Optician eyes bike stardom

EXTREME sport . . . Saddleworth-based Jack Reading in action

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A SADDLEWORTH man who trained as an optician has been victorious on the global circuit ... as a mountain biker.

Jack Reading (27) is climbing the world rankings after training professionally as a downhill mountain bike racer.

He works as an optometrist for two-and-a-half days every week but also undertakes intensive training for his adrenaline-fuelled sport.

Keen biker Jack has just competed in the UCI MTB World Cup and has also won his first British Cycling MTB Downhill Series event.

Career-best

He stole the title in the elite race at the sixth and final round of the 2016 competition, held in Llangollen, Wales, in September.

At the World Cup in Val Nord, Andorra, also in September, Jack's Nicolai Geometron G19 helped him speed into 27th place.

He said on his blog: "This was a career-best finish which I am absolutely over the moon about."

Outside of training, Jack's double life sees him work as a locum at Huddersfield-based Valli Opticians.

He said: "The beauty of working as a locum optician is that it has given me the opportunity to work as and when it fits in with my busy and varied racing schedule.

"I have been very fortunate that Moin Valli has given me the chance to train, race and practise as an optician."

The poor coverage of downhill mountain biking and difficulty in making a full time career of the sport led Jack to remain committed to his studies.

Extreme

He spent the first three years of his world cup career as a full time student after finishing his degree in optometry at the University of Manchester.

The joint team owner and manager of One Vision Global Racing said: "I started racing bikes about 10 years ago and have been racing World Cups since 2010.

"The sport is extreme and I absolutely love the challenge of competing at the highest level against the best in the world.

"Being an optometrist is an excellent profession to have as an aside to competitive racing, and Valli is a great place to work."

Jack has worked with Nicolai Bikes, the team's main sponsor, to design and develop a new world cup race bike, following the success of his first two seasons in 2016.

Initial

The bike is now in production for 2017 after a successful first year.

Moin Valli said: "For Moin the benefits are multiple.

"We have a talented and dedicated locum who we can rely on for half the working week.

"Jack is a dedicated optician who delivers the same high standard of care as the rest of the team and that our patients demand, yet he offers versatility."