Testimonials

I came to Alan with no cycling experience and his guidance in the early part of my career enabled me to progress from complete novice to rubbing shoulders with the world's best riders. We've learnt a lot together and worked as a team to achieve these results.

Physically, the training gave me confidence and belief that I could achieve my goals and compete in the biggest events in the sport but the physical training is the easy bit, it's not hard to read the science behind training and devise a plan. The most important element was Alan's support and mentoring; he provided a guiding light in the early days and an extra spark when I had established myself in the pro peloton. I will be forever grateful for the selfless commitment, time and energy Alan put into helping me chase my dream in cycling, he made the difference.

Project 51 has been the main driver behind my development as an athlete. Having a coach through my junior and under-23 years helped me perform on the bike, whilst finishing off my studies and tackling the various curveballs life has thrown. Alan has a deep understanding of the psychology of elite sport and applies it so precisely to his coaching methods. When to back off, when to dig deeper, when to change something… he listens to feedback and responds with the kind of profound advice that stops you in your tracks.

I have always felt empowered to go after my goals knowing that Project 51 has my back. The training has pushed me to new heights of fitness, and the way the whole rider network rallies together has inspired and grounded me.

Having worked with Alan for over a decade, he’s been more of a second father figure than a coach. Turning me from a local kid with a dream, to an Elite rider. 

Both of our dreams of Belgium came together, and I ended up spending 7 years of my life living and racing there and still do now with my girlfriend. That wouldn’t have happened without Alan. The way he read me from a young age, he knew what I needed and what was best for me on and off the bike. My training was challenging but he always listened.   

Without Alan I simply wouldn’t have got to where I did. Obviously, the athlete needs the drive, but Alan kept my steering wheel on and steered, while I powered on and drove. He still has that role now to a degree. I know that even now not being coached, I can pick up the phone or meet up at the farm shop and things will always be like it was when I was a 14-year-old, out of control lunatic. I’ll always be thankful for what he’s done for me and in my eyes, he will always be that second father figure who helped me achieve my dream, together. 

Alan played THE key role in my development from youth cyclist to senior cyclist. 

It was almost as though Alan saw the path that was ahead of me over the next 5 - 10 years and split his focus equally on preparing me as best he could for the junior races that lay ahead (coming 2nd in the Isle of Man Junior Tour being a highlight), and preparing me with the right skillset and value system that has allowed me to navigate 5 years chasing an Olympic dream with British Cycling, 3 x commonwealth games and professional road teams.   

There are many highs and lows that await young and men and women that wish to embark on a journey into professional cycling. I couldn't think of anyone better to help them step into that journey. 

Finn joined at the close of the 2022 season. After struggling to make the best of his physical ability, the Project 51 family set about the task of finding out why and putting it right. After a year of learning about himself and the complicated sport of cycle racing, Finn finished his season off being invited to ride for the Embark Spitit BSS Team with strong rides in a couple of UCI 1.2 races and a Prem. 

Proof once again that there’s so much more to successful bike racing than DATA!

Finn’s Words

Joining Project 51 has been pivotal in my cycling journey so far. Leaving the Junior ranks and stepping up to Under 23 being able to work so closely with Alan and Olly has been brilliant. The care and pure passion for wanting to see a rider progress, instead of them just being another number who keeps the coaching business running like other set ups, has been amazing and something that has really helped me progress as a rider.

Being able to have an honest and transparent relationship with Alan and Olly too you always know where you stand and what needs to be improved, rather than things being sugar coated and not developing. This relationship also steps off the bike, some tough conversations but all with the end goal of wanting you to be the best person you can be on and off the bike. 

Being able to work closely with other members of the Project 51 family and tap into their knowledge & support at any time is something unique here too, giving you different insights on how to approach certain situations and always analysing previous races on how to improve and become a better rider chasing my dream of becoming a professional cyclist.

Finn’s Parents Words

As parents some of the most fundamental wishes for your children are to know they are ‘safe’, ‘thriving’ and ‘happy’.  We have most certainly witnessed these over the last year, watching Finn working alongside Alan, Olly and other members of the Project 51 family.  I say family because it really is, the whole ethos and driving force comes from the heart, a passion for the sport and wanting the ‘young person to reach their potential’.   It has without doubt been a tough learning year for Finn, with some harsh lessons and tough conversations endured.  However, with the unwavering and unconditional support from Alan and Olly, these have helped him develop not only as a rider but also a young man.   

Of course, the coaching programme has been vital, but the additional ingredient (never experienced before!!!!) has been the attention given to emotional/wellbeing support.  

Crinnan, Nathan, Adam and Dan have all brought something (and continue to do so) unique from their lived experiences of the cycling world/racing to aid his development, a lifelong support network created that can be reached out to any time.   As parents, the trust that we hold for Alan’s way of working has been so incredibly important and allowed us to step back, knowing that he is in safe hands for all aspects of his needs and development.     

We are so proud of what Finn has achieved over the past year within the Project 51 framework and look forward to seeing where things take him next year – we know that to continue to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional cyclist Project 51 are the ‘difference that can make the difference’.  

Chris and Emma Dunton

I've been working with Alan for almost 15 years and in that time, he's guided me through the various challenges you can face as a racing cyclist. He helped me understand what might be possible in the sport and has constantly guided me at every turn even when other team managers and mentors were supposed to know better. 

I'm not saying he knows it all (although he does know an awful lot and never seems to stop developing his methods), but the crucial thing is we have always had an honest enough relationship with one another whereby we can tell each other how it is, though more often it's him delivering the hard facts than me! 

More recently I've found a new passion for the sport by helping him guide his new generation of riders, but I'm yet to go for more than a few months without thinking to myself "I wonder what Alan would say". 

