One Click Is All It Takes

The biggest challenge facing me on my first sportive cycling event was not how to pace myself but to negotiate a safe path through the ponies, donkeys and cattle grazing roadside through the New Forest.

I have always had a deep mistrust of anything with four legs so when I found myself face-to-face with a very docile pony, I found myself taking a deep breath, unclipping my left foot faster than I have ever managed, placing my foot on the ground, coming to a halt and just waiting.

It was good to have a breather at this stage of the ride as we had been pedalling constantly for 75 minutes and my legs welcomed the rest.

The cream coloured pony and I made eye contact, he seemed to nod as if to say “hi there”, turned his head to one side and slowly wandered off, allowing me and the group of riders who had now caught us up, to resume our leisurely ride.

I have been riding mountain bikes for more than 10 years but have been keen to switch to a sportive bike or some months. I did not consider the switch from full suspension, disc brakes, a wide range of gears and riding on flat pedals to a sportive bike with no suspension, rim brakes, fewer gears and clipless pedals too difficult an adjustment.

I got that wrong, falling off my brand new Giant Avail on my first practice ride. I found myself lying on the ground with my pride having taken a severe dent. Clipless pedals give you a feeling of being connected the bike which I most certainly was.

 

 

My first training rides were on a flat, quiet closed road to shift up and down through the gears and practice clipping in and out before I ventured onto the familiar country lanes of Surrey and Sussex. My UK Cycling Events sportive debut was looming but I sensed I needed some expert advice.

Whenever faced with a challenge I like to get it right. Events like the Wiggle New Forest Sportive 100 are not races, more a marathon on two wheels. We all like to complete the distance, set a benchmark or beat a previous time.

These long distance non-competitive cycling events, which attract thousands of riders, are just that, and for my first one I knew I would be in the saddle for a few hours. I can ride my mountain bike all day and have previously ridden the London to Brighton and End to End Challenge on the Isle of Man. This was to be a whole new challenge.

I was also anxious not to look inexperienced in my first sportive. I needed a confidence boost to know I was doing it right.

Steve Young knows all about that. A personal trainer with some of the country’s top athletes, he has ridden the Tour de Force – multiple stages of the Tour de France – and was part of an eight-man team who took part in the 3,000 mile Race Across America regarded as one of the toughest rides in the world. It took them 6 days 13 hours 58 minutes. He knows what he’s talking about.

I have known him for around 15 years and knew he would be brutally honest about my skill base, in particular the art of clipping in – and more importantly out – of the pedals which was still new to me even though I have also been ski-ing for many years. His expert advice would be priceless.

I would also allow him to shout at me, if at all necessary, whereas if my husband shouted to me like that on a training ride I would most likely shout back and we would be going nowhere.

“The pedals have a spring mechanism like a ski binding that a dedicated cleat on the shoe fastens into. You feel the click and you're in.” Steve told me, insisting I WOULD fall at some point. I had already achieved that twice in recent days but he pointed out it will happen on my first event. He was right about that!

I am so used to riding off-road on flat pedals, this new discipline of riding with clipless pedals, and slim as opposed to large knobbly tyres left me feeling exposed. Sportive bikes are so light in comparison to mountain bikes, I feared the slightest wobble might see me end up in the grass verge upside down still attached to the bike.

Then there are the drop handlebars which offer at least three hand positions so you can move around for comfort. This was a whole new concept of riding and felt like going back to basics.

Steve explained that on flat pedals only the downward stroke generates any power while clipless pedals allow you to pull your pedals upwards as well. The combination of the two means you travel further with each stroke.

We spent some considerable time in a public park with Steve www.foreveryoungfitness.co.uk refining the art of clipping in and out, over and over and over again, mastering other techniques and building my confidence. Practice makes perfect they say. I was doing a lot of that.

He assured me that once I had clipped in, I would adapt quickly and never go back to flat pedals. He may well be right on that as well.

Once happy with my confidence levels, Steve’s bombshell that we would do some serious climbing was unexpected. It was too much to think about, so I didn’t and off we rode. When faced with the narrow hill – probably a 12 per cent incline – I pushed on with fewer gears than I am used to with Steve behind me encouraging with shouts of “C’mon, you CAN do this”. Somehow I did, and that proved invaluable on my first event.

I have spent a number of weekends this year helping UK Cycling Events www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk at some of the sportive and mountain bike events they organise across the country. Looking after one of the feed stations for the thousands of hungry and thirsty cyclists stopping for welcome refreshments, these riders were my inspiration to try something new.

It was by talking to them while they topped up water bottles or ate from the food trays stacked with fig rolls, flapjack, jelly beans, gels and energy bars that my interest in riding a sportive event started. But I knew if that was going to happen I would need the right bike for the challenge, along with the clip-in shoes and up my fitness. It’s an expensive hobby.

For the big day, I had prepared myself through physical training and mental motivation which was helped further with a morale boosting text from my coach Steve the night before. I was beyond being nervous but did have a few butterflies joining the queue for the start after the least amount of pre-event faffing - ever. That was a new experience too.

With three distances on offer 41, 70 and 102 miles, I opted for the shorter. I wanted to finish, and have enough left in the tank to be able to think about doing this again.

