{"id":351845,"date":"2025-12-17T20:47:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T20:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/351845\/"},"modified":"2025-12-17T20:47:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T20:47:15","slug":"dream-big-there-are-no-limits-the-21-year-old-who-wants-to-be-the-first-worldtour-or-pro-continental-para-cyclist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/351845\/","title":{"rendered":"“Dream big\u2026\u00a0there are no limits” \u2013 the 21-year-old who wants to be the first WorldTour or pro Continental para-cyclist"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Archie Atkinson crashed, one lap away from a gold medal in his first Paralympic Games, and metres away from breaking his own world record, his instinct was to quit. He left Paris with a silver medal around his neck, but it wasn\u2019t until months later that he realised the scale of his achievement.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor months, I would pick my medal up and either cry or hate [looking at] it,\u201d he tells BikeRadar. \u201cOn the night I won it, I took it off and threw it!\u201d <\/p>\n

The gold medal had been within Atkinson\u2019s grasp. Leading Slovakia\u2019s Jozef Metelka by six seconds in the men\u2019s C4 4,000m individual pursuit final at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Atkinson\u2019s bike slipped away from him as he approached the final lap, leaving the youngest member of Great Britain\u2019s cycling squad \u2013 aged 20 at the time \u2013 face-down on the track of the V\u00e9lodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gold medal was 250m away from me,\u201d says Atkinson ruefully. \u201cI wanted to quit bikes. I felt like I\u2019d let the country down. As a GB athlete, your goal is to win gold. Coming back with a silver medal felt like a failure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back home in Stockport, it was a routine trip to the barber that helped Atkinson see his Paralympic medal in a new light. \u201c[The barber] was really happy for me and wanted to see the medal, so I went home to get it,\u201d says Atkinson. \u201cWhen I was walking back to the barber\u2019s, I put my hand in my pocket and felt it \u2013 that was the first time I smiled at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bouncing back
\n\"ArchieAtkinson crashed in the final of the men’s C4 individual pursuit at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Atkinson took a four-month break following the Paralympics, returning to racing in May 2025 with little sense of his fitness or form \u2013 only to win his first UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup in Italy.<\/p>\n

A bronze medal in the road race followed at the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships in August, before Atkinson secured his third world title on the boards at October\u2019s Para-Cycling Track World Championships. <\/p>\n

\"SilverSlovakia’s Jozef Metelka took the gold medal. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Despite that impressive haul, Atkinson reflects on 2025 as a year of \u201cups and downs\u201d. He started the season \u201cwanting to win a lot off the back of the Games last year\u201d \u2013 but, just as his season was reaching its crescendo, Atkinson caught Covid shortly before October\u2019s track worlds, and he also broke his nose a week out from the event. Two silver medals, alongside his gold, left Atkinson wanting more.<\/p>\n

Atkinson\u2019s takeaway from 2025 \u2013 a \u201cyear of learning\u201d \u2013 is clear. \u201cFocus on the process, not the outcome,\u201d he says. \u201cMy mentality is to win \u2013 and if I don\u2019t win, I feel I\u2019ve failed in my job. That\u2019s always been my mentality, and always will be, but rather than focusing on that medal and that win, I need to focus on what leads up to it, rather than the podium itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ArchieAtkinson had set a world record in qualifying. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Archie\u2019s achievements<\/p>\n

The 21-year-old\u2019s medal-haul highlights so far\u2026<\/p>\n

Paralympics Games<\/p>\n

Silver, C4 individual pursuit, Paris 2024<\/p>\n

UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships<\/p>\n

Gold, C4 scratch race, Glasgow 2023
Gold, C4 individual pursuit, Rio 2024
Gold, C4 scratch race, Rio 2025
Silver, C4 1km time trial, Rio 2025
Silver, C4 elimination race, Rio 2025<\/p>\n

UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships<\/p>\n

Bronze, C4 road race, Glasgow 2023<\/p>\n

In memory of Magnus
\n\"MagnusMagnus White \u2013 a close friend of Atkinson \u2013 was killed by a motorist in 2023. USA Cycling<\/p>\n

