Getting into professional cycling

Kiddy Dan

So, I am 16 and I really want to get into professional cycling but I really don't have a clue where the best place to start is :S I recently put together my first road bike (bought all of the bits individually) with YouTube videos to help me. My reasons for wanting so badly to go into professional cycling stem from three people; my dad, a very adventurous man that has always encouraged me to go into something which I would find fun instead of bean counting in an office somewhere and two of my uncles, one of which passed away recently as a result of a road traffic accident whilst out on a ride with his club, and the other who lives in Switzerland, he is a very very keen cyclist, during the summer I went out to do some cycling with him and got really into it, I found my first mountain climb very challenging but the feeling that I got when I reached the summit was amazing, one of the best feelings ever!!! Anyway I had not thought of it before but why not turn my passion for cycling into a career, I know it would take a lot of hard work but I am determined enough to do it. That is where my problem lies, I have a vague idea of how I would do it (just go out and race) but how do I get into races! please help!!! Based in Oxford if that helps one last thing, I'm already prepped for abuse

aidso

First thing I would do is check for Cycling Clubs in your home town. Check their results and which ever has the best or most consistent bunch of riders, join them.
Next train, train, train and start winning some club races, league races and work your way up. You'll soon start to get noticed and that's where the opportunities should arrive.

Sponsorship would be a bonus but remember its not just about winning but how you conduct yourself. Professional teams aren't going to want some brat who is either a sore loser or a worse winner. And most of all enjoy it!

Pross

1. Join a club (not essential but definately helps especially getting group riding experience).
2. Take out a BC membership and junior racing licence next season and enter some local races.
3. Train hard!
4. Keep racing and if you get some success locally start riding in the National junior series.
5. If your results are good enough you will get noticed and picked up by either the regional BC development people or a sponsored team.
6. Keep at your school work - chances are that you will never make a living out of cycling, even a lot of the British based 'professionals' don't make much out of the sport.

Whilst you are still fairly young you will find yourself competing against people who have 5 or 6 years of racing experience. You will have to be exceptional to catch the eye enough to ever make it as a pro. Not trying to burst your dream (we've all been there) but once you have tried out racing for the first time you will realise what a challenge it is.

There's a lad on here who rides on the GB junior squad who can give you a lot of information on how hard you have to work to ride at that level.

Kiddy Dan

Thanks for your information it's very helpful, do you know his radar name? I'd like to get in contact with him

dawebbo

You've missed the auditions, so you'll have to wait till next year.

Your background sob story alone won't be sufficient. You need to learn how to cry on demand and say "this means everything to me", then hope that Louis Walsh is the mentor for your category.

markos1963

As the others have said but just to add don't limit yourself to just road racing, have a go at TT, track and cycle cross because you never know one of those disciplines might suit you more than others. Good luck, you'll need it.

Mark Bom

Go for it young fella, if you have the determination, dedication, perseverance, talent and luck you will succeed.

Best of luck, you will need it, but give it your best shot and have no regrets!

danowat

Get out there and race, TT's, crits, road races etc, whatever you can, train hard, if you do well enough, you will get noticed.

The ball is in your court fella, but if you do get picked up by BC, they'll work you like a dog!!!.

Chip \'oyler

Be prepared to suffer.

A lot.

hammerite

At a track session I had at Manchester velodrome with my club (just a friendly club taster session) one of the coaches there said to one of our younger riders, "if you want to get recognised, and be taken seriously get racing on the track more often".

He wasn't talking about Manchester, but any of the velodromes in the country.

Probably your closest is Palmer Park at Reading if you can get there.

Definitely agree with Danowat saying not to limit yourself, give all the disciplines a go.

ride_whenever

If you're in oxford it's probably worth going and talking to zappi. But essentially you need to be very very fast and exceptional in some way.

Stiff_Orange

Sorry to sound negative but are you for real?

You've just got a bike and want to to be a professional cyclist? Team Sky don't just put a advert in the Job Center Window, they want proven talent.