With riders starting in small groups I was really hoping to start at the back of one keeping a low profile, but as the riders were waved off, I found myself at the front. Oh joy! Still, no gremlins in my head anymore so I was happy to be leading the group out, clipping in effortlessly, riding as light as I could with everything I would need packed into my tiny saddle bag instead of being carried in my backpack.

Out onto the main road it just got better as I overtook other riders which really helped settle me early on. I was overtaken myself by some far more experienced riders who had clearly done this before, but I was ready to enjoy this adventure.

The New Forest route was just spectacular, quiet country lanes, quaint villages with chocolate box style cottages, and wide open heathland which weaved its way across the Hampshire skyline. To see thousands of cyclists riding in single file for miles ahead was quite a sight and knowing I was a part of that was something I had only previously dreamt about.

The more experienced riders were certainly fast, but my hill training paid dividends on the day and I got up them all, bar one!

As Steve predicted, I did fall off, and I know exactly what happened. I was going at a good pace, but I looked ahead on this steady climb which appeared to be getting steeper.

I changed into the small ring far too soon, found I had no momentum, was not going anywhere, lost my balance and fell sideways onto the grass verge. This was not the mountain bike I was used to with the wide range of gears to select from. I just did not react quickly enough to prevent myself from tumbling over. It all happened in slow motion and luckily it was a soft landing, but my right foot was still clipped in, attached to my bike. I was stuck in a most unladylike pose.

Suddenly I found myself surrounded by a group of male cyclists passing by anxious to help me unclip. I joked I just wanted time out of the saddle to rest and stretch my legs. Don’t think they fell for that.

One of them, who I noticed from my ground level viewpoint, had a pair of the smoothest legs I’d ever seen on a man, gently released my shoe and then rode off. What a gent. I just lay back on the grass highly embarrassed at now having to get up, dust myself down and act as though nothing had happened.

Unharmed, I finished the climb and breathed a sigh of relief. My bike, bought from the Giant Store at Shoreham www.giant-shoreham.com continued to run smoothly as it had all day. As each mile passed I gained in confidence with the pedals and loved the whole experience. I may have been a bit slow towards the end so many thanks for the patience and courtesy shown by the motorists we shared the roads with.

The 41 miles was a little tough, but only because I had never ridden consistently at that pace for so long. I had no on board computer to measure my performance, speed, heart rate or cadence but I felt strong at the finish, and know I will do more. I know my raspberry ripple gels and lemon and lime high carbohydrate energy drink from Torq www.torqfitness.co.uk certainly helped me through.

My sole purpose on this debut was to get round the course and enjoy it while still pushing myself. I succeeded on all levels.

The adrenaline was pumping as my husband and I crossed the finish line together, my trusted wingman having ridden behind me all the way.

I was tempted to cross the finish line like a professional, pointing to the “sponsor” on my shirt, and then lift my arms to the sky. I knew it could have made for a spectacular finish, one way or the other! I decided not to push the boundaries too far. Maybe next time.

 

Chasing the American Dream On Route 66

STRANDED in the middle of the scorching Mojave desert with a broken bike is the biggest fear facing Chris Bloomfield on his 3,500 cycle ride across the United States.

It’s all about numbers for the insurance consultant looking to get his kicks on the historic Route 66. He has planned his adventure to ride 66 miles a day in 66 days, accepts it will be a lonely ride, but hopes the welcoming arms of American hospitality with embrace him when his body needs a bath and a rest.

 

It's a tall order for a man who will be self-sufficient all the way on Route 66 from New York to Los Angeles, passing through landmark states and cities written about in songs and featured in movies such as St Louis, Oklahoma, Amarillo and Las Vegas.

 

Death Valley, named by the prospectors who sought to cross the valley on their way to the gold fields during the California Gold Rush, poses its own challenges, but the isolation is not lost on him. The vulnerability and loneliness felt by his grandfather who suffered with Alzheimer’s and died last August, will be something Chris hopes to understand with his own sense of helplessness.

 

"I am trying to emulate his vulnerability by riding through some pretty inhospitable places. This is self-inflicted for me but my grandfather did not have that choice so my riding experience will give me a chance to depend on other people to reach my end goal. It will also give me a sense of realising how vulnerable one can be when out of familiar surroundings.

 

"As my grandfather’s condition worsened, he was less able to take care himself. It was a desperately sad experience. By being totally out of my comfort zone, perhaps I will get a glimpse of what he went through,” Chris says.

 

"I have seen the draining effect this illness can have on the individual, but more so on the family. I want the money raised from the ride to help families seek the advice and support they need, and also help Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital which has been a part of my family’s life for 40 years.”

 

To celebrate the life of his beloved grandfather, who was a brilliant painter and decorator, Chris has built a brick wall on his website to attract corporate sponsorship where donations are displayed with the company logo which clicks through to their own website.

 

Chris, encouraged by his mum to ride as a youngster, admits his early training programme had no “structure” but a cycling test with Britain’s multi cross-country mountain bike champion Oli Beckingsale and a training plan drawn up by Team GB cycling coach Pete Mitchell has put him on the right track with 14 hours training a week complemented with steep climbs in the Mendips/Cotswolds.