4th, 3rd, 1st and then knocking on the door of a top 10 at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Lahti, Finland until injury derailed my charge.

These results just don't happen - its everything that leads up to them and by that, I mean I could not even hope to achieve these results if it wasn't for Alan and the Project 51 family. I feel

like this long-distance Triathlon journey has been a challenge and a learning curve for both of us, where we discuss plans and ideas in order to achieve our goals.

We need to excel in all three disciplines and then put that all together on race day. Our plans have been detailed, focussed and specific to the demands of the races that I do, where Alan pushes me hard when I need to, but also knows when to back off and recover, which is a very delicate balance. Alan makes sense of this puzzle, without it becoming daunting and we seemed to achieve a good routine of consistent training in the build up to the races, with a tried and tested race week formula unique to me to ensure that I am still zippy on race day but with no training fatigue. 

For me now, the other huge consideration is also balancing young family and work life. Endurance sport requires dedication, consistent training and on some levels, a degree of selfishness, and I think one of the the biggest achievements is not having annoyed my family and having them fully onboard and involved in the process. This is helped by focussed training and sessions that Alan puts together and most importantly, making sure every session has a specific goal. They too feel part of the Project 51 family and are involved in the journey.

We have learnt a lot together over the past 12 months, and we have already started putting together plans, goals and targets for the following year which fill me with excitement about what we can achieve.

I joined TMC 18 months ago after being a member of WECC and having completed a few races. I was recommended to Alan Dedman who took me under his wing, immediately being helpful, very encouraging and tailoring personal training schedules for me in order to build my strength, stamina, technique and confidence.

Alan set out achievements to aim for and with his guidance I achieved a bronze medal at the British Masters National Championships 2022, due to Alan’s professional coaching, attitude and faith in my ability. I would not be where I am now if I had not been a part of this team.

I look forward to what 2023 brings (me) us all.

2023........   

Having completed a few races, I felt I needed to up my game and development as an athlete enabling me to complete at a higher level. The training provided by Alan pushed me to new peaks of fitness, and to achieve goals I never thought would be in reach. 

Going into 2023, Alan proposed that I aim to target 3 main races during 2023 and set out a comprehensive personalised training programme. I’m happy to report that I achieved my goals by winning the British Masters Cycle Racing National Road Race Championships, the British Cycling National Road Race Championships and finishing sixth in the Cycling World Championships Glasgow, with an added bonus of winning the season long Percy Stallard National Series.

Being one of the oldest riders that Alan has looked after, I would encourage anyone thinking of racing to go for it! You are never too old to achieve your goals and under Alans guidance your dreams are always possible!

I cannot thank Alan enough for his knowledge and support over the last few years, he is always there for me as a mentor and friend. Being part of the P51 family is something to be proud of.

I started working with Alan having previously raced for a couple of years but had got to 2nd cat level and wasn't improving. Under Alan's coaching and guidance, I have improved massively from where I started and have gone on to win target races and achieve many other goals.

Having the structured training and the understanding as to what each session is aiming to achieve, which I never had before, has allowed me to develop to become a much better bike rider.

With training sessions tailored to each individual rider, you know they will push you to chieve your best.

Being part of Project 51, you also have the wealth of knowledge and experience from the different riders which can be invaluable with support for each other.

I started getting coached by Alan when I was 15, I wanted to progress with my cycling but was feeling a little lost as to how to reach my goals. Alan's coaching & support really gave me a step up in the cycling world.

Personalised training adapted to my needs gave me the confidence to race successfully in Belgium riding at UCI team level.

Being able to contact him whenever I had a question or concern, or just for a reassuring chat has been a big factor for me.

The Project 51 atmosphere that Alan has created, made me feel very welcomed by all the ages and ability. There's a real family sense to the team. 7 years later and I couldn't have asked for a better coach. 

In October 2022 I sat down with Alan and spoke about joining the P51 setup. I had two goals: to be a part of a proper team and to reach the best possible level I could as an athlete. 12 months on and both goals have been surpassed.

Reaching Cat 2 (crit racing) had been a goal for 18 months. Alan’s detailed training, guidance and support allowed me to reset and understand how a proper training programme works over the course of a year. After that clicked, it only took 4 months of racing to go from the bottom of Cat 3 to Cat 2.

Alan also supported, and most importantly encouraged, my pivot (mid-season) back to duathlon in a bid to qualify for the 2025 Duathlon World Championships. Now having full trust and understanding in the Denman method, we put together a programme that has seen me qualify for the 2024 World Champs (1 year early) - alongside a collection of 3 other duathlon 1st place trophies.

Trust, drive and joy. Those are the principles I’ve worked with Alan over the past 12 months and it’s more than paid off.

Working with Alan is one of the better decisions I have made for my cycling. 

He consistently pushes you with both training and your goals. As an under 16 I didn't really know how to reach my goals but Alan has helped to get some of them achieved.  

Riding for project 51 as an under 16 and junior was a fantastic atmosphere to grow and learn from the riders around me and I will always be proud to be a part of the project 51 family.  

Alan is always just a phone call or chat away if you have any questions about training, but not only that, he completely understands the needs of each rider which I think really helped me progress to UCI continental level in Belgium. 

I started working with Alan and joined the Project 51 family as junior as I wanted to take my racing more seriously. 

Alan has always kept his training up to date with modern science. I think his real strength is when to know when to be super numbers based and when you can disconnect from it. 

Alan is a great coach by himself but one of the biggest benefits of being part of Project 51 is the vast array of different people with their knowledge and experience which has certainly helped me become a better, more rounded bike racer. Every time I pin a number on the spots and stripes jersey, I am proud to represent everyone involved with Project 51.