BMCR Feature: Patrick Schils

His dad was a pro, Patrick was a pro, his son is an Elite Level rider, he promotes races, has his own team and cycle brand. The name Schils will be familiar to European cycling aficionados of a certain era for sure!

BMCR FEATURE: PATRICK SCHILS (former Belgian pro, BMCR racer and race promoter) 🚴‍♂️ (from the BMCR Facebook page, well done Toks Adesanya). So Patrick where do we start! Your dad was a pro, you were a pro, your son is an Elite Level rider. You promote races, have your own team and cycle brand. The name Schils will be familiar to European cycling aficionados of a certain era for sure!

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Q: Tell us your age first and a bit about your background
Patrick: I’m 66 years old – category F rider ! I always had a passion for the sport. My father was a world class rider and best friends with Fausto Coppi, he came first across the line in 110 Pro races including Belgium Championships, Paris Tours…

Eddy Merckx told me that he was the reason that he got into cycling. Eddy’s father was a big supporter of my father and dragged little Eddy to watch my father race. Eddy’s first year as a Pro was my father’s last and my father give him a lead out for the sprint to win his first Pro race. Between both, they won every major race in the world because the few Merckx didn’t win, my father won (one of them Paris Tours)

I started racing at 15, organised the National Roller Championships at 16 (in front of a 1000 sell out crowd) with the proceeds I organised the following year a 3-day International Stage race for Juniors…

I won the Gold Olympia Pedal, a trophy for Belgium’s best rider twice and my ambition was to try to become a decent Pro. In those day’s, you could only start racing at 15 and become Professional at 22. In my final year, I won 23 times, 58 top 5 finishes including a Classic, stage victory and points jerseys against the then unbeatable Eastern block in Austria. I had various offers to turn Pro and signed for Marc-Superia (the current Quickstep team) Patrick Lefevre became manager halfway into the year and still is.

Unfortunately, I became very unwell but despite that I found my legs back and mainly racing as a domestique I managed to have quite a few podium places and was looking forward to a strong following year with Marc-Superia for which I had another year’s contract.

Things changed when a well known manager approached me and offered me a place as a protected rider in Boule d’or, a new team with Roger de Vlaeminck and Alfons de Wolf. He would buy my contract from Marc-Superia. I agreed and signed a new 2 year deal. End of November I got a phone call from the manager to let me know that a Spanish team was interested to have me in the Team as one of 3 protected riders. I agreed and 2 months later I was racing the Tour of Mallorca where in the last stage, in a break of 3, Roger de Vlaeminck made me crash whilst overtaking him for the win.

Result: apart from the positive, still winning the KOM and the reward of the most aggressive rider in the Tour, the negative: broken diss, pubic bone… I had to rehabilitate for 18months and to cut a long story short eventually my legs were coming back; I was getting in the mix again had a few podium places and then I got knocked off my bike by a car whilst in the winning break a few kilo meters from the finish. I didn’t fancy another long rehab, moved to England, started a business supplying the bike trade, doubled my weight…

Q: How did you handle not racing anymore?
Patrick: Initially it was quite hard to watch races, riders I used to beat most of the time were winning World Championships, Flanders and other races and naturally it’s only human you think there would have been a small chance you could have done something similar (ha-ha)

Q: So you didn’t do any sport what so ever for around ten years – what eventually got you back on the bike?
Patrick: I went to watch some friends race at “Eastway” and wondered if I would turn up and could last a lap? I started to cycle on my old steel bike with toe clips and down tube shifter from Chingford (home) to Walthamstow (work) in normal clothes I think it was 4km each way, the 2nd week I made a bit of a detour and got myself some shoes and clothes.

The following week I got a BC licence, lasted 10 laps, somehow 6 weeks later I won a race and didn’t touch my bike for 6 years. I repeated that a few times over the following 20 years.

Q: Later you decided to run a cycling team – more than one I believe?
Patrick: Yes – my passion for the sport always remained, I convinced some of my suppliers for support and i ran a couple of small Pro Teams, co sponsored the Raleigh, Ever Ready, Banana teams, supported the Letchworth club, Victoria CC, Magna Sport etc.

It gives me satisfaction even if we only played a small part, that many of the youngsters we introduced to what real cycle races are about in Belgium, Holland and France went on winning medals in the Olympics, World, National Championships and became top Pro riders.

We organised multiple road races, an International Youth Stage race, the Jef Schils Memorial in memory of my father a race that uses 3 different circuits with a clockwise finish, tannoy, barbecue, finishes outside a pub. We used to run it as a National A until it clashed with the Tour of Britain since then it became a National B.

I must say that it really frustrates me that British Cycling seems to make it harder and harder to organise anything, last year we couldn’t put the event on because they didn’t have any officials, this year we had the same problem, and it doesn’t look very likely to happen next year either.

