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28
Jun
The Harrogate cycling club inspiring the next generation of elite cyclists
North Yorkshire has a long and proud cycling history.
The Dales and the Moors have provided stunning backdrops for events like the 2014 Tour de France, and the Tour de Yorkshire – which took place annually from 2015 to 2019.
The boom in cycling post-covid further increased passion for the sport in the Harrogate district.
That deep-rooted enthusiasm is exemplified at Prologue Performance Cycling.
A bike shop and café has become something of a hub for cyclists.
Prologue established a junior racing team in 2023, which is now going into its third season.
The team was set up to bridge the gap between club-level racing and Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)-backed international racing for junior riders.
The UCI is the global governing body for competitive cycling.
A group of seven talented riders, the squad competes in a range of national and international tournaments.
They are a mix of first year and second year riders aged 16 to 18.
The Stray Ferret spoke to team manager Robin Beagleym whose son James is one of the junior squad riders.
Robin Beagley (left) and his son, James.
Robin told us how the team has managed to become internationally recognised in such a short time:
To get into European races you have to be invited. So, to be able to race on a European level, the riders in your team have to be good enough to justify the invitation.
You have to have the riders on your squad producing results. To get in next year, the lads this year have to get the results of a sufficiently high standing to open up the opportunity of an invite for next season.
So, it’s very hard for a new squad to break into the UCI European level of racing. For starters, you've got to bring decent UK riders in with some good UK results, and then those riders have to be consistent.
Robin said Harrogate Nova Cycling Club has also recently established a racing team and having two squads competing in European races was “quite unique”.
The riders
To consistently compete in international tournaments, the pressure is on the riders to deliver.
One of those riders is James Beagley, Robin’s son.
The 17-year-old was taken by the sport when the Tour de France passed through Harrogate in 2014. By age 10, he was racing in club competitions for Harrogate Nova.
Last year, he came ninth in the National Series, and says he wants to continue to establish himself on the international stage.
James Beagley (middle) with other prologue riders.
Last year, the team won the first stage of the Bizkaiko Itzulia, an international tour in the Basque country.
James explained how the team operates during an international tour:
Everyone's got their preferences. I can climb with time trial quite well, but then I can't sprint. There are guys that are opposite. So, you play to the advantages and skills of different riders on the team.
But a lot of it is seeing how it plays out as the race goes along. Because these races are done as an overall time over the multiple days, if someone has a brilliant ride the first day you'll then ride to maintain their position at the top of the standings.
Last year Nathan Smith won the first stage, so the rest of the week was spent sort of protecting his position. The guys sacrifice their own race to ensure that he keeps his position.
Team riders have to learn to be unselfish, however many hours they put into the sport.
Mark Ketteringham, another rider on the junior racing squad, said he trains around six times a week on top of his school life.
This often consists of 40 to 50-mile rides after school, and 100-mile rides at weekends.
The 17-year-old said that spending 14-18 hours a week training can be difficult to balance with school and social life.
Despite this, he is more determined than ever.
Mark came second in a national round but said he would love to make the podium in a national series next season.
Mark Ketteringham podiums in a national round.
A national series is a season-long competition made up of multiple national rounds, meaning he would have to be among the best for a prolonged period of time.
The Prologue Racing team travel to France on Sunday to begin a three-week tour of events.
They will compete in the under-19s Classic Région Sud, before travelling to Luxembourg for the junior GP Général Patton.
Putting rich experience under the young rider’s belts already, Prologue is making a big impact on producing Yorkshire’s next big stars.
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