Team Bottrill - Keith Dorling 4 National Age Titles - Says it as it is 🤣

Well that’s a wrap! The National Open Circuit Championship was my last race this year, my 4th National Championship and my 4th age group win to boot😀 .

After last year’s national hill climb, I thought I’d give that one a miss this year😂.

Matt’s asked me to do a resumé of my cycling career (if you can call it that) and asked the following questions.

1. When did you start cycling?

I got my first proper bike on my 14th birthday from Halfords, a real gas pipe frame, steel 27 inch wheels and 5 speed Huret gears, I’ve been upgrading it ever since, a bit like Triggers broom😂. Not long afterwards, I joined the local CTC group which had close links to the Kingston Phoenix RC and by the end of the year I’d ridden my first TT, I was hooked!!!

2. What have been my career highlights?

Being no more than the “average Jo” my first club event win was pretty special. I was West London CA Junior Champion 1976, the year after a certain Tony Doyle, that felt special at the time, even though I was considerably slower!!

Fast forward to 2016 and being part of the Comp record 50TT was a massive surprise even though it quite literally only lasted 15mins😂😂.

National age records at 15 & 30 miles, of which the 30 still stands 59:36.

60-64 National Age group wins in 2019 50, 100 and open circuits, in 2020 10, 25 and open and closed circuits.

3. When did I start with MBPC

I started my cycling coaching with Matt at the end of 2015 after attending his weekend seminar at Rockingham Speedway. I went to see what I could do that would be different from what I’d always done. The thinking being if you keep doing the same old things you get the same old results, which for me where pretty rubbish. The old adage more miles makes more prizes was just not working for me, at least. Also, I was pretty bad at consistency, some weeks would be good and sometimes I just wouldn’t do anything for days on end especially if the weather was bad. I was only going to do it for a couple of years I had a few modest goals to start with, but it soon became a bit of an obsession!!!

4.What’s my most dreaded training session?

That’s easy, strength and conditioning I bloody hate that, I hate it so much that I very rarely even do it, it’s worse than stretching, which I only ever do when my back hurts, which I know is totally wrong but as the Physio that I go to says, “if cyclists did the S&C and stretching they were supposed to I’d be out of a job”😂😂.

The bike session I hate most is interval sessions of 30 secs on and off, or 20/40. The 20 min test is also a favorite…..NOT.

5.What sessions do you enjoy most?

Café stops, end of!!

6. Four age Group awards, which one means the most.

It’s hard to quantify that because before I joined MBPC and Team Bottrill I‘d never even thought of being able to get near any of them, so they all mean a lot to me. The most satisfying this year was the Closed Circuits after 3 attempts I finally got the pacing right, ignored everyone else on the circuit, but it was still a close run thing only winning it by 10 secs. The biggest difference for me this year is that I’ve finally cracked the pacing which has made a massive difference.

7. Tell us about your bike?

Well it’s not a Halfords Apollo from 1975. My current bike is one of Matt’s old frames, in fact apart from the poles and saddle it’s nearly all second hand parts from a certain auction site.

Citec Disc Clincher, Quarq Power meter 58 single chainring sram etape 11 speed gears and the same Fisik saddle on both. Sadly no more Campag😓….lol.

It’s gone from this to this in 2015, the 4 spoke liberated from Matt’s garage last week!!

7. What’s the plans for the future?

The Tour of Cambridge is the main aim for next year racing wise and hopefully to odd PB, for cycling in general depending on the Covid situation I’d like to do a few of the continental Grand Fondos and few classic continental Sportives, hopefully make it with a few TB riders as a few long weekends away!!.