Second Team Training

The Second Team training is designed to improve your fitness once you've learned the basic skills of bunch riding. Work on tactical awareness is also incorporated, with a view to getting you ready to race.

For those hoping to be selected for the First Team, the training requirements are similar to those of the First Team - to get there, you will have to train hard and sensibly on the days between formal group sessions.

For those riders new to the Second Team, you'll have to work hard but your time spent on the bike will be fun and rewarding - you will reap great rewards from training properly and regularly at this level. The volume of training required is about 12-15 hours a week, dependent on the time of year. About 40% of this will happen on organized club rides on Saturday afternoons, Sunday mornings and Tuesday an Thursday evening turbo sessions. The remaining 60% will be during the week, as riders organize sessions based on people's timetables.

To get onto the Second Team as a new rider to CUCC, you will either have to attend the initial time trial we organise (the Saturday immediately after Freshers' Week - in 2009: 10th October in the afternoon, road bikes with no aerobars/clip ons... see this website or join the email list for more details), or to send the Men's Captain a set of recent results and a good reason for not attending this time trial. The alternate route for the majority of riders who do not make the top couple of places in the time trial is to attend the Development Squad rides for the first term, after which a selection will be made.

For more info - please email the Men's Captain. I look forward to seeing your progress!