President
Vacant
The club is currently without a President, if you are interested in joining the committee or would like to know more about how the club is run, please reach out to Nigel the club secretary.
Secretary
Nigel Fairfield – secretary.didcotphoenixcc@gmail.com
Following a brief break from cycling, amounting to over 30 years, I needed to lose some weight and
get fit and so it was time to dust off the Lycra. I was brought up in Inverness and participated in a
wide range of team sports from curling to rugby but enjoyed cycling to explore and a bit of “me
time”. Having spent the intervening years happily married and raising keen footballers, I finally got
to hang up my boots, devote more time to cycling and start ticking off the bucket list of cycling
challenges.
My working life has been in the road traffic industry which gave me the opportunity to travel the
world from Asia to South America but in recent years have been more UK based. Leading a small
team of specialists in system support, we look after Urban Traffic Control systems around the World.
When travelling, rather than explain what I do, I just mention the movie the Italian Job.
Currently, with a little more time on my hands, I spend my spare time cycling, dog walking and
watching football but still manage to get away on golfing trips.
Over the last couple of years, I have got more involved in Didcot Phoenix and happily help where I
can with various events. Other members of the cycling club have made me welcome and introduced
me to the world of club cycling, organised groups and raised my fitness levels and targets.
Treasurer
Harri James – treasurer.didcotphoenixcc@gmail.com
It’s fair to say Harri is addicted to all things bike, from TTs to club runs to exploring bridleways and #Gravel. Harri joined DPCC back in 2012, just a couple of months after getting his first road bike. Since those early days, the club has been a great encouragement all the way through to competing nationally.
Quick fire things about Harri:
Favourite place to ride: Mid Wales or the Pyrenees.
Craziest bike ride: When I decided to ride rather than drive to visit some family 140 miles away!
Harri is in charge of the club’s money and is proud to ensure the club can invest in the development of its members and the sport.
Participation Director
Matt Chambers – participation.didcotphoenixcc@gmail.com
A cycling career started under duress – with Dad making teenage Matt ride to school through the mean streets of Croydon – went downhill ever since.
Although he is often spotted racing (discretely), Matt looks most content riding long days in the countryside (preferably Welsh or Swiss). Happy to talk about Merckx, cake, gear ratios, Beryl Burton and bivvy bags in equal measures. Ideally in the same cafe stop.
Factoids:
Favourite climb: The sort with a great view at the top, and where you think “Didn’t think I’d get up that.”
Favourite dinner: Anything served after riding dawn-til-dusk.
Matt has ridden more than 300 miles in 24 hours at least twice. No-one is sure why.
Membership Secretary
Ben Barber – membership.didcotphoenixcc@gmail.com
‘After a childhood on bikes, Ben took a hiatus from two wheels throughout his teenage years and early twenties. Until a day in 2013 when he swapped a crate of corona for an old mountain bike when he found his love of two wheels and quickly adding a road bike in 2014. He quickly fell in love with the freedom that riding delivered, and still is always on the look out for a new challenge – be that on, or off road.”
Welfare Officer
Michelle McGuinness
Michelle started road cycling in 2020, and quickly fell in love with all thing’s road bike, particularly shiny new things in the Trek shop! She joined DPCC in 2021 and enjoys heading out on club rides and the DTR, climbing big hills, riding for miles in the countryside and drinking coffee. She has a bit of a competitive streak and likes to challenge herself riding Time Trials and the odd hilly sportive here and there.
Favourite places to ride: The Algarve, Italy and the UK when the sun shines.
Favourite Mottos: ‘Life is short buy the damn bicycle’ – ‘I better do it now; I’m not getting any younger’
Social Media Coordinator
Cameron Tappin
Club Run Coordinator
Ron Smith
After using a bike primarily as just a mode of transport during school, university and early work years in the last quarter of the 20th century – when hockey was his favoured sport – Ron really got into leisure and competitive cycling in the early 2000s after accidentally watching the 2001 Tour de France on Eurosport. He’s been time trialling since 2007, during which time he’s been DPCC 10 miles, 25 miles and Hill Climb champion – although of late he’s been spending more time operating the stopwatches as a timekeeper rather than racing against them…
As well as short, fast, flat rides, Ron also partakes in longer, slower, hillier ones and has been heavily involved in organising the Club’s Sunday rides programme for over 10 years. He’s travelled to far-flung corners of the UK to ride in sportives, and in the process has ridden up all 7 of the Scottish entries in the UK Official 100 Climbs list – but only 3 English entries (one of which was a mistake, having gone “off course” during an event) and 1 in Wales. He does have plans to add to that list.
In general, his annual bike mileage easily outstrips that of his car. And he’s also got a mountain bike sitting in the shed desperately needing a clean and re-lube. Fortunately, now that his children have finished university and left home he now is able to devote both some spare time and cash to do this.
Training Ride Coordinator
Martin Stanley
Martin has been a member of the club for 9 years, he loves the freedom of riding his bikes, and has been known to try most types of rides, events and racing the club offers.
At the moment Martin is responsible for coordinating group training rides on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings throughout the year. These sessions are a stepping stone to upping fitness levels and group riding skills for anyone seeking local racing. Seek him out directly or on the clubs DTR group on Strava for more info, or even better catch him on a club run, at our TTs or any ride that includes cake.
TT Coordinator
Kate Bradley
Kate had had a love of all things bike since being a nipper often riding for miles in the Cumbrian countryside. Though the introduction to Mountain biking given by her dad one Christmas, in a foot of snow, could be described as Character Building. After many years of using bikes for transport Kate decided to give time trialling a go in 2015, by entering her first “10” immediately followed by entering the National 24 hour.
Kate loves to ride long distance and all things time trialling and is happiest found flogging herself down a fast, flat straight road.
Quick fire:
Favourite / Silliest Ride – Pembroke to London 2022, in one day. Straight down the A40 into London is erm interesting and Aston Hill at 220 miles hurts.
Favourite Cake stop – All of them particularly if its near the end of a ride as “cafe legs” are horrid!