Archie's Profile

At just 20 years old, Cheshire’s Archie Atkinson has made waves in his early forays into competitive para cycling despite his tender age, and this summer aims to make an impact on his Paralympic debut in Paris.

Following in the footsteps of legends, Atkinson’s very first experience of riding on a track came at 10 years old, under the tutelage of multiple world and Olympic champion, Sir Chris Hoy. The experience inspired him but the idea of competing on two wheels did not feature in his future until a chance encounter with double Paralympic gold medallist Ben Watson while out on a ride with his dad in 2021.

Through subsequent conversations with Watson, Atkinson realised he could be eligible for para cycling, and he was accepted onto the British Cycling Foundation Pathway following two days of power tests. Just under one year later, Atkinson, who has cerebral palsy, ADHD and is autistic, was promoted to the world class performance programme.

Finishing runner-up in SportsAid’s prestigious One-to-Watch Award 2023, Atkinson’s first year of competitive cycling began with a bang, as he overturned Will Bjergfelt to take gold in the C4-C5 individual pursuit event at the British National Para-Cycling Track Championships. Following this success, Atkinson took part in the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup series, taking two bronze medals in the C4 time-trials in both Ostend, Belgium, and Alabama, USA. Still aged just 18, it was another step on the road toward success at the very top level for Atkinson. 

That summer, he was selected to ride the scratch race in his first UCI Para-Track World Championships at the multi-discipline event in Glasgow in 2023, but suffered a bereavement just prior to the competition, as his close friend, American rider Magnus White, passed away shortly before the competition. Atkinson channelled his grief into his riding and was able to show his fighting spirit, taking a lap with four laps to go, a bold manoeuvre which proved to be the race-winning move. He won his first rainbow jersey, before heading out onto the roads of Dumfries and Galloway to tackle the C4 road race, in which he claimed a bronze medal.

This Paralympic year has begun in the best possible way, as Atkinson won the C4 individual pursuit at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the claim the second rainbow jersey of his young career. As his debut Games in Paris draws ever nearer, Atkinson is hoping to add Paralympic gold to a medal collection that looks set to grow rapidly in the coming years.

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