BILLY CURE

I am 17 and been racing for about 2 years.

3rd after 1 year of adult racing.

 

Current season: 1st

Current points: 17

Past Seasons: 0 (1 as a Youth)

Last Season's Points: 0 (Still none as a Youth)

All Points Ever: 17

 

Equipment:

Helmet: Specialized Evade

Bike Frame: Planet-X Pro Carbon

Wheels: Mavic Cosmic 38mm

Handlebars: Spezialized

Stem: Planet-X 50mm (Tiny!)

Pedals and Cleats: Look Keo

Shoes: Specialized CVNDSH

Saddle: Planet-X

Seat Post: Planet-X

Shifters: SRAM Rival double click

Cranks and Chainring: Dura-Ace (53 T on the front)

 

My history:

On the 28th of July 2012, aged 13, I sat down and watched the olympic games road race and immediately became obsessed by the sport, I was playing tennis at the time and slowly came to like cycling more than tennis.

 

It didn't take long for me to start riding my bike daily, I decided that I wanted to start cycling more seriously.

 

I bought my first road bike on the 3rd of November 2012, it was only an old 4th hand Trek 1000, I beleive it was the lowest range of road bike, which was called urban.

 

I got my first race licence on the 25th of December 2012, under 16.

 

I joined team MK in June 2013, I wanted to join earlier but they were only doing cyclocross, I had my dad's old helmet which i had fixed with tape, the old dirty trek and baggy clothes wearing my only jersey, 2012 sky pro cycling. We had a race at the end, obviously it meant nothing but I was in the front group of three, who I attacked persistently and i finshed 2nd in the sprint. My first 'contest' I viewed it as a success.

 

My first experience of a race was on the 20th July 2013, aged 14, at the bowl. Still on the trek, all lycra this time and I had borrowed my father's new Uvex road helmet just for this. Everyone sprinted off the line while I struggled to clip in, I didn't stay in for very long at all, I begged every lap to abandon, but I finished, last out of everyone who completed the race. I gave up after that race I was sad and disappointed.

 

But I came back for more, deciding that the only way to improve was to keep soldiering on, another bad result and the season was already over.

 

25th of December 2013 I got a new helmet, a Kask Mojito. My first Road helmet.

 

I don't think I knew at the time, but I began my first full season of racing on the 29th of March 2014, aged 15. Progression was slow, but I stayed in the group longer and longer each time I raced, eventually I finished in the group one day, I had to start moving up, luckily the youth pelotons are small and you could just jump up the outsides. Slowly but surely I started contesting the sprints, like everything else it didn't go to well to begin with, but I was starting to get 10s. Then one race, on the 30th of July, with 2 riders up the road I finished 2nd in the group sprint, 4th my best result to date. Then the season ended, I finished around 20th in the league, i was beaten by some people with easier age categories.

 

Base training for my first adult season, 11th October 2014, aged 16. I was just finishing what i thought was the first of 2 20 mile rides, but my cleat had degraded over the year and mid-sprint, my cleat broke and fell out of the pedal, my tyre punctured and I smacked my head on the ground. I had to go to hospital (I was fine, they were just worried about my head), it ruined my gloves, cleats, clothes and my helmet. I still have a few scars today particularly on my hand where the cuts were about a centimeter deep. I used my dad's helmet again for the next few rides.

 

This was around my birthday time and I had asked for a new helmet anyway. On the 31st of October we had a day trip to chelmsford where we bought a Specialized Evade in white and a pair of cvndsh shoes.

 

I bought a new Planet X Pro Carbon on the 16th Febuary 2015, for the new season, a big improvement and aside from anything else the Trek was falling apart. Upgrade from urban to sport, the second level. The new bike did not match my size, reach or shoulder width, also we didn't know yet, but the wheel was bent out of shape, oval. Also the chain was more gunk than metal, thanks to my father for cleaning it for days. 

 

I started racing on the 21st March 2015, aged 16 as a junior. I use the same philosophy as last year, to just keep chipping away and bit by bit the results will come.

 

After 2 races at the bowl I did my first race away from home at gravesend, on the 18th of april.

 

1st of May 2015 I did a charity ride around silverstone race track, achieved my highest ever speed in a sprint 37mph, also nearly repeated the mojito incident with the cleat, at that point we went home.

 

Discovered the oval wheel during first Hillingdon race (3rd of May), the wheel eventually became too dangerous to use, as ever I borrowed my dad's.

 

Right shifter broke mid-ride on the 8th of May, this forced me to borrow the whole of my dad's bike (Hoy Sa-Colobra), instead of just the wheel. 

 

Shifter was replaced on the 26th of May and I could finally use my Planet-X again.

 

Got new wheels on the 31st of May, Mavic cosmics, very cheap second hand only used once. Bike was fully functional for the first time since I had it.

 

Finally started using the cvndsh shoes on the 28th of June 2015.

 

I scored my first points from coming 3rd at a bowl race, 7 points.

 

On the 27th of september 2015 I won my first race at Lee Valley, the very place that inspired me to take cycling up, in a bunch sprint, it also moved me up to a 3rd cat licence in my first season.

 

The 3rd cat licence came in the post on the 3rd of october 2015.