NAME : Jamie Higgins

DOB : 16/6/72

HOME : Dartford, Kent

MARRIED : Married to Paula

OCCUPATION : Project Analyst, Bank of England

RACING CATEGORY : First

CYCLING HISTORY : Began cycling at 14 and joined the Dartford Wheelers. At 15 my first race was the SE London schoolboy Divs where I came 4 th on my Bianchi gas pipe tubing pride and joy and non-Assos woolly racing jersey.

I joined the Woolwich CC as a junior, winning over 30 races, before turning senior. I was on the National Junior Track Squad for a year and competed for the South East Centre of Excellence. As a senior I rode for the Festival RC before joining the Wembley RC at 19 where I stayed for the next 4 years competing at national and international level races. Got married at 24 and gave up racing for a while but could not stay away and returned at 30 riding for Sigma Sport before joining Wild Side RT 2 years later.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS : No career defining moments or classic victories to speak of but a couple of personal highlights achieved. I have never entered an open individual Time Trial ever; I was disqualified for coming second to Nick Barnes ( a pro at the time) at Brands Hatch as a junior for riding a 13 sprocket and was also disqualified from winning the Bexleyheath criterium for taking both hands off the handlebars at the finish. I rode the race with a hangover from my brother-in-laws wedding the day before and borrowed a bike as I snapped my ergo brake lever 10 minutes before the start.

Probably, my biggest highlight was joining the Wembley RC and being given a mountain of assos kit at my first race which was a Kermesse at Blankenberge, Belgium. I came 2 nd in the race, narrowly missing out on the 1 st prize which was a carpet, not sure how we’d have got that home on the team car.

I also represented a London team, led by Russell Williams, in the United States National League. The races were televised on Sky and I got to race in some fantastic locations such as Boston, Milan and Eastway!

CYCLING ASPIRATIONS : It may not have been a Classic but winning a race in 2005 in front of my two boys cheering for their dad was a great feeling. Any future cycling aspirations would revolve around them enjoying coming to races and cheering for everyone in the team. Nevertheless, I also would quite like to win a few more races.

CYCLING INSPIRATIONS : Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault in the 1986 Tour de France. I still think this was the best tour ever.

A PROPER RACE : The Belgium classics: Tour of Flanders and Liege- Bastogne- Leige. My stag weekend was a Graham Baxter trip to LBL in 1997 when Michele Bartoli won and I dragged my wife away for the weekend of the 2001 Tour of Flanders when she was 3 months pregnant. Mrs H was a bit slow up the Bosberg but it was worth the effort to see Bartolami take the victory.

LIFE AFTER CYCLING : Grooming my 4 year old sons into Premiership footballers, family mountain bike rides, avoiding DIY, savouring Belgium beer and doing a bit of fly fishing with my Dad.