Before the story begins, I just need to a few acknowledgements / thank you's to some very deserved people:

IanButler: Your stories hold legendary status amongst us all on the site, and I have taken so much influence and inspiration from them.
Cycleman123: Your Fabio Melani story has been a fantastic read from the start, and really details the ups and down of a rider. If my story is half as good as your story, I will be a happy guy.
AdmirSchleck: The style and layout of your Trek Factory Racing story makes the story so easy to read and follow, something which I hope to model this story on.
Sutty86: Last, but not at all least, and I think his mention is pretty obvious! You seem to follow / comment on every story on the site, and myself alone have been helped by your comments and dedication when times are hard.

There are many others, including Fernando97, Baia, VoetsT and mvhoogdalem, who followed both my Bianchi story and my Cav story closely, and just like sutty86, really kept my motivation up when times were hard.

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a professional cyclist. I used to spend my summer holidays following the Tour de France on tv, watching in awe as the likes of Armstrong and Ullrich did battle in the Alps and Pyrenees, whilst the fast men like McEwan and Hushovd, and in later years Cavendish and Greipel, went head-to-head in the Sprints.

To me, this was the pinnacle of the sport, and something I needed to have in my life. The older I became, the more cycling I watched. I discovered the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a Espana and the Spring Classics, and soon I was wanting to be the next Fabian Cancellara or the future Philippe Gilbert.

In 2013, I finally had my chance to make my dream a reality - I signed my first contract to become part of the Professional Peleton. And this... well this is my story. My name is Martijn North, and I am in the Pursuit of Glory!

I was born in Cape Town, South Africa, but my background is not that simple. My father, Henry, was a British Diplomat based in Cape Town from the early 1990's, whilst my mother, Femke, was originally from the Netherlands, and met my father whilst on holiday. They instantly fell in love, and she never went home. My mother's Dutch heritage is the reason behind my name.

We lived in South Africa until I was 11, before moving to the UK to be closer to my father's side of the family. My grandfather had a terrible accident one day, so we have to leave everything behind to be by his side and help my grandmother.



Since that day, Manchester has been my home, and where my passion for cycling took off. I had seen the Tour de France on tv during my time in Cape Town, but in the UK, the coverage was something different. Cycling was on the up after a successful Summer Olympics in 2004 for Team GB, and that really shown in the number of events appearing all over the country.

When I was old enough, I joined my local team, and that was that. I was bitten by the cycling bug, and I needed to feel the rush. My first race, despite the fact I finished dead last, was a great thrill. I told everyone that I was going to be a cyclist, and that was going to be my future.

I thought my dad was joking with me when he said that Dave Brailsford was on the telephone and he was wanting to talk to me. Surely this wasn't THE Dave Brailsford.

The phonecall was very short, but the message was simple. I was to come to the National Cycling Centre for a series of tests and depending how I did, I would be accepted on the Great British Olympic Development Team for 2013.

It would have seemed that my results in the local races had caught the eye of some coaches at British Cycling. Whilst my first race had been disastrous, I slowly learnt my way over the 2 years that were to follow. Finishing last turned in Top 10 finishes. The Top 10 finishes were soon Top 5 places and podiums, and then finally got my first win.

Whilst many remember their first win for excitement and happiness, mine is memorable for a different reason... The short version of the story is that I thought I still had one lap remaining of the race, so my 'celebration' is me going full gas on a solo attack. My dad still jokes about it now, and will now shout as loud as he can when it is the last lap 'so I can finish the race properly'.

If I was truly honest, I felt most at home in the hills. A lot of my victories as an amateur came from small breakaways or late solo attacks in hilly races. They have almost become my speciality, and something that I was feared for if the route was tailor made it. I can only hope that my skills on the short climbs will show when put under the microscope by the GB coaches.

@all: Thanks guys!!

the_hoyle wrote:
@all: Thanks guys!! Introduction and Background has been updated

@javibozada & martial: Thanks

@ian: I hope it lives up to the excitement

@sutty: I think a lot of people echo my thoughts on your influence on the pcm story corner