Cycling

I ride. I race. I repeat.

Growing up on a farm in rural England, my cycling started on 26-inch Tioga rubber and Girvin Flex Stems. However, it was not until later in life that the sport truly took hold.

After my first child was born, I decided to start cycling to my job as a website developer—a very humble 20 km commute on a hybrid bike. This inspired me to join the local club and the journey of N+1 began. Sunday mornings were spent on the traditional club run to the coffee shop, and the lure to get faster started building.

One year later, I had started racing and qualified as a British Cycling cycle coach. A few years after that, I had left the web tech scene to start a career in the cycling industry.

In 2016, I joined a local bike shop specialising in Italian brands as the head mechanic. Over the next five years, I was fully trained in the ways of the modern bike and can now identify bottom brackets from a social distance. During this time, I had some truly inspiring and mind-blowing experiences:

• I met and rode with my childhood Tour de France hero Miguel Induráin
• As a supplier of some high-end bikes, I was able to work on a lot of exotic models along with a raft of ex-pro team bikes
• Met Fausto Pinarello himself
• Also met a few big names at Team Sky
• Pinarello called upon my services to dismantle and package up 12 bikes from Team Sky, including the three big grand tour winning machines (though it was very hush hush)

Cycling branched outside of the day job as I put together a small development team from within the shop. The goal was to take young talent from the local clubs and give them the team experience—to help support them in the sport and set them on that fabled development pathway.

Racing myself, I soon realised how confusing the training scene has become, with so many buzzwords and metrics to track. But I was fascinated with the science between human performance and technology. Since that day, I have made it my mission to understand both the physical and psychological demands of the sport.

Unfortunately, a global pandemic forced my hand and I returned to the web industry, and the shop became another casualty of the cycling industry.

Whilst I had taken part in a few school-organised races, it was not until 2013 that I hit the start line of a cycle race properly. It was a local club mate who suggested I try my hand at cross country racing. He was right—I did enjoy it, and I was hooked.

My first race was a regional event in 2013. From that one event, I went on to national events with a highlight of racing on the Olympic course at Hadleigh Farm.

It was only a matter of time before I ended up in a road race, living that Tour de France dream in a regional B category. It was never going to be amazing, but turns out a 4.7w/kg threshold can pull out some wins every now and again.

Criterium racing is an acquired taste. Very fast, very close, and at times very scary. I took part in various events as part of the team, but I would not say it was my favourite discipline. That said, railing a 90-degree corner and feeling that rubber grip the asphalt is something special.

Cyclocross started as a way to combine muddy trails with some curly handlebars, but after being introduced to the scene I realised just how approachable the discipline is. Everyone is welcome and it can be as serious as you want.

I ended up taking it quite seriously and trying my hand at all levels, from regional to national events. Even representing GB at the Masters World Championships.

In the UK, Gran Fondos get lost in everything else, but in Europe they are their own beast with prize money and kudos galore. I took part in the Pinarello-sponsored events out of Treviso and up into the Dolomites. This then led me to have a crack at the UCI Gran Fondo events. I qualified for the World Championships in 2019 after completing the UK-based Tour of Cambridgeshire.

The time trial scene is huge in the UK, but to me the evening club 10 is a great opportunity to complete a threshold test. Rocking up on the night with nothing to lose but a lot of sweat and some muscle glycogen.

Gravel is the latest discipline for me to try. Having only purchased a true gravel bike in 2025, I have already completed the GritFest stage race in Wales and won an event taking in the South Downs Way.