 

This will increase to 30 hours as the September trip draws closer. “Plenty of scope to take out shares with a company which makes talcum powder,” he joked.

 

Heat is a major concern for Chris who will be pulling a trailer in excess of 30kg which will include at least five litres of water a day, vast amounts of nuts, dried fruit and other foods to give him a constant supply of energy, along with a full maintenance and camping kit.

 

"I am certainly a novice when it comes to repairing problems! I can repair punctures and simple things so I hope I don’t have any major issues. The bike will have to be pretty robust so I will be selling my Trek Madone 5.2 road bike and that will help fund some of the trip,” he explained.

 

The money needed has been raised in a variety of ways from waxing his legs, designing t-shirts, to cycling 6hours and 6minutes on a static bike.

 

"There is a huge adventurer within me, so to travel like this and be sure I experience as much as possible about the country and its people is really exciting. I hope to stay with as many different families in America as possible, understand their culture, how different communities work and live.

 

"I will camp as well, so again I will be relying on good fortune and not to have too many problems while on my own, and keeping an eye open for storms and hurricane warnings.

 

"Just to see things and achieve a target is driving me to complete the task. It’s not a glorified holiday as the majority of people would not even attempt this. I have never done a charity event on this scale but it has given me a project to work on and I aim to be successful.

 

"The nightmare situation for me would be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bike problem that I can’t fix. I am also more worried about not reaching the target than I am about the cycling."

 

Two members of Chris’s family have been treated at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and he wants to give something back, making them his second charity. “When I see the children and their hunger for life, I am so inspired to give something back. A challenge of this magnitude is well worthy of raising the awareness of their work."

 

Growing up in Colchester and Essex, Chris has always been a keen road cyclist. He is taking unpaid time off work from his job with Direct Line in Bristol, funding the trip himself, including his flight, so every penny can go to the charities.

 

"I have dropped a note to Richard Branson as he has a streak of the adventurer in him. Be nice if he was able to help with the flight, but for me to be able to give something back to others is really important. It would be so satisfying and lovely to see under-privileged children and the elderly get the help they deserve.”

 

You can visit Chris’s website for more information:  www.justdoitforcharity.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A New British Sporting Star Is Born

A mother of two who until nine months ago had never sat in a canoe has become European champion.

Anne Dickins, the new British No 1, led the British team at the Paracanoe Sprint Kayak European Championships in Portugal, the first international event of the new Paralympic cycle.

She demolished the opposition winning by almost two seconds. Now qualifying for Rio, where paracanoeing will debut in 2016, is on her radar. One of five British canoeists to win gold, hers was the most unexpected victory in the Legs, Arms and Trunk category.

Waking up on Sunday morning as the European champion she had to pinch herself she was not dreaming. A total novice in a boat until nine months ago, a chance meeting at London 2012 with the GB Paralympic Canoe development coach, changed her life.

Working as a physiotherapist in the velodrome, Anne was queuing for a coffee at the Westfield Shopping Centre when she struck up a conversation with Colin Radmore. “We were both wearing our Gamesmaker uniforms and started chatting,” she recalled.

She joked with the former British Slalom canoeist that he could have her on his squad if he liked, after explaining he was on a nationwide search for suitable athletes to train for Rio.

Anne broke her back while in her twenties and last year underwent back surgery after a second injury to relieve a spinal cord compression. After a successful endurance bike racing history culminating in the World 24 Hour Solo Mountain Bike Championships where she took fourth place in her age group, a weak leg means she is now unable to ride her bike anymore without discomfort.

Now 45 she has been the star find on the GB Canoeing Paralympic Podium Programme, unbeaten in five race starts and admits she has to pinch herself at the way her life has changed. “Everyone will be upping their game now that para-canoe is an Olympic sport and Olympic medals are the ultimate goal,” she added.

Anne's hard training at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham and with the Wey Kayak Club at Guildford put her ahead of the game. She now heads for the world championships in Germany in late August.

“I have been training hard for seven months and despite this being my first international race in a kayak, I was excited more than nervous. Excited to see how I compare with the other new talent out there and if my training changing me from an endurance cyclist to a sprint kayaker has worked."

She admits the training has been “brutal” discovering hand muscles in places she had only seen in her treatment room at home in Surrey, and developing “mighty” sores on her feet where the skin has been stripped off the top from the pull bar and the bottom from the grip tape on the foot plate. “Who needs a pedicure or pumice stone to remove layers of hardened skin?” she laughed.

Sprint kayaking has also changed her body shape. “You get a really flat stomach and strong core. I have lost inches from my waist and hips and totally changed shape. It’s as though someone has squeezed my bottom half like a toothpaste tube and it’s all ended up at the top,” joked Anne. “It eliminates bingo wings, but on the flip side I can no longer get my arms into my favourite shirt.

“Sprint kayaking is the most technically difficult sport I have ever been involved with and possibly the most opposite sport from endurance cycling, in terms of movement patterns and fitness, you could find. Every inch of my brain has had to concentrate and learn new ways for my body to move. As a cyclist I have never had to rotate my torso and now rotation is key. My timing needed to be changed as my legs feel things differently to each other so, when I feel equal I’m not. I had to learn to use them unequally which actually makes them work the same!

