{"id":132439,"date":"2025-09-12T14:59:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T14:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/132439\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T14:59:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T14:59:03","slug":"from-scraping-by-on-e3k-a-year-to-mixing-it-with-pogacar-how-paul-double-hit-the-big-time-at-28","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/132439\/","title":{"rendered":"From scraping by on \u20ac3k a year to mixing it with Poga\u010dar: How Paul Double hit the big-time at 28"},"content":{"rendered":"

The full, original version of this article was published in the 26th June 2025 print edition of Cycling Weekly. Subscribe online<\/a> and get the magazine delivered direct to your door every week.<\/p>\n

Len Double dressed his youngest son Paul, just nine at the time, in a yellow jersey and red helmet, and plonked him on a \u00a3100 mountain bike. \u201cWe were in Cheddar Gorge and I told him to ride down the hill and then back up,\u201d Len remembers. \u201cI didn\u2019t expect much, but he rode up it like a bloody rocket! I thought, Jesus, if he takes this up, he could be pretty useful.\u201d The ride whetted young Paul\u2019s appetite for cycling. \u201cI felt very early on that if he persevered he could become a stage race rider,\u201d his father continues.<\/p>\n

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To reach the promised land of WorldTour and Grand Tour racing, Paul \u2013 born and raised in Winchester, Hampshire \u2013 has taken a winding and unusually long path. Along the way, he has had to scrape by on pay as low as \u20ac3,000 a year, making ends meet by chopping wood on the slopes of Mt Etna and sticking foam to his bike to improve his time trialling. It\u2019s been nearly a decade-long journey from novice under-23 rider to Giro d\u2019Italia finisher \u2013 a path demanding both patience and perseverance, the very qualities his dad always said he would need. \u201cI said he\u2019d be a slow burner, and that\u2019s what he\u2019s become,\u201d Len says. Finally, though, at 28 \u2013 half a decade later than most of his peers \u2013 Double has arrived at cycling\u2019s top table, and he\u2019s already started picking up some big wins. \u201cBecoming a pro has always been the dream, the one thing I\u2019ve always aspired to, and it feels like I\u2019ve only just started,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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\"Paul\n<\/p>\n

The young Double showed early promise <\/p>\n

(Image credit: Paul Double)<\/p>\n

Sporty upbringing<\/p>\n

It was from his dad Len that Double inherited his love and enthusiasm for cycling. In his younger years, Len, who is now 71, was a first-cat racer and a familiar face on the south London road, track and time trial scene. But cycling wasn\u2019t Paul\u2019s first sport. \u201cHe played table tennis, swam well, and was a decent runner,\u201d Len recalls. \u201cThen one day, our hairdresser \u2013 who coached kayaking \u2013 asked if he wanted to give that a go. He did, and took to it quickly, but was entered into an event he wasn\u2019t ready for. He flipped the kayak and took a while to resurface. We didn\u2019t realise at first, but he was actually drowning in front of us. Understandably, he lost interest after that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kayaking\u2019s loss was cycling\u2019s gain \u2013 though Double didn\u2019t start racing until after finishing school at 18. In July 2016, he made an impression at the Welsh amateur race Ras De Cymru, winning two stages against far more experienced riders. The performance caught the eye of ex-pro Flavio Zappi, who runs the Italy-based Zappi U23 Cycling Academy. \u201cI saw this very skinny guy smash everyone in the time trial and then again up the Tumble,\u201d Zappi recalls. \u201cI asked if he wanted to come out to Italy, but then realised he was already quite old \u2013 20 at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite his age, Double immediately dropped Zappi\u2019s regulars on the climbs. \u201cHe had a lot to learn, but I was convinced he could hold his own,\u201d says Zappi. What convinced him? \u201cHe had a petrol engine, not a diesel \u2013 meaning he wouldn\u2019t peak right away, but over time, he\u2019d get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Survival money <\/p>\n

And so Double\u2019s cycling career began \u2013 but there was one major obstacle: he had barely any money to fund his dream of making it to the top. \u201cI did odd jobs \u2013 caf\u00e9s, bars, hotels, helping my dad \u2013 just to get by,\u201d he says. \u201c[Rider support fund] Pedal Potential gave me a bit, but it was really just survival money.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Double\u2019s eldest brother James was doing well in London\u2019s financial sector and stepped in to help. \u201cHe could see I was a bit lost, but also that I\u2019d been given a real opportunity. He said I should go for it, and let me borrow money on the understanding I\u2019d pay him back if it all worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friends and family chipped in too, offering \u201ccoffee money\u201d. \u201cI was very lucky to have so many people supporting me,\u201d Double reflects. Others provided hand-me-downs and spares with which Len modified Paul\u2019s bikes in his garage workshop. \u201cPaul was known as the Bianchi Kid at first because his first bike was a celeste Bianchi,\u201d Len says. \u201cAfter that, a friend gave us a frame, someone else gave us wheels, another some tri-bars \u2013 we cobbled it all together.\u201d<\/p>\n

