It’s going to happen….. It’s been a long held dream for me to compete in the Race Across Italy (RAI) and something that I’ve thought of a lot over the last few years particularly since I starting doing 24 hour races. But that’s all I’ve done, I’ve thought about it but not gone any further with it……..until now. The events of the last twelve months have given me a reminder that none of us are here forever and we need to take the chances to do the things we want to do while we c

We spoke to Matt about working with Alan both on and off the bike! "I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great athletes and very motivated athletes in my time. But the longest standing one is Alan Muchinson. I can remember starting up my cycling coaching business back in 2014 and being contacted by Alan. He said he was looking for some duathlon coaching, specifically wanting to make some gains on the bike and could I help? After completing a duathlon in 2013 I knew how

Injury takes many forms, be it a strain, break, pull or just a minor niggle. However whatever it is, you need to listen to your body or to those that know better - especially if you’re the type to ignore your own voice of reason! I’m usually of the latter there for sure. I’m used to be injured with a history of throwing myself off cycles and motorcycles - get fixed, a bit of physio and crack on….. However this year has been a true practice what you preach journey from a cycli

I've been testing the Endura Aeroswitch helmet for just over a year now. It is great to see the helmet being an available product now. Endura and Drag2Zero launched their game-changing Endura D2Z Aero collection to the public developed by the Scottish cycle wear experts in cooperation with leading aerodynamicist Simon Smart of Drag2Zero at the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 wind tunnel in Brackley, Northamptonshire. I've been fortunate to have tested some of the best helmets out t

We’re busy, we’re all busy. It might be working a 70 hour week, it might be Kids and everything that comes with them or even both. We’re always convinced the fast riders are training more and that we can’t hope to compete. That’s just not the case, what it all comes down to is maximising the benefits from the time we do have. Before I go any further though it needs to be said that it’s all made so much easier with an understanding partner and family. The first thing you need

They say never work with children or animals, but coaching youth and junior riders is my greatest pleasure, seeing them grow and progress. How do I believe children should be ‘coached’, and how does this sometimes conflict with eager parents who’s impatience can mean they are looking for performance outcomes rather than long term development? Children progress at different rates, and their chronological age (by year of birth) can be a world away from their biological age and

After qualifying for GB at Tour Of Cambridgeshire last year I received an invite to have cycling coaching with Matt Bottrill Performance Coaching and responded and set up a meeting. I met Matt and Gareth who asked me my goals of which I had many and I was pleased to hear them say 'that’s a great start' as with no goals you have not as much motivation when you are training. I always like training as I feel I’m achieving something rather than riding for no reason and wasting va

This time of year it is always easy to over do your training, but going too hard too soon or doing too many miles without a real goal or plan can be really detrimental. Building your fitness while you're super motivated and eager to get back to fitness might seem like a great idea. But it is the time of year to assess your previous season and review where your strengths and weaknesses are, based around this you can establish what you aim to target in the next season. This is