Max Stedman Clinches China Road Race Victory

Max won the event with a total time of 6hr33'29" which was 6s quicker than the 2nd place finisher.

Max took the time to let us know how he felt the race went: “It was three days long and my team mates were 1st and 2nd on the first stage, then I won the very hilly 2nd Stage taking the overall lead of the race and held onto the race lead on the flat last day despite a lot teams throwing the kitchen sink at us. The result is a massive career step and I am hoping to carry the momentum into next year!”

Max made the decision to complete his degree over two years effectively making his 3^rd and final year a part time commitment. This has allowed him to focus on his road training and competition across the globe with his current cycling team Bike Channel Canyon. Most recently Max has competed in China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and Belgium and that is without including the races and events being held in the UK.  Last year Max won BUCS Gold on the track for the University and competed this week in Manchester for the BUCS Championships: “BUCS was unfortunately a bit of disappointment, close to the medals but not quite there this year. The level has stepped up this year for sure, which was good to see, but I had extended my road race season so had less time to train for the track which made preparing for the race difficult.”

With balancing a degree and competing across the world against the elite leading athletes in the sport, Max is proving that balancing his academics and career aspirations can be achieved and with great success along the way. We look forward to seeing more results come in next year that are putting cycling, Max and Exeter on the map.

Written by James Fleming

Sport Scholarship Recruitment Officer