We used to get 80/90 helpers together and believe me this is not easy, and they are unable to provide a few officials. Unfortunately their lack of passion for the roots of the sports, know how or willingness seems to come across to the grassroots hardcore who love the sport and eventually will demotivate them, you start to think why bother.

Some of their risk assessments and requirements even on closed circuits don’t make much sense and makes it harder in certain regions to put BMCR races on.

#Hmm…in the UK we increasingly find ourselves racing more and more on purpose built race circuits these days which is a shame!
Indeed , it’s good we have them, but they are a different discipline. I feel sorry for 1st and Elite Road riders I believe in our region (Eastern). We had three National B’s on the calendar of which 1 got cancelled and in the other 2, the races got stopped a few times.

As far I am aware we are the only country in Europe with a point system. The problem is you get as many points for winning a Tour de France stage as for winning a 1hr race at Hog Hill with 12 riders, you get points for the grass track but not for winning Elite MTB races?

The only country with categories I know is France where the rider picks his own cat and when he is to good, he moves up to the next one. In Belgium you are Elite in the year of your 19th birthday or you can ride the Amateur races (BMCR/TLI) were the races are such as fast but shorter, no one worries about categories they race to race.

The culture shock between cycling in the UK and Belgium was and is still quite difficult to accept. It made me admire more the dedication of riders, organisers, helpers who get out of bed very early in the morning to race to first get a bollocking from the BC commisaire and then race in front of a handful people, hoping the race doesn’t get stopped. At least BMCR road races are in comparison a lot more enjoyable.

Whilst I was racing in Belgium you had loads of people coming to the races to support you. The races are in the afternoon so more spectators and locals can come and see the event.

The law is that when the lead car with the red flag, usually playing Belgapop (this is so the people having a beer in the Café can hear the race coming) when it approaches all traffic got to move aside and come to a standstill, once the car with the green flag comes past traffic can move on again, all marshals can stop or direct traffic.

#Really appreciate your honesty and passion Patrick- I got a few short answer questions for you – if thats ok?

Q: How often do you try to get out an ride your bike?
Patrick: I try to ride 7 times (at present I try to cycle 3 4 times not much free time & recovering from injuries)

Q: Whats your Winter training Regime?
Patrick: Long hours on the Cyclo Cross bike and Saturday or Sunday clubrun. (Not happening at present)

Q: Do you diet?
Patrick: No but I try to eat reasonably healthy

Q: Favourite race circuit?
Patrick: St Kwintens Lennik

Q: You’ve been a pro and raced at the highest level so its amazing to an average 3rd cat like myself that your still racing. Why?
Patrick: For the atmosphere and to be motivated to make time to go out for a couple of hours during the week to get around and keep some sort of basic fitness in the hope I can pretend to be a Pro again sometime in the future 😎.

Q: Favourite BMCR events?
Patrick: Any of the lumpy road races

Q Do you train specifically or just go for rides.
Patrick: Not fit enough to train so go for a ride, and use the race for training.

Q: Describe yourself in one word as a Road Racer?
Patrick: All- Rounder

Q: Do you do zwift?
Patrick: Very sporadically

Q: Favourite place to ride?
Patrick: Pajottenland, Belgium Ardennes.

Q: Favourite race?
Patrick: St. Kwintens Lennik

Q: Favourite sport at school?
Patrick: Football

Q: Which do you use powermeter, HRM or perceived exertion?
Patrick: RPE

Q: Do you know your FTP?
Patrick: No

Q: Who originally inspired you to race?
Patrick: Andre Petitjean

Q: Are there any BMCR riders that inspire you?
Patrick: All of those that still enjoy racing.

Q: Did you ever have Favourite Pro rider and race?
Patrick: Roger de Vlaeminck, who ironically caused the crash that ended my career.

Q: Whats you favourite pro race?
Patrick: Ronde van Vlaanderen 😎

Q: What was your first bike?
Patrick: Schils Slx

Q: Do you Prefer solo or group rides.
Patrick: Group

Q: Breakaway or bunch kick?
Patrick: Breakaway

Q: Gels or food ?
Patrick: When I used to race, gels did not exist, BMCR races are too short to need either

Q: Clinchers or tubs?
Patrick: Riding on clinchers, racing on tubs

#Thanks for sharing so much Patrick – I’m sure it will be well appreciated 👍👍

Q: Finally, what “race tips” do you have for newbie racers in particular?!
* Do not sit at the front of the bunch towing everyone along thinking you are having a good race but try to create a breakaway.
* If you have not got the legs do not sit near the front interfering with those that want to work together but sit a bit further back.
* When you jump across for example to a lone rider don’t go and sit straight in his wheel but tap gently through to keep the momentum going.

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