13th January 2011

The Worker’s Champion

No, it’s not 1960 Russian propaganda, just my observation about the new elite men’s national cyclo-cross champion. Just under a year ago, soon after his silver medal in the 2010 national ’cross championships, I did a Cycling Weekly ride story with Paul Oldham.

It was on his favourite route around Pendle Hill in Lancashire, and one that forms the core of his training. He works full time, riding seven miles each day to his job with Hope Technology. He clocks on early, so three days a week he can get out before it’s too dark in the winter and rides these roads. Two hours, no frills, just riding hard, because that’s what he does.

But it was enough for him to harbour an ambition, although it was one that involved him beating full-time pros. “I’m 30 now and with the time I’ve got to train, and I know where my ability stretches to, my realistic ambition is to win the cyclo-cross nationals. That’s something I believe I can do, and it’s what I’ll train for this year,” he told me.

And that’s exactly what he’s done. Training in his shed when it was too icy to go out, doing his ride around Pendle Hill whenever possible, Oldham won the national in Derby. And with it the right to go up against the best in the world championships later this month. Belgium’s Sven Nys might be the best ‘cross racer in the world, but he knows bugger all about machining hubs.