About Us

Working from our studio in the village of Lower Upham near Winchester and Bishops Waltham, we provide professional bike fitting, biomechanical assessments, Osteopath appointments and sports massage.

Our studio is a short distance between Southampton and Portsmouth and just outside Winchester. We are ten minutes off the M27 making us easily accessible for those travelling from further afield.

In either direction are beautiful cycling areas including Meon Valley, the South Downs and Test Valley.

At Vankru we are cycling specialists and having competed on the road, track and MTB for over 30 years (including as a semi-professional rider in Italy), Garth created Vankru with a desire to use his knowledge and experiences to help athletes excel and overcome the hurdles each and every one of us face.

Attending the first European Retul University Course in 2010, he has since been established as one of the longest recognised Retul fitters in Europe and, in 2013, became one of four Master Retul Bike Fitters in Europe and the first one in the United Kingdom. He has since gone on to join the International Bike Fitting Institute (IBFI) and has earned a top Level 4 status (the highest possible), recognising him as one of a handful of the best bike fitters in the world.

Meet the team

Our team of people all specialise in something different, by doing so enables us to cover all areas to ensure we can help you reach your goals.

We’re a small team but that’s how we like it, by doing so it gives us the opportunity to get to know our clients and make sure we reach their needs within the sport.

  • A husband and father to two great kids, he left a career in construction to start Vankru Cycling twelve years ago, intending to help cyclists to enjoy the sport as much as he does.

    Currently Riding

    • Specialized Tarmac SL6 with FSA WE electronic groupset with Winspace Hyper wheels

    • Cannondale CAAD12 with SRAM Force mechanical groupset with FSA finishing kit.

    Whilst Garth enjoys cycling his hobbies expand to CrossFit and, of course, hanging out with the family!

  • A key player in the Vankru team and a man of many talents. A bass player, long-distance cyclist, and purveyor of fine whiskeys and music whilst also fixing broken cyclists!

    Currently Riding

    • Serotta with Shimano 105 groupset and Hunt Wheels

    • A rare steel Ritte with SRAM Rival AXS and Borg carbon wheels

  • A graduate with a Master's degree in Osteopathy and a Naturopathic diploma from the British College of Osteopathic Medicine. Mark applies his skills of Osteopathy and combines them with the experience gained through fourteen years of working in the health and fitness industry as a personal trainer along with eight years of sports massage therapy.

    An avid sportsman, having played hockey at a national level in South Africa and football at a high level too.

  • Corne’ is our admin machine, keeping all the behind-the-scenes work in check, including all our bookings and emails. Chances are she will be your first point of contact with us.

    She's also an avid cricket player and mother to three wonderful kids, so she's incredibly familiar with multitasking.

Why Choose Vankru?

We’ve been bike fitting professionally for over 13 years and are ranked as Level 4 Certified Bike Fitters (the highest possible) with the International Bike Fitting Institute (IBFI), placing us amongst the best bike fitters in the world.

Level 4 certified fitters can act as mentors to other bike fitters. Garth has also recently been appointed the Global Region coordinator for the IBFI. He was the first Retül Master Fitter in the UK. Also, listed in the Top 10 Bike Fitters in the UK by Cycling Weekly and has also lectured at Southampton University on bike fitting and more recently presented at the Wessex Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (WOFAS) on bike fitting: foot, ankle and tendon problems.

We’ve worked with athletes at the top of the sport and have received training from the very best teachers of bike fit, including Todd Carver (founder of Retül), Paul Swift (Founder of Bikefit) and Jon Irriberi (Bike Fitter for World Tour Team Lotto-Jumbo).

Bike fit education includes Retül University, BikeFit, and CycleFit, all accredited to the highest level. We’re also qualified, soft tissue therapists.

Continued professional development includes neurology courses, electromyography, feet, therapeutic kinesiology taping, movement screening, Precision Nutrition certified, Dr Phil Maffetone: MAF Foundations certified.

Our Qualifications