BMCR Feature: Rob O’Connor Q&A

BMCR Feature: A Remarkable Season for Rob O’Connor (interview by Alan Vallance on the BMCR Facebook page)

BMCR Feature: A Remarkable Season for Rob O’Connor (interview by Alan Vallance on the BMCR Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/BMCR2020)

Alan writes: Recently, I had the pleasure of spending a few hours getting to know a little better an experienced yet remarkably modest bike racer, who has enjoyed an outstanding 2025 season, achieving numerous top results in F Category races. He attributes his success not to any secret formula, unless you count a diet of pig’s organs, (urgh!) but rather to sheer hard work, increased confidence, unwavering commitment, and a well-earned reward after each win.

His cycling journey began 43 years ago, when he took up the sport as a complete novice, simply in pursuit of improved fitness. Too many Yorkie bars had taken their toll! However, what started as a means to get into shape, quickly evolved into a lasting passion. Most recently, he has seen significant benefits from his training sessions at Derby Velodrome, which have helped elevate his performance to new heights. So, ladies and gentlemen, I invite you to grab a brew and settle back as we delve into a trilogy of the thoughts and experiences of Mr Rob O’Connor, a true stalwart of BMCR and the cycling world.
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Wow, what a 2025 season you’ve had! I make it 19 victories including overall wins in the two-day Echelon and three-day Abberleys stage races, National Champion titles in the Road Race, Criteriums (BMCR & BC) and on the Track; the Points race. You won all but one Stallard race, resulting in the overall title. Additionally, four second place finishes, four thirds and your lowest placing all year was fourth. Such a dominant season and whilst you were a marked man with a big target on your back in every race, it seems from the Facebook race reports that there was little others could do to prevent your remarkable run of success.
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Alan: The first obvious question is, what do you put this season’s success down to?
ROB: You can have all the training plans you like, but you have to find what suits you. Towards the end of last season, I won a couple of races, (BC Road Race Champs and the last Stallard), beating Steve Wilkinson, who had usually beaten me in the past and I thought – he is beatable, and by the way, everyone is beatable on the day, and that gave me the confidence that I could win races and from that I got the motivation, belief, ego, clear mind, focus and just wanting it. I thought well I’ve beaten them once, I can do it again and it becomes a nice habit.

Victor Campenaert recently said about suffering on the hills, it’s like putting your head in a bucket of water. You know you want to pull it out, but you know the riders next to you are not going to before you, so you keep on doing it and once you realise how much you can suffer, it’s amazing where you can go and go longer than others. Training wise, we will cover that later.
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ALAN: It seems with wins from April to September that you were able to maintain your top form throughout the season, how?
ROB: Nothing got in the way this year. Also, for the first time, I took two days off the bike a week, I wasn’t sitting on the settee, as I was working.
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ALAN: What races did you enjoy the most and least and why? Everyone was watching your every move, who did you watch?
ROB: I watch everyone, honestly, I never underestimate any rider. It’s all on the day. Abberleys is my favourite race. I’ve won the overall twice and was second once in my 40s, losing the jersey on the last day. I think I got a bit overconfident and to be honest, I rode like an idiot. A couple of my teammates worked me over and then just rode away! I learnt a lesson that day – you’re always learning.

The time trial champs were the least favourite. My, I suffered that day! Looking at the photos after, I wasn’t very aero at all and the winner Eammon Deane said to me after – “You don’t ride many time trials do you?” I said “no!” I was second, but he beat by a couple of minutes, fair play to him, he did a good ride that day. I look for him in road races now, cos I know he’s going to ride with me. Strong guy. I’ve never won the time trial champs and hope one day to do this. Hopefully, starting to ride the team pursuit on the track will help me.
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ALAN: You probably won’t want to answer this one, but what’s the best way to beat you?
ROB: As I said earlier, everyone is beatable, it’s purely on the day and if you’re feeling good, keep the momentum going and give it a go.
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ALAN: Just to rewind, tell me about Rob O’Connor the person, when and where were you born, who your parents are, where you were brought up and live now, your job, your family, your partner, what do you like doing outside of cycling?
ROB: I was born in Wolston, a village between Coventry and Rugby, in February 1958. My dad was Jack O’Connor, he wasn’t into cycling, well not until I took it up in 1982, but he was into (Go) Kart racing and was Warwickshire and Midlands Champion at one time. He drove against Nigel Mansell then. Dad bought me a kart, but I didn’t like the cut and thrust of the racing as a 12 year old. He had a transport business, lorries and all that, and I was lorry driving for him. Doing loads of hours and I was really unfit and wanted to do something about it. (See next question.)

