SIMON BELDON
With a competitive cycling history spanning over 30 years, Simon has donned the jerseys of various teams, most recently with Team Bottrill. His impressive track record includes numerous individual event victories and representing the Great Britain Police teams in stage races across the UK, Belgium, France, and Holland.
Guided by the expertise of Matt Bottrill, Simon's performance saw a significant leap. He clinched around 40 race wins in just four seasons, ranging from Time trials and road races to Cyclo cross and track events. This transformation from consistent top 10 finishes to race victories is a testament to Matt's techniques, which Simon now passionately incorporates into his coaching methodology.
Simon holds a Level 3 coaching accreditation with the Association of British Cycling Coaches and a British Cycling accreditation. At the Brownlee Centre in Leeds, Simon has led the British cycling talent development session volunteering his skills for coach-driven racing activities and mentoring youth and junior riders to success in national/international events. He's also coached senior athletes to national championship victories in various disciplines, including track, time trials, road racing, and gravel.
Recently, Simon stepped into the role of Directeur Sportif for the junior UCI team, Fensham Howes-Mas Design. From the driver's seat of the team car, he's guided the team to notable victories in UCI events. Simon has coached riders from the youth ranks to World Tour and Continental Pro Team levels. His collaboration with British Cycling has seen him work with riders in their track program, from the junior academy to the senior level.
Simon's specialty lies in nurturing young talent, particularly those in the youth to under-23 bracket. His approach is data-driven; he can conduct lactate testing to determine training zones and utilises WKO5 extensively—a tool he's mastered over a decade—to deeply understand a rider's strengths, weaknesses, and physiology.
Beyond coaching, Simon has a rich professional background. He served as a Police officer for 32 years, dedicated to major crime investigations as a Senior Detective. Now retired from the force, Simon is fully committed to coaching and is pursuing academic accreditation in sports science.
After all, understanding the constraints of time, especially in large organisations and for those with family commitments, Simon has a unique ability to extract the best from individuals in these situations.