Despite being only around 5% slower than the main group, it was enough to leave him isolated, riding solo for an hour and finishing last. The result hit hard. On the way home, he said, “I thought I was good at cycling.”
Disheartened but determined, he returned to the turbo trainer—even though he found it dull. A regional coach offered no sugar-coating: “Suck it up and do the work.” So he did.
Balancing athletics and cycling has also been a challenge. Aubrey is a talented middle-distance runner and a keen cyclist, and the two disciplines don’t always play nicely together. But gradually, the hard work is starting to pay off.
This weekend, he headed to Darley Moor for the first event in the British Triathlon East Midlands Series—a duathlon (2.5 km run | 10 km bike | 1.5 km run) that attracted strong competitors from across the region and beyond.
Aubrey started solidly, finishing the first run in 7th place. He flew through T1 with the fastest transition time and hit the bike course in 6th. A strong ride—second fastest of the day—moved him into 3rd by T2, and once again he clocked the fastest transition time. With one final push on the run, he surged into 2nd place and held it to the line, earning himself a hard-fought silver medal.
He was shocked. For years, he had been beaten by several of the competitors he outpaced this time. But this weekend marked a turning point—the first real return on all those lonely hours on the turbo. He wasn’t in WVCC yellow but it was a podium WVCC can be proud of.
Circuit racing is still on the cards, but rebuilding confidence will take time. This weekend has gone a long way toward that. And with more TTs—his true love—on the horizon, there’s no doubt he’s heading in the right direction.
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