Riders blasting off to Worlds in Houston

Wrekin Riders BMX Club coach and chairman Kieran Edwards, along with his members Chelsey Barnett, aged 12, Erin Marsh, aged 10, Eddie Smallman, aged 10, and Peyton Collier, aged nine, have all qualified for the main event to be held in Houston, Texas, in May.

The riders all train at the national standard floodlit club track on Duce Drive in Dawley and have travelled across the UK during 2019 in the British BMX Series. Their results have seen them finish in the top 14 in their age categories, meaning they have been selected for the Worlds.

Edwards, from Donnington, and Barnett, from Doseley, both travelled to Belgium for this year’s World Championships – but it will be the first time Smallman, from Lawley, Marsh, from Cookley, Kidderminster, and Collier, from Wellington, have qualified.

Edwards said: “Every one of the riders who qualified have worked extremely hard over the year. It has been a joy to watch them train hard and develop so much in a short space of time.

“They all deserve their place and they have been offered an opportunity to now ride at the Worlds at Houston, which is brilliant.”

The families are now saving in a bid to make the trip to Texas in what is an Olympic year and will see riders who they share tracks with across the UK represent Team GB.

“It has been an amazing year for Wrekin Riders – we have seen hundreds of new faces come and try out BMX racing for the first time,” added Edwards. “We are a small, solely voluntary run not for profit club where everyone shares the same passion.”