Llewellyn Kinch

• born:

  23rd Octoner 1989

• team:

  CC Villeneuve St Germain Soisson Aisne

• sponsors:

  Dave Rayner Fund and all the sponsors of the team - there are loads

• Racing base:

  Villeneuve St Germain, Soisson, France

• home town:

  Oxford, UK

• nickname:

  Sneaky

• website:

  www.llewellynkinch.com/

• Facebook:

  www.facebook.com/llewellyn.kinch

• Twitter:

  @llewellynkinch

• likes:

  Winning. Dark chocolate. The after-effects of beer.

• dislikes:

  Being hungry the whole time and still being told I eat too much!

• favourite rider:

  Sep Vanmarcke

• favourite race:

  Got to be Wachtebeke kermis - I won it after all.

• If money was no object what would be the first thing you would buy:

  A seriously plush motorhome - with built-in bike storage of course.

• What do you do when not racing:

  Train, eat and sleep. Occasionally write articles for www.contentsinsurance.org and my own blog.

• Race history:

  This year will be my second year cycling full-time and committing to the ‘athlete’ lifestyle. Just in case I had any doubts, the improvement in my results this season confirmed that the typical student lifestyle doesn’t optimise performance on a bike! I started road cycling when I was given a steel frame - which was older than I was - by a family friend. To be honest, I probably spent more time hack sawing out the rusted seatpost of that bike than actually riding it , since for my sixteenth birthday a few months later, I was given another bike. I rode a little over that winter and did a couple of races over the following 2006 season; enough for me to catch the cycling bug.

  I was a final year junior for the 2007 season and intended to do a full season’s racing. However, during a snowboarding trip in April of that year, an argument with a large signpost resulted in a broken leg. That brought an early end to my first season of bike racing. Having missed an entire summer, I was keen to compete as soon as possible so come January I hit the local winter race series. In four races I took two wins, a second and a seventh place (I crossed the line with snapped handlebars when I came seventh). These results secured me a place with GWR Team, a local development squad for younger riders, with whom I rode throughout university. During my university years my training was compromised by socialising and studying, but I steadily improved steadily. This was demonstrated by my results in Belgian Kermesses during the month I spent racing there each summer. With the support of GWR Team, my best results during this period each season improved from two ninth places to three fifth places and then two wins last season. My team mate, Doug Dewey, was there to help me with both those wins and then took his own well deserved victory the following week.

  The end of the 2011 season, including the National time trial and track championships, did not go so well. The time trial began with a thirty second time penalty, followed by a race spent looking through a small drill hole; as torrential rain meant I had a completely steamed up visor. I finished the race without feeling very knackered – not ideal for a time trial. I finished fourth, just a time penalty away from a medal. To be honest my head and my legs wanted the season to be over now. However, having said I’d race the team pursuit there was no way I could let the guys down so I continued to train hard.

  I turned up at Manchester velodrome not entirely sure of my form. That uncertainty was quickly dispelled during the individual pursuit qualifying when my team mate, Douglas Dewey, overtook me. It looked like swapping turns with him in the team pursuit would be painful! Luckily, we’d had a full 20 minutes of track time together so our technique was down to a tee. I managed to mess up a change with just under a kilometre to go and didn’t quite get on the back. As we were already a man down I had to keep going flat out with the guys getting gradually further ahead. It was not pleasant. Luckily we still made it through to the semis but just missed out on a medal. After track I got drunk.

  This season has taught me an enormous amount and helped me to discover my potential as a rider. Previously I thought of myself mainly as a one day classics type performer, as I usually have the power to cope with the tough sections and the engine to take me the distance. However, I have recently found form in stage races, having taken third on GC in the Tour de la Manche and 6th in the Tour du Loiret, as well as winning stages and wearing jerseys in other races. I have quickly developed the ability to go hard each day and get stronger as the race progresses, as demonstrated by being in the break during every stage at the Tour de la Manche and the Tour des Pays de Savoie. Admittedly, however, I didn’t manage to stay with the breakaway riders who survived to the finish at Savoie. Certain large mountains got in the way!

  Although I have developed both physiologically and tactically, I still have a lot more to learn. Like not going with two-up attacks a long way from home during UCI 1.2 races or missing the split in stage races and trying to bridge two minute gaps solo (not fun, even when you do manage it). I believe that having experienced a full continental season of racing tours and long, tough classics, followed by a solid winter’s training, my 2013 season will build on what I have achieved in 2012 with some really significant results. I am a racer at heart so I just need a high level of racing next year to really push my performance towards my full potential.

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