Starting at 16 you've probably missed the boat. The best thing you could do is to get a job in a local bike shop, train, train,train and then get into their shop or a club team. Then win some events, if you become an elite rider somebody may pay for you to ride for them, but don't count on it. There ar probably not more than 1000-2000 riders in the world who get paid to race for a living, so good luck

mroli

It will be very hard for you. There aren't too many sportsmen in any walk of life that can just pick up a sport at 16 and then progress to competing at a professional level.

That isn't to say that it can't be done, just that it will be hard.

As a poster above said, Zappi's is probably your first bet: http://flaviozappi.com/

You need to get to a club, get out on some rides, have some good riders look at you and see if they think you've got the ingredients and then you can think about coaching.

Good luck.

Kiddy Dan

ahh yes looking through my post i have realised that I forgot to mention I have been cycling on road bikes since my fourteenth birthday but the one that I made was just my first project, the rest have been bought. The trip to Switzerland with my bike was just the final like push to make me think about road racing professionally. sorry for that

richard_l

Are you classified as Youth A?

Youth A - Under 16 - From 1 January in year of 15th
Birthday until 31 December in year of 16th birthday.

If so, then one option to start in some racing would be to try the Go-Ride racing on 13th, 20th, and 27th October promoted by the Willesden CC at the Hillingdon cycle circuit - look on British Cycling website for the info under Events.... These are targeted at newcomer riders in the under 16 categories, and offer a great introduction to bunched racing.

ride_whenever

It's almost entirely down to genetics at the end of the day, everyone in professional sport as opposed to professional games is a genetic freak of some description.

jgsi

You need to getting into youth racing ASAP!! if not sooner... and start winning
Cycle cross... this time of year..

inspiration required..? Google Owain Doull

Pseudonym

Richard L wrote:

Are you classified as Youth A?

Youth A - Under 16 - From 1 January in year of 15th
Birthday until 31 December in year of 16th birthday.

I could be wrong, but I think that only applies if you already hold a Youth A licence as a 15 year old. I don't think you can take out a 'new' U16 licence if you are already over 16.

He will probably have to go straight to 4th cat junior....

kamil1891

Does anyone know how to get into cycling on the Manchester velodrome track? I live not far from it and I'm very, very interested (age almost 20 if there are any categories etc)

Pross

Kiddy Dan wrote:

Thanks for your information it's very helpful, do you know his radar name? I'd like to get in contact with him

Mentalalex, his Cyclocross Racing Post thread should be just below.

Pross

kamil1891 wrote:

Does anyone know how to get into cycling on the Manchester velodrome track? I live not far from it and I'm very, very interested (age almost 20 if there are any categories etc)

Contact them to get a place on a beginners session / taster. You will have to do an accreditation before you can race as well to make sure you are safe.

mentalalex

Cheers Pross,

Pm sent.

seems like GB has cut all funding for the GB dev junior squad so as far as im aware it doesn't exist, only get to world-cups from selection from nat trophy results and still not sure on whats happening with that tbh.

A

richard_l

Pseudonym wrote:

Richard L wrote:

Are you classified as Youth A?

Youth A - Under 16 - From 1 January in year of 15th
Birthday until 31 December in year of 16th birthday.

I could be wrong, but I think that only applies if you already hold a Youth A licence as a 15 year old. I don't think you can take out a 'new' U16 licence if you are already over 16.

He will probably have to go straight to 4th cat junior....

The events I've highlighted are Go-Ride racing events - these would be great events for Kiddy Dan to go to at this time of year.There is a separate set of rules for Go-Ride racing. An extract is a follows :


Competitor Eligibility

• Go-Ride Racing is Youth entry level racing and British Cycling racing licences are NOT required at this level.

• Events are only open to Youth novice riders and entries are taken at the discretion of the event organiser.

• Youth classification: See ‘Youth Age Categories’.

