In 2021, Borough Team Organiser for Lambeth, Marcia Dillion looked around and saw very few Black children taking part in the cycling event. And she was determined to see how she could get more diverse young people into cycling.

She worked with another teacher, Mark, to set up a new project to help 14 children from Black and ethnic communities to learn to cycle well enough to compete in the London Youth Games.

For Chidera, before this point, her only cycling experience had been on a bike with training wheels.

Aged 11, she started her first cycling lesson on a balance bike at the velodrome.

“I found it tough when I started. I was the only one on a balance bike, while my friends were already around me riding two-wheeled bikes.”

“But I remember my coach always reminding me that if I just kept trying and kept practising, I’d soon be riding bikes, just like my friends around me.

When I started, I fell down because I was going too slowly and I was too scared.

I’ve improved a lot and I feel very confident now that I can ride a bike. It’s helped me so much and I feel very proud to cycle at the Games. I love the way that cycling feels and I’ve made friends in my cycling sessions. I don’t miss a single lesson!”

London Youth Games gives young people like Chidera the chance to try and compete in new sports, improving their life chances.