About Me and My Ergs

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Like many who have raced on rowing machines for years, I first discovered the Indoor Rower at my local gym when I was 29. Now, at 52, I reflect on how much has changed since those early days. Back then, there wasn't a robust online community, and Concept 2 hosted the British Championships and a Nationwide Grand Prix series. They also published a magazine that listed annual rankings for various distances and age groups. This was our first glimpse into our performance—we would check the magazine to compare our times to others.

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After just a couple of months of rowing, I participated in my first British Championships in Birmingham, where I raced alongside legends like James Cracknell and Matthew Pinsent. That experience truly ignited my passion for the sport. With my newfound enthusiasm, I entered the C2 Grand Prix Series. At my first GP race in Portsmouth, I met what would become my initial MAD Team brothers. Eight or nine of us, having never met before, teamed up for a 5km relay race, with all the familiar names present: Benton, Peebles, Smith, O’Grady, Marston, Fleming, Sanders, Goodall, and myself—if memory serves me correctly!

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Thus, the MAD TEAM IRC was formed. The following year, while sitting on the steps of BRIC with a few members of Team Oarsome, we discussed and established the CTC. Over the next two decades, I raced all around the world with friends, creating lasting memories and meeting thousands of fellow rowing enthusiasts.

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In terms of achievements, I have won multiple national age group titles and numerous online indoor rowing competitions, as well as indoor ski erg events—too many to list. I remain unbeaten in seven years of age group height category competitions and hold the British and world records for 100km in both men’s and mixed team rowing ergs. Alongside my old friend Simon Jones, I set the British and world records for the 100km Tandem event—an experience I somehow survived! On the ski erg, I currently hold the over-50s world records for 5km, 6km, 30 minutes, and 10km, along with several British records at various distances.

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For several years, I have served as the captain of the MAD TEAM IRC. Four years ago, I began coaching after realizing that many coaches were relying on generic, one-size-fits-all programs that simply do not work. Every individual has unique strengths, weaknesses, and circumstances—some are fitter, some stronger, some carry injuries, and others have health considerations. Given these variables, it's crucial to develop personalized training plans for each athlete.

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I believe that since we are not professional athletes and face limitations in training, each athlete should have a tailored plan with targeted training sessions based on their abilities across distances ranging from 500m to an hour. This conviction is what drove me to start coaching and assisting a select group of athletes I believed I could help improve.

Shortly after I began coaching, it became evident to my followers that this personalized approach was effective, and I started taking on more athletes. Together, we formed the Indoor Rowing Team, The Delivery Room (TDR). This team has since flourished, now captained by my friend Richard Wood from my hometown in Cape Town. TDR is expanding and achieving great things.

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In just a short time on the coaching scene, I find my achievements quite significant. The first few years of coaching TDR resulted in over 200 individual C2 ranking personal bests each year. I have coached athletes from around the world to world, European, and national titles. Most notably, I coached James Hall, who broke the 6-minute barrier on the rowing machine in just four weeks. Six weeks later, he shattered the all-time, all-ages 1km world record, a feat that had eluded many other athletes.

It’s clear that in this erg game, nothing can be achieved without a genuine desire to improve and the willingness to work hard to reach your goals. If you possess those attributes, I believe I can help anyone achieve their aspirations.