“As a physio I know how the brain and body works and it takes at least six weeks for a new movement pattern to become established. I was trying to learn several inter-related patterns at once in a very short period ahead of the sprint race at the European selection regatta.”

Anne used every trick in her physio toolbox to help speed the process on and has found working with husband and wife Phil and Claire Gunney [former world No 2 marathon paddler], she has rediscovered herself.

“If I make it to Rio I am going to 50, which is just ridiculous,” she joked. “But it just goes to show that anything is possible if you are open to change, want it enough and have the correct support around you.”

 

Setting sights on European glory

A mother of two who until eight months ago had never sat in a canoe is set to become the new Golden Girl of British sport.

Anne Dickins, the new British No 1, spearheads the British team at the Paracanoe Sprint Kayak European Championships in Portugal, the first international event of the new Paralympic cycle.

If all goes well, then qualifying for Rio, where paracanoeing will debut in 2016, is on her radar.

A total novice in a boat until nine months ago, a chance meeting at London 2012 with the GB Paralympic Canoe development coach, changed her life. Working as a physiotherapist in the velodrome, Anne was queuing for a coffee at the Westfield Shopping Centre when she struck up a conversation with Colin Radmore. “We were both wearing our Gamesmaker uniforms and started chatting,” she recalled.

She joked with the former British Slalom canoeist that he could have her on his squad if he liked, after explaining he was on a nationwide search for suitable athletes to train for Rio.

Anne broke her back while in her twenties and last year underwent back surgery after a second injury to relieve a spinal cord compression. After a successful endurance bike racing history culminating in the World 24 Hour Solo Mountain Bike Championships where she took fourth place in her age group, a weak leg means she is now unable to ride her bike anymore without discomfort.

Now 45 she has been the star find on the GB Canoeing Paralympic Podium Programme, unbeaten in four race starts and admits she has to pinch herself at the way her life has changed. “Everyone will be upping their game now that para-canoe is an Olympic sport and Olympic medals are the ultimate goal,” she added.

Anne will contest the Sprint Ladies 200m category at Montemor-O-Velho from June 13-16, and hopes the hard training at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham and with the Wey Kayak Club at Guildford will put her ahead of the game. More race wins will take her one step closer to selection for the world championships in Germany in August.

“I have been training hard for seven months and despite this being my first international race in a kayak, I am excited more than nervous. Excited to see how I compare with the other new talent out there and if my training changing me from an endurance cyclist to a sprint kayaker has worked. I am probably most excited to be racing against the established names in para-canoe.”

She admits the training has been “brutal” discovering hand muscles in places she had only seen in her treatment room at home in Surrey, and developing “mighty” sores on her feet where the skin has been stripped off the top from the pull bar and the bottom from the grip tape on the foot plate. “Who needs a pedicure or pumice stone to remove layers of hardened skin?” she laughed.

Sprint kayaking has also changed her body shape. “You get a really flat stomach and strong core. I have lost inches from my waist and hips and totally changed shape. It’s as though someone has squeezed my bottom half like a toothpaste tube and it’s all ended up at the top,” joked Anne. “It eliminates bingo wings, but on the flip side I can no longer get my arms into my favourite shirt.

“Sprint kayaking is the most technically difficult sport I have ever been involved with and possibly the most opposite sport from endurance cycling, in terms of movement patterns and fitness, you could find. Every inch of my brain has had to concentrate and learn new ways for my body to move. As a cyclist I have never had to rotate my torso and now rotation is key. My timing needed to be changed as my legs feel things differently to each other so, when I feel equal I’m not. I had to learn to use them unequally which actually makes them work the same!

“As a physio I know how the brain and body works and it takes at least six weeks for a new movement pattern to become established. I was trying to learn several inter-related patterns at once in a very short period ahead of the sprint race at the European selection regatta.”

Anne used every trick in her physio toolbox to help speed the process on and has found working with husband and wife Phil and Claire Gunney [former world No 2 marathon paddler], she has rediscovered herself.

“If I make it to Rio I am going to 50, which is just ridiculous,” she joked. “But it just goes to show that anything is possible if you are open to change, want it enough and have the correct support around you.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Women Are In The Driving Seat

 

Sir Stirling Moss may have forgotten, when claiming women do not have the mental strength to compete on the track - especially in Formula One - that he was partly responsible for developing one of the greatest women drivers this country has produced.

 

He taught her to drive at the age of 11 and, although a decorated horsewoman and member of the British Showjumping team, she also had a passion for rally driving going on to win the European Ladies' Rally championship five times.

 

She stood on the podium seven times in international rallies and enjoyed three outright wins, displaying a mental strength her brother must have been proud of.

 

Pat Moss was regarded as one of the best drivers of her generation and while she may not have been at the wheel of a Formula One car - and who knows how she would have handled one today - she set the bar for all other women to follow in her tracks and certainly displayed the mental strength to compete alongside the men.