My Mum was Elizabeth (called Ena) and both of them were massive supporters of mine and went everywhere with me to all my races. I’ve done a lot of lorry driving in the past, even owned a cycle shop with Martin Eadon for two years, but for the last four years have worked part time as a Yard Sales Assistant for Travis Perkins, Builders Merchants. For the last three years, I’ve lived on my own in a flat in Leamington Hastings, a small hamlet, seven miles away from Rugby, where my partner of 20 odd years; Claire Huxford lives. Claire always supports me at my races. You get what it says on the tin with Claire!! Away from cycling, we both like walking together in the countryside. Draycote is a favourite.
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ALAN: How long have you been cycling, what first sparked your interest, what disciplines have you raced in? Have you had many seasons off since you started racing?
ROB: I couldn’t do team sports as I never knew what time I was going to finish work, then one day, I heard them talking about the Milk Race on the radio. I thought that sounds good and something I could do. So, I got an old bike out of the shed, took it down to the local bike shop and I must have paid about four times what it was worth to get it put back together.

When I went out on it, I came across a race, it was actually the Coventry Divisional Road Race, although I didn’t know that at the time, and an Irish guy came up to me asking what the race was and who was winning? I said I had no idea about cycling, but we got talking and he encouraged me to go along to his club: Rugby Velo, which I reluctantly did at first, so that was my first club. I was so unfit and on rides, Martin Eadon’s Dad used to push me up the hills in the early days! But I stuck with it, riding time trials and got better and better, and started winning some club time trials. That year, 1982, I went to Goodwood to see the Worlds Road Race Champs with Mick Walsh, the Irish guy, when Saronni won it, Lemond second and Kelly third. I thought wow and was hooked!

Up until my mid 30s, I never really trained properly, I’d have a few weeks off, not touch the bike, and it wasn’t until I started targeting the British Best All Rounder, BBAR, (AV – a National Time Trial Competition) and I got to know Stuart Campbell, who was really focused on training and diet and I thought that was the way forward. So, I started thinking about what I was doing, rode my bike more and was more disciplined. I did a 1-47 for a 50 TT, 3-47 for 100 and 262 miles in the 12 hour. That was all pre-aero days!

I raced up to when I was 47, in 2005, road and time trials, then got a bit fed up with it and we went off to Spain to do other things. I never touched my bike, didn’t even follow cycling, but tried to keep fit with a bit of jogging and walking. We stayed two years, but it wasn’t working out how we hoped and decided to come back in 2007. I went back lorry driving again and was driving for Eddie Stobarts doing 60-70 hours a week, so didn’t do much cycling, until 2015 when I went on a Stuart Hall Training camp in Mallorca, thought wow, I love this and got the bug again. I rode the LVRC Crit Champs that year, touched Phil Thomas’s back wheel and came down smashing my collar bone and elbow. But the next year, I had one of my best years, up to this year, I won the BC Circuit Champs, second in every LVRC Championship and was second in the Stallard.

I’ve ridden time trials, road and last two years the track. I’ve got a gravel bike, that’s what I train on. I’ve done one gravel Sportive a couple of years ago at Thuxton, 58 miles, it was good, but I suffered like a dog, it was hard, but good atmosphere. I’ve never raced off road.
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ALAN: In the last couple of years, you moved team from MI Racing to Born to Ride. Why did you do that? Have you belonged to a traditional cycling club in the past?
ROB: Mainly for the track, I wanted to ride on the track and these guys focus on that. And of course we lost Mick Ives, the main man behind MI Racing. As I said before, I first joined Rugby Velo. I’ve also been in Coventry Olympic for years – everyone has ridden for them – Malc Moore, John French… they were one of the first sponsored clubs, set up by Mick Ives. When I came back to cycling, MI Racing was being set up by Mick alongside Coventry Olympic and gradually Olympic faded away and MI Racing continued with Jewson and other sponsors. I was in the first race team in MI Racing with the likes of Darren Atkins, Mike Twelves and a few others.
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ALAN: Do you have any cycling heroes and why do they inspire you?
ROB: I don’t really have any cycling heroes. My favourite rider is Mathieu van der Poel, used to be Sean Kelly, he was brilliant at road racing, so I suppose he was a hero. Time trailing, it was Ian Cammish and Chris Boardman. I like Pog now, he’s one of the best cyclists ever, but he has such a strong team, whereas MVDP is like one of us, on his own and has to do it himself.
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ALAN: Apart from this year, what big wins have you had in the past? Are there any races that stand out that you didn’t win? Any abroad?
ROB: I won the Stallard the first year it was on as a B Cat – 45 or 46. We got nothing – no medal, nothing. I won the LVRC Circuit Champs when I was 40 and also the BC Circuit and Road Race Champs and Abberleys, a couple of times.

