An Aberdeen mountain biking star is competing against the best in the world thanks to a bespoke coaching programme for talented athletes at Robert Gordon University (RGU).
Chris Hutchens, 25, competes across the country in Enduro Mountain Biking, which sees him pit his wits against up to 600 other riders on courses of up to 50km.
The Enduro mountain biker trains at RGU Sport and benefits from the Talented Athlete Programme (TAP) which aims to support members achieve their sporting ambitions by giving them access to quality strength and conditioning coaching and facilities.
Chris, who works as an engineer at Subsea 7, started to race downhill mountain bikes aged 10 and quickly began competing at a national level, winning the under 14 British title and was later selected to represent GB at the World Championships in 2007.
Finishing in the Top 10 he was promoted to Elite the following year and went onto race in the World Cup series, representing GB at European Championship level and achieving a top 20 World Cup result and winning the Scottish Elite downhill series in the following years.
After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a Masters of Engineering, Chris moved to Aberdeen and made a change of Disciplines to Enduro where in 2014 he won the Scottish Enduro Series and competed in a number of World Series events.
Improving in 2015 with a focus on the World Series he has already surpassed his initial aims and finished 28th in the Tweedlove Enduro World Series event in June.
Chris is now preparing for the final rounds of the Enduro World Series in September and October which will be held in Spain and Italy.
He said: “I’ve had a great year so far competing against many of the top stars of Enduro mountain biking. RGU Sport’s Talented Athlete Programme has undoubtedly contributed to my training and focus this year. Without the structure and coaching provided my results would not have been as consistent this year as they have.
“My competitive season is long and very physical, requiring a very broad range of strengths. The strength and conditioning coaches have tailored the programme specifically around my competitions and to provide me with the best possible improvements.
“Working on quality and form are aspects which are really important during sessions and without this level of help I would be wasting a lot of time and not benefitting from the limited training time I have.
“I’m having one of my most successful racing seasons to date and my time spent in the gym at RGU is helping me to achieve my goals and surpass them.”
Performance Sport Officer at RGU Sport, Paddy Maughan said: “We’re proud to support Chris train and develop in the most effective ways which allows him to be successful in his sport.
“Our Talented Athlete Programme is designed to help members maximise their performance at competitions and events and Chris is a great example of how we work with athletes to help them.
“Chris had significant training experience before joining the programme and is great to have around the facility as a role model for our younger members. He has struck up a strong relationship with Iain McEwan, one of our Strength and Conditioning coaches, which has allowed him to get the most from his training.
“It’s great to hear of his continued success on the bike and that the TAP membership has played a supporting role in this.
“Previously the TAP membership has been targeted at junior athletes however more recently we have had a demand from senior athletes like Chris so we have adapted the programme and are keen to hear from other athletes who may want similar support.”
TAP membership is available at RGU SPORT priced at £180 for a 12-week block.
Members go through a thorough screening progress by ‘Physiotherapy @ RGU Wellness’ before beginning their programme to give the strength and conditioning coaches as much information as possible about the athlete to allow them to create a bespoke training programme.
This includes a physiotherapy profile, video analysis, strength and conditioning sessions and programming and free swimming access (dependent on availability).
For more information about TAP membership at RGU Sport, please contact Paddy Maughan via p.c.maughan@rgu.ac.uk