Jack Reading’s Gravity School Scholarship Program

This is going to be like The Apprentice, but with more bikes, more mud, fewer people you want to shout at, and probably fewer future American presidents. So, nothing like The Apprentice at all then. More Magician’s Apprentice, perhaps, as pro racer Jack Reading coaches this group of youngsters through the gravity season ahead. Can he conjure up some podium spots among these young hopefuls?

In all seriousness, we’re excited to be able to bring you these videos. We’re not anticipating reality TV style melodrama – these are young riders with hopes and dreams ahead of them, and days filled with other stuff like school and homework. We hope being part of this program gives them valuable skills and experience, whether they decide to go for life as future pro riders, or just enjoy riding as enthusiastic amateurs. And, hopefully, you’ll enjoy rooting for them along the way.

Here’s Gravity School Coaching to explain the plan…

Gravity School Coaching is very excited to launch its brand new program in 2023, the “Gravity School Junior Scholarship”. This program is our way of supporting junior riders that we have coached the year before on our Gravity School uplifted race specific coaching sessions. The details of the program are:

• We aim to help these riders to prepare as best they can for racing world cup downhill or enduro in the junior category
• Organise training days in the UK focusing on developing speed and improving race craft
• Sessions will be run at cost price, meaning there is no Gravity School coaching fee charged for the riders to learn from head coach, Jack Reading
• We aim to secure external funding to enable us to run some free of charge UK sessions, and hopefully some camps abroad, either subsidised or free of charge
• Video series to track the progress of the program and the riders, which will be promoted by Singletrack World
• SR Suntour are supporting the program, offering the loan of suspension to riders to use for the season, free of charge, for those who want to use it
• One rider from the group will be offered a spot to race on the Gravity School professional race team the following season as the second year junior athlete
• To be eligible for 2024 program selection, a rider must be coached by the Gravity School on our uplifted race specific sessions in 2023

For 2023 we have 8 riders who will be benefiting from the program, following their coaching sessions with the Gravity School in 2022. These riders are:

Second year junior riders

• Owen Rick
• Jordi Hart

First year junior riders

• Finlay Sykes
• Oscar Hakes
• Dan Nadin
• Jowan Hewitt
• Sam Ormsby
• Reuben Booth

This program will be great for these riders, and the first session was a huge success. Riders paid £40 for their uplift and then joined Jack on one of his training days at Llangollen. The focus of the session was working on quickly building speed on a track, by doing 4 practice runs before putting down a fast timed run, then moving to the next track and following the same process. As there is very limited practice at world cup races, the skill of being able to build speed quickly is very important and vital to the riders success.

We are trying to find some sources of external funding for this program, so we can run some UK sessions which are totally free for the riders, and also some subsidised or free coaching camps abroad. If you are able to help, or know a company or individual who can, then please get in touch with Jack to arrange this.

We wish the riders the very best of luck with their 2023 race season, and this video series will follow their progress.”

While you’re here…

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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