THE BEST BRITISH PRO YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF

From training on jam sandwiches to mixing it with Pogačar at the Tour of Slovenia, we chart Paul Double’s singular route to racing’s world stage

- Andy McGrath

On a 20 per cent section of the short, sharp climb of Trška Gora, four riders were leading on the last day of the 2022 Tour of Slovenia: Tadej Pogačar (no surprises there), Matej Mohorič, Rafał Majka, and Paul Double. Spot the odd one out: modern cycling’s race-gobbling one-off, a Milan-San Remo champion, a Tour de France King of the Mountains winner… and a 25-year-old from Winchester on a third-rung Italian team who had waited tables to make ends meet.

On his way to seventh overall, this was the ride which finally sealed Double a professional contract with US squad Human Powered Health for 2023. The journey to cycling’s big leagues has been a drama-laden lesson in not giving up. While chasing his dream, Double has been hit from behind by a car, been stuck in a freezing house on an erupting Mount Etna, broken teeth and thought his cycling career was over several times. “I think my biggest achievement is the fact so many have quit on the journey I’ve been on and I’ve persisted. That’s my proudest thing, above all the results,” Double says.