How cycling teaches children lifelong lessons – Ed Clancy

From the national lockdown earlier to the disruption to schools and their activity programmes, or the cancellation of exercise classes, children seemingly have had fewer opportunities to keep active in 2020.

As a result, we have witnessed a decline in the number of children participating in sport across the UK, impacting not just their physical fitness, but mental health as well.

A recent study by Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust found that, of the children that returned to school in September, 73 per cent had low levels of physical fitness and, in some cases, struggled to complete short bursts of activity without becoming out of breath.

Unfortunately, and as we’re all well aware these days, a consistent lack of physical exercise is proven to have a negative impact on mental health and wellbeing. Therefore, it’s crucial for children to have access to regular, routine exercise, wherever they are.

Children’s fitness is often a by-product of school – whether they like exercise or not, keeping active is a vital part of a child’s education. Therefore, schools or any other environment that encourages children to take part in sport and develop their skills are incredibly important – even more so now that children are spending more time at home than usual.

One of the key things for parents to consider when looking at options for their child’s extra-curricular activities, and something that has been heavily impacted because of the pandemic, is routine.

When starting out in a particular sport, or any discipline for that matter, it’s important for it to become part of a child’s daily routine to help them create new skills, but more importantly, to develop a passion for the discipline.

Unless activity or exercise becomes a habit at a young age, it quickly slides – and over the last six months with children having little exposure to routine exercise, that has become a concern shared by many across the industry.

One of the key aims of the Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy is to ensure children have fun learning to ride. We offer children aged between one and 16 years old a fun, group environment for them to learn how to cycle together.

Passionate about keeping children active, fit and healthy, since opening the doors to the academy in February this year, we have already seen significant demand from children and parents alike.

As a result, our memberships at the academy have more than doubled over the last four months from what they were pre-lockdown, with 195 children now coming to us for lessons each week.

I believe that cycling is one of the best disciplines to learn as a child. It’s one of the few life-skills that, for some, can lead to a career in the sport. We’ve seen how popular it has become during the pandemic – it’s booming – and many of the cycling shops I’ve spoken to have sold three times the amount of stock they would normally do at this time in a normal year.

It’s been fantastic to see more people out cycling during the last few months in our local communities. It’s never been a greater time for children to learn how to ride a bike, although there’s still work to do across the industry to make the sport more accessible for all.

We’re proud to offer children a safe place where they can learn how to develop their cycling skills, whatever their ability.

It’s fantastic to know that parents across the UK trust the academy to coach their kids in a fun and safe environment, and to a high standard.

Research continues to highlight the importance that physical activity has on children and young people and the vital role it can play, not only in their own personal development but in supporting their mental health wellbeing.

It’s never been such an important time for the industry to get behind and support kids’ fitness – we’re just proud to be playing our part.

Established in January 2020, the Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy aims to move a generation of children, putting the bicycle back at the heart of childhood play, forming lifelong habits that will deliver benefits for health and the environment for years to come. For more information visit www.clancybriggs.co.uk/home

Ed Clancy is a three-time Olympic champion 
and co-founder of the Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy in Doncaster.

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