Former WCC youth rider alex wright embarks on a new adventure

My name is Anne Wright and I was involved until very recently with the under 18 section of the Woolwich Cycling Club.

I became involved (ultimately becoming a level 2 coach) as my young son was nuts about his bike and I wanted him to be with like-minded kids. Little did I realise the obsession that had been kindled within him…..

Fast forward to August 2023 and he has been accepted to the Borders Academy of Sporting Excellence (BASE) in Galashiels, Scotland, where his is doing a one year HND in “Coaching and Developing Sport”. It has the sport of mountain biking linked to the course and here’s what BASE says about the course

“Over the last ten years, we’ve had 100+ students come through the course with a number of them going on to be professional riders. Greg Williamson, Lewis Buchanan, Luke Cryer and Reece Wilson are just a few of the students that have been through BASE. Others have gone on to further their education at universities, or travelled to places like Canada, New Zealand and the Alps. Some of them now run businesses in rope access and media, and all of them are better developed adults as a result of applying the BASE attitude and culture to the rest of their lives.”

To be successful he had to meet the following criteria from the BASE website:

“All applicants must have a proven interest in their sport and sports coaching. Selection may be subject to satisfactory interview session. Interviews will include a group practical session meaning interviewees will need to bring kit and bike.”

He ticked all these boxes and I am certain that attending the under 18 sessions for all those years where he learned techniques and honed skills is what allowed him to be admitted to the course.