FROME College siblings, Morgan Curle in Year 12, and his sister Laura in Year 9, have both been carving out success in their cycling careers.
Laura was selected to ride for the South Region at the School Games Inter Regional Track Championships in Glasgow on Friday 15th to Sunday 17th September and has trained really hard over the last 4 weeks in preparation. She was looking forward to flying up as part of the team, the team hotel, and what was the toughest competition level of track riding she has encountered so far.
She had a great time at the championships. In the Team Pursuit the South team caught and passed the Irish team and rode really well. The Irish team did impede them by holding them up, costing them 4-5 seconds, so their qualifying time suffered as a result. That said, it was still a great ride!
The Elimination Race saw Laura in a qualifying race with some very strong U16 riders, but she did really well finishing about half-way down the group, and repeated this in her final.
The coaches and team manager were very impressed with her for “riding with so much spirit”, and her “fighting – never give in attitude.”
The overall experience was a big one, travelling with the team, the flights, the team hotel, away from family, responsible for herself, her bike, equipment, etc… but she coped remarkably well, and learnt a lot which will help her in the future.
The team manager has been so impressed with Laura’s progress, that he is helping to develop Laura going forward, and help her realise her potential. She will be taking part in a series of British Cycling Track Race Schools over the coming months.
Morgan, in Year 12, has finished his road season now and is on a short rest before he gets busy with his winter training and strength work. He will be spending some time at the Velodrome over the next few months to complement his training.
He did really well in his first season as an U18 Junior Road Racer, racing in national events including an amazing performance in the Tour of the Mendips at the start of the season, and a strong showing at the Monmouth Grand Prix.
The highlight of Morgan’s season was guest riding for the Giant Halo Team in the Tour of Ireland – a 7-day stage race that attracts top road teams from all over the world, including South Africa, USA and Europe.
Morgan suffered a bad crash on Stage 3, but after picking himself up and getting a spare wheel from the team, he rode a solo 90km chase to limit his losses. He patched himself up later, and the mechanic fixed up his bike. Despite being injured, he rode well in the remaining stages, finishing with the lead riders and recovering some of the time lost in the crash.
Being brought down in the crash was a shame, as that aside, he would have been in the top 20, but he did manage to ride his way in to a top 40 finishing place. It was a very respectable result in a field of 110 top riders from all over the world.
Whilst the tour was shown on Irish TV, highlights were shown on the UK Sports Channel. He did get a good mention when he was chasing back after the crash.
Morgan has a place on the Giant Halo Team for the 2018 season, and is looking forward to racing in Belgium, France, and Ireland once more, as well as the British Junior National Series.
An eventful season for Morgan, with some top finishes in road races, his first road stage races, and his first racing abroad – with a few crashes and a few more scars too.
Frome College says, “We wish both Laura and Morgan every success in the future!”
