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Dan’s got real pedal power!
Daniel Colman is building a reputation for being a very good road racer as he takes part in time trials at a variety of distances and over a wide area of the country as a member of the Pembrokeshire Velo Cycling Club.
He regularly competes in time trials over ten miles and has also taken part in other trials over 25, 50 and even 100 miles – and when he tried his hand at a 12-hour race he achieved the substantial total of 221 miles, which was well over what he had set his sights on!
Following in family footsteps
That Dan should take up cycling was perhaps only natural because his parents, Paul and Jill, were very good cyclists in their own right and with Paul still cycling competitively and Jill still enjoying a run out on her bike as well as organising the fellers in the family, who also include Dan’s brother Dominic, a very good rugby player studying at Llandovery College.
Dan started out using a bike donated by one of mum’s friends and he took to it straight away as he and dad went on 20-mile spins before he set out in junior time trials centred mainly around the Sageston/Carew road. He soon realised that there was a number of better cyclists as he recorded a time of 34 minutes over the ten-mile course – but since then he has reduced his personal best to a time of 22 minutes and 54 seconds, a time that is all the more creditable since he achieved it at Resolven, near Neath on a bike handed down to him by Derek Pugh, who is the oldest member of the club and still going strong.
Speed aplenty
Dan now rides a custom-sprayed Mavic bike and has already bought a frame from a friend which he aims to build on as his bike next season, with two chain rings and ten-speed gears at the back which will give him a choice of 20 gears. He hopes that this will help him maintain his momentum as he keeps up his hard work. Last season saw him compete in five 26-mile time trials where he reduced his personal best from 68 minutes to 57 minutes. Not content with this, Dan also competed in a 50-mile trial at Glynneath and reduced his best time by an amazing 23 minutes to two hours and four minutes!
He also competed in a 100-mile time trial which ran for three laps around Raglan and Monmouth and was delighted to finish just eight minutes behind dad. His next target is to beat Paul at this distance, as he is already doing quite often now over the shorter trials!
12-hour marathon brings massive mileage
After a series of short runs he also took part in July in a 12-hour event at Abergavenny which included five laps of the ‘Chain Bridge’ circuit (25 miles each), another circuit of 20 miles and then keeping up his form to finish at any one of several sections where there were marshalls recording time and distance. Dan stopped for food and drink for five minutes every lap so that he had 45 minutes rest in total during the 12 hours, passed his target distance of 200 miles with an hour left – and ended up with an amazing 221 miles! Ask Dan if he was tired afterwards and he would say not immediately – but was very stiff two days later!
New challenge – and hard work
Now that the off-season for time trails has arrived Dan enjoys the club runs on a Sunday and has taken up another challenge on his bike by taking part in cyclo-cross, which is competing over rough terrain, with occasional hurdles or obstacles thrown in. He uses a special bike with knobbly tyres and a higher bottom bracket to help clear obstacles.
“It is very hard work in races that are usually over 30 minutes plus one lap, but is great to help develop strength and stamina, especially in the rain and mud!”
Looking forward
One of Dan’s ambitions is to keep raising his ranking with the British Time Trials Association and modestly says that he has a long way to go before could be considered a good time-trials cyclist. Be that as it may, other experienced cyclists have already taken note of his willingness to work hard, as well as his natural feel for the bike. He came a very creditable third in the Welsh Championships Association points competition last season, an event that runs over all distances where points are awarded for performances – and we at PembrokeshireSport.co.uk are already convinced that we will hear a great deal more about Dan Colman and his cycling exploits in the years to come!
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