 

That is one reason why I find Sir Stirling's remarks this week at odds with his family's racing heritage along with an observation he made many years ago which I came across the other day, describing former French rally driver Michele Mouton as one of the best. She was a rally winner in her own right and in 1982 runner-up in the World Rally Championship. In later years she set up the international motorsport event Race of Champions.

 

With Pat Moss, she was regarded as the driver by whom all women measure their achievements, and rightly so.

We have all seen, over the years, drivers, tennis players, footballers and cricketers battle with their demons. Everyone needs mental strength in many areas of their life, motorsport is no different. If  women like Susie Wolff, test driver for Williams, can demonstrate they have the right stuff mentally and physically, then her ambition will one day be fulfilled.

 

Just being a woman does not give you a wild card entry into a race team or a place on the board. If you are good enough, you'll get there as Danica Patrick has in the United States where after years at the cutting edge, she is emerging as the most successful woman racer in the history of single seater racing.

 

Starting in karts at the age of 10, she had a spell in the United Kingdom racing Formula Ford, and is the only woman to win an IndyCar Series race. Her third place finish in the Indy 500 is the best by a woman. This year, switching full-time to the NASCAR Sprint Cup series and again as the only woman, she set pole at the Daytona 500 where for a few laps she led the race, before finishing eighth. Those cars are just as tough to handle as Formula One machines.

 

She is applauded for her courage, but more often than not she has to cope with remarks such as being fast just because she has a weight advantage - at less than eight stone and standing 5ft, that's pretty light. Take that as a compliment and continue to prove you can punch above your weight.

 

 

 

 

 

Is It All A Storm In A Teacup?

 

 

I love coffee, he loves tea and while my husband claims I do make a great cuppa, I've never really got the taste for it.

 

I have drunk tea, of course, sometimes out of necessity to get warm while standing frozen watching a rugby match or speedway meeting -  and then out of a plastic cup which makes it taste even worse. Occasionally it has been out of politeness, served in floral decorated china cups when invited to afternoon tea with the vicar.

 

A two-part programme on tea starts on BBC1 tonight (Wednesday) presented by Victoria Wood. I will see what she has to serve up and try to understand the love many people have for the quintessential British cup of tea. Always seemed to be too much fuss to me. Coffee is quicker, more tasteful and keeps you awake.

 

Everyone in my family is a tea drinker, but it has never been flavour of the month for me. Maybe it is because I was brought up in a generation which still used loose tea rather than teabags, and recall that awful moment when a stray leaf was in your next mouthful. That could be where my distaste for something I really should like stems from. My grandmother always had a slice of lemon in her cup which really did taste like something to treat your cold with.

 

I am told by tea drinkers who know these things that in the United States you cannot get a good cup of tea and it's the first thing they do when they get back to the United Kingdom: put the kettle on for a cup of tea. Seems strange to me when the Americans invented the teabag - how does that work then?

 

Tea in Britain is inextricably linked to being served as afternoon tea in a village teashop, serving gallons of the stuff at street parties to celebrate Royal occasions or elegant dining at the Ritz alongside traditional sandwiches and pastries and a bewildering choice of teas. Of course you also have to remember to let it brew for the right length of time, and hold your cup the right way. As I say, too fussy.

 

One glance along the supermarket shelves today, and the flavours do sound mouthwatering. I tried a strawberry and mango a short time back which smelt wonderful. Tasted like medicine so gave to a friend who swears by green tea as part of her diet. We discussed the merits of this over tea (in my case a cappuccino) and sympathy.

 

I always remember Thunderbirds where Lady Penelope took tea and then spoke to International Rescue using her Regency teapot. That's a good use of a teapot I have always thought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perfecting The Racing Line With Hot Laps

 

 

As I walked into pitlane I was greeted with a happy smile from Tom Chilton. "You look really excited to be here," he chuckled. If the truth be known I was a tad nervous at the prospect of having a passenger ride round Brands Hatch.

 

Nothing new to me this kind of adrenaline rush. I've driven rally cars in the past and sat terrified as a passenger in Le Mans sports cars on slick tyres in the wet. Having been visiting Brands since I was a toddler, I am familiar with the ups and downs of this historic track. At least I thought I was.

 

It's one thing to stand trackside and admire driving skills, another to sit alongside and see how hard the drivers work. It's something everyone needs to experience. This may not have been a racecar but even so, the Nissan Skyline GT-R is one of the best cars in the world. This was going to be impressive to sit alongside one of the best racing drivers and watch him demonstrate high speed cornering and braking which would get the blood pumping.

 

Tom is known to have raced, and rolled in spectacular fashion, a double decker bus on Top Gear where he has also shown his raw talent driving airport vehicles, a people carrier and motorhome. No major risks today, he told me. "I have to drive home in this afterwards." He has spent his racing career racing touring cars and this season his target is to win the World Touring Car Championship.

 

 

 

"I've been very competitive in the opening races with podiums and fastest laps and it all feels very good," he nodded, reflecting on his season so far. A maiden WTCC podium at Monza where he finished second and then fifth in the RML Chevrolet Cruze, was followed by a third place in Marrakech.

