A PAIR of young cyclists are aiming high this year and looking to move up to the next level of competition after being accepted into a cycling academy in Bristol.
Frome brother and sister, Morgan and Laura Curle, are keen road cyclists, both aiming to become professional racers in the future.
Laura, 12 and a student at Selwood Academy, finished 2015 ranked number one in the South region’s under 12 girls’ road racing, fifth in the national category, and placed 11th in the national Youth Omnium track finals in Wolverhampton.
Laura said, “I started riding bikes when I was young, and decided I really wanted to race when I was about ten.
“I saw Dani King race in Bath and ultimately I’d love to be a gold medallist like her. At the moment I enjoy racing both on track and on the road; the track races are simpler and more tactical, whereas road cycling is how I started out.”
Her brother Morgan, a 15 year-old student at Frome College, is training with his focus on 2017, when he will start junior road races.
2015 was his first season competing in the under 16s category and saw him retain his title as champion at Velo Club Walcot’s Hill Climb challenge. He also won the Newport Velodrome Winter Track League (C).
Morgan said, “I’ve been riding since I was about five years old, and racing for the past two or three years.
“I really enjoy the competitive aspect of racing; that feeling of going so fast and having to really push in the final sprint, knowing you could win. When it goes well you get a really big sense of achievement at the end.
“The best thing about joining the academy in Bristol will be having a support network of serious teammates, which will be useful in pushing me to the next level of the sport.”
The brother and sister will be training at Bristol Cycling Development Squad Academy in 2016, after both were successful in recent trials.
Father Jon is hoping to raise sponsorship from local businesses to help the youngsters progress in the sport.
He said, “Whilst the costs aren’t as big as some activities, competing literally takes us all over the country, and in an ideal world we could be going to Europe too.
“We’re just a normal working family living in Frome, and I’d say most of our disposable income goes on helping Morgan and Laura pursue the sport.
“It’s great to see them progressing so well. It’s something they both do of their own accord, and it takes a lot of personal determination. Sometimes it’s hard to see them put themselves through so much pain, but they love cycling and we have to support them.
“Sponsorship would give them both opportunities that I can’t at the moment, and would really help them progress in the sport.”
To find out more about Morgan and Laura’s progress, or how you can sponsor them, visit their websites
www.morgancurlecycling.co.uk and www.lauracurlecycling.co.uk or find them on Twitter @curlecycling.
