Chris Opie
British cyclist (born 1987)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christopher Ryan Opie (born 22 July 1987) is a British cyclist and a contributor to the Global Cycling Network.[4]
Opie in 2015 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher Ryan Opie |
| Born | 22 July 1987 Truro, Cornwall, England[1] |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] |
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb)[1] |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Saint Piran |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Sprinter[2] |
| Amateur teams | |
| 1998–2005 | www.cyclelogic.co.uk |
| 2006 | UC Aubenas |
| 2007 | One and All Cycling |
| 2010–2011 | Pendragon–Le Col–Colnago |
| 2020 | Saint Piran[3] |
| Professional teams | |
| 2012–2013 | Team UK Youth |
| 2014 | Rapha Condor–JLT |
| 2015–2016 | ONE Pro Cycling |
| 2017–2018 | Bike Channel–Canyon[2] |
| 2021– | Saint Piran |
Career
Born in Truro, Cornwall, Opie grew up on a small beef and dairy farm. He attended Kea Primary and Penair Secondary Schools in Truro.[5] He began cycling competitively at the age of 10 and progressed to lead the British National Junior RR Series in 2005.[5]
In 2006, Opie raced in France for UC Aubenas and he battled with a slight eating disorder and, in 2007, with Glandular Fever, but returned to racing in 2008, when he was based in the Netherlands and Belgium.[5] He returned from the Netherlands to ride for Pendragon Sports/Le Col/Colnago in 2010,[6] and when the team wound up at the end of the 2011 season[7] he was signed by Nigel Mansell's Team UK Youth.[8]
After Mansell decided to end his financial support of Team UK Youth, Opie signed for Rapha Condor–JLT for the 2014 season.[9] After one season with the team he was announced as part of the inaugural squad for the ONE Pro Cycling team for the 2015 season.[10] Opie announced his retirement from competition in May 2018 immediately before his final race, the last round of that year's Tour Series in Salisbury.[2][11] Opie's retirement was a financial decision, following the bankruptcy of one of the team sponsors which led to a halving of riders' salaries.[12]
In January 2019, Opie joined Global Cycling Network as a presenter.[13] However the transition away from racing was not without difficulty and as Opie described himself, led to a minor breakdown suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).[12] Opie decided to make a return to racing in 2020, with the Saint Piran team, despite there being no races held during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]
Personal life
Opie and his wife Meike have two children together.[12] He is the brother-in-law of Dutch former racing cyclist Remco van der Ven.[15]
Major results
- 2010
- 1st GP Al Fatah
- Tour of Libya[16]
- 1st Stages 4 & 5
- 2012
- 6th Ster van Zwolle
- 2013
- Tour Series
- 1st Round 8 – Canary Wharf[17] & Round 10 – Aylsham
- 2nd Overall Tour of the Reservoir[18]
- 1st Stage 1
- 2014
- 2nd National Circuit Race Championships[19]
- 2nd Circuit of the Fens[20]
- 2nd Ipswich and Coastal Grand Prix[21]
- 3rd Otley Grand Prix[22]
- 3rd Wales Open Criterium[23]
- 4th Eddie Soens Memorial[24]
- 4th Grand Prix des Marbriers
- 5th Colne Grand Prix[25]
- 2015
- 1st Stockton Grand Prix
- 2nd Perfs Pedal Race[26]
- 2nd Rutland–Melton International CiCLE Classic[27]
- 3rd Overall Totnes-Vire Stage Race
- 1st Stage 2[28]
- 3rd Chepstow Grand Prix[29]
- 7th Overall Ronde van Midden-Nederland
- 2016
- 1st
Overall Ronde van Midden-Nederland
- 1st Stages 1 (TTT) & 2
- 1st Stage 2 Tour de Korea
- 2nd Arnhem–Veenendaal Classic
- 8th Grand Prix de Denain
- 2017
- 7th Ronde van Drenthe
- 2018
- 8th PWZ Zuidenveld Tour
