Paul is our normal supervisor right here at Merlin in addition to a member of The Merlin Cycles Rivington Brewing Co. Racing Group. On the weekend, his end result from the UCI Gravel World Sequence spherical at The Gralloch, Scotland put him right into a qualifying place prepared for the world championships within the Netherlands this October. However what’s actually behind his love for using? We sat down with him to search out out.
What bought you into using?
I used to be drawn to the liberty biking gave me — the flexibility to simply head out and discover. My dad additionally had an previous race bike hanging within the storage that I used to admire. I wasn’t sufficiently big to trip it on the time, however it undoubtedly sparked one thing.
Favorite bike you’ve had?
Positively my first correct racing bike. I keep in mind each element: it was a blue Reynolds 531c body, full Campagnolo Mirage groupset, and Mavic CXP33 rims. I completely beloved that bike — I rode hundreds of miles on it and it actually cemented my ardour for the game.
Dream place to trip?
Belgium, unquestionably. The quick, punchy climbs go well with my using fashion completely, and the post-ride beer choices aren’t dangerous both!
What’s the hardest trip you’ve been on?
That might be the UCI Gravel Race in Turnhout earlier this 12 months. I went in barely underprepared, pondering the flat terrain would make it simpler — I couldn’t have been extra incorrect. It turned out to be brutally onerous however an incredible expertise all the identical.
Your largest achievement on the bike?
One among my proudest moments was putting third within the North West Junior Highway Race Championships over 20 years in the past. I shared the rostrum with none apart from Mark Cavendish and future WorldTour rider Matt Brammeier — a reasonably particular reminiscence!
To seek out out extra about our workers riders right here at Merlin, observe our ‘Get to Know Merlin’s Workers’ weblog sequence.
