Fred Wright: Lake Ambassador

by Robert Thorpe & Ben Thorpe

Time to talk with Bahrain Victorious rider Fred Wright

When he came onto the world tour scene in 2020, Fred Wright certainly raised a few eyebrows when he placed 4th on the tough 15th stage of the Vuelta. At any time in your career, this would turn a few heads, and it did so for Fred, in his first season.

A far stretch from the hills of sunny Spain, Fred’s home turf is the not so sunny streets of south-east England, more specifically London. This is where his passion for the sport stems from; one place in particular, Herne Hill velodrome seems to be a key area. Fred spent countless hours here riding around in circles, getting faster and stronger and eventually progressing into the national champion, grand tour and Olympic rider that many look to with warmth today

From Batman to the pro peloton

Prior to his days riding around in circles, or climbing mountains in the Spanish Pyrenees, Fred had a very different bike - his first bike. Painted in Batman colours by his actor dad, Phil Wright, the little ‘Pucky’ kid’s bike is where it all really started for Fred. After a little while zooming around and no doubt chasing the Joker, Fred eventually joined VCL cycling club in London around the age of 9, where they loaned him an Isla cross bike with road tires, and the rest as they say is history.

By the age of 13 Fred had really caught the bug and had developed that all too well-known insatiable dream for cycling greatness. Personally speaking, I think many 13-year-olds dream of cycling in the Olympics or the pro peloton. However, at the age of 19 his coach sat him down, and blurred the lines between dreams and reality when he told Fred that he could ‘probably go pro’ after having a really successful year on the road. Track cycling wasn’t quite working out the way Fred had perhaps hoped, and so the opportunity arose for something else. Subsequently Freds pursuit of elite level road cycling was set into motion.

Speaking to Fred, his outlook on cycling is very refreshing and positive. In his own words, he has no regrets in the direction his career has taken, particularly as it led to him racing on the road in the last Olympic Games, which for him was the realisation of a big dream. Even when it comes to those not-so-great days in the saddle, such as Fred’s TDF experience this year, which was a big eye opener for how tough the sport can really be and a big moment of reflection for him; he still managed to put a positive spin on things by saying that he was excited for the opportunity to improve his past results next season. Maybe once in a while we could all take a leaf out of Freds book - after all bikes are fun.

The application of science within cycling

In the years Fred has been racing one of the biggest developments in cycling, in his opinion, is nutrition.Eating as much power as you can is very much on trend at the moment, and for good reason. Fred admits that he probably didn’t get anywhere near as much nutritional value as he needed, as a junior. Now,education in sports diets has changed so much, and has subsequently helped top athletes like Fred and the sport in general change for the better. Gone are the days of pro cyclist’s looking like that well known cave dwelling ‘Lord of the Rings’ character (we hope).

Alongside nutrition, correct kit and flush fitting shoes that actually fit your feet are equally as important for long term performance. When first introduced to Lake cycling shoes during a bike fit, Fred was immediately impressed with the vast range of shoes available, and the different widths too. Currently, the Lake CX302 road cycling shoe is Fred’s shoe of choice, due to its lightweight construction, whilst also being in Fred’s own words: ‘light, but as stiff as any other shoe I’ve used.’ Fred also talked about how the width of the CX302 helped immensely with comfort - an issue he had suffered with previously, prior to using Lakeshoes. As an all-rounder, it’s a shoe that suits Fred and his riding style.

No compromise – performance & comfort in equal measure

Here at Lake, we don’t believe in compromise, and we’re sure Fred would agree. Since we’ve talked about ‘shoe of choice’, let’s talk about Freds ride of choice. When he has the opportunity, Fred loves cycling in the Peak District; not so much for a training effort, but just to explore in his own time. He’s also very specific on the condition for his ‘favourite ride’; no clouds and it has to be exactly 23 degrees Celsius - 22 or 24 just won’t do!

At Lake were all about detail and specifics, and we get it Fred!

If you’d like feel the same improvements in your cycling comfort and performance as Fred, then simply visit one of our Lake cycling shoe partners and bike fitting experts and join the Lake cycling family – with comfort and performance as standard.