Leigh Day partners with GB para-cyclist Callum Russell for the 2026 season

Leigh Day is proud to partner with GB para-cyclist Callum Russell for the 2026 season. Following his recent success at the H4 Hand-cycling World Championships in Alabama, we caught up with Callum to talk about his journey into para-cycling, the demands of elite competition and his ambitions for LA 2028. 

Q: Tell us a little about yourself 

I’m Callum Russell, a GB para-cyclist and H4 hand-cyclist. I’ve been involved in sport for most of my life, but my journey into para-sport started after a cycling accident in 2018 left me paralysed from the waist down.

I initially got into rowing and spent around four years with British Rowing, competing at World and international level. I then discovered hand-cycling through a teammate and quickly found that it had many similarities to the cycling I did before my injury. I made the move into para-cycling, and it’s become a huge part of my life as I compete for GB.

Q: How did you discover para-cycling? 

I was introduced to hand-cycling through a rowing teammate. I was looking for different ways to train and got the opportunity to try a hand-cycle. I really enjoyed it straight away.

It was great to be able to train from my front door and be back on the training rides I used to be on before my accident. I started taking it more seriously and made the decision to switch from rowing to cycling. It’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve made.

Q: What discipline do you race in? 

I race in the H4 hand-cycling category. I compete in both time trials and road races. Hand-cycling is split up into five classifications depending on your impairment. 

Q: You’ve just given up your job to commit to racing full time – was that a hard decision and is it difficult to find support to fulfil your racing ambitions? 

It was a really difficult decision because giving up a regular income is obviously a big step, but ultimately, I felt that if I wanted to find out how far I could go, I needed to give myself the opportunity to fully commit.

Para-cycling at this level is essentially a full-time job. There’s the training, gym work, recovery, travel, racing, equipment and everything else that goes with being an elite athlete.

Funding and sponsorship are definitely among the biggest challenges. The equipment alone can cost tens of thousands of pounds, before you even consider training camps, travel, race preparation and everything else.

I’m incredibly grateful for the funding from The National Lottery, which has allowed me to go full time with my cycling. It has also been great to have support from Leigh Day this year, which has allowed me to go on training camps throughout the year. 

Q: What does a day in the life of a para-cyclist look like? 

I’ll usually have a structured training session on the bike, which could be anything from endurance work to intervals or a hard race-specific session depending on where I’m at in the season.

There’s also gym work, stretching and recovery. Nutrition is really important as well, so a lot of thought goes into making sure I’m properly fuelled for training the next day.

There are also a lot of elements people don’t necessarily see: maintaining equipment, planning training, travelling to races and camps, sponsor work and trying to keep everything else in your life ticking over. 

Q: What does your training programme look like as a para-cyclist? Is there a split between gym work and being out on the road on a hand-cycle? 

Yes, definitely. The majority of my training is on the hand-cycle because that’s obviously where I’m always trying to develop my fitness. I’ll have a mixture of longer endurance rides, threshold work, high-intensity intervals and sessions that are specifically designed around racing.

The balance changes throughout the year. During the racing season, there’s more emphasis on being race-ready, whereas in my off-season there’s more opportunity to build strength and develop the underlying fitness. 

Q: What was your best day as a para-cyclist? 

Winning my first World Cup medal in the road race at Maniago in 2025 has to be right up there. I had family out there with me so that made it really special. It was a huge moment for me because it was my first UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup medal and it proved to me that I could genuinely compete at that level.

Later that year I won a bronze medal in the time trial at the World Championships in Ronse. That was probably the biggest result of my career at that point and again having family out there with me was amazing. 

Q: You obviously picked up the gold medal representing GB in the World Championships in Alabama. How does that feel? 

If you had asked me before the race, I would have said the obvious goal was to win a medal. I wanted to go there knowing that I had prepared as well as I possibly could and put myself in a position to fight for the podium. I wanted to come away knowing that I had executed my race properly. And I did that.

The longer-term goal is obviously LA 2028, and these World Championships were a really important step towards that. 

Q: What is your next big goal? 

The ultimate goal is the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. I’d love to be on that start line. There is still a lot to do before getting there, and I really want to make sure that I can enjoy the journey up to it. Hopefully, that will put me in a position to be selected. 

Q: What do you do in your downtime? 

I’m really into motorsport, so anything involving cars or motorsport I like to try and get involved in away from the cycling. I also enjoy getting outside and spending time with my partner and the dog!

I also do quite a lot of work around accessibility and getting disabled people outdoors, which is something I’m really passionate about. I know personally how much being active and getting outside can change your life, so I like being able to help other people experience that as well. 

Q: What one bit of advice would you give to anyone thinking about getting into para-cycling? 

Give it a go! Cycling has given me so much before and after my injury. It’s unique in that it can be adapted for so many people with different disabilities, and it can be done at all levels. The freedom of it is like no other sport I’ve tried.

Callum’s journey from life-changing injury to world champion is a remarkable example of resilience, determination and talent. We’re proud to support him through the 2026 season and to champion the ambition, independence and opportunity that sport can create as he builds towards LA 2028.