Two weeks after grinding through the mist at Portsdown, 17-year-old Leon Atkins stood on the podium at the National Track Championships with his first senior medal around his neck. A 4:10.85 Individual Pursuit - quicker than Wiggins at the same age - offered another glimpse of a rider already straddling junior racing, a Lidl–Trek future and the long tradition of British pursuiting excellence.
The life of a junior cyclist is a busy one, Leon Atkins’ February schedule the embodiment of that. Two weeks ago he was battling through the cold mist of the traditional season opener, the Portsdown Classic; now the 17-year-old is at the National Track Championships, speaking to The British Continental after claiming his first senior medal, a bronze in the Individual Pursuit.
It’s been a bit of a goal of mine
“It’s been a bit of a goal of mine – not necessarily to win a medal, but to put a time down – so to come third here is really special,” he reflects after stepping off the podium, his time of 4:10.85 in the traditional blue riband event faster than any posted by double Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins at the same age, and quicker than Chris Boardman’s ‘unbreakable’ world record set in the ‘superman’ position.
“I’ve had to do a bit more track than I’d have thought to get my track legs back. At the moment I’ve got a nice balance between the track and the road programmes,” he says modestly, as he enters his second and final junior year, his journey so far having known little outside of success.
Atkins (right) with Josh Charlton and Charlie Tanfield. Image: SWpix.com
A multiple national champion at youth level and a star of the time trial circuit, the Hertfordshire rider has long carried a reputation as a prodigious talent, signed with an agent before his first GCSE exams. A long-term deal with Lidl–Trek followed last winter, with Atkins set to join the development squad next year as a first-year under-23.
I still want to do well and feel like I’ve earned that
“It definitely takes the pressure off trying to find a team. Obviously I still want to do well and feel like I’ve earned that,” he notes, pointing out he can now focus purely on racing this year with camsmajaco, the British ‘super team’ created from a merger of his former Fensham Howes MAS Design squad and Tofauti Everyone Active Majaco for this season.
“It’s junior racing. I just want to be up there in any race I can. There’s no specific aim – just try and learn,” he explains, such freedom a rare luxury, even if his domination of the youth ranks has made him a standout figure in what feels like a golden age of junior British talent.
“I just try to ride my own race. It’s not really worth thinking about that too much. I just try to focus on what I can control,” he says with a maturity that belies his years when asked whether that level of notoriety plays on his mind, his potential on the track now clear for all to see.
“It’s just to see how far I can take it. It’s a nice balance with my road career, something to add on and keep it fresh,” he says of his future on the boards.
Atkins is currently receiving support from Team Ohten, the project of eight-time UCI World Masters champion Richard Oakes, donning their distinctive black skinsuit emblazoned with the Derbyshire flag at these championships. “They’ve been really helpful in supporting me on the track. It’s really nice – they’ve given juniors a chance with good kit and things like that,” he adds gratefully.
A rider seemingly destined for the big stage, it is fitting that Atkins’ bronze medal came on a track steeped in history, the 17-year-old adding his name to a long list of riders to have graced the Manchester boards, with more surely to come. For now, however, his feet remain firmly on the ground – the mist and cold of Portsdown as much a classroom as the cauldron of the National Track Championships and the European classics that lie ahead.
The life of a junior cyclist is a busy one, Leon Atkins’ February schedule the embodiment of that. Two weeks ago he was battling through the cold mist of the traditional season opener, the Portsdown Classic; now the 17-year-old is at the National Track Championships, speaking to The British Continental after claiming his first senior medal, a bronze in the Individual Pursuit.
“It’s been a bit of a goal of mine – not necessarily to win a medal, but to put a time down – so to come third here is really special,” he reflects after stepping off the podium, his time of 4:10.85 in the traditional blue riband event faster than any posted by double Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins at the same age, and quicker than Chris Boardman’s ‘unbreakable’ world record set in the ‘superman’ position.
“I’ve had to do a bit more track than I’d have thought to get my track legs back. At the moment I’ve got a nice balance between the track and the road programmes,” he says modestly, as he enters his second and final junior year, his journey so far having known little outside of success.
A multiple national champion at youth level and a star of the time trial circuit, the Hertfordshire rider has long carried a reputation as a prodigious talent, signed with an agent before his first GCSE exams. A long-term deal with Lidl–Trek followed last winter, with Atkins set to join the development squad next year as a first-year under-23.
“It definitely takes the pressure off trying to find a team. Obviously I still want to do well and feel like I’ve earned that,” he notes, pointing out he can now focus purely on racing this year with camsmajaco, the British ‘super team’ created from a merger of his former Fensham Howes MAS Design squad and Tofauti Everyone Active Majaco for this season.
“It’s junior racing. I just want to be up there in any race I can. There’s no specific aim – just try and learn,” he explains, such freedom a rare luxury, even if his domination of the youth ranks has made him a standout figure in what feels like a golden age of junior British talent.
“I just try to ride my own race. It’s not really worth thinking about that too much. I just try to focus on what I can control,” he says with a maturity that belies his years when asked whether that level of notoriety plays on his mind, his potential on the track now clear for all to see.
“It’s just to see how far I can take it. It’s a nice balance with my road career, something to add on and keep it fresh,” he says of his future on the boards.
Atkins is currently receiving support from Team Ohten, the project of eight-time UCI World Masters champion Richard Oakes, donning their distinctive black skinsuit emblazoned with the Derbyshire flag at these championships. “They’ve been really helpful in supporting me on the track. It’s really nice – they’ve given juniors a chance with good kit and things like that,” he adds gratefully.
A rider seemingly destined for the big stage, it is fitting that Atkins’ bronze medal came on a track steeped in history, the 17-year-old adding his name to a long list of riders to have graced the Manchester boards, with more surely to come. For now, however, his feet remain firmly on the ground – the mist and cold of Portsdown as much a classroom as the cauldron of the National Track Championships and the European classics that lie ahead.
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