ALL THE club’s activities are proving popular this year with the evening time trial series regularly getting 25-plus riders.

This is despite not having the weather to produce super fast rides, and it has not stopped some riders turning in 30 mph rides.

This is no mean feat when you consider that the course we ride at Kildwick is not a drag-strip course and in order to maintain these types of speed the rider has to overcome a significant amount of drag.

Drag is the friction the air causes as the rider moves forward and the rider has to produce increasing amounts of power to increase their speed.

In order to help, time trial riders will use specialist equipment to make themselves more aero. The bikes have tube profiles that adopt an aerofoil shape to help smooth the flow of air.

The handlebars tend to be flat and narrow with tribars attached which consist of arm rests on the bars with other bars going straight out in from. The rider holds these, similar to downhill skiers.

This brings the rider’s arms close together and makes the rider’s profile small as they hit the wind.

The gear changer is also mounted on the end of these bars so the rider does not need to move their arms and can maintain the aero position.

Rear wheels tend to be solid discs rather than the spoked wheels on normal bikes, again with the aim of smoothing the airflow going past the bike. Spokes spinning round tend to whip up the air and that requires the rider to overcome that turbulence.

Even the clothing and helmets and shoes are made as aero as possible with close-fitting skinsuits, teardrop-shaped helmets and overshoes.

You can spend a lot of money to get all the right gear and save two or three minutes on a 10-mile time trial but it all means nothing if you do not do the training!

We have had some hiccups this year as roadworks have caused a couple of events to be cancelled.

To counter this we have submitted and had approved a new course and will be running three new events as a trial on Thursdays on July 23 and 30 and Tuesday August 4. Anyone interested should e-mail abizzy2002@yahoo.co.uk for full details.

The Kids Club is also going from strength to strength with the Bronte Tykes running two sessions a week. Mondays are at Marley Sports Centre at the normal time of 6pm until 7pm.

There are also Saturday sessions which now have a new home at University Academy Keighley on Greenhead Road, Utley, starting at 11am and suitable for kids from five to 15 years old.

There are regularly 25 children turning up to both sessions and the kids are now also entering the summer series cyclo cross events organised by Yorkshire Cyclo Cross Association, with regular riders getting onto the podium.

If your child wants to come along all are welcome, only a bike and helmet are needed, no need to book. Contact Peter Charleton on 01535 643184 for further information.