FransJacques

Good luck with your aspirations, don't give up and keep trying. Best thing you can do is start racing often. If you read the autobiagraphies of Lemond, Armstrong, Fignon, Hinault or Chavendish the most common thread is these dudes were winning races against guys 10 years older - like the famous story of Lemond, at 16 or 17, staying on Geroge Mount's wheel up a mtn in Northern California or Nevada or somewhere. Mount was 27/28 at the time and US pro who'd raced in Europe.

Race results get you noticed and help you understand what it is to win. Fignon writes well about winning and his clarity of thought in races of when it was time to attack his fellow competitors.

Do you have any indication of how good you are so far? When you climbed that hill in CH, did you beat your dad by 30 mins or did you come huffing and puffing after him?

Pretend you're being interviewed by Bjarne Riis or Sky and give us your best sales pitch!

Tom Dean

FransJacques wrote:

Do you have any indication of how good you are so far? When you climbed that hill in CH, did you beat your dad by 30 mins or did you come huffing and puffing after him?

Pretend you're being interviewed by Bjarne Riis or Sky and give us your best sales pitch!

Please do not respond to this

Kona21

Realistically you have to be picked up by team at about your age, 16. A junior specialist team like Glendene. You get noticed and picked up by racing well, so get racing ASAP.

Also as someone has said you have to be natural at it, its all genetics, at pro level you either have it or you dont. Look at the riders in the top British teams, Dowings etc.. Chances are they are as fit as they will ever be, they train as much as possible but due to genetics they may never be good enough to to make it as a full on pro on the continent. (they are still amazing riders)

Get racing and see how you get on....

Going forward a few years you need to be honest with yourself and say 'will i make it?'. Dont throw your life away, mess up school etc... all for cycling. It will be obvious within a few years if you stand a chance or not.

Pete

Pross

I'm not sure that someone has to already be established by 16. Julian Winn was a fairly average junior (although he was a GB international MTBer and a top CX racer). He was quite a surprise winner of the Welsh Champs at about 20 while still a 3rd cat and yet went on to be a top domestic based pro, national champion and eventually rode the Giro. I think it is possible for a rider with the natural ability and work ethic to make it as a late starter. In fact, it may be a help as my club has had several national juvenile / junior champions over the last 20 odd years who all gave the sport up in their late teens / early 20s.

Kona21

'although he was a GB international MTBer and a top CX racer' I would class that as established.

If you start racing at 16, (assuming you have not done the training that goes with racing) your looking at 2-3 years till you may be at your peak, develop the muscles and fitness etc..

Its like any sport, the younger you start the better chance you have, motorsport, football, tennis etc..I can guarantee 90% started at an early age. unless your a superior natural.

The fact you have not been drawn towards racing before the age of 16 is a little worrying also.

This is all my opinion and i would love you to prove me wrong by making it as a pro. Good luck

mentalalex

i started racing at 16 on on pretty good tracks to getting there, so it can be done, i know someone who started at 17 and is now a pro, uk domestic team, so it can be done.

starting younger is not always the best way, in some sports it may be the case, but from what i've seen it's not, i know a large number of people who have been doing since they could get on a bike and gave it up, they got bored and other reasons cars, girls booze your normal lot tbh.

starting a bit later i personally think it's better to start later, as your more hungry for it that if you had been doing it since you were 8, not saying it can't be done early i just don't think it;s a definite one or the other.

just my opinion

ozzzyosborn206

in my club we have one guy who now rides for motorpoint, when he was a junior he wasn't anything special, moved to belgium raced for a couple of years won a kermesse in his 2nd season out there, and is now being paid to ride his bike. We have another rider who i think was 15/16 when he started racing and has just signed with the sojasun espoir team for next year. Go for it, start racing chances are you will know alot more about yourself and your chances within a year

Tom Butcher

Apparently Contador started cycling at 14 and racing at 15 - he's not done too bad for himself.

Agree the chances of making it are tiny but there's one way to guarantee not making it and that is not to try. It's a good hobby anyway if you don't.