For any Freemason, SERVICE is part of our core values, fundraising, volunteering, it comes in many forms, but for one East Kent Freemason, like so many of us, helping ones family always takes a special place in our lives.

For Glenn Hibben, a member of Kings Navy Lodge here in East Kent, his 17 year old Grandson Luke, is achieving greatness and was selected to represent Great Britain in the under 18’s Cyclocross Squad.

Luke is also currently studying for 3 A levels (DT, Geography, Politics) at Borden Grammar School Sitingboume. Having gained 7 GCSE’s at A and A* this year. In addition, Luke was selected by British Cycling and Sport England to study for a Level 3 (equivalent to 2 A Levels) Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) which he completes online with Gloucester and Stroud College alongside his school A levels.

This qualification has only been offered by British Cycling to a handful of youngsters in Great Britain who are deemed to be capable of becoming the GB sporting elite and capable of the qualification. This is fairly remarkable for a child who at age 8 was diagnosed having dyslexia, and not deemed an achiever, Luke has overcome many hurdles in his studies with much family support, but his cycling has been his saving grace and his success throughout the years given him so much more confidence in himself which has reflected in his now excellent school results.

Getting the Results

Luke has travelled to Belgium on four occasions to take part in three international races, including the iconic Koppenberg Race, supported by his dad, where he was up against international competition and competitive riders with open ended budgets remarkedly he came 5th.

Going on from this result and National competition success Luke was offered a years cycling contract with the Great Britain squad. He raced for GB in Namur which was fully funded, however on two further occasions Luke was selected to represent Team GB but had to be completely self-supported, (due to lack of funding for the youngsters from British Cycling,) travelling to Dublin and Antwerp with his dad who supported him entirely, including with mechanical help, pits, and travel. Only 6-8 under 18’s are selected to represent GB.

Luke gained his British Cycling Coaching qualification last summer and regularly coaches children at the CycloPark in Gravesend. This is something he has a passion, and a natural ability for, he very much enjoys passing on his knowledge and enthusiasm to others in the sport.

 Going forward from September of this year Luke moves up to the under 23 category, where he will compete for the next 5 years. It is Luke’s goal to be selected to represent Team GB again but he realises that this may be a medium to long term goal due to his young age and that he is still developing physically.

How can you help?

Cyclocross requires two identical bikes to allow for pit changes. Luke currently rides 2 ‘Chain Reaction’ own brand bikes, costing £2500. Although many youngsters are competing on bespoke bikes costing well over £10k. Constant maintenance of bikes and associated equipment is required due to wear and tear. Completing at this level also requires a private coach to plan training schedules and analyse data collected to ensure optimised performance.

A national race costs around £600 with travel, accommodation and entry fees. International races cost up to £1000 per trip, for crossings, accommodation and fuel.

Glenn asks, “If any Lodge feels that they could give any support to Luke even for one race to help him to continue to represent Team GB it would be very much appreciated”.

To give you an idea of the costs, a single bike is £2500, he needs 2, Wheels £3000, Tyres are £800, totalling £8,800
The coaching coast £100 a month, on top of this is the travel. 
A season costs nearly £19,000 to equip, train, and support Luke in this sport. 

If your lodge or Chapter can help, please email Glenn direct, using the button below.