Grassroots Games 2016: Track cycling
The Paralympics is under way in Brazil, and the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) is focusing on the sports that you will see, hear or read about over the next two weeks.
With 22 different sporting events on show in Rio 2016, EFDS takes a look at grassroots participation back here in Britain.
Today it’s track cycling, with Tre Chavannes telling us about making new friends and having fun.
I ride my handcycle every Saturday for an hour.
I am 18 years old, and I live in Kent. I enjoy taking part in track cycling at the Croydon Arena, thanks to Wheels for Wellbeing. I’ve been riding a bike for eight years, so quite a long time.
The first time I ever had a go at track cycling I felt really happy.
It felt good to get on a saddle and give the sport a go. I didn’t feel nervous at all, I just got on with it. I understand a lot of people do get nervous when it’s the first time, but not me. I didn’t want to start cycling in an unhappy frame of mind – I have Cerebral Palsy and it might have affected my legs. Feeling happy helped me to relax and also gather my strength.
One of the great benefits of enjoying track cycling is meeting new people.
I’m able to talk the sport through with other people, discussing how to improve things that didn’t go so well. And I really enjoy track cycling alongside others.
Sometimes I ride on my own, and sometimes I race other people on the track.
When I’m racing I feel really happy, very excited. When I arrive at the track on a Saturday I’m looking forward to meeting new people as well as preparing to enjoy some good exercise.
I have made many friends through cycling.
It makes me feel very positive about myself, and I look forward now to meeting up with the people I haven’t seen for a while. And one thing the sport has helped me to do is to work on maintaining eye contact with other people.
Come and give track cycling a go.
It has helped my body strength, particularly in my legs and arms. I’m now able to ride around the track for a lot longer, which is excellent exercise. It’s great fun – I love it. I like feeling the breeze in my face, and it just makes me feel so happy.
