Tom Staniford (born 1 July 1989) is an English

para-cyclist Para-cycling (or Paracycling) is the sport of cycling adapted for cyclists who have various disabilities. It is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The sport consists of seven different events which include road and track races. T ...

from

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

. He was the 2011 National Para-Cycling Circuit Race Champion. British Cycling Report
Paul West,2011 National Paracycling Circuit Race Championship, 26 June 2011. He is provisionally classified by the UCI as a C3 para-cyclist due to connective tissue disorders affecting his feet and hands, almost-total fixation of his ankles, poor flexibility in all his limbs, low testosterone, diabetes type 2, moderate hearing loss in both ears, and lipodystrophy, which affects his metabolism and body fat amongst other things.Jaguar Academy of Sport profile
His condition was the skinniest man in 2013 as

MDP syndrome MDP syndrome, also known as mandibular dysplasia with deafness and progeroid features, is an extremely rare metabolic disorder that prevents fatty tissue from being stored underneath the skin. It is only known to affect a very small number of peop ...

, an extremely rare genetic condition.

Early life

Born in the Princess Mary Hospital, Akrotiri, Cyprus, Staniford moved around a lot as a young child, living in; Hamburg (Germany), Greenwich (England), Cyprus, Kuwait, Wales, and

Blandford Forum Blandford Forum ( ), commonly Blandford, is a market town in Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour, Dorset, River Stour about northwest of Poole. It was the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District until April 2019, when this ...

, ( Dorset).

Education

Staniford attended Chulmleigh Community College, North Devon, between 2006 and 2007 where he achieved 14 GCSEs. He then went on to study the International Baccalaureate programme at Exeter College. In June 2012 Staniford graduated from the University of Rennes 1 following completion of his Master 1 (mention Droit Européen) degree. One month later he was also awarded Class 2:1 Honours for his LLB European (Maitrise) degree at the University of Exeter. where he had been the recipient of both a sports scholarship and a Vice-Chancellor's Excellence Scholarship.Official website
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Cycling

2005–2006

Staniford bought his first

road bike The term road bicycle is used to describe bicycles built for traveling at speed on paved roads. Some sources use the term to mean racing bicycle. Other sources specifically exclude racing bicycles from the definition, using the term to mean a ...

in 2005 and soon became a keen cyclist. In June 2006, he had a head-on collision with a car whilst out training and was left with life-threatening injuries including fractured eye sockets, brain bleeds, cranial trauma, broken teeth, broken collarbone, 4 broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a broken toe. His knees were also severely lacerated due to going through the car windscreen."Crash cyclist fights his fears to bid for place in Olympics for the deaf"
This is Exeter Tuesday, 19 August 2008 His heart stopped twice in the air ambulance en route to the

Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (commonly referred to as RD&E), and with a main site sometimes known as Wonford Hospital, is a large teaching hospital situated in Exeter, Devon, England, and is run by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NH ...

, where he was treated for his injuries. This did not deter Staniford and he used cycling as a form of rehabilitation to help him recover from his injuries. In recognition of

Devon Air Ambulance The Devon Air Ambulance Trust (DAAT) is a charity providing emergency medical services through the provision of two helicopter-based air ambulances and two critical care cars, which cover the county of Devon in South West England. The helicop ...

's crucial roleDevon Air Ambulance – Who we help
in keeping him alive and transporting him to hospital in rapid time, he set out to train for, organise, and compete a 60-mile charity ride that raised £1,000 for the Devon Air Ambulance Trust (DAAT). A further £5,000 was given to the DAAT by Eamonn Holmes and ''The People'' newspaper, in recognition of Staniford's courage and the role the DAAT play in the Southwest.

