{"id":33581,"title":"Cyclocross master - Dave McMullen","description":"Dave McMullen has scored seven victories at the Masters\u2019 World Cyclocross Championships, has won his age category at the UK\u2019s National cyclocross and gravel championships and raced against cycling and cyclocross legends Sean Kelly and Roland Liboton.","content":"

Published in<\/strong>: CYCLOCROSS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

With the World Masters\u2019 Cyclocross Championships scheduled to take place soon, it seemed an ideal time to interview seven-time masters\u2019 world champion, Dave McMullen. His tale has as many twists as a cyclocross course.<\/p>

We sat down to discover his story and uncover what continues to motivate him.<\/p>

\"DaveDave McMullen wearing his World Championship jersey. Image: Mick Searle<\/em><\/p>

In a cycling career that started sixty years ago, Dave McMullen has scored seven victories at the Masters\u2019 World Cyclocross Championships, has won his age category at the UK\u2019s national cyclocross and gravel championships and raced against cycling and cyclocross legends Sean Kelly and Roland Liboton.<\/p>

But where did it all start and what motivates Dave to keep racing at an age when most people are inclined to spend their winter weekends in a pair of comfortable slippers?<\/p>

Cycle Speedway<\/h3>

\u201cthe older boys drank whisky\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Dave grew up in Manchester and as a youngster watched motor speedway at the former Belle Vue amusement park and speedway track. This drew him into the world of cycle speedway which soon developed his bike-handling skills. As he says, he used to be able to ride around all day on just his back wheel.<\/p>

After a few years of riding cycle speedway, aged 14, he was accidentally introduced to road racing through an older brother\u2019s friend. His brother, probably reluctantly, was supposed to be looking after him. Dave had to tag along when his brother went to visit his friend.<\/p>

As the older boys drank whisky and played cards, a young Dave found some cycling magazines lying around. Bored and ignored he started to read them. He liked what he saw, captivated by the black-and-white images of cycling heroes.<\/p>

Racing against Sean Kelly<\/h3>

\u201cdespite lacking proper cycling shoes\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

His first-ever race was the area\u2019s schoolboy championships and he won. Dave quickly decided this was the sport for him. His early success came despite lacking proper cycling shoes and occasionally having to travel to races by train.<\/p>

But the road racing bug had got him and he was a regular and successful competitor for the next ten years. He frequently placed in the top six against strong competition and his victories included impressive scalps such as Keith Lambert. A rider who would go on to enjoy a successful career including winning the UK\u2019s national professional road race title.<\/p>

\u201cselected to ride the Milk Race\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

In 1975 he was selected to ride the Milk Race, the original Tour of Britain stage race, for the Regions team. To make up a full field, the UK supplied three teams: Great Britain A, Great Britain B and the Regions.<\/p>

McMullen\u2019s selection came as a result of a strong showing at the Lincoln Grand Prix where he\u2019d forced his way into the winning break with stars such as future professionals Phil Edwards and Phil Bayton.<\/p>

\"Cycling<\/a>An unfortunate puncture cost him his place in the final but he\u2019d been noticed by Phil Liggett. Today known as a cycling commentator but back then the race organiser for the Milk Race. Liggett was impressed enough to give the twenty-four-year-old a slot on the Regions team.<\/p>

Somewhat to Dave\u2019s surprise his best stage came in a full-field sprint into Birmingham where he finished sixth. Dave\u2019s slight build makes him more suited to climbing than bunch sprinting. He\u2019s dismissive of his overall finishing position of 52nd.<\/p>

\u201cshamateurs\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

But he was racing against many who, despite being amateurs, were full-time bike riders. Funded by a combination of unemployment benefits and sponsors\u2019 money, they were sometimes referred to as \u201cshamateurs\u201d. Professionals in all but name.<\/p>

Amongst the field was a young Sean Kelly who finished 25th overall. The Irish rider was already a prolific winner and was only two years away from the start of one of the great professional cycling careers.<\/p>

Dave would race against Kelly the following year when he rode the Tour of Ireland. They finished on equal points to tie for second place in the King of the Mountains competition behind Francisco Javier Cedena who would later win a stage of the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a.<\/p>

