He was expelled from school for "misbehaving on every level" and received his first Road Time Trials Council (RTTC) official written warning at 16.
In 1961, he was offered and took up an independent contract with Ted Gerrard Cycles for the 1962 season—independent status was a halfway stage between amateur and professional.
His 1959 25-mile (40 km) time-trial record of 55m 11s, set when he was 19, was ridden on an 84-inch (2,100 mm) fixed wheel gear.
Engers rode his first 25-mile (40 km) time-trial on a course starting at Bignall's Corner, at the junction of the A1 and A6 between London and Hatfield.
He finished in 1h 12m, riding on a bicycle with derailleur gears, which he was told by older riders added two minutes to his time.
Thinking at the time was that it was faster to ride a lighter bike with a single gear and no freewheel.
The prejudice that he had to contend with is graphically illustrated by the Barnet CC team of John Woodburn, John Harvey & Alf Engers beating the Olympic A team of Bill Holmes, Bryan Wiltcher and Ken Laidlaw.
[4] Engers succeeded in regaining his amateur status in 1968 and dominated 25-mile (40 km) time-trialling for ten years.
His 5 August 1978 25-mile (40 km) record of 49m 24s was ridden on a course based on the A12 road near Chelmsford (the course is no longer used because of increasing traffic).