Paul Double, sorry for the delay

He is the latest arrival. Not on the start list, not in the finish lists, not in the general classification. He is the latest arrival in the world of cycling. He was 20 when he took part in the Rad de Cymru, a short amateur stage race in Wales, not exactly the home of cycling. Now, eight years later, wearing the jersey of the Australian team Jayco-AIUla, number 154 , Paul Double is finishing the Giro d'Italia , his first Grand Tour in the WorldTour.

Twenty-nine years old (his birthday was on June 25), English from Winchester (perhaps the ancient fortress of Camelot, linked to the myth of King Arthur), son of a cyclist (in both senses: amateur runner and then mechanic), raised on a farm, student (university) and worker (café, bar, hotel), Double revealed himself, first of all to himself, in that Welsh race: “Two victories in three days, one in a time trial, the other with a hilltop finish, eating bananas and jam sandwiches”. And life changed: “Flavio Zappi, a former Italian professional with a team of young Englishmen, promised me a place. It meant a jersey, bike, expenses and being able to race. I accepted immediately”.

Then in 2019 the engagement in the Italian Colpack (“In addition to food, accommodation and travel, also 300 euros a month”), in 2020 the return with Zappi, in 2021 in the Italian MG.K-Vis, in 2022 and 2023 with the American Human Powered Health, in 2024 with the Italian Polti-Kometa, up to the current formation that boasts Luke Plapp , Michael Matthews, Ben O'Connor and Dylan Groenewegen .

Slow but evident progress: “Tour of Slovenia 2022, on an uphill stretch I found myself with Pogacar, Mohoric and Majka. I couldn’t believe it. There are also television images. And it has become my favorite cycling video. Tour of Bulgaria 2023: the first stage victory. And International Coppi and Bartali Week 2025: in Sogliano, on the roads where I trained for a long time, stage and jersey”. A double blow. Just as his surname suggests.

Double is a climber: physically (1.71 m and 56 kg) and mentally (“I have never given up in the face of difficulties, and there have been so many, so many that I thought my passion for cycling made no sense”). He still has a lot to learn (“At the beginning I didn’t know how to ride in a group, and that means being in the wind and getting a lot of air”), from training (“I went by feeling and instinct, even now I struggle to calibrate my little computer”) to nutrition (“I still often look at what my teammates are doing and then I adapt”), even in clothing (“When I was at Polti – he told “Rouleur” – the guys laughed at me because I did strange things, like getting off the hotel room and onto the bus already wearing cycling shoes. Apparently, that’s not how you do it!”). His most recurring dream is almost obvious (“Winning a stage at the Giro. But it’s the dream of the whole group”). In short: "I believe that - he explained to cyclingnews.com - if at a certain point they kick you in the head, it's easier to keep going". Double, best result thirteenth place in the first stage in Albania, in the general he is 103rd more than three hours behind Isaac Del Toro.

If there is a quality that is recognized, for Double it is “resilience”, that is, tenacity, obstinacy, stubbornness: “I hold on. Even when those around me give up, or tell me to give up, I grit my teeth and try to keep going and get to the finish line”. He held on even during the Covid lockdown: he went to Sicily to cut trees on Etna. But how long will Paul hold on? “As long as I have fun, like I do in this Giro d’Italia. As long as I improve, even if slowly. As long as I can stretch my limits, see how far I can go. And as long as I earn more this way than any other way”. Which one? “Work in a bar. Or have my own bar. That would be a lot of fun too”.

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