Racing in France<\/h3>

\u201cjust about keep his head above water\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

After success at home, Dave decided to try his luck racing abroad and through Harry Hall found a place on the French UV Aube team based in Troyes. It\u2019s the team that British professional and Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a stage winner Malcolm Eliott would also ride for.<\/p>

At the time, McMullen was a British Telecom engineer and had to take seven months unpaid special leave for his foreign adventure. In his first season, he instantly found success scoring four victories in the competitive French peloton.<\/p>

The UV Aube team were impressed and was keen for him to rejoin for the following year. Dave had made enough prize money to \u201cjust about keep his head above water\u201d. There was one problem, upon returning to the UK he had to go back to work.<\/p>

\u201cgrey Mancunian climate\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

He struggled to adapt from riding in the glorious sunshine of the beautiful Champagne region to the daily grind of working, commuting and trying to fit in training to the backdrop of a grey Mancunian climate.<\/p>

\"DaveA rare sight. Dave wearing the kit of his club Cotswold Veldrijden. Image: Mick Searle.<\/em><\/p>

As a consequence, he didn\u2019t train properly, put on weight, threw in his job and headed back to Troyes. It was not a success. Before the wins had come easily, now he rarely troubled the top ten. By May 1977, his UV Aube team had turned their back on him.<\/p>

At the age of 26, he was out of work, out of a team and out, so it seemed, of cycling.<\/p>

Living the London dream<\/h3>

\u201cset off for the capital to join the fun\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

By now, there was little to hold him in his hometown of Manchester. Many of his friends had moved to London during the Punk Rock era and appeared to be having a ball. Dave set off for the capital to join the fun.<\/p>

After a while, he had to seek employment and signed on as a bus driver, spending most of his time stuck in traffic and enjoying views of London\u2019s tourist sites. He was riding very little at the time but struck up a friendship with Chris Denman who persuaded McMullen to try cyclocross.<\/p>

Cyclocross<\/h3>

\u201cthe finest steel bikes he\u2019d ever owned\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

He was seventh in his first cyclocross race riding a road bike fitted with knobbly tyres. He bought two steel bikes for his first proper season in 1981. Remarkably, he\u2019s still got them.<\/p>

They were built for him by legendary frame builder and ex-Raleigh engineer Mike Mullett who made frames for some of the era\u2019s top riders. Dave regards them as the finest steel bikes he\u2019s ever owned. Shortly after I interviewed Dave, Mike Mullett\u2019s death was announced.<\/p>

He was soon a winner again, triumphing in a handful of races in his first season. He found that bus driving was the perfect career for a full-time bike rider. He\u2019d swap his shifts to ensure he had optimum training time.<\/p>

Whilst driving he could, as he says, \u201cswitch off his brain\u201d and just relax and recover. At that time, bus drivers were well paid and had a degree of flexibility that suited Dave\u2019s lifestyle.<\/p>

The cyclocross heartland<\/h3>

\u201ca hair raising experience\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Dave was invited by Phil Douce, brother of seven-time UK national cyclocross champion Steve, to join a team sponsored by Dauphin Sport. A bike shop run by Tony Mills, himself a professional cyclist in the 1960s. The deal was clothing, expenses and win bonuses.<\/p>

It also offered the opportunity to race in the cyclocross heartland of Belgium. Steve Douce would be given contracts by the race organisers which covered the cost of the channel crossing and accommodation.<\/p>

\"Cyclocross<\/u><\/a>As Dave acknowledges, Steve was very generous as his start money would enable Dave and Steve\u2019s brother Graham to race too. Even if, at times, it was a hair-raising experience that Dave vividly recalls.<\/p>

Loaded with seven adults, six or more bikes on the roof, the Citroen Estate would be propelled at speeds in excess of 120 mph as soon as they crossed into France. He shudders at the recollection.<\/p>

Golden days of cyclocross<\/h3>

\u201clittle course markings\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

