Ollie Jones chats about life behind the handlebars

First up, tell us a bit about yourself - we’d love to know where you’re based, what you do and how long you’ve been doing it.

"Hi! I’m Ollie, I guess you can call me an adventure cyclist? I like getting stuck into any kind of cycling really. Whether it's road, gravel or bombing round the city on my fixie, generally the bigger the adventure the better.

I’m based in SW London, but I try to travel as much as possible and see where my bike takes me. I’ve been riding bikes for about 10 years now, I raced for 5 or 6 of those, but now it’s more for the fun and adventure of it!"

What inspired you to start cycling, and how long have you been riding?

"My dad used to ride a bit, and then around the time of the London Olympics we both bought some road bikes. And it all kinda started from there. First club rides, then time trials, then racing and now everything from bikepacking to ultra gravel racing. I just love to see new parts of the world on my bike and the physical challenge of doing something other people think is quite dumb!"

What inspired you to start your own cycling club, HospoFixed?

"So HospoFixed is a cycling club for members of the hospitality industry. There are plenty of cycling groups based around Central London but the main issue for us is they always meet on a Friday or Saturday.

If you work in a bar or restaurant, you know you’ll never get those as your day off. So I started it as a way for people that commute to work by bike, or had an interest in cycling and worked in hospitality to meet up, make new friends, ride together.

From there we've progressed into throwing parties and bar takeovers with some of the biggest brands in the drinks world."

Describe the process of training for a cycling race. How are you prepping both mentally and physically?

"For the long gravel events, it’s really a case of just getting in the most km’s you can. Some of these events can easily take seven or eight hours or more, so getting used to spending that much time on the bike is key.

But for me, with work as well, I try to aim for 13-15 hours a week of training, whether that's on the bike or sometimes in the gym. A lot of the time it's more of a mental game though.

Knowing and understanding there will be some really tough moments, and pushing yourself through them is what is really hard. For this I find I do best when I’m just as relaxed as possible. I always give myself a plan and stick to it in the few days leading up to an event."

What’s the hardest part of training?

"Genuinely, it’s probably just fitting it in. Doing the riding, the hard efforts and the long days, that's the fun bit for me. I enjoy going out and getting it done. The hard bit is squeezing it into the schedule when you also have to work 40 hours a week and try to have something that resembles a social life."

What’s the most rewarding thing about cycling?

"Rolling into the finish of a ridiculous ride is just an insane feeling. One of my last races with Traka in Girona and coming into the finish of a 340 km race after 13 hours on the bike, just as the sun was going down (beating the sun was my goal) and just having had such highs and lows the whole day.

It’s really a feeling that's very hard to describe. It can happen on long rides too. I often find you kind of float the last 10km of these huge training rides, when you’re rolling back into town with your friends, knowing you all had a great day out!"

Do you set yourself any goals for a race day?

"I try to. It really depends on the race. For example this year one of my big goals is to qualify to race the World Championships on Gravel for GB. But some days, like Traka, it's to just complete the race!"

What’s a race on your bucket list that you haven’t done yet?

"There is a race in Iceland called The Rift. Everyone I know that's done it has said it's incredible and the scenery is like nothing you’ll see anywhere else. Albeit a bit cold! For something warmer I really want to try South America, maybe Colombia."

This year one of my big goals is to qualify to race the World Championships on Gravel for GB.

What does your post-training/race recovery look like? Are there any specific activities or practices you use to help with recovery?

"After a big day the first thing I look for is normally choccy milk or a beer! One is probably better for recovery than the other... but day to day, I try to foam roll as much as possible.

Because I work on my feet and often can’t recover very well when I’m at work, being able to get a massage once every few weeks makes a huge difference. I try to always get a sports massage earlier in my recovery weeks, as it normally takes a few days to recover fully from it. But then after I always feel fantastic."

How has massage helped with your recovery?

You just can’t beat a good sports massage. Right now (touch wood) I don’t have any injuries or niggles to worry about. So for me the massages are all about helping to loosen the legs after a big block of training.

There's only so much you can get at with a foam roller and massage gun, so a full 90-min sports massage does the trick! Along with the massage itself, being able to take the time to talk through any tight areas, possible causes or imbalances with a professional is really helpful. I always come out of the massage feeling relaxed and recuperated and ready to hit my next training block."

There's only so much you can get at with a foam roller and massage gun, so a full 90-min sports massage does the trick!

Do you have any tips for anybody looking to get into cycling?

"All I can really say is just do it. Don’t worry about getting an expensive bike or kit or any of that. Just get outside and enjoy it. You can see and experience so much by bike and everyone should definitely give it a go."

Lastly, if the person reading this is interested in checking out HospoFixed, how’s best for them to do that? 

"If you’re a chef or bartender or any member of the hospitality sector and you enjoy riding your bike, follow us on instagram @HospoFixed or drop me a message. We run monthly rides and more events so keep an eye out for those."