George Kimber's recent 4th place Lincoln Grand Prix reflects his steady rise in UK cycling. He credits belief, experience, and a balanced life for his success.
This year’s Lincoln Grand Prix will be remembered as a classic edition, Matt Holmes recording a fairytale victory from an elite group of six, a lap after two time winner Alex Richardson had raised his arms in celebration as the bell tolled. The race saw a daring attack with the flamme rouge in sight, Spirit TBW Stuart Hall Cycling’s George Kimber putting in an all out effort, reaching the iconic cobblestones of Michaelgate first before fading to fourth place. It was the 24-year-old’s best result in a round of the National Road Series, the culmination of a long period of steady improvement, and the performance he ranks as his best.
I risked everything to try and win, and if I ended up 4th, 5th or 6th, it didn’t matter
“It has to be,” Kimber muses, speaking to The British Continental from Dublin, having just completed the five day Rás Tailteann, Ireland’s biggest race. “Just with how prestigious the race is, and with the [CiCLE] Classic being cancelled, that’s probably the biggest race of the year in the UK.
“I was proud about how I rode,” he continues. “I went all in for the win with just over a K to go, left it all out there. I risked everything to try and win, and if I ended up 4th, 5th or 6th, it didn’t matter.”
2023 Ilkley Cycle Races – Lister Horsfall Men’s Grand Prix – Ilkley, England – George Kimber of Embark Spirit BSS in third on the podium. Image: Craig Zadoroznyj/SWpix.com
Kimber is enjoying his strongest season to date, having taken an impressive stage win in the Rás Mumhan in March, Ireland’s second biggest stage race. “I wouldn’t rate it quite as highly as a UK National Series win, but somewhere between a National B and National A,” he explains. “It’s certainly a level up in terms of quality and field size from a National B.
“It’s non-stop, flat out racing [in Ireland], and there’s just a lot of passion in the bunch. Someone is always attacking, always riding hard, a never give in attitude, that’s why the gaps stay so small,” he says, explaining his love of Irish racing, likening it to Belgium, rather than the UK, where he feels riders are often all too happy to keep their cards close to their chest.
Getting the stage win was a massive relief and helped me believe in myself for the rest of the season
“That win was very special to me.” he continues, describing how he was unsure about how he would fare in the early part of the season, having spent the winter on a tandem touring ride in the Far East, training alone in the lead up to the race. “I’d done that big trip away in Asia and had no idea how my form was going to be – I wasn’t riding with anyone except my girlfriend, without a power meter, no anything really. I came back home and felt wiped out with travel fatigue, so I had a couple of weeks not doing much. I did a little training camp in Mallorca with Stuart Hall, which was fantastic, but then fell ill coming back from that, so I had no idea how well I’d be going compared to anyone and was having a bit of a tough time. Getting the stage win was a massive relief and helped me believe in myself for the rest of the season.”
Kimber celebrates his stage victory at the 2024 Rás Mumhan.: Image: Caroline Kerley
Belief has formed a huge part of the Devon-born rider’s rise to the pinnacle of the sport in the UK, Lincoln perhaps marking his arrival as one of the standout riders in the country, confirming the promise that a podium at the Ilkley Grand Prix and two top-ten finishes in the Lancaster Grand Prix previously demonstrated.
Maybe I’ve had some of my best results when I haven’t been in my best form. Belief is massive and even on a bad day, being able to do a job, you can believe your legs will get better
“[Belief], I think it’s huge,” states Kimber. “We always say in the team, it’s a head game, this sport. You have to be happy, willing to give in 100% and go all in for your teammates. Maybe I’ve had some of my best results when I haven’t been in my best form. Belief is massive and even on a bad day, being able to do a job, you can believe your legs will get better. In the Rás, [despite falling ill], I was able to be up there in a couple of the sprints, just because I hung in there. You’re better having a few percent less form and willing to give it 100% and believe you can win, than the other way round.”
Kimber repeatedly notes that his progress has been steady, and that his form this year is the culmination of years of experience in the sport. A punchy climber, Kimber has grown in confidence to believe he can influence the result on any course in the UK.
2023 Ilkley Cycle Races – Lister Horsfall Men’s Grand Prix – Ilkley, England – George Kimber of Embark Spirit BSS. Image: Craig Zadoroznyj/SWpix.com
“I’ve maybe become more punchy and suited to flatter courses as I’ve gotten older, and that’s maybe because I’ve become more tactically aware,” he explains. “That result at Lincoln was more a result of doing that race for the fourth time – my numbers weren’t any better, I was just riding the right race.