These were the \u201cgolden days\u201d of cyclocross. Top riders were well rewarded with start and prize money and courses were \u201ctraditional\u201d which translates as muddy with little course markings. Races started in the village centre and then typically headed out into a ploughed field.<\/p>

The lack of course marking presented an additional challenge for riders further down the field. As soon as the front runners had passed the crowd would surge forward to take up different vantage points. Riders like Dave would be forced to shout at them to get out of the way but were largely ignored.<\/p>

Prize and start money was always dispensed in the smokey, dimly lit back room of the local caf\u00e9 that operated as the race HQ. Dave recalls Steve Douce winning \u00a3300 for third place. All paid out in cash. When World Champion Roland Liboton received his money, there were so many notes that it was handed over to him in a shoe box.<\/p>

Racing against Roland Liboton<\/h3>

\u201cthundered past like a motorbike\u201d<\/strong><\/p>

At the time, the man to beat in cyclocross was Roland Liboton. He was the undisputed star. Imagine Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Sven Nys rolled into one. Between 1980 and 1984 he won the elite World Cyclocross Championships four times, finishing only second in 1981. He won the elite Belgian Cyclocross Championships ten times in a row between 1980 and 1989.<\/p>

\"DaveRacing cyclocross in the early 1980s. Image: Mick Searle.<\/em><\/p>

At one race, Liboton was on the start line and he set off like a rocket. Dave thought he was going well, despite having to contend with errant spectators wandering around the course. Within two laps of the six-lap race, however, Liboton thundered past like a motorbike. Dave was stunned at the speed differential.<\/p>

Mountain biking<\/h3>

\u201cfor the princely sum of \u00a350 cash, it changed hands\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

By 1988, Dave had fallen out of love with cyclocross. He decided that if he wasn\u2019t in the top six on the first lap of the National Cyclocross Championships held at Birmingham\u2019s Sutton Park he\u2019d pack. Which is what he did.<\/p>

He regrets it now because not only had his team travelled up to support him but so too had many of his friends.<\/p>

Work wasn\u2019t going well either. Cuts to the buses meant he\u2019d lost many of the benefits, and was doing more work for less money. At the time, as part of the privatisation of British Telecom, jobs in telecoms were booming and Dave joined Mercury. His role was to plan telecoms networks across London.<\/p>

In between meetings, usually in cafes dotted around the capital, he bumped into a bike courier astride a Muddy Fox mountain bike. Dave was so interested he offered to buy the bike there and then. For the princely sum of \u00a350 cash, it changed hands.<\/p>

At the same time, a new bypass was being constructed around the West London town of Hayes. It had yet to open and enterprising local cyclists were organising road races on it. Amongst those taking part was a young Bradley Wiggins OBE.<\/p>

\u201cCome on zebras\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Dave rode out to watch but noticed that some people were riding mountain bikes on the dirt. He struck up a conversation with the organiser, Gary Bird who ran the bike shop Cycle Systems. For a couple of pounds, he was on the start line.<\/p>

There were only ten competitors and most of them were kids and despite limited riding, Dave lapped them all. An invite to ride for Gary\u2019s team followed. He was given a Rocky Mountain bike and the team\u2019s black and white striped kit. It certainly made them stand out and youths would often shout \u201cCome on Zebras\u201d.<\/p>

Team Kona<\/h3>

McMullen was successful enough that he was signed by Kona who offered him as many bikes as he wanted, plus expenses and win bonuses. Unfortunately, after a successful partnership, Kona pulled out of sponsorship but Dave had no trouble attracting a new team.<\/p>

\"DaveBattling against Dave Baker. Image: Mick Searle.<\/em><\/p>

Team Caratti Sport<\/span>, riding GT mountain bikes offered him an even better deal. He found he was actually making a profit from races. But slowly the money was drying up in mountain biking and the team had to reduce what they provided.<\/p>

Evans Cycles<\/h3>

\u201cFrankenstein manner\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

By this time, Dave had started road racing again in the Surrey Cycle Racing League run by former professional Keith Butler and Glyn Durrant. A regular competitor was Jamie Newall who persuaded him to join the Evans Cycles team along with future national cyclocross champion Jodie Crawforth and cyclocross enthusiast Andy Roberts<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>

