Pete Mitchell
Head Coach at Black Line Coaching and Level 3 British Cycling Coach
Cycling Career
I was a part of the British Cycling development pathway for over 12 years and specialised as a track sprinter. I relocated to Manchester from the south coast in 2008 to become a fully funded athlete and to train full time.
After 4 years of competing for the able bodied Olympic program, I made the transition to start my career as a tandem pilot. I loved the fresh challenge and working with someone else to achieve results. We were successful, winning seven world titles, a Paralympic Silver and two Commonwealth Games silver medals. We were also the first tandem to go uner 1 minute for the Kilo, setting a world record in the process.
I finished my time with GB cycling in 2020 after a major car crash and up until recently have focused purely on my coached athletes. In the Summer of 2023 I began training again in a quest to beat by previous personal, best for a flying 200, set 13 years earlier. I did this in Feb 2024, setting a time of 10.01 on the to way to winning the Sprint and become Elite British Sprint Champion
To summarize my cycling career, some highlights have been,
– 2024 British Elite Sprint Champion
– 6x World Champion (piloting Neil Fachie).
– 1x World Champion (piloting James Ball).
– 2x Commonwealth Games Silvers (piloting James Ball)
– National Champion, Team Sprint
– National Championships Silver, Sprint
– Beijing World Cup 4th , Silver
– Commonwealth Games 5th, Keirin
– Under 23 European Silver medal x3, Team Sprint
– Junior World Champion, Team Sprint
Coaching Career
I completed my British Cycling level 3 coaching qualification at the beginning of 2013 and with my transition to the Para-Cycling program in 2012, I could begin to pursue my coaching career and finally show riders what I have learnt in a whole variety of areas. I want and do develop complete riders who are tactically, technically, physiologically and psychologically prepared. I have worked with a variety off athletes in terms of age, gender, Para/AB and ability and this can be seen through my testimonials
Highlights have been;
– Coaching Charlene Du Preez who represented South Africa at the Tokyo Olympics, where she qualified for the sprint.
– Working with the male Irish Sprint Tandem who finished in 5th place at the Tokyo Paralympics
– Lead coach for the confirmation of the Discover Your Power talent transfer initiative on behalff of British Cycling. 3 riders progessed on to the main British Cycling pathway
As a coach, I fully capitalise on my experience as a competitive cyclist and it is important to mention that alongside the titles, I have allowed every rider that I have ever coached to race faster, which is something I am proud of. I have found that some of my most rewarding athletes have been those who made improvements despite adversity, or who are at the beginning of their cycling lives but are making massive improvements, while still having a long way to go!
Am I right for you?
I have immersed myself around coaches and riders that I respect and have continually observed their approach to develop my own in a way that is approachable and assertive in providing the best for my riders. I truly believe that it is essential to understand and enjoy your training. It needs to be sustainable and that is why I have such a big focus on tailoring a program that fits in around a riders lifestyle, commitments and the time that they are willing to train.
By doing this, I hope to work with riders for a long period of time. Coaching is an art, not a science. A combination of a variety of different factors affect what program is right for an athlete and by approaching each rider as an individual, we can discover what works best for you and make continual progress for many seasons.
If you would like to discuss further please email or call through the contact page.
