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Apprentice with world champion racing ambition

Georgia Eadiein Coleford
News imageBBC A man is stood in a forest next to a mountain bike. He is wearing a bright yellow jersey, black trousers and black and white gloves. He has brown hair in a mullet style. He is looking at the camera with a slight smile. BBC
Billy Pugh is training for the first race of the season, which takes place in Portugal in April

An elite downhill freeride racer says juggling training around a full-time apprenticeship can be a "challenge".

Billy Pugh, 18, from Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, said while he tries to grab "every moment he can" to train, it can be hard around his work as an engineering apprentice at SPP Pumps.

Billy has competed in a number of races, including Poland, Switzerland and France, and has his sights set on the iXS European Downhill Cup in Portugal in April.

Liam Marley, a manager at SPP Pumps, said while he hoped Billy has a long career at the company, if he was to become a professional racer, they would "pat him on the back and hope to see him winning some world championships".

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Marley said Billy has a "really good work ethic" and the company were all "so proud of him".

News imageA man is looking at the camera. He is wearing a blue hoodie and has short brow hair. He is stood in a forest.
Matthew Pugh, Billy's dad encouraged him to have a plan B outside of racing

Billy first got on a bike as a three-year-old, with his balance bike going everywhere with him.

"It even came to weddings," said Matthew Pugh, Billy's father.

Matthew, who is also a bike enthusiast, said he knew his son "had something special" when he first beat him in a downhill race as a 10-year-old.

Billy later went on to work his way up through the ranks and started competing in races across the world.

But since starting his three-year apprenticeship a year and a half ago, Billy has had to find a way to fit in both.

"It can be quite tough at times. There's a lot of sacrifice to race at that level and work full-time," said Matthew.

But, for Billy, it is all worth it: "The pure adrenaline rush that you get out of it just trying to go as fast as you can, it's really good fun," he said.

News imageThe photo is taking in a factory. A man is working at a large red pump which he is about to lift with a crane system that he is controlling using a button. You can see work tools and yellow steel pillars in the background. The man is wearing a black baseball cap and has long brown hair.
Billy is half way through his three-year engineering apprenticeship

Billy is one of 17 apprentices at SPP Pumps, who provide large water pump systems globally.

Matthew said he felt it was important for his son to have a "plan B".

"In five years' time, he'll be a qualified engineer and he'll still be racing bikes," Matthew said.

"We hope he gets the best of both worlds," Matthew added.

The race season starts for Billy in April at the iXS European Downhill Cup in Portugal, with his eyes set on a place at the World Championships in South Korea later this year.

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