From Commutes to Podiums: An Engineer’s Playbook for Sustainable Speed & Joy

Let’s do a proper introduction: 

I’m James, the Founder of Souplesse Cycling and we are a cycling coaching and support service. I specialise in optimising ride-life systems for busy professionals who love cycling. I’ve personally used and developed these systems to go from a complete novice to a successful amateur racer and ride leader whilst working a busy career in the offshore wind sector.

I’ve been on bikes since I was 4, but I didn’t fall in love with cycling until work life began. Colleagues commuted by bike, so I tried it. Something clicked: headspace before and after work, a reset button between roles and something to progress with. The engineer and the competitor in me woke up. I researched training science, fuelling, kit, and maintenance. Baggy shorts and an old MTB became cutting-edge road bikes, lycra, aero socks. I tested everything, built routines around a busy career, all in pursuit of that flow state of pushing my limits on the bike. It worked—but it was hard, obsessive, and draining. That’s when I started turning what I’d learned into systems.

I’m now on a mission to share these tried, tested and battle-hardened systems with others. I want to help time-starved professionals ride more, ride better, ride smarter, and ride connected - with less effort and less faff. Simply put – to get more joy from cycling.

How do I do that?

Souplesse builds a ride-life operating system that:

• Plans around real calendars (not fantasy weeks)

• Guides training for progress without burnout

• Nails fuelling that actually works for your gut and goals

• Simplifies prep & maintenance so nothing derails a ride

• Strengthens mindset & community so motivation sticks

To do this we work together to build habits and systems that align with you, your goals and your availability. We use the latest and greatest cycling science and innovation to our advantage and build them into our CHAIN method for building new cycling friendly habits into your identity.

• C — Chart: get clear on what you want to change, define prize, metric, and map.

• H — Habitualise: install 2–3 high‑leverage routines that can become automatic systems to get you riding how you want.

• A — Adjust & refine: weekly review and adjustment to ensure it works with you + friction fixes + chimp scripts.

• I — Integrate: it takes time to nail down a new habit, actions are votes for identity and these will become integrated into your cycling life.

• N — Next: humans are realistically limited to 2-3 new habits at once, so lock in the wins, then move to next 2–3 routines.

Through this approach, I’m building a world where hard-working, busy riders everywhere get maximum enjoyment from their cycling passion. It is no longer a guilty pleasure, but a flourishing part of their lives. Where they feel confident, organised, prepared, strong and stylish when they set out for a spin. Group rides feel smooth. Events feel prepared. Solo spins feel restorative. Cycling gives back way more than it takes - every week of the year.

Where Souplesse differs from your typical coaching package is the focus on more than just the training. It really is about making the whole cycling experience more enjoyable. We have domain expertise across all aspects of cycling. The other differentiating factor is our focus on systems and habits. Typical training plans and coaching will get you to perform sessions and analyse your performances. We look at the bigger picture and understand how we can make cycling and performance part of your life, how we can influence your identity to help align with the cycling goals and aspirations you hold.

The Power of Habits

By the age of 30, habits are 90% of our behaviours. We look to take advantage of that and begin to change, add and remove habits to more accurately align with where you wish to be. On our more challenging days we fall to the level of our systems, our approach focuses on these systems, so any day becomes a good day for a good ride. It is leisure time after all, and this should be enjoyed.

So, if you want to hear plenty about the latest in cycling science and whether it works for us amateurs or learn about the power of habit creation – stick around!

In the meantime check out our scorecard to assess which areas of cycling may be holding you back and get a free tool to fix it - all in just 3 mins! https://james-kg7dpynb.scoreapp.com