Adrian Hawkins Triathlete, Fireman & Personal Trainer

As a firefighter there is a level of fitness that must be maintained and as Adrian gets older that drive to keep fit remains strong. As a result sport is an integral part of Adrian's life.

"I love the challenges it brings, you find out so much about yourself when you are out there pushing yourself to the limit and beyond. Being a personal trainer is great as it allows me to encourage others and pass on my years of experience."

Adrian is a father of three, granddad to two grand-daughters and proud husband of an amazing wife who encourages and supports him through his sporting endeavors!

Having a busy life with work, family and training can be tough and as all amateur athletes will know, trying to fit those training hours in can be difficult. Adrian works with a cycle coach to plan his training around work and family commitments. This helps keep Adrian's training focused on what is important and he attributes his success to this focused approach.

Season goals: Sub 58 for 25 TT, Sub 22 for 10 TT, re qualify for UCIGFWS championships

After an amazing 2016 which saw me re focus my goals to qualify and race in the UCIGFWS championships in Perth Australia was an amazing experience and one I wanted to repeat for 2017.

There were several reasons for wanting to attempt to re qualify for the UCIGFWS championships.

1. I wanted to prove to myself I could do it and do it faster.

2. I wanted to prove to some that it was not a fluke.

3. I wanted to attempt to do the double and qualify for the Chrono and Gran Fondo.

The only way to do this was to train harder over the winter and get faster.

I have never done a road race, especially over this distance, so this was a new arena for me, a step into the unknown but a challenge I cherished. I set out the plan over the long winter months with TOC constantly in mind. As the season started, each TT race was a step towards my ultimate goal of 2017. Every race I did concluded with course PB's, knocking 2 minutes off of my 25 mile times, things were falling into place. Good results came with a 3rd place in Thanet RC 2 up and two weeks later a win in vets class in another 2 up TT. Top tens in several local open time trials came both in 10 and 25 mile distance.

I had no road races or long sportifs planned so TOC would be the first time I would find out if I had done enough.

TOC arrived and a solid ride and a time of 38:59 saw me knock 2 mins 15 sec off of last years time and a good qualifying place against top opposition. Sunday came and time for the Gran fondo. I surprised myself by also qualifying for the Fondo in a very fast time of 3hrs 16 mins. I should have had more faith in my form and my coaches training plan, couldn't have asked for more.

So next is on to Albi France for the World championships, training starts again now!!

Twitter: @hawkins_ade

Age: 48

Occupation: Firefighter, Personal Trainer

Sport: Duathlon, Time Trial

Pre-race Ritual: I like to be well prepared. Checking and re checking kit has become a bit of an obsession!! I always have a pre-race timetable right from what time I eat to registration, warm ups, etc. so that I am not rushing around. I hate to be badly prepped. A timetable to get me really focused and distracts me from the pre-race nerves. I have got into listening to a playlist on headphones when warming up on the turbo, I find this cuts out everything around me and helps me concentrate. I feel more relaxed on the start line knowing I have done everything possible for a good race.

Favourite Cheat Food: I love a Thai curry, although to be fair I do like my food so it could be anything!

Favourite Form of Cross Training: I like doing body-weight circuits and the HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) style sessions. WATTBIKE is great for winter fitness.

Career Highlights: