Name: Jago Leckie
Age: 27
Years was at TeamBW: 8 Years (Ages 11-19)
Why did you enjoy going to Team Bodyworks?
I loved going to bodyworks because of the atmosphere at the club. Despite the different age groups and levels, anyone who has been to Bodyworks will know that there is a lot of crossover, both in terms of the training and socially. For that exact reason I have extremely fond memories of the trips away to Club La Santa, and in particular the anticipation surrounding the epic swim session at the end of the week.
Where has life taken you since leaving Team Bodyworks?
I left Team Bodyworks to go to university to study History and Russian at the University Leeds in 2013. Part of the decision to go to Leeds was based on the possibility of combining my studies and triathlon. I think in hindsight, and probably thanks to Glenn at Bodyworks who continued to support me with my training, I had one my better years of racing that year- with my best result probably being 4th at the British University Triathlon Championships in 2014.
After that year, and as part of my University course, I moved to Moscow to learn Russian and immerse myself in the culture. As you can probably imagine, winters in Moscow are not particularly conducive to a solid block of winter training. However, this ultimately laid the path for new experiences within the sport. I was invited by British Triathlon to work as a translator at the 2015 youth and under-23 European triathlon championships in Penza, Russia.
I think that my time within the sport, and at Team Bodyworks specifically, have provided me with numerous life experiences and transferable skills for which I am very grateful. I am now working as an Educational Consultant in Moscow, however I still maintain a keen interest in the sport and swim, cycle and run as much work allows. Depending on where life takes me, I don’t think that a return to the sport in the next few years is out of the question!
Angry Pablo: How it came about? Why now? What does the brand stand for / look to achieve?
Angry Pablo was set up by myself and Felix English at the beginning of this year. Felix is a childhood friend of mine who is currently preparing to compete on the track at next year’s Olympic Games. Despite taking diverging paths in life, one thing that always brought us back together was passion for cycling. The idea for the brand was born out of years of conversations about the lack of simple, casual options out there for cyclists. The aim is to bridge the gap between performance and lifestyle and make simple, high quality collections for both on and off the bike
One of the things that has interested people most since we started the brand is the name and the logo. The original idea for ‘angry’ Pablo was conceived because of frustrations surrounding the year 2020. Amongst a long list of other things, Felix’s bid for the Olympics was postponed and I was unable to get home whilst living abroad. However, there is also another important element to the brand and the name. We want AP to be light-hearted and more ‘real’ than other brands out there on the market. We believe our ‘angry’ cartoon character Pablo shows that we’re not one of those ‘serious and ultra-exclusive’ brands that require a monthly paid membership just to fit in.
We also think that most brands don’t show the actual (sometimes not so pleasant)- life of a cyclist- the near misses with cars, the punctures, the bonks 50km from home etc. What we want to do is make our products both real and accessible. In other words, classy kit, but nonetheless kit that is suited to everyday life (in stark contrast to the waterproof denim shorts with pink stripes all over them that you tend to see from brands looking to promote the lifestyle aspect.) This will not only make us more appealing to many cyclists, but also to those newcomers to the sport that maybe aren’t totally comfortable walking through Costa in fluro lycra just yet, and would therefore like a simple classic option for the bike and casual wear that they’re accustomed to seeing.