I don’t like to go into a race thinking there’s no way I can win this, it doesn’t suit me; I like to think there is a way I can win this
“I like to think I can try to perform on any course in the UK. That makes it exciting for me – I don’t like to go into a race thinking there’s no way I can win this, it doesn’t suit me; I like to think there is a way I can win this, or obviously if I’m riding for a teammate, they can win.”
Kimber has been with Russell Rowles’ Spirit outfit in its various guises since 2020, the team’s approach suiting him and his outlook on the sport. “It’s not a high pressure dynamic,” he notes, explaining that he has combined racing with studying for an engineering degree for the majority of his time on the team.
“I think Russ is quite understanding – if you want to go out and have a beer, you can have a beer. You’re treated like an adult and he understands that we have commitments and can’t do every race, it’s just helped me maintain a healthy cycling / life balance. The trust is put in you as a rider to perform, and I’ve kept doing that! We’re lucky that our sponsors provide pretty much all our kit, otherwise racing on a student loan would have been almost impossible. That extra support really makes a difference for me.
“The goal is always to progress, and I have been steadily. I just want to be as good as I can be while enjoying my life, seeing my family and friends regularly, that has to be the number one priority in life.”
2023 Dudley Grand Prix, Men’s National Circuit Series – George Kimber of Embark Spirit BSS. Image: Oliver Brookwell/SWpix.com
Prior to joining Spirit, Kimber spent a year in Italy with the Zappi U23 setup, returning home to study at Cardiff University, unable to defer his offer for a further year. He describes his experience in Italy as “intense”, a far cry from life with the Spirit team. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great setup with a lot of passion, but it was like you weren’t quite trusted to make the right decisions, you’re being told what you can and can’t do.
That’s when the penny dropped – I could do both and if I was happy then I’d perform – it wasn’t about doing massive weeks, it’s about working hard at the right time and going all in on race day
“The freedom I had at university was something I really enjoyed, and I guess I started performing better on the bike because of that. They say a happy rider is a fast rider. In 2020 I had been at uni over the winter, done some training and went to the Tour of Rhodes for the first race of the season. Zappi were there too, and I ended up 8th on the final stage and I was at a similar level to my teammates from the year before, who had been full time. That’s when the penny dropped – I could do both and if I was happy then I’d perform – it wasn’t about doing massive weeks, it’s about working hard at the right time and going all in on race day.
Kimber admits his progression has been steady and at his own pace, declaring that he “wasn’t someone who won everything straight away.” With the priority set firmly on enjoyment, Kimber reveals that he would love to be able to ride a stage of the Tour of Britain on his home Devon roads. “That’s sort of a goal in the back of my head, to ride a home tour, but obviously that’s getting more and more difficult with the decline of Conti teams in the UK.
“I’ve steadily kept getting better, if I can keep on getting better and move on up then that’s great. If not, I’m happy racing at whatever level, as long as I’m having a good time doing it.”
Kimber’s love for the sport started in Devon, joining his father for the final 200 miles of an epic John O’Groats to Lands End tour “on a mountain bike with flat pedals”. From there a spell with the local club saw Kimber jump into racing. “It was just entering races, getting dropped, getting better. It’s been a slow improvement,” he reflects.
2023 Dudley Grand Prix, Men’s National Circuit Series – George Kimber of Embark Spirit BSS. Image: Oliver Brookwell/SWpix.com
With his background of touring and club runs, Kimber undoubtedly loves cycling, in any context. “I’m not someone who if they don’t get a pro contract will hang up my wheels and never touch a bike again. I like the sport in all its forms – be it riding to work or as a sustainable mode of transport, club runs and cafe rides, or racing, there’s lots of ways in which the bike helps me in life.
I like the satisfaction of using my bike as a mode of transport to get from a to b, I like the competitive side of the racing, and winning as well! I think I’m quite lucky to enjoy both
“I like the satisfaction of using my bike as a mode of transport to get from a to b, I like the competitive side of the racing, and winning as well! I think I’m quite lucky to enjoy both.”
Kimber demonstrated his love for the sport with an epic 4,000 mile tandem tour from Singapore to Bangkok last winter after his graduation, and before, as he points out, the 2024 season started; his girlfriend doing most of the planning, Kimber “providing the power”, as he puts it.
