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I began BMX racing in 1988 when my parents took me and my younger brother to Bulwell in Nottingham for our first ever BMX
race which is something we had pestered them to do for a long time as we both enjoyed riding bikes from a young age. At the
time I never thought that this would be the first day of a journey that has lasted 20 years and I hope many more to come.
Through that Winter my dad trained me up and I made so many improvements in my riding and ability to go fast after doing
the hard work off the track. I didnt realise it but the simple methods we used for training were actually developing my strength
which is a huge benefit to have as a young BMX Rider. This strength also helps other areas of your racing such as power and
endurance. I have also always been extremely lucky to have lived near a track where I was able to ride with much more older
and advanced riders which pushed my limits, trying to stick with them when I was riding.
The 1989 season was amazing as I started to win the majority of races I competed in and had a good shot at the National
and British Championship double which was a great achievement considering it had only been 1 year experience I had at that
level. I managed to win both titles in close races between me and my main rival at the time and so planned to carry on and
keep making the progress I was making. I liked the feeling of doing well and liked the time I spent working towards it so
both married up really well.
For the next 6 years I managed to win both those titles a number of times while also starting racing Internationally from
1991 onwards. The first race was the European Championships where I was 2nd and then I travelled to Norway for the World Championships
where I once again finished 2nd behind the World Champ from the year before. Looking back these are 2 titles that I should
have won but I have now learnt that BMX isn't about who is the fastest overall, its about who is the fastest on the day and
unfortunately I wasnt that year.
I had similar results through until 1997 although I had a couple of years of the real teenage life, neglecting what had
always been a huge part of my life, the BMX Riding and Racing but it is a stage that most people will have to go through in
sport and then there is a path to choose. Luckily I chose to push on with the racing after some underpar results and seeing
a picture of myself out of shape. It really hit home to me seeing that picture I needed to turn things around and it kick
started a new hunger in me to progress and develop myself properly as a BMX Racer and kick on to new goals which would be
the harder International scene and racing Pro in the UK.
I turned pro at 16, making the final in my debut race in Coppull, finishing 6th in what was then what I consider to be
the hardest Pro Racing this country has ever had. I was so happy and it was weird picking up winnings instead of a trophy
at the end of the race day even though it was a whole £26.50! That year I ended 4th at the British Championships and was really
positive for the next few years ahead as I had also made 3 out of the 4 20" and cruiser world finals in the 96-97 seasons.
Training became alot more structured and I began doing strength and power work at the gym whilst also conditioning my body
in a number of different ways. Without the conditioning the body couldnt keep up with any of the extra loading of training
I began doing.
From 1998-2002 I was dogged with nothing but injuries although in between I had some good results, winning my first pro
title in the UK, finishing 3rd at the Worlds in 1999 and making a good impression at all the International races I was at.
Things could have been so much better though after I broke my collerbone badly in 1998 and then broke my femur in 2002. The
femur especially was hard to come back from and it wasnt even from racing BMX, it was from a crash on an MTB racing at the
Bike Show. That injury was as hard to get over mentally as it was physically as the memory of looking down and seeing your
leg totally mis-shaped is something that was hard to forget although looking back it was something that made me appreciate
things more and more determined to succeed at what I loved. BMX! In my time off I decided that this was the career I wanted
and would give everything I had to make it as a real Pro. I worked hard for the rest of that year and made a comeback quickly
winning the last National of the year and breaking down in tears after realising the huge barrier I had overcome to get back
to winning again on the National stage.
However, with finances a little tight and no sponsorship I had to get a job and ended up working at my local newspaper.
It was a job I enjoyed but with BMX ambitions burning heavily inside I would wake up at 6am to train with either sprints,
rollers, gym etc, go to work and then often ride at the track after I was finished at 5. It was hard but I found that I was
overcoming the injuries, making a few Elite European Finals and winning Nationals at home. The hard work was worth it.
My dream became a reality just 3 years ago when BMX was introduced as an Olympic Sport and will debut in Beijing 2008.
British Cycling, the governing body of cycling in the UK got fully behind the sport and athletes they saw as having the potential
of reaching the top 3 at the Olympics. I quit work and concentrated on racing in 2004 where I went unpaid for a year but had
inklings that British Cycling would be supporting riders from 2005 onwards. They did.
I had a number of different specialists behind me and began working with strength and power coaches, psychologists and
sports scientists to get every ounce out of my body I could. I also learnt in this time that rest was as much a part of training
than the actual training, which in my mid 20s was a little late but a good lesson to learn non-the-less. In my time with the
Great Britain Team I attained 2 World medals in Elite cruiser, a silver in 05 and a bronze in 07 whilst also just missing
out on the World 20"final in 06 after a big crash in the semi final. I came a long way in learning a lot there is to
learn about training and being an athlete, not just a BMX Pro. In this time I also attained further serious injuries and came
through a heart operation in 2006, but through all those difficult times the main focus was qualification for the Olympic
Games so I managed to push through it all and carry on aiming towards that goal.
Since my late teen years I have come to realise that I have never been the fastest or most powerful rider out there, its
something I accepted, but have tried to squeeze every part of the ability I have out of myself to reach the level I did as
BMX isnt always about who has the best gate or most power, its about who can put it all together on race day and sometimes
who even wants it the most when the legs are burning and you are heading to the finish line. Getting 100% out of yourself
is all you can ask for, so often what you put in off the track is what you get when you are on it and this is a philosophy
Ive always tried to keep with me in all aspects of life.
In 2008 all my focus was on the World Championships in China where a qualification place for the Olympics could be attained
by a good performance. This had been my only focus for almost a year and after racing well at the event I had achieved my
ultimate goal of Olympic qualification. However, uder UCI rules I didnt qualify a place for myself at the Olympics, it was
a place for the Nation and the governing body of the sport in this country had control over what happened with this Olympic
place. Subsequent Olympic trials were held by British Cycling but didnt go in my favour and the dream was over in July but
now with new aims and focuses in life I want to pass on the knowledge and experience I have gained over 20 years to other
riders who feel they can improve their abilities and results in this great sport of BMX. I also aim to give Young People who
have never experienced BMX Racing the chance to become involved and give them opportunities to take things further if thats
what they would like to do.
For someone to go from a local rider to an Olympic hopeful is a long road full of highs and lows but if you really want
to do it there is always a way. Even if the aim is to get round your local track a second faster, reach an A Final at Nationals
or become an International contender abroad, as with anything in life........
GO OUT AND MAKE IT HAPPEN. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, THERE IS NO SUCH WORD AS CANT.
If you want it
YOU CAN!!!!!!!!!
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