Gavin Hinxman (TT Secretary)

I am the Club Time Trial Secretary and the open TT organiser for the Frank & Joy Shepherd Memorial race. I also organised some open TT’s for the KCC in 2004 & 2005. I have some big boots to try to fill, Liam was the previous TT Secretary, he is missed, GET WELL LIAM.

I joined Welland Valley CC in 1982. I joined the Friendly in 1999 and was with the KCC until the end 2005. I rejoined KCC at the end of 2009. In 1999 (as a Kettering Friendly CC member) I was on the steering committee for the amalgamation of the two clubs. We picked the current kit.

I am an Engineer, working with a few other guys in the club at Mercedes-Benz High performance Engines in Brixworth. I am a Project Manager and tend to do pretty long days, I normally start at 7am & leave around 6.30 – 7pm. I don’t cycle to work that often. I wait and train in the garage after work normally.

I don’t take part in any other sport and don’t have time for any other interests besides cycling! I have cycled on and off for 28 years. I guess I have raced for about 22 of those years. I first became interested in cycling after one of my school friends Wayne Hodson (an ex KFCC rider) said they were going along to a club 10 in Harborough. Three of us went along and here I still am!

I remember my first race vividly. It was 1982, a W.V. Club 10. I did 31.28. We were on racing bikes but no toe clips. My bike was a Carlton Circuit bought from Glovers in Kettering. Nothing special, Cro-Mo tubing & steel rims with 27 x 1 ¼” tyres. We turned up wearing trousers tucked in our football socks because we thought that’s what cyclist wore! By the end of the season I got down to 26.56.

My favourite discipline is time trialling from 10’s to the 12 hour. (In 2009 I did my first 100 & 12 hours for 20 years!). I think the 25 is the favourite. Long distance used to be my speciality. I used to ride the handicaps RR’s and won a series as a junior but it used to frustrate me to sit on the front for over 20 miles and then everyone would come past with 300m to go! (Once a tester, always a tester!)

I am addicted to cycling. It’s what I do. I have had 3 periods in 28 years when I have not raced, twice when I was renovating houses and the 3rd time in 2007 when I worked away (no not prison!). I have three best performances, my first 12 hour in 1985 when I beat Mark Pinnock’s (former KFCC rider) N&DCA junior 12-hour record by 20 miles with 239miles. I guess that the record may be mine for ever as the N&DCA don’t run a 12-hour any more. The 2nd was one month later when I rode another 12-hour & covered 249.362 miles which is still Welland Valley’s club record (and maybe a National junior record?). The 3rd was last year, my first event back in the KCC, my 20.39 “10”. My previous best 21-19 was set back in 1985.

Most of my road training is on the A14 as it’s normally ice –free and not too busy on a Sunday morning. I have two 100mile routes, one goes down the A6 & turns at Luton. The other goes on the A14 to the A1, then south on the A1 to Biggleswade then turns & comes back. I don’t really do country lanes!

The cyclists that I most admired were Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond as they were both good testers that could win the tour. I like Lance for the same reasons. I didn’t like Indurain though even though he was a super tester, he was so boring! I look forward to seeing Mr Wiggins this year.

My sporting ambition, not too many left….. I need to beat that 1985 12 hour pb, it’s the only one remaining from the old days!

My favourite food is natural Peanut butter on Ryvita and I have it at least every day. I can’t think of a favourite drink. Maybe Hoyes Dandelion & Burdoch but I haven’t drunk that for many years! I must look on e-Bay!

In the future I would like to see the time-trialling in the UK continue, but hilly back-roads don’t interest me. I consider main roads are safer. I hope that I can continue to race on the A1 / A45 etc for as long as I choose to.

Last Updated: 15/02/2010

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