 

I have known Tom since he was 13 when his racing career got started, so I reckon now at 28, he knows what he is doing behind the wheel. He has pretty much perfected the racing line on the Indy circuit at Brands which was still wet from an earlier downpour. If we kept chatting in the pits, I thought to myself, the track might dry out a bit more.

 

That ploy didn't work as I was presented with my helmet. A little bit of faffing about as I struggled to get the strap done up, did not delay the inevitable either. "Come here," Tom sighed, making the adjustments himself, and tapping the top of my helmet when done, with a smile that suggested he knew something I didn't. The smiling assassin I mused to myself.

 

I was not far out in my judgement as we sat in the pits ready for three hotlaps. "I'm going to switch off the traction control as it's very slippery. It will make it even more exciting," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone, one I associate with anaesthetists before you are taken into surgery. Gulp.

 

The 630bhp engine rumbled away and I did feel a bit uneasy with no seatbelt harness to pull over my shoulders as you would normally expect, just the usual buckle up you get in your everyday road car. Cruising down pitlane, this was nice, but the green to go light suddenly turned my driver into a mean racing machine. We accelerated from 0-62mph in 2.77 seconds with a lurch towards Paddock Hill Bend that left my stomach at the Dartford Crossing.

 

Up Hailwood Hill to Druids Hairpin, we got a bit sideways and down to Graham Hill Bend, slower cars on the track meant either hard braking or overtaking. I doubt they saw us as we sped by, disappeared into the distance, sweeping round McLaren clipping the rumble strips, drifting round Clark Curve, but fast and smooth at every point. Coming onto the Brabham Straight we started our second lap and I settled down for the ride, allowing myself a smile of satisfaction.

 

I took a glance sideways, well if the car was going that way so was I, to find Tom intensely focused, nerveless and unbothered about his passenger, who was now having fun.

 

"I only give three laps, one out, one flying and then come back to the pits," he explained. "People get a bit comfortable with more than that so I like to give them a bit of a blast, leave them wanting more."

 

"This car made you look quite good," I joked afterwards. Tom laughed before adding: "Did I tell you I was filming your reaction in-car to all that!" Touche.

 

Follow Tom Chilton on Twitter @tomchilton, @Hot_laps or email 1hotlaps@gmail.com for further information on the perfect gift.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adventurers Climbing To The Top

 

A medal-winning Paralympian is to join a group of  riders attempting to scale one of the tallest mountains in Snowdonia using specially adapted hand bikes.

Karen Darke, who won silver in the time trial at the 2012 Paralympics, comes in to replace Luke Delahunty, who has not recovered from a ski-ing injury earlier this year.

Darke climbed Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn and won the KIMN Swiss Marathon before a fall while climbing in 1993, aged just 21, left her paralysed from the chest down.

She continued to embrace her sense of adventure hand-biking across Japan in 2000, ski-ing across Greenland and climbing El Capitan.

Fresh from winter training in Mallorca, she will join the team in their ascent of Cadair Idris on bikes with especially low gears which are pedalled by hand, rather than foot.

The 10-hour epic Hand-Bikes at Dawn on April 20 will see the adventurers faced with steep and rocky terrain. At times gradients will be a daunting 30 per cent.

Assisted by a team of mountain biking specialists and rescue teams on the way up, the support crews will form a guard of honour for the rapid descent down the mountain.

They are planning to get as high as they can up the bridleway from the Dysynni valley and project  co-ordinator for Challenge your Boundaries, Graham O'Hanlon, who helped establish Britain's first permanent adaptive mountain bike (aMTB) facility near Dolgellau, hopes the event will raise awareness of aMTB which is still in its infancy.

“There are few people who could have stepped in at this late stage and we consider ourselves very lucky to have Karen on board.

"Facilities and equipment are still thin on the ground and many potential riders are unaware that opportunities exist to get away from the tarmac and into the forest and mountain environment,” he explained.

“For us, one of the most noticeable legacies of the 2012 Paralympic Games is the number of people willing to get involved in helping us organise and populate rides, such as this. I think the Games inspired a wider understanding and respect for disabled athletes and, to a great extent, demystified the whole field.”

The aim of the challenge, organised by the Challenge your Boundaries adaptive MTB project, is to raise the profile of adaptive mountain biking within the UK and funds for Mawddach Rotary Club, Challenge your Boundaries adaptive MTB project, Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team and a ‘Walking with the Wounded’, project assisting injured service personnel.

Adrian Disney, 46, a former Outward Bound instructor, was left as a T10 Paraplegic from a climbing accident in 1997 while setting ropes up for a group of children. He took up the sport of aMTB in 1999 and, in 2005 completed Land’s End to John O’Groats.

“I started for fun, as a way to keep fit after my accident and to get away from tarmac. When you are in a wheelchair you become limited to tarmac and places that are built up and I enjoy just not being in those places

“I’ve always been in outdoor activities, and it’s a natural continuation. I often ride alone, at least in part because I’m conscious of the fact that I’m moving slower than my companions and don’t want the pressure of feeling like I’m holding everyone up,” he added.

