“You’re getting mauled by the Tigers,” so say fans of the Hull football team as they proudly show off their claws.
With two wins and a draw, the Tigers sit in third place in the Premier League, fully intending to stay near the top for as long as possible. Among the happiest supporters is undoubtedly Finlay Pickering, who has followed the “amber and black” team since he was a child.
Pickering is proud of his roots. A city in northeastern England, Hull was a vital North Sea fishing port and the birthplace of major British pop groups such as The Housemartins, The Beautiful South, and Everything but the Girl. Sitting on the team bus during a rest day at the Vuelta a España, he tells us a little more about himself.
Young Pickering
“I was always getting into trouble,” he says, reflecting on his childhood. The 23-year-old Pickering describes himself as an energetic child who was constantly on the go and often bickering with his sister Hermione, who is just over a year younger than him, while his little brother Ted is a few years younger.
“I really kept my parents on their toes,” he recalls with a smile; “I was truly unstoppable.” He remembers spending long hours playing in the garden or taking Bob, a charming Bedlington Terrier, for walks with his dad, Simon.
He had so much energy that his parents, Simon and Lisa, decided to get him involved in a demanding sport.
Swimming was the perfect choice. So, when Pickering was six, the pool became a regular part of his life. He started with two hours a week, eventually working his way up to fourteen, sometimes training twice a day.
“My dad was a good swimmer, and I’ve always found being in the water to be a very familiar environment, a nice routine,” says Pickering. Besides swimming in his youth, he enjoyed cycling, though at this time, he stuck to casual rides around the streets of Hull.
As for school, he describes himself as a “good student,” though he adds that “my teachers might not agree.”
From swimming to cycling, via running
As a child, Pickering swam every day. He did laps back and forth in the pool near his home, specialising in the 200-meter butterfly. However, things hit a snag.
“I was pretty good, but by the time I was 12, I hadn’t grown enough. I was shorter than the others, and in swimming, that was a disadvantage,” Pickering recounts.
He decided to get out of the water and take up running. He quickly developed a passion for it, becoming one of Great Britain’s top young runners and even finishing third in the national cross-country championships.
“I really loved it,” he recalls, “but the one big problem was that I kept getting injured far too often.”
That’s when cycling came back into the picture. Whenever he needed to recover from an injury, he would use the bike. First for an hour, then two, then three, venturing further and further from his hometown.
A new love was born. “Over time,” Pickering explains, “I realised I enjoyed cycling more than running. The wind in my face, the climbs and descents, the sea in the background. It was all fantastic.” The choice was easily made.
From the East Riding of Yorkshire to the World Tour
Pickering was making great strides. Distances were increasing, the pace was faster, and he discovered he had a real talent for climbing. It was time to get serious and find a team.
“I was lucky; my good friend Joe Pidcock (who is also a professional rider – ed) helped me get onto a junior team and then started talking to me about the possibility of going to France with him.”
In 2022, after winning the British junior time trial championship, he joined the Groupama-FDJ Continental Team, based in Besançon near the Jura Mountains.
“It was a great experience,” he recalls. “I learned a lot, made new friends, and picked up some French!” Then came the victories. He won the general classification at the Tour of Alsace and finished in the top ten of major international races.
He stayed in France for only one year, moving to the British team Trinity Racing in 2023. He distinguished himself on several occasions during the season, opening the door to the WorldTour with Team Bahrain Victorious. Two seasons later, he made the move to Team Jayco AlUla.
Greek mythology and “best day”
“I’ve lost count of how many times,” Pickering says, his face lighting up, “I’ve watched the DVD of the 2006 Gent-Wevelgem, the Galibier stage of the 2011 Tour de France with that duel between Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador, or the Tour of Flanders from the year before, featuring Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen.”
Yet, his favourite race is another one entirely, and it also marks one of his favourite days. “In 2024, I took part in my first Clásica San Sebastián – a race I’ve always loved and one I hope to win someday.” As for victories, he feels that winning the Tour de France is “a bit of a cliché”; he would prefer to triumph in races like Il Lombardia or the Tour de Suisse.
In the meantime, he enjoys reading and surrounding himself with loved ones – from family to friends. His reading list includes works by the Roman philosopher Seneca, but above all, tales from Greek mythology.
“I absolutely loved Homer’s Iliad, and I’m fascinated by the legends of Sisyphus and the story of Prometheus Bound.” He also enjoys watching sports on TV, particularly football, rugby, and Formula 1. It’s time for his massage; as we talk about his life, Pickering says, “I’m a happy guy; every day, I know I made the right choice with cycling!”
Photo: Sprint Cycling