“It was an awesome experience, definitely eye opening and gives a whole new appreciation to being able to ride a bike and race it as a hobby, having seen how hard a lot of people work out there and how hard life can be.
“I’d still put myself in a hole on the days out touring – we had some really hard 100 mile plus days over mountains, terrible roads – and the tandem, with all the gear on, was 40kg. I think we maybe overdid it with the effort, it’s the most hours I’ve ever done and I can’t say I felt in the best from when I got back, but I always like to push myself. I can’t help it sometimes!”
Kimber describes the trip as a once in a lifetime experience, the final act before the curtain came down on his time as a student, and a new job in engineering beckoned. “I hope my form will be as good as it has been going into that [job],” he says, reflecting on a new chapter, both in his life and a cyclist. “It’s a little bit of an unknown, but the money doesn’t go on forever, and you have to step into the real world.”
This year’s Lincoln Grand Prix will be remembered as a classic edition, Matt Holmes recording a fairytale victory from an elite group of six, a lap after two time winner Alex Richardson had raised his arms in celebration as the bell tolled. The race saw a daring attack with the flamme rouge in sight, Spirit TBW Stuart Hall Cycling’s George Kimber putting in an all out effort, reaching the iconic cobblestones of Michaelgate first before fading to fourth place. It was the 24-year-old’s best result in a round of the National Road Series, the culmination of a long period of steady improvement, and the performance he ranks as his best.
“It has to be,” Kimber muses, speaking to The British Continental from Dublin, having just completed the five day Rás Tailteann, Ireland’s biggest race. “Just with how prestigious the race is, and with the [CiCLE] Classic being cancelled, that’s probably the biggest race of the year in the UK.
“I was proud about how I rode,” he continues. “I went all in for the win with just over a K to go, left it all out there. I risked everything to try and win, and if I ended up 4th, 5th or 6th, it didn’t matter.”
Kimber is enjoying his strongest season to date, having taken an impressive stage win in the Rás Mumhan in March, Ireland’s second biggest stage race. “I wouldn’t rate it quite as highly as a UK National Series win, but somewhere between a National B and National A,” he explains. “It’s certainly a level up in terms of quality and field size from a National B.
“It’s non-stop, flat out racing [in Ireland], and there’s just a lot of passion in the bunch. Someone is always attacking, always riding hard, a never give in attitude, that’s why the gaps stay so small,” he says, explaining his love of Irish racing, likening it to Belgium, rather than the UK, where he feels riders are often all too happy to keep their cards close to their chest.
“That win was very special to me.” he continues, describing how he was unsure about how he would fare in the early part of the season, having spent the winter on a tandem touring ride in the Far East, training alone in the lead up to the race. “I’d done that big trip away in Asia and had no idea how my form was going to be – I wasn’t riding with anyone except my girlfriend, without a power meter, no anything really. I came back home and felt wiped out with travel fatigue, so I had a couple of weeks not doing much. I did a little training camp in Mallorca with Stuart Hall, which was fantastic, but then fell ill coming back from that, so I had no idea how well I’d be going compared to anyone and was having a bit of a tough time. Getting the stage win was a massive relief and helped me believe in myself for the rest of the season.”
Belief has formed a huge part of the Devon-born rider’s rise to the pinnacle of the sport in the UK, Lincoln perhaps marking his arrival as one of the standout riders in the country, confirming the promise that a podium at the Ilkley Grand Prix and two top-ten finishes in the Lancaster Grand Prix previously demonstrated.
“[Belief], I think it’s huge,” states Kimber. “We always say in the team, it’s a head game, this sport. You have to be happy, willing to give in 100% and go all in for your teammates. Maybe I’ve had some of my best results when I haven’t been in my best form. Belief is massive and even on a bad day, being able to do a job, you can believe your legs will get better. In the Rás, [despite falling ill], I was able to be up there in a couple of the sprints, just because I hung in there. You’re better having a few percent less form and willing to give it 100% and believe you can win, than the other way round.”
Kimber repeatedly notes that his progress has been steady, and that his form this year is the culmination of years of experience in the sport. A punchy climber, Kimber has grown in confidence to believe he can influence the result on any course in the UK.
“I’ve maybe become more punchy and suited to flatter courses as I’ve gotten older, and that’s maybe because I’ve become more tactically aware,” he explains. “That result at Lincoln was more a result of doing that race for the fourth time – my numbers weren’t any better, I was just riding the right race.
