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Parents Information Page Frequently asked questions: What is the Team Somerset Junior Development Program? The Somerset Development program is a season long cycling development program designed to help children and teens learn recreational and competitive cycling. We will take kids who know how to ride a bike, and teach them the skills needed for group riding and racing. As part of this program, kids will develop better fitness, learn teamwork and most of all have fun! What do I need to get started? The following are required:
The USAC license is necessary to obtain liability coverage for the team as well as your child's coach. It also is required for your child to enter races. My son/daughter tried soccer, baseball or other team sports and they didn't like it- how is this different? Many kids don't do well on team sports such as soccer, lacrosse or baseball, for a variety of reasons. Certain sports like baseball require good hand-eye coordination. Some kids who don't excel at traditional team sports, enjoy individual sports like cycling or swimming. Cycling primarily requires aerobic capacity and leg strength, not nearly as much hand-eye coordination as other sports, such as tennis or baseball. Is Bike racing an individual sport or a team sport? It's both! To finish first in a bike race requires a strong individual effort by a rider, but it can also require help from teammates. A teammate can chase down attacking riders from another team, or give you a lead-out for the sprint finish. A teammate can also attack and force the other team's riders to chase. My child's fitness level is not that good, how will they keep up with the faster kids? That is the beauty of cycling in a group! On a group ride the group goes as fast as the slowest rider. Typically, the stronger riders will ride up front- they will expend more energy and exert more effort because they must overcome wind resistance. The riders behind them are drafting, ie they are riding with less wind resistance and therefore can go the same speed with less effort. The rides will also have designated regrouping points. As your child progresses through the program their fitness level will improve. What about equipment? For our one day clinics we will have loaner bikes available to use for the day. For the season long program, we may be able to provide a loaner bike with a deposit to try for 4-6 weeks to see if your child enjoys the cycling program. The other option is to buy a used junior bike on ebay or at the swapmeet or on craigslist. You can also buy a new junior bicycle. Contact one of our coaches for recommendations. Can my child ride their current (mountain style) bike? No. Mountain bikes are too heavy and slow for racing and they won't be able to sprint or climb hills on that type of bicycle. What other equipment does my junior need? Your junior should have an ANSI or Snell approved cycling helmet, sunglasses or other eye protection, gloves and bike shoes. They will also need cycling clothing (ie a team kit consisting of jersey, shorts and socks. What is the best place to get clothing or equipment? The team will keep a limited inventory of used items, which will be available to juniors at a significant discount. A new team kit can be purchased through the junior team. How does the bi-weekly training ride work? Twice a week, in the evening, we will have a coached training ride. The ride will start and finish at the same spot at designated times. The older kids and younger kids will be divided into separate groups and according to ability level. The tentative starting point will be Copper Hill School, located in Ringoes on Everitts Rd. What about cars and traffic? Our training ride route is designed to be on secondary rural roads with little/no traffic. This will allow the kids to learn to ride in a paceline. At the same time, we will teach the kids how to safely ride on roads that have car traffic. The riding skills learned will make your son/daughter a safer rider any time they are on a bike. How about the training plan? Your child's coach will provide a weekly lesson plan and a structured training schedule to be followed throughout the season. Each lesson plan will focus on specific cycling skills. The training schedule is set up in cycles to develop peak fitness and rest and recovery periods. Aren't cycling and bike racing dangerous? Every sport carries risks! Injuries occur in baseball, soccer, lacrosse and many other sports. We teach the kids proper riding technique to minimize mishaps on the road. Most crashes do not cause serious injuries- usually some scrapes and road rash. What about diet? What should my child eat before the ride? Do not give him or her a large meal before the training ride. It is better to eat a moderate snack, such as a banana and a cookie, or a yogurt and an apple or energy bar approximately two hours before the ride. On the ride itself your junior should have a full water bottle and a high energy snack. As far as regular nutrition, a balanced, healthy diet of protein, carbohydrate and fats is the best bet for developing athletes. Explain how the races work? Races are sanctioned by USA Cycling Federation and are officiated. All racers must carry USA Cycling license in order to race. Additionally, racers should pre-register to race (typically online using www.bikereg.com) so that our coaches have an idea of which juniors will be racing. Races for juniors are typically short distances- usually only 5-10 miles. Races are by age category. Your son or daughter's coach will provide more details before race day. I don't know much about bicycles or bike racing. How can I help my son/daughter succeed? The most important thing you can do to help your child succeed is to be supportive of them and also make sure they get to the training rides and races. We will teach the technical aspects of proper fit and bike maintenance. Of course, we welcome parental involvement and we encourage parents to learn more about the sport of bike racing. What other resources are there? There are many good books on bike racing. The following are some recommendations:
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