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news
Sam O'Shea Abu Dhabi triathlonBoy banned from cycling to primary school in Portsmouth to be youngest competitor ever in Abu Dhabi triathlon
A boy who sparked a national campaign when he was told by teachers that he wasn't allowed to cycle to school is to be the youngest person ever to compete in the Abu Dhabi triathlon.
Sam O'Shea was aged 11 when he was banned from riding to his school in Portsmouth, with staff at St Paul’s Primary School citing a lack of storage space and dangerous roads around the school as the reason for their stance, even though Sam’s mother, Angela, spent months arguing that Sam's one-mile journey, almost all on cycle paths, was safe, a view supported by an official risk assessment.
In response, the CTC produced a Right to Ride to School leaflet, noting that schools cannot issue outright cycling bans and advising parents how to lobby.
Sam moved with his family to Abu Dhabi in 2010, but his mother got in touch to tell us; "Ironically, although we live less that 2km on one straight road to his school we will not let him cycle as it is too dangerous - especially at that time of day! "
But his love of bikes continued despite the setbacks, and after intensive training Sam, now 14, is ready to compete in the Abu Dhabi triathlon on March 2, lining up with the likes of Alistair Brownlee, who won the Olympic gold in the triathlon in London last summer.
We wish him luck!
Latest Comments
- Secret_squirrel 5 min 14 sec ago
Surely these are only as good as your knowledge of their placement? They seem a bit pointless without a decent amount of Sports Massage / Physio...
- stonojnr 6 min 16 sec ago
It's near the airport again and sure people are going to bash it in isolation as anti cycling, but it was a tiny cut through that in no way...
- Oldfatgit 11 min 1 sec ago
I wonder what direction the mother had been giving for the previous 10 years ... it certainly wasn't "don't be a cunt".
- lesterama 19 min 15 sec ago
Nice. I'd ride that Madone now.
- Geoff Ingram 31 min 50 sec ago
Completely agree. At 80kg or so all up 45psi is good for my gravel bike with 39mm tyres. And after a fair while, when it drops to 35 I put it up to...
- mattw 48 min 34 sec ago
This one seems to work the other way, and be genuine Nimbyism - Pimlico wanting to keep its passports....
- HollisJ 1 hour 59 min ago
Thankfully all the terrible spelling errors in my reviews are erased by the skillful subbing team before they go online. ...
- cyclisto 2 hours 33 min ago
There is no wrong presenting such expensive kit. Of course mostly is for American dentists, but for me any bicycle above 2K seems anyway overpriced...
- Velophaart_95 2 hours 58 min ago
CX is an off-road discipline - tricky descents are part of the sport - and unfortunately there will be crashes. And remember the crashes at Crans...
- eburtthebike 4 hours 30 min ago
I'm sure those driver who are so concerned about trees will enjoy this pic
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8 comments
Good on the lad....though having worked around the Whiteley/Fareham area a few years ago, it's not the most cycle friendly environment in places.
Wish him the best in his future endeavours and do look forward to seeing him progress.....wonder if he might give the Brownlee brothers a run for their money in a couple of years time?!
I reckon the school will have him splashed over any promotional material showing him off as a former pupil if he wins anything.
Good Luck Sam
At my sons school they are allowed to travel to & from school unaccompanied from Yr4, But they cannot cycle alone until they have completed Bikeablity training which the school runs in Yr6!
And IMO most of the kids by Yr6 have picked up bad habits that could have been prevented with earlier training.
Waste of 2 years
Good lad but don't overtrain when you're young! A death sentence to many a young athlete.
Don't know much about cycling in Pompey nowadays, (I was born there), but the roundabout at the top of it was a death trap and the most scary thing I ever cycled around until I tried the Elephant and Castle many years later.
Good lad, stick in with your training and show everyone what you can do
Good lad - shows the school to be run by idiots too
Nice one, I look forward to seeing him compete in more events as his progresses in the sport.
I don't understand kids being told they can't cycle to and from school. I used to do many miles back and forth a day to get to school.
But then they cut P.E time in schools and complain kids are unfit, fat, lazy......
and sell off the playing fields...