“I will happily try out new routes when alone, but I ride more conservatively, and always have to consider my exit strategies carefully in case of impassable obstacles. Out riding on the Preseli mountains, I thought I had enough speed to get over this marshy bit. I didn’t get through it; I just got into the middle of it.

“The back wheel was up to the axle, and I didn’t even have enough strength to get wheel-spin. I had to get off and crawl along the mud dragging the bike.”

Former police officer Steve Hodges, 41, has always been a keen cyclist and had followed the route of the Tour de France through the Pyrenees before his injury (T6 Paraplegic) from a motorcycle accident in 1998.

“Following my accident, hand-cycling enabled me to continue riding, albeit in a slightly different way. I have hand-cycled competitively but now ride for fun, fitness and commuting to work.”

At 66, Keith Robinson is the veteran of the pack. He contracted polio at the age of two, and the retired university computer programmer, only took up handbiking three years ago having spent many years kayaking.

“I was finding it difficult to manage the kayaks on land - paddling itself is still OK so I was looking for some other way to keep fit and explore at the same time,” he explained. “I had knee replacement surgery in 2009 and couldn't bend the knee enough to ride a bike so I started researching hand-biking.

“My biggest fear is that I am getting a bit old and the hill is steep. I had a recce in November, didn't get very far and had to walk part of that. Looking forward to the run downhill - just like white water racing.”

Paul Robinson sustained his injury, an incomplete spinal cord, in 1997 during karate resulting in a blood clot on the spinal cord, paralysing him from the neck down. The 42-year-old freelance highway engineer walks with crutches and uses a wheelchair for mobility having spent three years after his accident learning to walk again.

“I always led an active lifestyle prior to injury, and this included running and cycling. Post-accident, I spent about three years learning to walk again but realised in the latter part of this time I would never make a full recovery,” he says.

“It was hard coming to terms with not being able to partake in my previous sports and I became disheartened about the situation. In 2001 I resolved that I needed to overcome and adapt to my situation.”

He purchased a hand-cycle to get fit, undertook a coast to coast ride with friends and has never looked back competing in the New York Marathon and Denmark Marathon.

“I bought my first hand-cycle in 2001 second-hand for £800, I was immediately surprised how efficient the hand-cycle was and was immediately hooked on the independence, increased mobility it gave me,” he explained.

“It is important to me because it allows me to keep fit, independently, it is social, it’s empowering, it’s therapeutic physically and mentally and it’s great fun.”

From the start to the summit the route stretches 8.6kms with 878 ft of climbing, an average gradient of 10 per cent. The terrain ranges from a farm track and uneven hill path to a popular walking route and a stone-clad climb with a number of steps which will provide another technical challenge.

You can follow their progress at www.facebook.com/challengeyourboundaries and you can help by donating online at http://www.justgiving.com/teams/handbikesatdawn

 

Just Get Out and Ride!

Ever had days when you want to leave the Rat Race behind, wheel your bike out of the garage and head for the hills? Riding your bike takes you away from everyday life and often, while weaving through singletrack or finding the best route down a tricky rock-strewn path, the thought of just packing up and riding for miles every day can be quite attractive.

Then reality hits you and you come up with all the reasons why you can't do it. But why not? Anyone who has ever owned a bike will understand that need for adventure. All it often needs is a piece of inspiration. Good Vibrations - Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie is just that.

For schoolteacher Andrew Sykes his came from watching Nicole Cook winning gold in the women's cycle road race at the Beijing Olympics. Land's End to John O'Groats did not seem as attractive as riding between the fields of sunflowers and past rows of vineyards. Two years later the man who admits he is really a commuter cyclist not an endurance cyclist, set out on his adventure from Reading to Brindisi in southern Italy to stay with friends.

He started writing a blog about his plans which drew attention from people living along the Eurovelo 5 route. Many invited him to stay if he was passing and those short visits paint a glorious picture of hospitality in France and Italy, providing a humorous snapshot of their daily lives with good food and wine in abundance.

 

He paints a cheerful picture of his cycle tour from staying in a campsite, of all places in London's East End, to arriving in Italy only to discover the campsite he had in mind did not exist. With a broken spoke he had to ride a further 20kms to find a bed for the night.

His 30-day 3,000kms journey is not just about riding his beloved bike Reggie - named Reggie Ridgeback after the brand of bike he is much to the amusement of the schoolchildren - but the characters he meets. Add in a piece of history, geography, maths, foreign languages, cookery and dancing and every aspect of the school curriculum is there written in a light-hearted and warm way.

Each country threw up surprises and so did this most entertaining, informative read. Everyone who has a sense of adventure should read this.

There and Back Again - Then Again

Riding the South Downs Way which stretches 100 miles from Eastbourne to Winchester on a mounatin bike is a challenge in itself. Achieving the double is extra special. Richard Sterry, who has done both, has gone one step further: riding the SDW back-to-back three times. If you fancy a challenge on your mountain bike this summer, be inspired by Richard's story.

Richard Sterry rode himself into the record books as the first solo cyclist to complete the South Downs Way Triple - a 300 mile non-stop off-road mountain bike ride.

 

The South Downs Way stretches 100 miles across southern England offering mountain bikers a regular challenge to complete the double between Eastbourne and Winchester - and back again - in less than 24 hours, a feat only achieved by 13 people.

