William Bjergfelt: "Without cycling I'd be another one of these obese statistics"

William Bjergfelt is a name that you probably haven't heard of unless you're a follower of British cycling but he's a regular top 10 finisher in the British elite races and a top 20 finisher in the British National time trial championships, as impressive as this is the most impressive thing about Will is how he fits his training and racing around a 9-5 job. I talk to him as he heads to Aberyswyth for the 3rd round of the Tour Series and we talk racing full time, British Championships and drunken bets.

Will in the SportGrub Kuota colours

Bike Route Hub: William, how pleased have you been with your own performances and your team's performance so far in the Tour Series?
William Bjergfelt: It's been a bit of a mixed bag really. I was unhappy with my own performance in the first event at Ryde, Isle of Wight. At the same time the team's performance was good we took 5th in the criterium but we didn't take enough brave pills for the team time trial so we lost positions and time on that one so we were all a bit disappointed there, but it was good not to crash because the other round was in the evening.

BRH: With the Aberyswyth event featuring a hill climb and crit, how are you finding these split events?
WB: It's really interesting actually, you have to leave a little bit in the tank for the evening. For me personally I don't mind it quite so much because part of my training is incorporated in riding to work and back so I'm used to doing a split day.

BRH: What are your expectations for the event both personally and as a team?
WB: Well as a team we have some very strong climbers like Dan Fleeman, if he can make it from his crown court date as a witness, who is ex World Tour and that puts us in a very good position and I would hope that we would be mixing it in the top 5 positions. Personally I'd like to see myself up there as well, I tried to lose some weight over the winter as well as including some track work in my routine which I haven't done before and I'm hoping will make a difference in the Tour Series.

BRH: You've been at the sharp end of a number of races this year, making the break in the Jock Wadley Memorial and Rutland Melton, how much encouragement can you take from these performances and your performances against former World Tour riders like Steele Van Hoff?
WB: I'm really encouraged by it to be honest. I've said this for a number of years now, the level in the UK is incredibly high and you see riders every year come across like Steele and like Karol Domagalski (Raleigh GAC) and they don't instantly come into the UK and win every single race they ride. So for me, as a working man, to be at the sharp end with them in these races is really encouraging. The dream, for me, is to take a years sabbatical and have a year as a full time professional and really see what I can get out of myself because at the moment I'm trying to fit racing my bike around a 35 hour work week.

BRH: That must be incredibly difficult to do?
WB: It's never easy for me but I love the sport so much and everyone in it that I give the sport everything I possibly can. In many ways I owe it so much because when I was younger I was very overweight so had it not been for me falling into cycling I would be another one of these obese statistics by now. I was the kid in secondary school who was forging notes from his mum to miss PE because I didn't like sports. I'd always liked cycling though and messing around on my mountain bike and a mate invited me to a mountain bike race and with no real fitness I was able get round and enjoyed myself and it just went from there.

BRH: So how did you get into the racing?

WB: Well I started racing when I was 16 but it was just because I loved riding my bike. But it happened when I was 20 ish and down the pub with a mate after a couple too many pints and he bet me that I wouldn't ever make it to be a professional rider and I'd had a few too many so I said "yes of course I will" and it's all gone from there really. In the first part of my career I had a lot of people to look up to, I'm good friends with Oli Beckingsale (multiple British mountain bike champion) and I learnt a hell of a lot from him in my early years as a mountain biker and we used to go riding because we lived within a couple of hundred meters of one another. I had someone to look up to as a young person and who really inspired me to be the best.

BRH: In 2011 you raced for Team Motorpoint competing in a number of European events, how did you find that experience?
WB: I was still working at the time and I took off quite large amounts of time to do some of the European Tour events and that was on unpaid leave so basically it hit me quite hard financially but I did it in the hope that I would step up a level. I didn't step up quite enough really to earn enough money to go full time the next year so I took a step back and cleared some of the debts from that year. I absolutely loved the experience though and it was probably one of the best periods of my career for just pure enjoyment. I was rooming with team mates; Ian Bibby, Jonathan McEvoy, Tobyn Horton etc and they're just such a great set of lads. I'm one of the older guys in the peloton but my wife always says that I'm 36 going on 17 and I owe a huge amount of that to hanging around with those younger riders. But I'm now at the stage of my life where, maybe next year, I could take a one year sabbatical to race full time.

BRH: Has there been any contract offers so far?
WB: Not yet, but anything is possible as long as you're getting good results in the right places.

Flat out in the Tour Series TTT

BRH: After Aberyswyth you have 6 events left, what do you expect from your team in those events?
WB: Well hopefully better performances than we've seen so far. We have a clear aspiration that we want to finish in the top 5 overall and whilst that's never a given it's something that we're going to be working hard towards. We've had a 7th in the TTT, 5th in the Ryde Criterium and a 6th in Redditch. So we're 6th overall at the moment but we're certainly in touching distance of 5th.

BRH: And what about your own personal aims?
WB: In the Tour series I'd really like to get a handful of top 10's. After the Tour Series I have the National Time Trial championships and the Road racing Championships. Then there's the National Elite Circuit series where I'll be peaking for virtually all the events. So I won't really be slowing down until September. For the National Championships I'd really like to be in the top 20 for both the time trial and the road race and that would be a very significant result for me.

BRH: What would be your main tips to those guys reading the blog who are full time workers and are trying to fit cycling around this?
WB: Definitely structure your training and try and set yourself a goal and then structure your training around your work and targeted at that goal. Remember everyone who rides a bike hurts as much regardless of how hard the effort is and it's just about training your body to deal with that effort.

BRH: Who would be the young riders on the circuit that you think we should look out for?
WB: Rory Townsend has really impressed me for Pedal Heaven. He's just been absolutely amazing and I know he's very young but he's been insane. Likewise my training partner Tristan Robbins who's just moved up from being Junior last year and this year rides for Madison Genesis he's very very good as well. Those guys are going to come to the fore over the next few years and will really be a force to be reckoned with.

BRH: I like to think that Bike Route Hub is written by me, a cycling nerd, for other cycling nerds so after all my interviews I will be doing a 3 question quiz to work out how much of a nerd you are. First question, you rode the National Championship in 2014 but in what position did your current teammate Dan Fleeman finish,
I'll give you a couple either way?
WB: It was in the teens, I'm 100% sure of that, 16th? (It was 14th, 1-0 Will)

BRH: What is the name of the Columbian sprinter who will be joining Etixx Quick-Step this year after beating Cavendish twice in San Luis?
WB: This is one that I feel like I should definitely know. He's a mega track sprinter........No it's not going to come to me. (It was Fernando Gaviria, 1-1)

BRH: Who is the current French National Champion?
WB: I'm stumped, the French riders I tend to follow are Voeckler and the Europcar guys....ermm....Demare? (It is Demare 2-1 Will wins)

BRH: Is there anything you'd like to add Will?
WB: Just a massive thank you to my sponsors really; SportGrub Kuota which is made up of Andy Swain, Chris Dunkley and Kuota UK as well as all the sponsors who put money into it because without them I couldn't do what I'm doing so a massive thanks to all those guys.

BRH: Thanks a lot Will!
WB: Thank you