There was also a TLI World Cup hilly time trial in Parwich, Derbyshire run by Dave Orford. Geoff Platts, from your club; Coalville Wheelers, used to win it every year and I’d be second or third. He’s a class rider. The year he moved up a category, 1995, I won it and it was like wow, the World Cup, you got a rainbow jersey, my first one, and a big trophy – I was really made up with that.
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ALAN: What about some of the legends of our sport that you’ve raced against; drop a few names, which ones do you remember being super strong?
ROB: Neil Martin, a class rider. He could do everything – climb, sprint… I remember being away on my own for about 50 miles, it was in a Coventry Olympic two-day LVRC event, and within about a mile from the finish, Neil and a guy from Lincolnshire, another ex-pro, caught me and Neil put his hand on my shoulder and said ‘well done’ and then rode off to win. My Dad used to say, ‘he’s only human!’
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ALAN: Are there any BMCR riders that inspire you?
ROB: Every one of them in my age group. I look at people and think – if they can do it, I can do it. I remember saying to Steve Dutton, a Jewson teammate, a couple of years ago – ‘I’m getting too old for this!’ he replied with, ‘we’re all the same age!’ We should inspire each other.
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ALAN: Lots of guys who raced back then who still race now seem to take a sabbatical of sorts at some point. What keeps you motivated to keep you racing year in, year out?
ROB: As I said earlier, I did have time off, so I know what it’s like. But now, I think we have to make the most of our days and health, that’s enough to inspire you, you’re never going to be as strong as you were, but while you can still do it, have reasonable fitness, you might as well carry on. You never know what’s round the corner.
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ALAN: You said earlier that your success this year has been due to confidence that you could win, together with the motivation, belief and focus to do so, tell us more about what a typical training week looks like in the winter and summer? How often are you on your bike these days? Are rides all about training or do you go for easy rides and “look over the hedges” as a friend of mine says?
ROB: This year, nothing’s got in the way, I was able to concentrate on my cycling. A typical week is – Monday is off the bike because I go to work, Tuesday I do the two hours Vets SQT session at Derby Velodrome with Mick Davies, which I started last January and absolutely love. Wednesday, and now I’m gonna sound really boring, cos I am I suppose, I’ll ride the same route of 33 miles every time I go out, but I can extend it or do it the other way!

There are a few hills, and if I’m doing some hilly races, I’ll go up the Dassett Hills, these look out over Warwickshire, the Tour of Britain have finished up there in the past. My riding is based on low gear, big gear, on my gravel bike with road wheels this year, replicating a race scenario. In fact most of my riding is like this, except on the track. I’m used to riding on my own, so that’s why I don’t mind riding on the front in a race. I’m not against riding in groups, but I’ve found over the years, they are either too hard or too slow. Thursday I go to work but I’ll do a 45 min session on my Watt Bike or during the season will do hill repeats.

Yes I have a favourite hill to do these on, which is not far from home, it’s about ¾ mile long and 10% maximum. Friday – No cycling, go to work. Saturday – my usual route round and if I’m racing the next day, I’ll pootle round with a couple of efforts at the end. Sunday – race or in the winter, I’ll be on the Watt bike using their WB app. I don’t use Zwift, nothing against it, but I’ll only ride to power then. I don’t use a power meter on my bike or in races, it is what it is. Even in time trials, I don’t use power, perhaps I should. I don’t want to know how slow I’m going.

