For eight years, Joe excelled as a professional cyclist, spending three of those years with the Great British Cycling Team. He specialised in track cycling, securing seven British National titles and two European titles in the Team Pursuit. Additionally, he represented Wales in the 4km Team Pursuit at two Commonwealth Games, describing the event as “a brutal battle going as hard as you can for just under 4 minutes of racing.”
Currently, Joe rides for a London-based team called TEKKERZ, where he has shifted his focus from track to endurance events, including road racing and the burgeoning gravel racing scene. After the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Joe found more freedom to pursue other interests such as running, which required him to rebuild his running endurance from scratch.
Remarkably, just one month after the Commonwealth Games, Joe completed the Llanelli half marathon in 1 hour and 26 minutes, despite limited preparation. This achievement boosted his confidence, proving he could excel beyond cycling. With a family history in triathlon, the idea of trying it himself became inevitable. However, Joe faced a significant hurdle: he couldn’t swim.
Despite this hurdle, Joe entered The ROC Wales. Luckily he was given a voucher for a swimming lesson with Heathwood West for Christmas. Craig, a coach at Heathwood West, saw Joe’s potential and helped him improve rapidly. He went from swimming 2min/100m to swimming 1:30min/100m in a matter of 2-3 lessons! Once he was comfortable in the pool, it was time to tackle the open water. Thankfully, Joe’s girlfriend and her mum have lots of experience in open water swimming. With only two open water sessions before the race, Joe was understandably nervous about the mass swim start.
Joe runs Holt Cycle Coaching, a cycling and triathlon coaching business in partnership with Peak Performance Wales. This partnership provided invaluable support, particularly from Gary Howells, an expert in long-distance running, who offered strategic advice for the event. Joe’s extensive cycling experience made the bike training the easiest part. He was doing various longer efforts with some local time trials too. But just generally spending time on the bike, he enjoyed the process.
On race day, Joe approached the event with a calm mindset, viewing it as a personal challenge rather than a race to win. The swim start was chaotic, but he managed to finish 68th. The bike section was tricky; despite his strength. He was cautious about overexerting himself before the Snowdon run. In hindsight, Joe felt he could have pushed harder on the bike, yet this experience served as a valuable lesson and confidence booster going forward. He transitioned to the run in the top 20.
“The run up Snowdon was crazy!” Joe recalled. “It was 20 degrees with clear skies so I did struggle a little in the heat. I successfully got up and down the mountain still in decent shape. Watching the other athletes ahead tackle Snowdon on the way down was mental, the way they ran down the mountain looked like they were just falling at rapid speeds!”
Starting the final bike leg just inside the top 15, Joe aimed to break into the top 10. He managed to hit the beach and the final 1km run in 9th and held that position to the finish line.
“I was super chuffed to be able to get a top 10 in an extreme event like this,” Joe said, adding that the experience fuelled his desire for more triathlons. Looking ahead, Joe has his sights set on Ironman Wales, potentially in 2025, with plans to start with a few half Ironman distances, where he believes he will perform best.
“For me, triathlon is about the enjoyment of the sport whilst pushing myself and my abilities to my maximum, and whatever that brings me, I will be happy with.”
Joe finishes by expressing gratitude to Peak Performance Wales, especially Gary Howells, for their support, and to Heathwood Swimming and Craig for their invaluable assistance. “Six months ago, I could barely swim a length in the pool. Now, I’ve completed my first triathlon and raced in open water with confidence after only two prior sessions. Thank you, guys!”
