Meet Dave (yes, another Dave at Skedaddle!) one of our fantastic UK cycling guides. He first joined the scene 14 years ago guiding a mountain bike trip and was instantly hooked. Now retired, he’s enjoying even more time guiding and he can’t wait to join you! Read on for a Q&A with Dave, plus a behind-the-scenes interview from our annual guide week.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and where you’re from…
I was born in North London, but my family moved to Plymouth when I was 8 so I learned to ride on the short steep climbs of Devon and Cornwall. My dad rode a fixie so he had to zigzag up the hills, so me and my sister did the same, choosing the hardest gear we could manage and then zigzagging along with him. It took me a long time to learn that “spinning is winning”.
What got you passionate about cycling?
My Dad first, and then my mates in Plymouth. We did everything on our bikes. Bikes were freedom. They took us to the beach or up onto Dartmoor. We loved tinkering with them as well. A mate and I used car filler on an old Raleigh Arena frame to smooth out all the joins, then painted it matte black. It looked like carbon fibre 20 years before the first carbon frame!
What’s your history with Skedaddle?
I met Peter Eagan, a Skedaddle guiding legend, in 2011 when we were both guiding school trips and he told me about Skedaddle. I was still teaching full time then, but my kids were old enough not to need me around all summer holidays, so I was looking for something to keep me busy.
My first trip was a Penrith MTB weekend with Chief Guide, Steve, which no longer runs now. That’s all it took to get me hooked. I got my mountain bike guide qualification in 2004 because I ran a MTB club at school, so I’ve guided quite a few of the mountain bike holidays, but I ride road and gravel as well, guiding across the Skedaddle range. Since retiring from teaching in 2024, I’ve had much more time to guide and I’m loving it.
What is your favourite trip?
That’s a tricky one. If it was just about the riding and the landscape then the Highlands Coast to Coast is hard to beat, but the big trips like LEJOG or St Malo to Nice can be great from a group perspective because the customers are very invested in the journey and it can be really special to share that with them.
What’s your favourite Skedaddle memory?
The early season LEJOG is always a risky one weatherwise, but last year we had about 2 hours of rain over the whole 3 weeks and arrived at John O’Groats in warm, windless sunshine. I’d never had weather like that in any of my previous 5 visits and sitting with a beer outside the John O’Groats Brewery was pretty special.
What’s your favourite power snack?
A Belvita biscuit with crunchy peanut butter and a segment of apple on top. Delicious and nutritious.
What’s your top packing essentials for a cycling holiday?
I have a reputation among the guides as a very light packer, but I still always take one really nice shirt so I can at least look smart for the last night!
Tell us something about you we might not know…
I failed my cycling proficiency test at primary school. It didn’t put me off…
Want to know more about our amazing guides? Check out our meet the team section on the blog to get to know our team a little bit better and for more expert advice on all things cycling!