Tom Davies doesn't have a particularly conventional background as a professional triathlete. He cycled around the World at the age of 19, wrote a book about it while studying for an engineering degree and combined it with cycle racing at University. But the dream of doing sport as a living never disappeared, and within four years, Tom went from doing his first triathlon to getting his professional license.
You'll hear:
05:00 Tom talks about what sparked his interest in cycling around the world as a 19 year old.
09:00 What did his Mum say when he said 'Mum, I'm going to ride around the world as a teenager?'
11:00 Tom talks about riding to Chamonix with his Dad when he was 15
13:00 Why Tom believes he's naively ambitious and why he believes you can surprise yourself with what you're capable of.
15:00 The art of moving on and why Tom didn't find it too challenging to transition from finishing his round the world ride to starting University.
17:00 The art of fitting in writing a book, while studying for a University degree and competing in bike racing. 'it was the hardest I've ever worked, probably harder than the ride itself.'
19:00 His journey from racing bikes at University to becoming a full time professional triathlete. How he fell out of love with bike racing 'it was like flicking a switch. But I still craved some sort of validation from sport and when you are at loughborough, you can feel a bit inferior if you are not at that top level.
22:00 Going from beginner triathlete to professional in 4 years and why he wants to give it a go and why he's also wanted to do sport for a living. 'Swimming, cycling and running is when I'm most happiest'
25:00 How does he survive as a new professional? He explains that his parents support him, and some support from sponsors and he is part of the TTL development team. 'Ultimately if this all comes to nothing, that's okay, I will be grateful for having had it in my life."
27:00 Tom explains further what being in the TTL Development Team involves, under Paula Findlay and Eric Lagerstrom.
30:00 What does Tom what to achieve in the world of triathlon? 'I want to figure out a way to do this as a living. My goals for this year was to retain my pro license and get into the top 250 in the world.
32:00 Having to be patient as a new professional triathlete with limited experience in the sport.
30:00 Going into certain races knowing you're not going to win. (Yet.) How do you balance that with wanting to be the best?
37:00 Tom talks about keeping a blog and why he is so self aware. 'It's me trying to come to grips with what I'm feeling and how I'm feeling certain things and getting it down is my way of dealing with it.'
40:00 Would Tom cycle around the world again with more life experience under his belt? 'The world of ultra endurance has changed a lot since I did it. If someone said you have to cycle around the world again, I would either go a lot slower and take in as much culture as possible, or I would try to do it really fast. It would be one of those extremes." If you want to commit to something, you have to commit 100%, I don't know if pro triathlon is going to be my life for the next ten years but trying to get better is the right path for me to be on right now."
Find out more about this week's guest:
Tom Davies Instagram
Tom Davies website
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