Michael Hutchinson

Michael Hutchinson is a writer, journalist and former professional cyclist. As a rider he won multiple national titles in both Britain and Ireland and competed at the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games. He was a three-time Brompton folding-bike World Champion, and once hit 73 mph riding down a hill in Wales. His Dr Hutch columns appears in every issue of Cycling Weekly magazine

As a writer, he wrote the award winning The Hour about his attempt on the sport’s most famous and sought-after record. He followed that up with Faster, about the training, the science the genetics and the luck behind the world’s fastest riders, and Re:Cyclists, a history of cyclists from 1816 to the present day.

He’s written for outlets ranging from Cycling Weekly to the New York Times, and has presented and and commentated for the BBC, Eurosport, Channel 4, and Sky Sports.

Before he did any of that he was a legal academic at Cambridge and Sussex universities. He now lives with far too many bicycles in London and Cambridgeshire.

Latest articles by Michael Hutchinson

What’s the best item of kit to take back in time to cause maximum astonishment?

LED bike lights would have seemed like magic until recent times

There are few sensations in cycling more pleasurable than rounding a perfect hairpin, says Dr Hutch

The Doc’s Spanish sojourn leaves him with glowing surface impressions

By Michael Hutchinson Published 25 April 26
There's a training session so tough, Dr Hutch has been putting it off since 2009

Interval training sessions are great, until you actually have to get on your bike and do one.

By Michael Hutchinson Published 19 April 26
Dr Hutch doesn't do much off road riding, there are too many categories of bike: And he keeps falling off

Is an endurance bike with space for extra wide tyres really a racing gravel bike, and is a cross bike just a gravel bike with narrower tyres?

By Michael Hutchinson Published 12 April 26

6 Comments

'The airport is essentially a giant bike crushing machine' - Dr Hutch runs his steed through the airport baggage gauntlet

How do you pack your precious bike for a flight?

By Michael Hutchinson Published 5 April 26

2 Comments
I planned a lovely non-cycling holiday in Calpe: It didn't go to plan

Everyone just assumed I was going to Calpe to ride my bike; I was so worried about disappointing them I had to go out for several long rides

By Michael Hutchinson Published 28 March 26

4 Comments
The UCI shouldn't give recommendations on what to eat and drink: that's our job

There was something very odd about the UCI's statement on ketone drinks, but that's nothing new

By Michael Hutchinson Published 22 March 26

Battery technology means no one knows who to hate anymore

Where you once had pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, battery tech has turned roads and pavements into the wild west and no one knows who to shout at anymore

By Michael Hutchinson Published 14 March 26
I wouldn't enjoy being as good as Tadej Pogačar: I'd live in a permanent state of paranoia

Cycling is a sport that tends toward a single dominant rider. But how do these riders cope, knowing everyone is gunning for them?

By Michael Hutchinson Published 8 March 26

2 Comments
Some pro riders should be banned from going anywhere near a set of Allen keys

When riders get nervous, they can imagine all sorts of glitches with their bike and kit

By Michael Hutchinson Published 1 March 26

There are only two 'real' bike races: everything else is just a little bit silly

Dr Hutch - a former long distance TT champ - questions the point of riding up and down the same hill all day

By Michael Hutchinson Published 21 February 26
My friend will keep riding with the 20mph group, even if it bankrupts him

Fear of failure is good for business now you can simply buy more speed

By Michael Hutchinson Published 15 February 26

5 Comments
Just like the Tour of Flanders, knowing the parcours of your commute is essential for success

Dr Hutch is thinking of hiring a super-domestique just to 'win' his ride to work

By Michael Hutchinson Published 7 February 26

2 Comments

I'm still agnostic on tubeless tyres for road bikes – are they better or just different?

Dr Hutch weighs in on the tubes vs tubeless debate and concludes little

By Michael Hutchinson Published 2 February 26

14 Comments
TV commentators would make great sports directors, but could they drive in the race convoy?

Dr Hutch has done a bit of TV commentating himself, and he's the first to admit he'd make a terrible DS

By Michael Hutchinson Published 22 January 26
Science was telling us wider tyres were faster, we refuted this because they looked so slow

Doctor Hutch gets all misty eyed over rock hard, 19mm wide racing tyres - they just looked so Goddamn fast!

By Michael Hutchinson Published 19 January 26

23 Comments

'I've known occasions where a star's bike has attracted more attention than they did' – how to race against your heroes with Dr Hutch

Staying cool when a big name turns up at your local race is mandatory.

By Michael Hutchinson Published 12 January 26

2 Comments
'If you look hard enough, there are always things to complain about' – Dr Hutch on the delights of cycling on the coldest days

The Doc's friend Bernard lives for stoicism bragging rights

By Michael Hutchinson Published 6 January 26

3 Comments
'The other problem is that it’s not going to slow things down very much' – rating the UCI's rules and regulation updates of 2025

The UCI’s tireless crusade for a safer, slicker sport produced plenty of talking points in 2025

By Michael Hutchinson Published 29 December 25

'You've heard of junk miles? Well I've invented junk intensity' – Dr Hutch on why you should ditch training and just go for a ride

Half-arsed training isn't even fooling Dr Hutch himself

By Michael Hutchinson Published 28 December 25

2 Comments
'When I get in from a ride I now have to carry out an electronic device charging audit' – Dr Hutch on the tech perils of modern cycling

Weighing up the mixed blessing of cycling gadgets

By Michael Hutchinson Published 22 December 25

12 Comments
'The Tour de France throws a match into the box of fireworks and lets the whole lot go off at once' – Dr Hutch on the madness of cycling's biggest race

The Doc hails the dizzying insanity of sport's most dazzling spectacle

By Michael Hutchinson Published 16 December 25

'When I look back at what has been going through my mind, I find the tapes are missing' – the joys of cycling on your own

Riding alone is a blissfully thought-free zone for this rider

By Michael Hutchinson Published 10 December 25

3 Comments
'It's a dull stretch of tarmac and I've spent 170 hours of my life on it' - Dr Hutch has tackled the same stretch of road more times than he'd like

The Doc takes a ride down memory lane - for the 2,000th time...

By Michael Hutchinson Published 5 December 25
'I’m the cycling equivalent of the reserve goalkeeper for Plymouth Argyle' - How Dr Hutch explains why he's never ridden the Tour

The Tour de France is still the only race that counts for ‘them’, says Dr Hutch

By Michael Hutchinson Published 22 November 25

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Archives