“I like to think I can try to perform on any course in the UK. That makes it exciting for me – I don’t like to go into a race thinking there’s no way I can win this, it doesn’t suit me; I like to think there is a way I can win this, or obviously if I’m riding for a teammate, they can win.”
Kimber has been with Russell Rowles’ Spirit outfit in its various guises since 2020, the team’s approach suiting him and his outlook on the sport. “It’s not a high pressure dynamic,” he notes, explaining that he has combined racing with studying for an engineering degree for the majority of his time on the team.
“I think Russ is quite understanding – if you want to go out and have a beer, you can have a beer. You’re treated like an adult and he understands that we have commitments and can’t do every race, it’s just helped me maintain a healthy cycling / life balance. The trust is put in you as a rider to perform, and I’ve kept doing that! We’re lucky that our sponsors provide pretty much all our kit, otherwise racing on a student loan would have been almost impossible. That extra support really makes a difference for me.
“The goal is always to progress, and I have been steadily. I just want to be as good as I can be while enjoying my life, seeing my family and friends regularly, that has to be the number one priority in life.”
Prior to joining Spirit, Kimber spent a year in Italy with the Zappi U23 setup, returning home to study at Cardiff University, unable to defer his offer for a further year. He describes his experience in Italy as “intense”, a far cry from life with the Spirit team. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great setup with a lot of passion, but it was like you weren’t quite trusted to make the right decisions, you’re being told what you can and can’t do.
“The freedom I had at university was something I really enjoyed, and I guess I started performing better on the bike because of that. They say a happy rider is a fast rider. In 2020 I had been at uni over the winter, done some training and went to the Tour of Rhodes for the first race of the season. Zappi were there too, and I ended up 8th on the final stage and I was at a similar level to my teammates from the year before, who had been full time. That’s when the penny dropped – I could do both and if I was happy then I’d perform – it wasn’t about doing massive weeks, it’s about working hard at the right time and going all in on race day.
Kimber admits his progression has been steady and at his own pace, declaring that he “wasn’t someone who won everything straight away.” With the priority set firmly on enjoyment, Kimber reveals that he would love to be able to ride a stage of the Tour of Britain on his home Devon roads. “That’s sort of a goal in the back of my head, to ride a home tour, but obviously that’s getting more and more difficult with the decline of Conti teams in the UK.
“I’ve steadily kept getting better, if I can keep on getting better and move on up then that’s great. If not, I’m happy racing at whatever level, as long as I’m having a good time doing it.”
Kimber’s love for the sport started in Devon, joining his father for the final 200 miles of an epic John O’Groats to Lands End tour “on a mountain bike with flat pedals”. From there a spell with the local club saw Kimber jump into racing. “It was just entering races, getting dropped, getting better. It’s been a slow improvement,” he reflects.
With his background of touring and club runs, Kimber undoubtedly loves cycling, in any context. “I’m not someone who if they don’t get a pro contract will hang up my wheels and never touch a bike again. I like the sport in all its forms – be it riding to work or as a sustainable mode of transport, club runs and cafe rides, or racing, there’s lots of ways in which the bike helps me in life.
“I like the satisfaction of using my bike as a mode of transport to get from a to b, I like the competitive side of the racing, and winning as well! I think I’m quite lucky to enjoy both.”
Kimber demonstrated his love for the sport with an epic 4,000 mile tandem tour from Singapore to Bangkok last winter after his graduation, and before, as he points out, the 2024 season started; his girlfriend doing most of the planning, Kimber “providing the power”, as he puts it.
“It was an awesome experience, definitely eye opening and gives a whole new appreciation to being able to ride a bike and race it as a hobby, having seen how hard a lot of people work out there and how hard life can be.
“I’d still put myself in a hole on the days out touring – we had some really hard 100 mile plus days over mountains, terrible roads – and the tandem, with all the gear on, was 40kg. I think we maybe overdid it with the effort, it’s the most hours I’ve ever done and I can’t say I felt in the best from when I got back, but I always like to push myself. I can’t help it sometimes!”
Kimber describes the trip as a once in a lifetime experience, the final act before the curtain came down on his time as a student, and a new job in engineering beckoned. “I hope my form will be as good as it has been going into that [job],” he says, reflecting on a new chapter, both in his life and a cyclist. “It’s a little bit of an unknown, but the money doesn’t go on forever, and you have to step into the real world.”
Featured image: SWpix.com
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