C08
Tell us about growing up. You were born and raised in East London, right?
TGH
Growing up as a young athlete in London was amazing. When I was really young, I played a lot of football, and then I started moving more towards endurance sports. Initially I was swimming, and there were a lot of great racing and training and facilities in London. We had a new leisure centre that just opened literally across the road from my secondary school in Stoke Newington, which was perfect. At around 14, I discovered cycling and really quickly got hooked. As a family we always cycled a lot in London and used it as transport. When I was about 11 or 12, the fixed-gear scene in London was really at its peak, I would say; and there were a lot of unofficial events and racing, so it was this really interesting, really creative little microculture. From that I just got more and more into racing. There are some incredible cycling facilities in London, but I think being a cyclist in the city and in the UK is tough at times, especially in the winter. That was a challenge, but it was certainly a lot easier when I moved to Europe when I was 18 and got to train a bit more in the sun.
C08
Who are some of your heroes?
TGH
I take a lot of inspiration from within cycling and also from outside. It’s always changing and you’re always discovering new people and rekindling interest in people you’ve been inspired by for years. I think certainly when I was really young, Thierry Henry was the pinnacle for me, with no one really inspiring me more and also giving that flair in sport. I think the thing that stood out with him more than any other player of the time was just the passion and the way that he made what he did much more of an art than a science.
More recently I’m really inspired by a lot of the younger sports generation that are coming through and challenging a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions around what a sportsperson should and shouldn’t do and should and shouldn’t be involved in and shouldn’t say. I think it’s probably a tricky time for young people in sport who have that inclination, because there’s certainly still a lot of criticism and old school thinking. But I think that there’s a vast number of incredible young people in sport who are really challenging that status quo and getting involved in things that they really care about or wanting to understand issues or wanting to impact things. And also I do believe that those people are doing it to really take action. They’re not just doing it for a reaction. They’re not just doing it to sell trainers or product or whatever it might have been seen as 10 or 15 years ago or even five years ago. I think there’s a lot of people that really genuinely care, and that’s amazing to see. And it’s definitely not always easy. But sportspeople have always had a purpose to inspire and be icons. And I think if they can add another dimension of spreading goodwill and highlighting issues that they really do believe in, then that’s an amazing thing. Right now, my idols are people that kind of go above and beyond the thing and aren’t afraid to speak about something that they believe in.
C08
Do you think enough is done to nurture young riders?
TGH
Yeah, in some ways, I think it’s almost the opposite. I think I see that in my career, which is only since 2014, that the pressure and the attention of young riders is coming younger and younger and with more and more scrutiny. Of course, that’s natural, especially as the sport becomes more popular, but I think in some ways I don’t envy that situation for a lot of those young athletes.
I think especially with endurance sport, it’s becoming possible to accelerate your development somewhat with better understanding of nutrition and training and all the science of it. But at the same time, there is still such a great value for doing things yourself and making your own mistakes and learning the lessons along the way.
C08
Is there anyone up and coming that you think we should know about in cycling?
TGH
I think what’s exciting for me, is seeing a lot of riders coming from London. When I started cycling professionally there were barely any riders from London, which is a bit crazy when you see there are close to 10 million people in the city and you have very small European countries with a population of 2 or 3 million that have a lot of high level athletes. So looking back at a lot of the promises of London 2012, I think there have been a lot of failings for youth sport in the capital, and we’re not seeing enough investment at grassroot level – really the connection between elite and the next generation.
That said, there are three or four really amazing young riders coming out of Herne Hill, which is an old, dearly-loved outdoor track that originates from the 1948 Olympics, so the previous Olympics in London. The community there is amazing, and they do a great job of making it fun and attracting young kids and making it a really safe space. It’s brilliant to see that is leading these guys to have careers in something that they love – and seeing those guys already giving back to that community and highlighting its success. It’s really nice to see. And I hope that we’ll have more and more young riders coming from London in the next few years.