Atkinson has wanted to be a professional cyclist since he was three years old. He briefly diverted his attention to football as a teenager, playing at a county level, but fell out of love with the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started doing random 200km road rides off the back of zero training and thought, \u2018Okay, maybe I do have some talent\u2019,\u201d says Atkinson. \u201cI got put onto the regional academy off the back of a few road races, then went to a testing day for the para team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atkinson\u2019s power numbers revealed his potential and his path was set. His parents agreed to support his dream until he was 21 and he quickly \u201clocked in\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI threw all of my eggs in that basket, quit school and focused on being a pro cyclist,\u201d he says. \u201cI knew that if I didn\u2019t make it, then my dream would be over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atkinson quickly accelerated through the ranks and was selected for his first UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships in 2023, aged 19. On the eve of the event, Atkinson\u2019s friend, Magnus White, was killed by a driver who hit the 17-year-old American rising star while he was on a training ride in Colorado.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found out through some messages through mates,\u201d says Atkinson. Despite carrying that raw grief through the Glasgow worlds, Atkinson, who competes in the C4 category, won his first world title with gold in the scratch race.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt drives me as an athlete, but it\u2019s difficult sometimes,\u201d says Atkinson, reflecting on Magnus\u2019 death two years on. \u201cTomorrow [18 November] would have been his 20th birthday. It\u2019s a weird feeling. There are some days when you lose all motivation. You get overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there are other days when you can\u2019t let him down. He died pursuing his dream and I\u2019m lucky enough to call this my job and live the dream we wanted so much. You want to keep his name and legacy alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dreaming big
\n\"ArchieAtkinson has his sights set on road and track glory in 2026. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to 2026, Atkinson\u2019s objectives are clear. \u201cI\u2019d like to get a stripey jersey on the road,\u201d he says, with the para-cycling road worlds in Huntsville, Alabama, in September front of mind. \u201cI\u2019ve not done that yet. That\u2019s the big goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the track, Atkinson wants to win a third scratch race world title in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, in October, upgrade his 2025 silver medal in the elimination race to gold, and reclaim the individual pursuit title he last won in 2024.<\/p>\n

Atkinson continues to chase glory on both the road and track, and he\u2019s currently in talks with several able-bodied teams to ride with them for a few races in 2026 to gain experience.<\/p>\n

\"Archie“If you\u2019re an eight-year-old kid with cerebral palsy and you\u2019re watching cycling, and you see a Paralympian on the TV racing next to Remco or Tadej, that\u2019d be pretty special,” says Atkinson. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cThe end goal \u2013 and it\u2019s a bit of a mad dream \u2013 is to be one of the first WorldTour or pro Continental para-cyclists,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you\u2019re an eight-year-old kid with cerebral palsy and you\u2019re watching cycling, and you see a Paralympian on the TV racing next to Remco or Tadej, that\u2019d be pretty special. They\u2019ll think, \u2018If they can do that, I can too\u2019. You\u2019d be pushing para-cycling to its limit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atkinson, who has cerebral palsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, continues to challenge misconceptions about para-cyclists. He\u2019s often asked, \u2018What\u2019s your disability?\u2019 \u201cIt\u2019s not very visible,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe annoying thing about para-cycling is that people think we\u2019re heroes or more inspirational than Olympians. Sometimes it feels a bit patronising. We\u2019re the same people; we\u2019ve just got a leg missing or something not working correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The joy of cycling<\/p>\n

Off the bike, Atkinson loves music (he plays the piano, guitar and harmonica), has a passion for history (\u201cthe World Wars and Vietnam era\u201d) and loves Lego, but concedes that travelling with a Lego set to a training camp or an international event is rarely practical. \u201cIt\u2019s normally Fortnite or Fifa,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether he\u2019s training or competing, what hasn\u2019t changed for Atkinson is his love of cycling. \u201cI just love riding bikes. It\u2019s the greatest invention ever,\u201d he says. \u201cRiding with your mates \u2013 there\u2019s no feeling that matches it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For someone who gave himself until he was 21 to ‘make it’, Archie Atkinson has well and truly arrived, and is set to be a star of British cycling for years to come. His advice for young riders following in his pedal strokes? \u201cDream big,\u201d he says. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what it is: just dream big. Go for it. There are no limits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quick-fire questions<\/p>\n

Favourite place to train?<\/p>\n

The Pyrenees. It\u2019s where my grandparents live and I go on holiday quite a lot. There are mountains, no cars, no people. You just hear your tyres on the road and the birds \u2013 it\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n

One piece of kit you couldn\u2019t live without?<\/p>\n

My Specialized Ares 2 shoes. I love them. With the Recon laces.<\/p>\n

Favourite bike?<\/p>\n

My Specialized Shiv time trial bike. It\u2019s so quick. You get on it and it feels like a spaceship. Everyone just stares at you. I\u2019ve got a 100mm front wheel and it\u2019s an instant [Strava] KOM if you\u2019re training.<\/p>\n

One race you\u2019d love to win?<\/p>\n

Paris-Roubaix. That\u2019d be mad.<\/p>\n

Your idol?<\/p>\n

Remco [Evenepoel]. 100%. I\u2019ve always looked up to him.<\/p>\n

Road or track?<\/p>\n

Mountain biking\u2026 I love the freedom you get from it. The adventure, the fun and an element of danger. I love it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Archie Atkinson crashed, one lap away from a gold medal in his first Paralympic Games, and metres…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":351846,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-351845","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/351846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}