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Chris Opie

Christopher Ryan Opie (born 22 July 1987) is a British cyclist and a contributor to the Global Cycling Network.[4]

Chris Opie
Opie in 2015
Personal information
Full nameChristopher Ryan Opie
Born (1987-07-22) 22 July 1987 (age 37)
Truro, Cornwall, England[1]
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Weight73 kg (161 lb)[1]
Team information
Current teamSaint Piran
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeSprinter[2]
Amateur teams
1998–2005www.cyclelogic.co.uk
2006UC Aubenas
2007One and All Cycling
2010–2011Pendragon–Le Col–Colnago
2020Saint Piran[3]
Professional teams
2012–2013Team UK Youth
2014Rapha Condor–JLT
2015–2016ONE Pro Cycling
2017–2018Bike Channel–Canyon[2]
2021–Saint Piran

Career

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Opie at the 2014 Tour of Britain.

Born in Truro, Cornwall, Opie grew up on a small beef and dairy farm. He attended Kea Primary and Penair Secondary Schools in Truro.[5] He began cycling competitively at the age of 10 and progressed to lead the British National Junior RR Series in 2005.[5]

In 2006, Opie raced in France for UC Aubenas and he battled with a slight eating disorder and, in 2007, with Glandular Fever, but returned to racing in 2008, when he was based in the Netherlands and Belgium.[5] He returned from the Netherlands to ride for Pendragon Sports/Le Col/Colnago in 2010,[6] and when the team wound up at the end of the 2011 season[7] he was signed by Nigel Mansell's Team UK Youth.[8]

After Mansell decided to end his financial support of Team UK Youth, Opie signed for Rapha Condor–JLT for the 2014 season.[9] After one season with the team he was announced as part of the inaugural squad for the ONE Pro Cycling team for the 2015 season.[10] Opie announced his retirement from competition in May 2018 immediately before his final race, the last round of that year's Tour Series in Salisbury.[2][11] Opie's retirement was a financial decision, following the bankruptcy of one of the team sponsors which led to a halving of riders' salaries.[12]

In January 2019, Opie joined Global Cycling Network as a presenter.[13] However the transition away from racing was not without difficulty and as Opie described himself, led to a minor breakdown suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).[12] Opie decided to make a return to racing in 2020, with the Saint Piran team, despite there being no races held during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

Personal life

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Opie and his wife Meike have two children together.[12] He is the brother-in-law of Dutch former racing cyclist Remco van der Ven.[15]

Major results

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2010
1st GP Al Fatah
Tour of Libya[16]
1st Stages 4 & 5
2012
6th Ster van Zwolle
2013
Tour Series
1st Round 8 – Canary Wharf[17] & Round 10 – Aylsham
2nd Overall Tour of the Reservoir[18]
1st Stage 1
2014
2nd National Circuit Race Championships[19]
2nd Circuit of the Fens[20]
2nd Ipswich and Coastal Grand Prix[21]
3rd Otley Grand Prix[22]
3rd Wales Open Criterium[23]
4th Eddie Soens Memorial[24]
4th Grand Prix des Marbriers
5th Colne Grand Prix[25]
2015
1st Stockton Grand Prix
2nd Perfs Pedal Race[26]
2nd Rutland–Melton International CiCLE Classic[27]
3rd Overall Totnes-Vire Stage Race
1st Stage 2[28]
3rd Chepstow Grand Prix[29]
7th Overall Ronde van Midden-Nederland
2016
1st   Overall Ronde van Midden-Nederland
1st Stages 1 (TTT) & 2
1st Stage 2 Tour de Korea
2nd Arnhem–Veenendaal Classic
8th Grand Prix de Denain
2017
7th Ronde van Drenthe
2018
8th PWZ Zuidenveld Tour

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Team: Chris Opie". Team UK Youth. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Chris Opie retires from professional cycling". Canyon Eisberg. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Steve Lampier moves to Ribble for 2020 as Chris Opie joins Saint Piran". Saint Piran. Saint Piran Limited. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  4. ^ Howells, Kieran (13 June 2018). "Play Sports Network welcomes three new presenters". bikebiz.com.
  5. ^ a b c "People Features: Chris Opie Diary". BBC Cornwall. 6 February 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Pendragon Sports/Le Col/Colnago announce 2010 team line-up". Bike Radar. 25 November 2009. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  7. ^ Andy McGrath (11 August 2011). "Pendragon-Le Col-Colnago to stop at end of the season". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  8. ^ "Team UK Youth reveal 2012 kit and sponsors at Gran Canaria Camp". British Cycling. 30 January 2012.
  9. ^ Harlow, Phil (25 October 2013). "Team UK Youth: Chris Opie saddened by team's demise". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  10. ^ Cary, Tom (9 December 2014). "England wicketkeeper Matt Prior launches UCI Continental team ONE Pro Cycling". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Canyon Eisberg and Team Breeze crowned OVO Energy Tour Series champions". telegraph.co.uk. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  12. ^ a b c "The Insight Series Episode 6 - Chris Opie chats racing before & after GCN & why he's coming back". YouTube. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Chris Opie: Meet the Presenters". Global Cycling Network. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  14. ^ Hickmott, Larry (11 April 2020). "Team Q&A: Chris Opie at Saint Piran". VeloUK. LH Publishing. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Chris Opie wint Ronde van Midden-Nederland" [Chris Opie wins Ronde van Midden-Nederland]. RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). 28 August 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  16. ^ "Cornish rider Chris Opie in Tour of Libya success". BBC Sport. 7 April 2010.
  17. ^ Richard Abraham (7 June 2013). "Chris Opie extends UK Youth lead at Canary Wharf Tour Series". Cycling Weekly.
  18. ^ Snowdon Sports (27 April 2013). "Chris Opie wins Tour of the Reservoir opener". Cycling Weekly.
  19. ^ "2014 British Cycling National Circuit Race Championship - Hull - July 9 2014: Men's Championship: Official Result" (PDF). British Cycling. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  20. ^ Whitehouse, Andy (27 July 2014). "Adam Blythe (NFTO Pro Cycling) wins the 2014 Vericool for Schools Circuit of the Fens". British Cycling. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  21. ^ Williams, Huw (31 August 2014). "Yanto Barker takes British Cycling Elite Road Series title". British Cycling. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  22. ^ Whitehouse, Andy (2 July 2014). "Blythe victorious in Property Development Otley Grand Prix". British Cycling. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  23. ^ Whitehouse, Andy (30 July 2014). "Graham Briggs (Rapha Condor) wins Wales Open Criterium, while Alex Blain (Team Raleigh) wins overall series". British Cycling. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  24. ^ "53rd Eddie Soens Memorial Cycle Race". British Cycling. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  25. ^ Swarbrick, Guy (16 July 2014). "Rapha Condor JLT's Graham Briggs wins 2014 Elite Circuit Series Colne Grand Prix". British Cycling. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  26. ^ "Perfs Pedal Race". British Cycling. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  27. ^ "Steele Von Hoff wins CiCLE Classic without realising it". Cycling Weekly. 26 April 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  28. ^ "Totnes-Vire Stage Race". British Cycling. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  29. ^ "Graham Briggs takes solo win at Chepstow Grand Prix". Cycling Weekly. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
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