LIVING THE DREAM
What if you could just jack in the nine to five tomorrow and head off into the sunset to make a career out of your love for cycling? We spoke to the men and women who’ve done just that to discover the perks and the pitfalls…
The people who have ditched their nine to five lives to turn their passion for cycling into a career.
“We’re not quite there, we’ve got some work to do before we can say we’re truly ‘living the dream,” says Chris McCombie.
“Oh, I don’t know, we’re living a pretty nice life already,” counters Rachel.
Chris and Rachel escaped the public sector in the UK for the French Pyrenees to follow their dream of running their own hospitality business for cyclists, Allonsy-Pyrenees.
“I was a teacher and Chris worked for the Ministry of Defence,” says Rachel. “We’d have big cycling holidays in France and realised we were living the rest of the year just to be here. So we thought why not make this our home.”
“We looked around for a couple of years trying to find the right place at the right price, then it all snowballed in May 2017,” explains Chris. “We found an established business in need of a new injection of impetus at Thuy in the Hautes-Pyrenees. It’s been quite an adventure already, we made some changes to the place, including a huge outdoor pizza oven we’ve just built. The French bureaucracy takes 10 times longer than in England, you have to ensure you have enough bookings and the hours are long, especially as we provide airport drop-off and pick-up, plus we do all the catering.”
“Chris does the supported rides too,” says Rachel. “But we spend a lot more quality time together whether it’s making meals, washing up or doing the admin and website stuff, we’re together a lot more. We can cater for up to 16 guests in three different gites. We’ve got a lot of outdoor space and a pool that’s useful for triathletes, plus our proximity to the Pyrenees means we may look at accommodating skiers over the winter in time, though there’s good cycling to be had here most of the year and routes to suit all standards of rider. When we’re in the pool at the end of the evening watching the sun go down over the mountains it feels like a dream.” aypholiday.co.uk
“I love building and repairing old vehicles in my spare time, especially bikes,” says Darron Coppin, who worked in the marketing and creative industry but admits he always preferred spending time tinkering with bikes. “Doing it for a living seemed like a perfect fit,” he continues. “The toughest
part of launching your own bike brand is finding your place in the market and making people aware of it. When budgets are limited it’s even harder, so it comes down to finding someone who shares the same passion for your brand and wants you to succeed. The perks are that myself and my colleague Mog [Andrew Mogford] get to build beautiful bikes on a daily basis. There’s no greater pleasure for me than building a bike for a customer that they will have for the rest of their lives. It’s not easy to break away and start afresh but stick to what you believe in and try not to follow trends. Build what you like – don’t build a race bike if you’re not a racer.” Senior tech editor Warren has Sven Cycles’ first e-bike, the Swift, on long-term test (p38) svencycles.com
“I hear that phrase a lot, ‘living the dream’, and it’s true that I love what I do and I get paid for it, but it is hard work, long hours with few days off,” reveals Barry Canty a former journalist from Cork, Ireland.
“But when the thing that earns me money is fun, I feel very privileged and lucky. I’m part owner of a bike tour company in Spain. We rent all kinds of bikes and organise tours all over Europe. There are three partners, six full-time staff and plenty more employed as guides in the high season. I went full-time doing this at the start of 2017 when I realised it was no longer possible to work full time as a cycling journalist as well as run a tour company.
“I tried for a few months but I always needed more hours in the day. As a result, I made more money but I rode the bike less, so I took the decision to go all in. We started out with a cold, cramped 20m2 premises but have just opened a 300m2 premises in the heart of Girona.
“I don’t get as much time as I’d like to indulge my passion for bikes – I haven’t ridden a bike in nine days and that’s the longest time off the bike in two years! But it’s an exciting time for us and there are more important things to do than ride.
“I’ve learned to always be nice to people no matter how tired you are and the value of patience, which is especially important in Spain.
“My advice is know the difference between passion and interest. Passion will get you out of bed at 6am after five hours sleep to support a group of clients who want to ride all day. Interest won’t. Also, have a business plan! We are always mindful of this so we stick to our plan and don’t say yes to a client until we know we are sure we can deliver.”
“I used to slog my guts out in the City, but quit that lifestyle a couple of years ago and ran off to the mountains to chase a dream,” says Andy Carr. That dream led him to the Alps where he established a handmade bike company, Spoon Cycles, and back to Brighton to the Orange Row Speed Shop.
“I’m the owner, mechanic and chief tea maker there. It’s a small workshop and bike fit studio in Brighton’s North Laines. It also serves as a workshop for the bespoke alpine road bikes. The toughest part of going it alone was the realisation that you’re on your own. It’s constant. Despite the wonderful support network I’m lucky to have, some stuff is just your problem, and there’s no getting around it.
WE’RE NOT HERE FOR LONG, AND YOU SPEND THE MAJORITY OF YOUR TIME WORKING, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL FILL THOSE DAYS WITH SOMETHING YOU TRULY LOVE DOING”
“But the highs far outweigh that, like the day I received the first amazing review of the IzoardRR bike. I was riding one that we’d created on the hill that gave it its name! Stopping to read the review was like an out of body experience. In the Alps my commute features a climb, the Col de Montgenèvre, which is lovely in the morning before the traffic starts. It’s 12km at an average nine per cent. It’s 30 minutes up and five down, so I try and kick the day off with that at often as possible. We’re not here for long, and you spend the majority of your time working, so you might as well (try to at least) fill those days with something you truly love doing.” spooncustoms.com, orangerowspeedshop.com