In the year or so Oscar has been a member he has certainly made an impact..Riding with the Black group he nearly always drops the established riders on the climbs and is wise beyond his years. Read on to find out more about what has lead him to this point and what he hopes for the future.

Q. How long have you been cycling, and what attracted you to it

A . I started cycling when I was about three and enjoyed pootling up and down the tow-path and Jubilee River with my Dad. When I was thirteen I became interested in mountain biking, especially the trails in Bracknell Forest and became an avid viewer of GMBN. It was only the summer of 2019 when I got my first road bike, to cycle JOGLE with my brother and Dad, and I only really got into cycling proper that winter when I joined MDCC.

Q. Do you just ride on the road or do a mixture of cycling

A. I predominantly ride on the road, but do love taking my mountain bike out. Swinley Forest remains a particular favorite of mine when my parents let me go (my Dad is a little wary of my lack of caution).

Q. What other sports do you enjoy

A. I did quite a bit of running over the winter to maintain fitness and break up the boredom of turbo sessions when the weather wasn’t good which I enjoyed. I also play the classic school sports of football, rugby, and cricket and am captain of my house football team.

Q. So do you do a sporting activity every day

A. Pretty much. I probably don’t take nearly enough rest days but I love being out on my bike or playing football with my friends so it’s hard for me not to.

Q. What are you studying at School, and how easy do you find it to balance academic and sports activities

A. I’m studying a whole host of dull GCSEs which I won’t bore you with. In terms of balance, I’m quite lucky because I find it quite easy. I would say, contrary to what my parents think, that I’m rather studious and therefore I don’t find it too difficult to get on top of my academic work and get out on my bike. I think it’s probably the prospect of a ride that helps me get my work done.

Q. Do the School support your Cycling in anyway

A. Unfortunately, the ‘Eton Wheelers’ have been disbanded for a number of years now, so there is no direct support from the school. Having said that, my housemaster is extremely supportive in giving me concessions and allowing me to leave school on my bike so I don’t feel as though the school is holding me back. Further, I’m in the process of starting up a triathlon club at school, a key area of which will be the new and improved school cycle club, which is an exciting prospect and one which I hope will help the sport flourish amongst Etonians.

Q. Why did you join MDCC and what do you enjoy most about the club


A. I joined MDCC after I cycled JOGLE with my brother and my Dad and my love for cycling really began to grow. Shortly after we got back I googled local clubs near me and found MDCC. I nagged my mum to help sign me up and nervously drove up to Braywick that Sunday. I needn’t have been so anxious as Sarah and David were extremely accommodating of me and I had an absolute blast. The thing I enjoy most about MDCC has got to be the weekly club rides and being shown new routes and given advice about how to improve my cycling from people who have much more experience than me.

Q. It is sad to say that at the moment most of the club MDCC members you ride with are a fair bit (read a lot) older than you. Has this caused any issues

A. Of course, I think it would be great if MDCC had some more young members, but the age difference hasn’t caused any issues for me and it’s great to be able to ride as part of group. My parents are certainly much happier that when I’m 30 miles from home I’m with people who know what they’re doing.

Q. What are you cycling ambitions

A. Realistically, I don’t think there’s much chance of my cycling really going anywhere professionally, so it’s more of a case of just staying fit and having fun. However, there are certainly some bucket list rides I’ve got my eye on. At some point, I’d really like to tackle the world’s longest uphill in the form of cycling up Mauna Loa (62 miles @3.4%) and I’d also like to do the North Coast 500 at some point as the roads look stunning. Cycling the King Alfred’s Way, a new 350km gravel route, also looks rather challenging but also good fun.

Q. Does anyone else in the family cycle, and how important has your family been in helping you

A. My brother started cycling a bit when I did last winter after we did JOGLE, but he started to less and less when I was getting faster than him. My Dad also cycles, he rode across America when he was younger (he wanted me to get that in here), but he refuses to swap out his old ‘wheels of steel’ with bull bars and cages for a proper road bike so I only ever join him on my mountain bike to make things more even.