Kyle Gordon – Hurtling to Rapid ’10’ Times!

Kyle Gordon doesn’t seem to have been phased by the disappointment of the HUUB team’s Bolivian record attempts falling victim to the Covid crisis.

The super-fast Cochabamba velodrome was the venue where the ‘Boys from Derbados’ were going for multiple world records from one kilometre to one hour; with Kyle going for the Scottish hour record – which can now be set on any velodrome rather than just on a track in Scotland.

The versatile man from Alness has recently been knocking out some super-fast 10 mile times as part of his build-up to the CTT ‘25’ and ‘50’ Championships later in the year.

First off there was an extremely rapid one on the Levens course where he hurtled to a 17:57 – as a man who clearly remembers Colin Sturgess first sub-19 ride back in 1988 I find Kyle’s time astonishing; and as for Big Marcin Bialoblocki’s 16:35, that’s from another planet.

Then there was an 18:41 for Kyle in the National Championship just five seconds off the podium of Dan Bigham, reigning ’25’ Champion, Chris Fennell and Simon Wilson. 

Kyle completed his trio of rapid rides with a 19:26 for third place in the Coalville Invitation ‘sporting’ event, again with Bigham the winner. 

We kicked off by asking the obvious question; could he have found those five missing seconds he was back on Simon Wilson in the National ‘10’?

”It’s hard to say but when I crossed the line I had nothing left in the tank.

“A ‘10’ is a pretty extreme effort and it’s hard to look back and think where you might have picked up those missing seconds on this section or that section of the course but when I looked at my power file after the race it showed that I’d executed the ride pretty damn well.”

Can we ask about the dreaded ‘numbers’?

“My average power output was 381 watts which is about the same as when I rode the 17:57 on the Levens course.”

What’s the story behind the Coalville ‘10’?

“It’s an annual invitation event, held on the bank holiday Monday.

“I was in the area and since John Archibald and Dan Bigham were riding it I thought it would be good to ride too.

“It’s on a sporting course, technical, you have to think all the time about how to dose your effort, where you can recover.

“I was third with 19:26 to Dan Bigham’s 18:46, he has some serious form right now.”

How do you train to ride a 17 minute ‘10’?

“My normal stuff, a lot of volume, concentrate on endurance then 95% threshold work and last two weeks concentrate on Vo2 max.”

Have you altered your position this year?

“A little, to make it UCI legal, I changed the angle of the tri-bars.

“I’ve started doing cycling specific yoga and flexibility, it helps a great deal in terms of getting as aero as you can and holding the position.

“I’ve been tuning in to Charline Jones [nee Joiner] classes on-line and it’s been very helpful in getting my position refined.”

RT 23 not Ribble for 2020?

“The HUUB track team was a totally separate entity from the Ribble road team and I was a founder member of RT23 so it’s good to be back riding in their colours.” 

Any post ‘Tenerife Blues’ with the Bolivia adventure falling victim to the Covid crisis and lockdown?

“We were on our second training camp in Tenerife when it all started to happen, we brought forward our flights so we wouldn’t get trapped out there.

“Bolivia had to be postponed and we don’t know when or if it will happen in future.

“Being honest, lockdown didn’t affect us too much, we were all in the team house and training with the weights and on the WattBike, doing big Zwift rides then getting out on the bike when things eased.

“Like I said, it didn’t really affect us.”

But you’re back home in Alness now?

“I’ve been ‘sofa-surfing’ down south to ride the ‘10’s we discussed but yes, I was in Derby until the end of May then came north and have been doing some days working at the plumbing with my dad up in Alness.

“I sat down on my birthday and had a think about what I wanted to do with my cycling career and have decided to commit the next two years too gaining selection for and winning a medal at the next Commonwealth Games.

“I’ve been speaking to Scottish Cycling and I think that with John Archibald, Mark Stewart and myself we have the nucleus of a good team pursuit squad.

“Then there are riders like Alfie George and there’s a talented rider who you may not be familiar with, Michael Gill who’s returning to Scotland.”

On the subject of the track, have you been on the boards at all?

“No, Glasgow track hasn’t re-opened and my focus for the moment is the CTT ‘25’ and ‘50’ – I wouldn’t normally be turning to the track until after those events are past so it’s no obstacle to my preparation. 

“As well as the ‘25’ and ‘50’ champs I have some other smaller events planned including some road races in North East England.” 

What does 2021 hold for you?

“The British Track Championships in January are the first goal – Covid permitting – and there are some UCI Class One track events I’d like to ride, there’s one in Switzerland and one in Poland.

“I’ve been working hard in training, putting in 17 to 22 hours each week, I want to be the best I can be; I’m looking at every small improvement I can make.”

VeloVeritas looks forward to seeing Kyle in action in the CTT ‘25’ and ‘50’ Championships and wishes him the best of luck. 

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And since the main part of this piece was written, Kyle has firmly stamped ‘favourite’ for the CTT ‘25’ upon himself with a stunning 46:22 minute ride in the ECCA event on 20^th September.

Kyle Gordon - Recent TT Results