For time-trial training, Len once wrapped upholstery foam on Paul\u2019s handlebars. \u201cPeople laughed when they saw it, but then Paul went out and smashed them all.\u201d On winter group rides, Paul wore washing-up gloves to keep his hands dry. \u201cHe was penny-pinching because we just didn\u2019t have any money,\u201d Len laughs.<\/p>\n

Double was profiled by Cycling Weekly in 2018, in a feature contrasting his DIY set-up with the extravagant spending of Essex stockbroker Ian Hope<\/a> \u2013 who, inspired by Double\u2019s commitment, later gave him a one-off financial boost.<\/p>\n

All those hard yards and creative methods started to pay off. After riding on the amateur Italian scene for Zappi in 2017 and 2018, Double secured a contract with the third-division Colpack team for 2019. When Covid hit in 2020, he returned to Zappi and sat out the pandemic on the slopes of Mt Etna. \u201cUntil I went to Sierra Nevada [in Spain] ahead of this year\u2019s Giro, Etna was as close as I\u2019d got to altitude training,\u201d he says. He and his trapped team-mates turned lockdown into a bootcamp, gathering their own firewood while Double turned house chef and lead entertainer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI play the guitar and sing a bit,\u201d he says. \u201cMy go-to songs are usually sad and slow, relying on a few chords.\u201d He draws a parallel to his day job. \u201cI\u2019m not very talented [musically], but like my cycling I continue to see progression, so maybe if I keep it up, I\u2019ll end up playing Wembley stadium,\u201d he laughs, promptly adding: \u201cThat was a joke!\u201d<\/p>\n

Riding with Tadej<\/p>\n

Double resumed racing at Continental level in 2021. The following year came a breakthrough: he finished seventh on GC at the Tour of Slovenia, mixing it with Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> in the mountains. \u201cI exceeded expectations that week and people saw I could ride and climb with the top guys,\u201d Double says. UCI ProTeam Human Powered Health immediately hired him, setting in motion a chain that would see him move to Alberto Contador\u2019s Polti Kometa in 2024 and then to Jayco-Alula on a two-year contract at the start of this season.<\/p>\n

Aged 28, long after most riders would have given up and fallen back on a different career path, Double, the wily, aggressive climber, had made it to the big time. \u201cMaybe I was delusional, like one of those people on X Factor who\u2019s been told they\u2019re amazing when they\u2019re not,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I saw progression every year, so I had reason to be optimistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no trace of arrogance \u2013 Double is well aware he\u2019s still learning. \u201cThe biggest change at Jayco has been wearing a heart rate monitor. Before, I\u2019d let my power meter die and wouldn\u2019t replace the battery until a team asked for data. I\u2019ve always ridden on emotion and feel, but now I\u2019m embracing the science.\u201d<\/p>\n

In April, he won a stage of the Coppi e Bartali, his first ever win as a WorldTour rider. \u201cI\u2019ve always been an overthinker and I\u2019d been doubting myself in the WorldTour, so to win was a relief more than anything.\u201d A few weeks later, at his maiden Giro d\u2019Italia, he was briefly the virtual leader when he found himself in the breakaway on stage seven. \u201cIt was super exciting and there were serious thoughts going through my head that if they gave us a load of time this could be a really big day.\u201d It didn\u2019t happen, but Double finished the Giro. \u201cI used to watch these races thinking, \u2018how do they do this?\u2019. Now I\u2019m thinking, \u2018how do we do this?\u2019. They say a Grand Tour changes you, and I really think it has.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a long journey but in just six months Double has earned his place at the WorldTour. \u201cThe team have told me that they foresee even more progress from me, which is nice to hear. I won\u2019t be putting massive pressure on myself, but will keep doing what I\u2019ve always done: taking opportunities when they come my way.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Paul\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

Late developer \u2013 longer career? <\/p>\n

Paul Double\u2019s late entry into the chaos and stress of professional cycling may ultimately work in his favour, says the former Italian pro who first took a chance on him, Flavio Zappi.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany boys start cycling around 10, and by the time they\u2019ve developed the engine, at 18 or 19, they have completely burned out mentally,\u201d Zappi says. \u201cPaul, on the other hand, had the engine from the beginning, but had to learn race craft, how to eat, train, and all the rest.<\/p>\n

\u201cImproving as a cyclist has always been important to him, but he\u2019s never been paranoid about it. I\u2019d love to have 100 boys like him every year to train and coach.\u201d Zappi remembers Double\u2019s victory in an Italian amateur race in 2018 \u2013 the first ever for his team in eight years. \u201cAfter he won, he did the most Paul thing: he insisted on driving the team van back home,\u201d Zappi says. \u201cIt was what he loved to do, and it was his way of thanking everyone. He\u2019s the best team-mate you can ask for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Zappi is confident Double will continue to justify his place in the WorldTour. \u201cHe can win a stage of a Grand Tour,\u201d he says. \u201cHe needs time, but he can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The full, original version of this article was published in the 26th June 2025 print edition of Cycling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132440,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-132439","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132439"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132439\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}