Tenth in the Perfs may not be a result to shout about but being chased down by Magnus Backstedt (UK Youth) is and that is what happened to Doug Dewey when he attacked on the climb to the finish. All or nothing may have been the motto.
Doug was 4th in the British Pursuit Championship last year and won the Under 23 Time Trial Title. He is coached by Jon Sharples at Trainsharp and Jon explained recently that the power Doug can produce now at the start of the season is higher than it was at the end of the last one. No surprise then Doug broke a course record the weekend before the Perfs.
![]() |
Doug (left) with  Conall Yates both riding for InGear/TrainSharp and coached by Jon at Trainsharp.
Doug was one of the riders who helped break up the domination by Team UK Youth at the Perfs Pedal, seen on or near the front each time he passed the finish area and says the winter has gone well. “The training has been harder than I am used to but I am feeling good for it now.â€
“I feel better on the bike this year and I have the numbers to back it up which is reassuring when no-one really knows how they are going at this time of the year.†His first race of 2012 didn’t go so well, the Madison Championships at Manchester Velodrome which he says was down to inexperience and technically he wasn’t really up to it. I’d done a few sessions on the track and thought it would be okay but it wasn’t!â€
Doug then went out and broke the record for the South Downs Bikes Time Trial last weekend, breaking a record by top time trialist Wouter Sybrandy (IG-Sigma Sport). “It was nice to break a course record and he (Wouter) was really good about it” says Doug. “The ride didn’t feel any different to normal, it was just as painful but I was going faster.â€
Doug explains that he trains using power cranks and that has proved to be valuable. “I am used to what the effort feels like now in training” he says.
Doug heads over to Belgium a week on Wednesday (riding for Terra Footwear Bicycle Line) and there’s no hanging about with races on the programme. “I think the races we go straight into are 180k so I have put the hours in over the winter and am now working on race speed.”
Doug isn’t intending on coming back to Britain much during the season, the National Champs he says and may be another Premier around the same time. “I want to give it a good go in Belgium and see if I can get the results I want.â€
Good luck to Doug in Belgium.
Other Reports on VeloUK
- Crit Result: Loughborough Cycling Festival
- Features, Reports, Results
- Crit Result: CCA Spring into Summer Crits 6
- Crit Races: The Cycling Academy Crits
- Crit Result: Goodwood Summer Series #5
- Crit Result: Holt Racing Crit series 5
- Crit Result: CDPP Sport Crit Series 7
- TT Result: Exeter Wheelers 10m TT
- Crit Result: King&Queen of the Bowl Series 7
- RR Result: SSSCCRRL (June 1)
- Crit Result: Santini Bovingdon Bomber Criterium Series 3
- Crit Result: Harvey Hadden Crit Series 1
- Crit Result: Rowe & King ‘Maindy Classics’ #8
- Crit Result: Crystal Palace Crits 5
- Crit Result: Full Gas Summer Series #5
- Startlist: 3rd Owen Blower Memorial RR
- RR Result: Northboats Road Race
- Crit Result: Litherland Circuit League 5
- Crit Result: West Thames Circuit Race League 7
- Crit Result: BMCR Hare and Hounds Race
- RR Result: BMCR 60 Plus Road Race Champs
- TT Result: East Bradford CC 15m TT
- TT Result: FTP Racing 25m TT
- Crit Result: Tameside Circuit Race Series (6 & 7)
- Crit Result: Solihull CC No Frills 4
- TT Result: Bynea CC 10m TT
- Crit Result: Salt Ayre Tuesday Series 7
- TT Result: Richmond CC 23.5m TT
- TT Result: ECCA 50m Time Trial
- TT Result: North Hampshire RC 10m TT
- TT Result: Icknield RC 10m TT
- TT Result: Southborough & District Wheelers 10m TT