2007–2009

Staniford then joined Bikin Motion CC and was preparing for the

Junior Tour of Wales The Junior Tour of Wales is an annual cycle race for junior male riders, held around Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, Wales. First held in 1981, the race is the final round of the British Cycling Junior Road Series – and as such attracts the best jun ...

but broke his wrist in a crash whilst racing at Ilton (

raf merryfield Royal Air Force Merryfield or more simply RAF Merryfield (also known as Isle Abbotts) is a former Royal Air Force station in the village of Ilton near Ilminster in southwest Somerset, England. The airfield is located approximately north of ...

race course). Unable to compete, Staniford accompanied Bikin Motion nonetheless, and performed

soigneur A cycling team is a group of cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle races whether amateur or professional – and the supporting personnel. Cycling teams are most important in road bicycle racing, whic ...

duties for his team. After healing, Staniford continued to ride with Bikin Motion and became increasingly serious about his sport. He was scheduled to represent Great Britain in the 2009 Taipei Deaflympics but unfortunately a crash whilst out training resulted in a broken wrist and head injuries which meant he was unable to attend. At the end of the 2009 season Staniford was invited to race for Rapha Condor CC.

2010

Missing out on the Deaflympics did not discourage Staniford, who soon began investigating para-cycling and managed to attend a second round of British Cycling(BC) para-cycling talent camps and was invited onto the BC Para-cycling Talent Team which develops talented riders and prepares them for transition into higher levels of competition representing Great Britain. Staniford was provisionally put in the C4 class by the UCI; a harsh decision influenced by the scarcity of knowledge about MDP syndrome and its effects, at that time (it wasn't even a recognized condition). As part of the BC Para Talent Team Staniford raced in the 2010 UCI Paracycling World Cup Series in Bilbao (Spain) and the 2010 URT 24 Handisport UCI Para-Cycling World Cup Series in

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

(France). Later in the year Staniford also competed in the 2010 Kent International Elite C4-5 Road Race + Elite Time Trial and the 2010 British Cycling National Para-Cycling Track Championships Elite Pursuit. After the National Track Championships Staniford was provisionally re-classified as a C3 rider by the UCI.

2011

Staniford raced domestically in 2011 for British cycling analysts and custom frame builders CycleFit. On 25 June 2011 he won the National Para-Cycling Circuit Race Championship at Redbridge Cycling Centre to become 2011 National Champion. He remains the youngest ever solo rider to have won the senior title, at 21.

2012

Staniford accomplished very little racing this season due to working hard in France to complete his Maitrise-en-Droit master's degree in European Law.

2013

Staniford returned to the UK and relocated to London for employment. Once settled, he began the 2013 season racing for Trek Bikes UK. He led the National TT Series and the National Circuit Race Series, won 50% of the races he entered, and (with the exception of one race) never finished off the podium. Around this time a global genetic breakthrough also prompted the diagnosis of his condition as MDP syndrome, and he was proud to do all he could to raise awareness of this research and genetic conditions in general. He has since appeared on BBC, Channel 4, and ITV channels in the UK, and over 40 different international newspapers and magazines.

2014

A quiet racing season for Staniford as medical and employment relocation issues disrupted his training and health. He was hoping to compete at the British National TT Championships on 11 October 2014.

Clubs and sponsors

:2013–present Trek SRM ProVision :2012–2013 Trek UK :2010–2012 CycleFit :2009–2010 Rapha Condor CC :2007–2009 Bikin Motion CC

Major achievements

*2010 UCI Para-Cycling World Cup Series, Bilbao :: Elite Time Trial 11km – 20th :: Elite Road Race 52 km – 18th *2010 British Track Championships ::PB in kilo (1:18) ::PB 3k pursuit (4:05) *2010 National Disability Circuit Race Series *2010 UCI Para-Cycling World Cup Series, Bayonne ::Elite Road Race – 12th ::Elite Time Trial – 9th *2010 Kent International ::Elite C4-5 Road Race, 42km – 9th (2nd in C4 class) ::Elite Time Trial – 4th *2010 British Cycling National Para-Cycling Track Championships ::Elite Pursuit C4 – 8th (3rd in C4 class) *2011 British National Para-cycling Circuit Race Championship ::1st (C3 class)

Palmarès

2011 – 1st MaillotReinoUnido

National Para-cycling Circuit Race Champion National bellend award 2023

References

External links

British Cycling

Union Cycliste Internationale

Union Cycliste Internationale Para-CyclingCycleFitBikin Motion CCDeaflympics2009 Summer DeaflympicsInternational Paracyclisme Tour
''(French)''
Rapha Condor CCBBC news article about Staniford
{{DEFAULTSORT:Staniford, Tom 1989 births Living people English male cyclists English disabled sportspeople