MAKE THE BREAK: STEVE-O'S LIFE LESSONS IN STAYING AHEAD

Renowned master of the long-range solo attack, Steve Cummings set a punishing pace for more than 20 years. Here, he shares his hard-earned fitness wisdom with Rebecca Charlton

- Rebecca Charlton

As a junior rider with Birkenhead North End Cycling Club in the Nineties, Steve Cummings was winning gold medals from an early age. By 2004, he was standing upon the second step of the Olympic podium in Athens – at a pivotal time for British Cycling – as a key part of the success story that saw Britain rise to the top of the global rankings.

After becoming world champion on the track, Cummings went on to become a three-time Grand Tour stage winner on the road, with Barloworld, Team Sky, BMC and latterly Dimension Data. He entered the history books alongside David Millar when he clinched road race and TT double victory in the 2017 national championships. Known as a gritty rider, Cummings was loved by fans for his gutsy breakaway rides and solo victories.

He retired in 2019, aged 38, after more than two decades at the sharp end. Cummings spoke to CW from his home in the Wirral – via our lockdown saviour, Zoom – to share a career’s-worth of fitness, training and racing wisdom.

Learn to love the way of life

When I first started cycling, I wasn’t thinking about racing. I had a group of great guys who used to take me out as part of the Birkenhead North End Cycling Club. They taught me how to enjoy the bike, the café stops and that side of things. After about six months, I started to want to become a bit stronger and that’s when I got into racing.