Training makeover

Former runner Dave seeks guidance on gaining an elite licence

irst-category racer and police officer Dave Mitchinson only started riding in 2016 after a hernia operation forced him to end his 25 years — including international appearances — as a distance runner.

Missing the buzz of competition, Mitchinson started racing on the bike, predominantly grass-track and crits, quickly moving up the ranks to the point where he’d now like to secure that highly coveted elite licence.

Olympian Jonny Bellis is on hand to help Mitchinson achieve his goals. CW: What do you most want to improve? I’d like to understand what I need to do in training to improve. At the moment, I literally ride around and attack a few Strava segments, commute to and from work, plus ride with friends to coffee shops, when I can. My hard training is pretty much incorporated into racing.

CW: What are your motivations? Self-improvement. Winning is nice, though rare, and the thought of competing against some of the best in Britain really motivates me. I’d love to do some premier crits, and would like to compete at the National Track Championships. I got a start in 2017, but having travelled to Manchester, woke on the morning with super-flu and had to withdraw and crawl home.

CW: What are the biggest barriers preventing you from training as well as you’d like? I think lack of knowledge is holding me back. I have no problems with motivation and can commit to riding twice a day most days. With a young daughter, I can’t really justify five- or sixhour rides at the weekend, but I’m lucky in that my daughter also rides grasstrack, so it’s something we have been able to go and do together. Sometimes my work can be unpredictable, but I have learnt to be adaptable, working on the basis that if I ride every day, I won’t get unfit. I’d like to try and be more specific and see what, if anything, I can achieve in cycling. I think turning 40 in 2018 is also a motivating factor.