First ever 25 mile TT in a staggeringly quick time of 47:40. Axel Dopfer by George Evans

The most recent signing to Team Bottrill got off to a flying start riding his first ever 25 mile TT in a staggeringly quick time of 47:40. Axel Dopfer (19 years old) from Germany is here in the UK studying mechanical engineering at Loughborough University whilst pursuing a cycling career. Axel was put into contact with us by long time team member and London to Paris world record holder Jonathan Parker who was impressed by what he saw in Axel. Under the observation of Matt, Axel is being coached by George Evans; a qualified cycling coach, team member and previous Welsh champion who is completing his degree in Sport and Exercise Science. Here is what Axel said about his first few weeks of MBPC coaching and being part of Team Bottrill:

“Working with Bottrill coaching has been excellent. While the work is hard, the training feels rewarding and super personalized. Importantly, power is not the only thing emphasized by the training plans. Aerodynamics, and biomechanics play a huge role in performance, and therefore are also emphasized in the training. Overall I’ve found amazing gains through working and taking feedback from George and Matt, and am excited to keep making steps forward in the future!”

We have to say, we are very impressed with Axel so far, both his commitment to the training and his attention to detail is what we like to see. This commitment has led to him attaining some brilliant rides in his first couple of races for the team. After winning his first race here in the UK at the Coalville wheelers club 10 he went on to ride the VTTA Notts & East Midlands 25 mile TT. This was his first ever 25 mile TT but he didn't let that put him off riding to 4th place with a 47:40. Here is what he said about his ride:

“Lining up for my first 25 mile TT was very exciting. Unfortunately the weather was not supposed to be in our favour, but until 15 minutes till start it was still holding. I finished my warm up and rolled to the start line, and unfortunately it started to rain slightly. I took off my jacket and leg warmers just about a minute before my start and lined up. I got out hard and settled into a steady rhythm on the A46. Around 15 minutes into the race it started to pour rain, but luckily it only lasted for a few minutes. The turn around came and I took care not to slide out around the 2 wet roundabouts. I got back on the A46 and pushed on to the turn around, where unfortunately I was caught behind traffic heading into the round about but managed to get out without loosing too much time. With the finish line in sight, I increased the pace and kept my head down powering through the finish line. Final time was 47:40 and 4th place.”

We look forward to watching Axel progress further with both his studies and cycling and seeing what amazing things he can achieve.