James McCallum (cyclist)

James McCallum
McCallum in 2015
Personal information
Full nameJames McCallum
NicknameJimmy Mac, The King of Scotland[1]
Born (1979-04-27) 27 April 1979 (age 45)
Glasgow, Scotland
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight74 kg (163 lb)
Team information
Current teamONE Pro Cycling
DisciplineTrack and road
RoleRider (retired)
Directeur sportif
Coach
Amateur teams
2005Trackcycling.co.uk
?City of Edinburgh RC
Professional teams
2007–2008Plowman Craven-Evans Cycles
2009–2010Endura Racing
2011–2013Rapha Condor–Sharp
2014NFTO Pro Cycling
Managerial teams
Jan 2015-Aug 2015Neon Velo
Aug 2015-ONE Pro Cycling
Major wins
Commonwealth Games
United Kingdom British Champion
Scotland Scottish Champion

James McCallum (born 27 April 1979 in Uddingston/Bellshill, Glasgow)[2] is a Scottish former racing cyclist who last rode for the NFTO Pro Cycling squad.[3] He represented Scotland in the Team Pursuit, Points & Scratch Races at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, and again in 2006 in Melbourne in the Scratch, Points & Road Races, winning a bronze medal in the Scratch race.[4]

Until 2007, between racing and training, McCallum worked night shifts as a nurse.[5] He is currently the Scottish Cycling Coordinator, combining the job with his racing and training, working to promote cycling in Scotland.[6] McCallum's grandfather was a cyclist before him, but McCallum dabbled in many sports before settling on cycling. At one point he was a gymnast.[7]

He recently joined the Champions in Schools project that helps to inspire Scotland's youth to follow a pathway to good health and sport. McCallum now runs his own coaching consultancy - Mach 10 training systems. Among the riders he has coached is British National Circuit Race Champion Eileen Roe.[8]

McCallum left Rapha Condor–JLT at the end of the 2013 season, and joined the NFTO Pro Cycling squad for 2014.[3]

McCallum announced that he would be retiring from the sport after competing at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.[9] After retiring from racing he became directeur sportif and general manager of the Neon Velo cycling team in 2015.[10] In August 2015 he announced that he was joining ONE Pro Cycling as a coach and directeur sportif with immediate effect.[11]

In 2016, McCallum broke Mark Beaumont's record for riding the north coast 500, a 516-mile tourist route circumnavigating the top of Scotland, completing the distance in under 31 hours,[12] with 28 hours 57 minutes spent in the saddle.[13] The ride raised funds for Thrombosis UK in memory of his sister-in-law, Charlene Doolan.

  1. ^ Swarbrick, Susan (10 April 2013). "McCallum focused on ending his career in style in Glasgow". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  2. ^ "Statistics on sportscotland.org.uk". Archived from the original on 6 July 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2007.
  3. ^ a b Renton, Colin (18 September 2013). "Cyclist James McCallum signs for NFTO team". Edinburgh Evening News. Johnston Press. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  4. ^ Commonwealth Games Official website
  5. ^ James McCallum Training Update, Larry Hickmott Archived 5 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine British Cycling 15 March 2006
  6. ^ McCallum on track after nearly quitting Martin Greig, The Herald[permanent dead link] 10 September 2007
  7. ^ McCallum triumphs in British Championship Gerry McManus 20 June 2007
  8. ^ Hart, Ross (16 December 2014). "High Valleyfield cyclist Eileen Roe 'living the dream' Down Under with Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling". Dunfermline Press. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  9. ^ Henrys, Colin (6 June 2014). "Pearl Izumi Tour Series 2014: Tobyn Horton sprints to Canary Wharf success". Roadcycling UK. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  10. ^ "James Mccallum". LinkedIn. Retrieved 28 July 2015.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ Renton, Colin (27 August 2015). "Capital cyclist McCallum new manager of ONE Pro Team". Edinburgh Evening News. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  12. ^ "Cyclist James McCallum beats Mark Beaumont's North Coast 500 Record".
  13. ^ "NC500 Non-stop www.rideforcharlene.com to support and donate. - Jimmy Mac M.'s 831.4 km bike ride". Strava. Retrieved 8 February 2017.