It was the latter that persuaded Dave to resume his cyclocross career. He dusted off one of his favoured Mike Mullett steel frames and converted it in a \u201cFrankenstein manner\u201d from its original six-speed to Campagnolo nine-speed.<\/p>

He even used some of his original tyres which surprisingly hadn\u2019t perished. By late 2007 has was back in the field.<\/p>

World champion<\/h3>

\u201cofficially not allowed to race in them\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Since his victory in Switzerland at the 2014 World Masters\u2019 Cyclocross Championships, Dave has been awarded six further world champion\u2019s rainbow jerseys. Although, officially, he\u2019s not allowed to race in them. As soon as a rider is presented with one of the coveted striped jerseys that are given to the select few, they\u2019re also handed a letter.<\/p>

\"DauphinDave McMullen (second right) in his Dauphin Sport days. Image: Unknown. (If you know who took this photograph please <\/em>let us know<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Graham Watson says it wasn\u2019t him).<\/em><\/p>

This explains that they can only wear the jersey in races where they are racing against their age category and only their age category. As there aren\u2019t any races of purely seventy-year-olds, Dave can never race in the jersey according to the UCI.<\/p>

\u201csense prevails\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Fortunately, sense prevails back home and whilst it can\u2019t be condoned by British Cycling most people are happy to line up and race against a world champion in their rainbow jersey.<\/p>

Aside from his world championships, Dave has won his age category in the UK national cyclocross championships on at least ten occasions, the masters\u2019 mountain bike downhill, hill climb and cross country as well as twice becoming gravel champion.<\/p>

Motivation<\/h3>

\u201cThe battle for positions\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

What, I wanted to know, is what keeps Dave motivated when he\u2019s already won the world championships seven times particularly given he\u2019s suffered heart problems in the last few years?<\/p>

He still loves the competition. The battle for positions and if he gets the chance, to race for victory. As he\u2019s entered his seventh decade the wins have become harder as he\u2019s competing against riders twenty years his junior.<\/p>

It\u2019s the world championships in particular that motivate him. It\u2019s the only time every year that he has the opportunity to race against his age peers. He still enjoys the training and doesn\u2019t mind what the weather\u2019s like. Although he hates it when it\u2019s raining before the start of the race. Once he\u2019s underway he doesn\u2019t notice.<\/p>

Strengths and training<\/h3>

\u201cconducted on feel\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

What, I ask, are Dave\u2019s strengths and skills that make him such a good cyclocross competitor? He thinks that he\u2019s quite skilful but admits he\u2019s more worried now about falling off than he used to. In part because he\u2019s hurt himself plenty of times and partly because he\u2019ll lose places which are harder for him to reclaim these days.<\/p>

Whilst he may be less daredevil he believes that as a result of his experience, he\u2019s able to correctly make those critical decisions such as when to run or ride. After all, as he explains, if he hasn\u2019t worked it out by now he never will.<\/p>

His cycling track record suggests he has a powerful engine lurking within his tiny frame. Not that he knows as he doesn\u2019t possess a power meter or heart rate monitor. All his training is conducted on feel.<\/p>

\"How<\/u><\/a>I ask him about his low weight, given the fact that people typically gain weight as they grow older. He limits his alcohol intake and largely avoids it during the racing season and trains in a fasted state, fuelled just by black coffee before sessions.<\/p>

And how much training does he undertake during the cyclocross season? Dave explains that he usually has Monday off to rest and clean his bikes. On Tuesdays, he\u2019ll ride off-road for one and a half hours on a long loop. He\u2019ll ride flat out then jump off and run for anywhere between ten seconds to a minute.<\/p>

In the afternoon he might add an extra 45 minutes just practising skills such as dismounts and riding over small planks. Wednesday will be a two-hour ride either on the road or with mates on mountain bikes.<\/p>

On Thursday he\u2019ll have another hard cyclocross session before resting on Friday ahead of potentially Saturday and Sunday races.<\/p>

Our thanks to Dave for his time and wish him success in the World Championships.<\/p>

13 November 2023, Tim Costello.<\/em>

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