the Perth United CC Youth Team filling the podium and Lewi taking a first place. Just rewards for the boys’ commitment to the structured training regime they’ve been working on this year. What was even more impressive was the second session the team put in that afternoon as simulation for the back to back races later in the season.

Now all focus is on the Youth Tour of Scotland in 3 weeks time.We have 2 weeks of extremely intense sessions before a recovery weekend riding the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) Sportive and watching the race.

The rest of the season revolves around the excellent Skinny Tyres Race Series with some of the team also branching off in to Cross Country and Track.

We’ve also got a Club Confined Series, the Etape Caledonia, a day out at Ten Under the Ben, five days in the Alps bagging cols, a couple of weeks in the Pyrenees and the North West Youth Tour…. blimey before you know it it’ll be the cyclocross season!

This would seem like a good point at which to thank everyone involved with filling our diary, it’s a great thing that you do and we very much appreciate your efforts. Please keep doing it!

So maybe we’ll see you out there and whatever your plans are for the season we wish you every success…

On Saturday April 23rd 2011 at the Sportive Kinross three generations of our family will ride together.

Nothing particularly remarkable in this but for 2 of the 3 generations it will be their first Sportive. Lewis (13) and Grandad (who will then be a few days off 67) venture forth on this totally new experience with me as the seasoned pro – this will be my second Sportive!

All things being equal It will also be the first showing of the Bicycles Team Kit.

Through the year we plan to provide Team Bicycles jerseys to riders who can guarantee us firsts.

Not first places, but first time experiences.

Bicycles is about getting on your bike and doing stuff. We’d like the Bicycles jersey to come to represent riders who are taking the bike by the horns and giving it a go.

Because the key to growing cycling in the UK is inclusion, and the key to inclusion is making it easy for people to join in.

Kinross Cycling Club, who are responsible for Scotland’s newest cycling event, are a great example of a new club who are getting people on their bikes by making it easy to join.

Some might say that with a purple and yellow kit they need to try that bit harder, but how many bike clubs ask potential new members if they need a new type of ride to meet their cycling needs?

They also invite you to join when you enter the sportive which is the very best type of up-selling in my opinion.

So Chapeau to the colour-blind cyclists of Kinross

The 123 years of Team Bicycles look forward to meeting you all in April.