Activate Cycle Academy reopens Cytech training facility in Darlington

Cytech training provider Activate Cycle Academy has reopened the Cytech Darlington Workshop, offering courses from Home Mechanic up to Cytech Technical Three.

Located inside the building of parts, accessories and clothing distributor ZyroFisher in Darlington, the workshop is now headed by new trainer Chris Borrowdale, who boasts experience in the outdoor adventure industry and is an expert downhill racer. He also spent nine years in the British Army, part of which was as an instructor.

“During my time in the forces, I was incredibly lucky to take part in and gain qualifications in loads of adventure training, including my cycle mechanic training and my Technical Trail Leader,” Borrowdale said.

He left the forces in 2017. He added: “I felt that this had been a few years coming. I was very fortunate to be able to take a few years out to travel and work abroad, with the highlight being a summer season as a head bike guide in Greece.”

While working in Greece, he faced the full extent of mechanical challenges that come with managing a busy bike hire fleet—dealing with everything from shredded tyres to complete bike rebuilds. As the head guide, he was also responsible for developing his team’s capabilities, drawing heavily on the leadership, training and mentoring skills he had honed during his time in the armed forces.

Courses are now available on the Activate Cycle Academy website.

The original cycle mechanics training workshop in Darlington opened in 2022. It was closed for a while as the Activate Cycle Academy was looking for a new workshop trainer.