The incredible story of the cyclist who has gone from rags to riches by jumping to the WorldTour at 28 years of age: "I still feel very young"
Cycling
Almost a decade fighting for his dream, but Paul Double has made it. The British cyclist has reached the WorldTour at the age of 28. After several stints with several ProTeam teams (most recently Alberto Contador's Polti Kometa), Double has signed this winter with WorldTour Jayco-AlUla. With a 2-year contract, the Australian team rider tells his incredible story.
"It's a little surreal," Paul Double begins by telling Rouleur, talking about how he started riding at 17, spent time cutting down trees, working in restoration, and finally, after a long time of saving and buying used clothes, has turned pro.
"To be honest, at university I was a bit of a slacker: I rode a bit of a bike with my friends, but I didn't really know what I was doing, I didn't have a direction. My father was a butler in London, so I was always interested in the service sector, and I thought about going into wine or coffee, but I also knew from my father how hard it was," adds the Brit.
The challenge of making his debut in the WorldTour at 28 years of age
There are very few cases in which a rider makes it to the WorldTour at almost 30 years of age. Despite this, Paul Double doesn't feel threatened: "I still feel very young, maybe because I look young too. And I'll always feel like an amateur, to be honest. The guys at Polti used to make fun of me, saying I did things that were a bit weird, like walking down from the hotel room to the bus in my cycling shoes. Apparently, you don't do that."
At Jayco AlUla he doesn't want to go unnoticed. The Brit will be looking to stand out from the first moment he gets on the bike: "I know my role is going to change and it will be a matter of learning to do the job of a teammate, something I've never done because I've always been a leader, but when I get the chance I want to get results like I have so far. Now everything is closer, it's super exciting."
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- His last important race before the Tour is P-R and his next important race after is CX WC 2026 since he has no chance at the WCRR So unless he really goes into MTB this season, there's really no reason to skip a TdF and compete for a few stages and yellow jersey at the beginningvappaxbipmv06-01-2025
- How I can say that? Let’s look at the spirit of it and put it into context. Firstly, we are all cycling fans, we have been for a while, we’ve almost all been here a while too so have absorbed some feeling for each commentators style. For those of you who might not understand, I post with the assumption, we all know enough background not to have to explain every thought with 3 paragraphs of background to justify a statement. I also don’t waste my time repeating mundanity, I try to bring a more original angle or stone to any discussion that creates a more complete picture of the whole story (often not told). So, as far as I see, and I’ve said it before, MVDP is kind of unique in racing just about 12 months a year. He races to win, ie, he also trains for that, ie he has to train to peak more than a dozen times a year as opposed to typical road racers (including Jonas, Remco* and to a lesser extent WVA and Pog) who try to peak 1-around 3, 4 max half a dozen x a year). Obviously, training for a three week race and doing it is going to put a dent in results before and after and maybe even as far as the “off-season” (when he is at his most active winning xc week after week after week for years. Do you see my point a bit better now?Mistermaumau06-01-2025
- Sorry, maybe you thought I meant on TV? Obviously, most of the big fans in Belgium watching these two would take the opportunity to go watch live. I was once unlucky the TdF passed right near my house (when I lived in the south of France) it was over in 30 seconds, all 180 riders.Mistermaumau06-01-2025
- How can you say that, last season he had 7! race days before the Tour, that's neither a lot nor oftenvappaxbipmv06-01-2025
- It would be interesting to see if he could go for a green jersey onetime. Considering his penchant for winning everything possible, I’m surprised he doesn’t try this once.mij06-01-2025
- I am disappointed that we ever give Broyneel a public platform again. Boonen is a former star, and why should Bruyneel’s disgraced opinion ever matter, let alone be published. Bruyneel has forever disgraced by the Cycling profession, and never deserves a public platform again. He is entitled to his personal opinion on talented cyclists, but those opinions should never be published or printed. We need to forget him in the professional sport of cycling. As a cyclist and father, I never want my children to even know about him, unless it’s how he orchestrated a cheating doping program.GMG06-01-2025
- It seems like every 3 years a new French kid pops up as the wonderkid, the savior to finally redeem France in their own race, including Bardet, Pinot, Rolland, Barguil, Gaudu, Martin, but it never quite materializes. I hope Seixas is finally the guy. I'm not a Frenchman, but I'd be happy to see them do it for once. If it should happen, how do you think France would celebrate?Ride197406-01-2025
- oh, crap, maybe i’m OBSESSIVE! i’ll have to spend some time thinking about that, over and over, as if it were a looped tape, playing in over and over and over in my head, forever…OCexile05-01-2025
- A far more interesting article would have been Patrick complaining of MVDP being as or more popular than Remco ;-) but it may be too late now, I get the feeling the tables turned after the summer.Mistermaumau05-01-2025
- I’d like to see him trying some more 1 week hilly stage races, think that might be a more interesting challenge for him. I get it for the TdF, it’s not because it’s the biggest race that everyone has to go for or like it, like many things in life. And when you race as much and as often as him, there’s sound logic to avoiding 3 weeks of musical chairs.Mistermaumau05-01-2025