Last Saturday, over 325 students from schools in Victoria, Australia braved a chilly early morning in Lygon St to contest the state final of the 2006 Schools Cycling Championships.
The championships, being run on the same circuit as the final stage of the Herald Sun Tour, which was held there hours later in the day, was the culmination of a nine zone finals held throughout the state in August and September, through which students competed in racing and novice categories in their respective age groups.
The best performed schools on the day included Ruyton Girls School, which won two silvers and a bronze, Beaconsfield Primary School, which picked up a medal of each colour, Bendigo Senior Secondary College with two silvers and a bronze and the Little Yarra Steiner School with 2 golds.
In the racing category, the best performed clubs were the Bendigo CC with five medals including gold to Imogen Jelbart, Ararat & District CC with 23 medals including gold to Aodhan Kelly, and Brunswick CC and Carnegie CC with two medals each.
"To see over 300 young cyclists turn up so eager and enthusiastic at such an early time (6.00am registration time) was a great sight," said Event Coordinator Warren Vigor. "... We actually had a record amount of entries this year with 1100 students, over a 20% increase from last year, and we are really unearthing some great talent".
