Rider Chat – Kieron Davies

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Bronze for Kieron Davies (Drag2Zero) in the National 25 shows the new guard coming through to challenge the established names in time trialing

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Rider Chat – Kieron Davies

As the years pass by all too quickly, established champions move on and new champions are born. At the 25 champs at the weekend, we saw new names challenging the ‘establishment’ such as Matt Bottrill, Matt Clinton, and Adam Topham to name but three champions over the years.

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One such new name is Kieron Davies (right of photo above) from South Wales who in a recent event covered 25 miles in 46.53 and at the 25 champs was on the podium with another new champion, Ryan Perry (Langdale Lightweights) and the legend, Matt Bottrill (Drag2Zero).

Former rugby player Kieron, is as I see on VeloUK, a name regularly winning time trials and has competed well with the likes of NFTO Pro Edmund Bradbury (silver in the British Time Trial Championships) and Under 23 time trial champion Scott Davies (GB Academy), who he has trained with.

Speaking to Kieron after he was on the podium at the 25 championships in Marlow, he admits it was a massive shock to be on the podium with the likes of Bottrill and a reality check too. “I have a lot of people supporting me with Bob Tobin and Simon Smart with cyclepowermeters and drag2zero and they have always had the belief that I can ride with these sorts of people”.

Kieron, just 12 seconds shy of Matt Bottrill in the 25 champs, added “I never believed it myself so today was a nice reality check to see I can compete with them. I am really really pleased and very happy to be on the podium”.

Kieron told VeloUK how he’d ridden the course the week before to prepare for the championship. “Although it looked quite flat on the profile, it was quite a sporting course and I was worried that too big a chain ring would be too much going up the hills. So I used a 55 where I could have a good cadence going up the hills which seemed to work and then recover on the downhills”.

As well as the Bronze medal in the individual event, Kieron was also part of a record breaking Drag2Zero team winning the Gold. Explaining how he became part of the squad, he says “I went to the Drag2Zero wind tunnel and after that I was invited onto the team. I have always had great admiration for all the riders in that team and the rides they put in so just to be part of it is a real honour”.

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The thing about time trials week in week out, is that the riders at the top of the sport don’t meet that much in races and simply go about winning events in their regions. Asked how he treats the races outside of the championships, Kieron explained “I always treat each race as it comes and never worry too much about the times.”

“It’s always about the effort and performance and as long as I finish the race and have got the effort all out, that’s what matters. There is nothing worse than finishing a race and still having something left. It’s about emptying it and enjoying it.”

Like Matt Bottrill, who for many years had to share training and racing with a full time job at the post office and now has his own coaching business to run, Kieron is also working full time. “I have a full time teaching post so in regards to the number of hours I can train a week, time trialling is perfect because it allows me to be competitive as well as hold down a full time job. It’s a great sport for that”.

[pullquote]“I never believed it myself so today was a nice reality check to see I can compete with them. I am really really pleased and very happy to be on the podium”.[/pullquote]

“Bob (Tobin) normally plans anywhere between eight to ten hours a week and I’m fortunate that n we have the half term holidays and summer holidays where I can fit in more although it depends on what Bob sets me to do. Never more than eleven though”.

Asked how he came to be in time trialing, Kieron replies “I used to play Rugby when I was a teenager and I had signed a professional contract when I badly injured my knee, dislocating all my ligaments. I was sixteen and half stone playing Rugby and wanted to get fit again so went onto the bike and when I realized I could not get back to the standard I wanted to play at, I got addicted and enjoyed cycling”.

“My best mate got me to do a sportif ride and within 5 miles of struggling and looking at his back wheel, I started to get hooked on the sport”.

So, having shown he can ride with the best in time trialling in British racing, what are Kieron’s ambitions? “People like Hutchinson and Bottrill have been idols, especially Matt who has held down a full time job and competed, so just to be able to compete in National Championships and enjoy the sport, that’s the ultimate goal”.

“If I could ever replicate anything they have achieved, that would be a great a result for myself”.

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Kieron in full flight in the 25 champs - “Nick Brown managed to get hold of a Giant Avanti and Simon Smart provided a Enve front wheel and drag2zero skinsuit and it worked well. I had a 55 chain ring on the font with 23-11 at the back”.

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