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Association of British
Cycling Coaches |
About me
I have been a competitive athlete from an early age. Initially a cyclist and runner, I specialized in running for 30 years achieving many successes and competing at all distances up to marathon, at county, regional and national level. Having been diagnosed with achilles tendon injuries, I retired from running and returned to cycling. I continue to compete in time trials and the occasional road races, competing in various national championships.
I have been a member of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Cycling Association since 2002, when I came back to the sport. I compete for them regularly and have won several prizes in club championships. In addition to my competitive support for cycling, I am a qualified timekeeper, officiating at club and open events and have organized open events. I am also the South West District Treasurer for Cycling Time Trials.
Having been advised by a Senior National Coach during my running career, I know the benefits of professional coaching. It had always been my intention to give something back to sport, when I finished competing. However, having completed a 22 year Navy career in 2006, an opportunity presented itself. I began training as a coach at the beginning of 2005 and qualified as a Grade 3 Coach, with the Association of British Cycling Coaches in March 2006: since when I have been coaching on a voluntary basis, coaching riders to race wins and personal bests. Since June 2008 I have been a full-time self-employed coach. I have had an article published in Cycle Coaching. I was one of the guest speakers at Pedal Power 2008, the ABCC annual conference.
Outside of cycling I have an interest in classic cars, having restored several and run them all as every day transport. In addition, having retired from playing cricket in 2007, I am currently the treasurer of my local village team, and enjoy watching the local matches. During my naval career I spent a lot of my spare time studying and gained a degree and post-graduate diploma in history.
My coaching is a fluid experience, I continue to learn and adapt my methods as I learn more. I see no end to the amount of knowledge a coach assimilate. The more I learn, the greater the knowledge base on which to map out the training plans of my riders. All of the experience I have gained during my competitive career is at the disposal of anyone I coach.
I now gain as much enjoyment from the performance of my riders, as I get from my own racing results.
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