Chris Opie

Age and county

I'm 35 and I'm from Cornwall..

What you get up to outside of cycling (day job, family, other hobbies etc.)

Outside of cycling I have a full time role at Le Col as Content Manager, we create training plans, lead live training sessions online and create coaching video content alongside this. I also have my own YouTube channel where I share some of my learnings and adventures from a life on two wheels. I'm happily married to Meike and together we have 2 children, 2 dogs and 2 cats. They all require entertaining and we love exploring the lesser known areas where we live, travelling in our DIY campervan, riding bikes together (our 10Y/O loves MTB) and generally trying to make the most of where we live, relatively close to the beach.

Your cycling journey

I started cycling in 1997 just before I turned 10. My dad and I rode a 100km charity ride and instantly I was hooked. To this day I am still the youngest to have completed this ride. I started racing on the road and on the track in 1998 and it was my dream and goal to become a professional cyclist. Along the way I represented Great Britain and led the nation road series at every level from youth, through to Elite. Over the course of my amateur and professional career I have raced on five of the 6 continents that cycle racing exists, with professional wins on 3. I retired from racing in 2018 and joined the Global Cycling Network as a presenter, whilst also presenting videos with EMBN and for GMBN. I now work for the road clothing brand, Le Col and represent our race team as often as I have the opportunity across as many disciplines as possible.

How long you’ve been riding

I've been riding since 1997, 2023 will be my 26th season. I've raced 100s if not 1000s of races in this time, whilst covering many, many kms on the saddle.

What you love about cycling

For me my love of cycling comes from the feeling of being on two wheels, being in control and on the limit at the same time. Cycling has given me everything I have in my life, the highs and the lows. But I have never not enjoyed being on two wheels. All of the people in my life I have met through cycling and all of the places I have been. Feeling the flow of a good road, or a flowing trail. You can go anywhere with a bike. Meet any one and share experiences together.

Preferred discipline

I'm most well known for my road riding and if I want to really improve my fitness or remind myself of some of my favourite highs from my career I ride on the road, but at home the bikes I find myself riding the most are my Lapierre XR 8.9 or my Ezesty. There is just something incredibly liberating and exhilarating about riding off road and away from traffic.

Favourite Lapierre model

My favourite is the Xelius, I was in the fortunate position to be on the press launch near Nice in France, 2021 and instantly felt like it was a bike designed around how I like to ride. Fast, aggressive and very racy. Everything I look for in a road bike, especially the fast handling. Off road I find myself reaching for the Ezesty as the assistance on recovery days brings a huge smile to my face and it feels like a magic carpet to ride.

What you would like to see in the future of cycling and the brand

I'd like to see people gain an understanding of cycling. Why people ride, how they use the roads. Cycling infrastructure needs to improve, but so does general education of all road users. The world needs more acceptance and compassion, ultimately on the roads most of us are travelling from destination A-B. The animosity sometimes highlighted between a few road users doesn't help the rest of us trying to arrive at our destination safely. Instead let’s focus on all of us arriving there. I'd love to see more bikes designed for transport, ecargo bikes and pedal assist commuter bikes designed to keep the user clean and dry but make their life easier, too.

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