This winter, as I’m not lifting so much in my job, I’m going to use a couple of 5kg dumbbells I’ve got for upper body and squats. It’s only 10 kg, but when you’ve done 20/30 squats, you know. My flexibility is crap these days. I’ve got a shoulder injury and can’t even do a press up now. I trapped a nerve at work. And it’s getting worse. I need to go to a sports physio and work on my flexibility.
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ALAN: How do you measure your form and training effort? Power, heart rate, RPE? Do you have a coach or mentor that advises you? (If not, why not?)
ROB: Just on feel and heart rate, but this varies. My resting heart rate was 38 at one time, now it’s nearer 48/50. My max is around 167, whereas it was 180. I find looking at measures demoralising. You can only do what you can do. If I’m up at 167, I know I’m puffing and panting a lot, so I must be trying hard!

No coach, never. Mick was inspirational and a great motivator. Now he’s gone, you realise what he did for you and the sport. I never appreciated him at the time, we grew up with him and took him for granted. Roy Chamberlain says the same. If you did well in a race, you’d phone him and he’d milk it to death, he knew how to promote your success. So positive, I miss him.
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ALAN: Do you know your FTP? W/Kg? Max. power?
ROB: No, but I have got to 950w in the summer on my Watt bike. I’ve never tested my FTP. Numbers can get into your head. Not saying it’s not right, just not for me.
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ALAN: How’s your flexibility and upper body strength? Could you do a few press ups or pull ups?
ROB: Crap, this shoulder and elbow injury stop me from doing any press ups or pull ups. I can lift at work, close to my body, but not far away.
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ALAN: Do you make any specific effort with your diet to stay in race shape? What’s you favourite food and drink? What sacrifices do you make to achieve your top fitness?
ROB: I’ve always tried not to eat many processed foods. I was vegan for about four years. That was a big mistake. No wonder I was going rubbish. I didn’t get the right amino acids and lost strength. Now I eat a lot of local farm pig’s liver, before races and at other times. Sounds gross I know, but I find it good as we need the protein. I don’t drink alcohol either, haven’t done for eight years. I’ll drink lemon and lime if I go out for a meal.

I don’t restrict myself diet wise, just eat clean. I never go on the scales to check my weight, you just know, especially as we’ve got to wear that silly Lycra! Too many obsess about their weight. I’m obsessive, and could think, ‘Oh no, I’m a pound heavier this morning, I’m gonna do no good’ – so I stay away from all that. It’s about strength, we’re not climbing mountains and those who starve themselves and I’ve done it, thinking that is the way, but it isn’t. It’s your strength that matters. It’s different if you’re climbing mountains or grand tours, but we’re not. It’s about being lean, yes, I’m not talking about being fat, but I’ve had blokes say ‘I’m 70kg’, I say, ‘so what?’ Get your weight/strength balance right. That’s what matters.
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ALAN: Any favourite BMCR races? What about organising one yourself?
ROB: Abberleys. Yes I’d definitely like to organise one. Perhaps this year helping someone to organise one. I’m conscious, cos you told me! that we have the biggest BMCR membership in our team, but don’t organise any races. We need to address that and put something back. I’ll look at the Kart circuit near Edgehill and see if it’s possible to put a race on there.
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ALAN: What’s the best advice that you can give to a newcomer to cycle racing / BMCR or one that is getting fed up of racing?
ROB: Don’t take the racing for granted, I mean I’ve done that for years, expecting people to be there and organising races forever, but when they’re not, there is no races. We can’t keep leaving it to the same few. I’ve been 100% guilty of this and it is difficult when you’re racing and working, but put something back.
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ALAN: Anything you’ve been told that you probably wouldn’t pass on to others?
ROB: You don’t have to ride your bike every day, doing miles and miles. Train to race, not race to train. Don’t leave your best rides in the training. Racing is when it counts. Be consistent, your body likes routine.
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ALAN: Even after this terrific season, I’d guess there’s aspects you’d like to improve. What are these? What changes will you make to address these?
ROB: Time trailing – solo efforts. Flexibility. I’ve joined a top team pursuit squad and am really going to have to think and dig in to stay with those guys. We’re cruising round at 18.5 secs a lap at present but will be looking for low 17s to win the Worlds in London. Doesn’t sound much, but it’s quite a bit over 16 laps (4km)

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