Paul Delani – Business Development Manager & Coach

Paul started cycling at 15 (in 1986!). He enjoyed the process of racing hard rather than for results, despite which he was still a prolific winner on the road and track. As a junior he won the junior divisional road race championships, was the first rider to win all 3 events in the largest evening criterium series in Sussex, won races across Sussex, Kent and Surrey and received dispensation from the British Cycling Federation to ride senior 1st Category races (a rarity in the 1980s). Paul finished first overall junior at the track league in Preston Park in Brighton.

As a senior, Paul quickly gained his 1st cat racing license (the highest available prior to the advent of the Elite category) winning the Senior Divisional Road Race Championships at 18 with over 120 points on his license (at a time when a win was worth 6 or 15 points depending on the race, and you needed 45 points to gain a 1st cat racing license).

Paul was soon asked to join two of the biggest racing teams in the UK but preferred to remain loyal to his local club, feeling he had time on his side before moving to a bigger team. In Summer 1991 he was invited to take part in some fitness testing with Louis Passfield, working with Peter Keen (Chris Boardman’s coach and the man behind the revival of British Cycling on a world level).

Paul was advised his numbers were good enough to apply for a place on the National Squad which was planned for the 1992 season. Unfortunately, in early 1992 he contracted Glandular Fever which was not diagnosed until some months later. Although he was still riding national events (and winning races), his immune system suffered, and he never recovered his racing legs to allow him to fulfil such promising potential.

Paul has been one of Jon’s closest friends since they met as teenagers on a Majorcan training camp. After spending many years in education as a teacher and co-ordinator, Paul was Jon’s first choice when he was looking to help build the business in the early days of trainSharp. Undeterred by his experiences of adversity and being unable to realise his own cycling dreams, Paul channelled his passion for cycling into helping others reach their full potential, becoming the driving force behind the creation of trainSharp’s academy pathway and Inspire Talent Programme (our coaching package for aspiring pros which places great emphasis on the long-term welfare of riders).

Paul now lives in the South of France not far from Laurent Jalabert. KOMs are not as easy to find within this area as the Tour de France and other races often pass on local training roads, however there is always a tailwind and determination to take a few!
Through the wonders of the internet, he is responsible for day-to-day business management at trainSharp, as well as using our “we can coach you anywhere in the world” mantra the other way by coaching riders in Spain and Belgium.