 

Last summer Sterry, 45, rode the 100 mile bridleway from east to west there and back again. And then, in a test of true human endurance, mental and physical strength, he did it again, completing the record-breaking 300 mile triple in 37 hours 4 minutes.

 

With 34,700 feet of climbing – that’s higher than Everest – he pedalled day and night negotiating 288 gates, consuming 33 energy gels, 23 litres of drink, numerous energy bars, flapjacks, bananas, apples, cans of macaroni, spaghetti bolognase and ravioli to sustain him as well as oatcakes and cups of tea.

 

 

 

 

Until five years ago he had never ridden beyond 30 miles on his mountain bike, so was closely monitored throughout by a support crew which included Dr Jerry Hill (a renowned sports doctor), Oxted physiotherapist Anne Dickins (an ultra endurance cyclist), former champion mountain bike racer Kate Potter (who trained him for the challenge), and a full mechanical support crew.

 

“I knew I had it in me to go that bit further,” revealed Sterry, who had to bring his challenge over the Jubilee weekend forward two days because bad weather was forecast and a change in the wind direction which meant switching the 8am start to Eastbourne instead of Winchester.

 

He admitted the demands he placed on himself were immense as he stepped up his training to 20 hours a week under the guidance of the AQR [A Quick Release] endurance coaching team, and provided reassurance to his wife Fiona he had the best medical support around him.

 

But there must be something in the genes. His great grandmother Charlotte Cooper Sterry is a tennis legend who won the Wimbledon Ladies Singles title five times (1895, 1896, 1898, 1901 and 1908) and was the first woman to become an Olympic champion at the 1900 Games in Paris. She also won a number of mixed doubles titles, winning five successive years at Wimbedon and again in 1900.

 

She cycled to all her Wimbledon finals with her racket clipped to a bracket on the front of her bike, but lost her sense of hearing at the age of 26 and was deaf by the time she won her second title. Her grandmother Gwen had represented Great Britain in the Wightman Cup. Gwen's husband Max Simmers won 28 consecutive rugby caps for Scotland (1926-1932).

 

Like his ancestors, Sterry is tall and slender in appearance but a deceptively powerful athlete who hated sport at school, and in mountain bike races has never finished higher than sixth. As one of the chosen few who have successfully ridden the SDW twice in less than 24 hours, he wanted a new challenge, but there is a certain masochistic symmetry to his 15 month journey.

 

 

 

 

 

Encouraged to take up mountain biking by Ben Hunt-Davies, a gold medallist with the coxed eight at the Sydney Olympics, Sterry admits his mindset was key to a successful triple challenge, but his experience was so far below that of seasoned endurance cyclists it would have been suicidal to embark on a 300 mile ride unsupported.

 

"I'm glad I did not go by popular opinion as 98 per cent of my friends thought I was mad, but I knew the risks and without proper training and medical support throughout I could have put myself in a very dangerous place," he revealed.

 

"It's a solo race. I had friends ride close by me for short periods during the 37 hours, but I had to set the pace, open the gates and be infront all the time. They were there for my safety, and especially on the third leg when someone was close by all the time. I was in contact with the support crew via the Endomondo App on my phone, so everyone could watch my progress. The South Downs can be a lonely place and the crew, as well as my family, needed to know my progress.

 

"Never at any point did I think about the whole distance, just the next checkpoint. I know the route so well and in preparing for the double a few years ago I photographed every part of the route, every junction, every gate so I could remember where to go. That was invaluable training as in the rush to start early I forgot to load the route onto my GPS. When it was really foggy around Lewes I had to rely on memory.

 

"Visibility was down to 20 metres and at Lewes you are surrounded by open fields, the path is undistinguished and I had to figure out my route. I knew buttercups did not grow on the path so if I kept away from them I knew I would be OK. My Exposure lights improved my visibility to 50m but I still had to think."

 

The Triple Challenge had been scheduled for the Jubilee weekend for three reasons: a Bank Holiday when most people would be enjoying street parties and not visiting the South Downs, there was a full moon and the nights were shorter reducing the amount of night time riding.

 

But the weather forecast a change in wind direction and that changed everything the Thursday before the planned start. "We decided to start on Friday morning instead, and from Eastbourne instead of Winchester," Sterry explained.

 

 

 

 

"All my preparation, spreadsheets, mind and body were set for Sunday. Now we went two days earlier and everything was suddenly about hitting the panic button, not everyone could now change their plans and I only got four hours sleep."

 

Sterry used to follow his own training modules but recognising he had considerable work to do on his core strength, stamina and self belief, joined forces with Potter with her husband Ian. She got Sterry running - "in case I had to walk the bike anywhere" - and devised a training programme for the 300 mile challenge which meant 20 hours a week on the bike.

 

"The training was horrific," recalled Sterry, who quickly fell in love with running but admitted he was "wrecked" in every department, often wondering what he must have been thinking off when the idea came to him while riding on the North Downs.

 

"I just thought it was so easy, and that day thought I could ride forever. Then the SDW back-to-back three times in less than 36 hours came to me. It all seemed possible. Preparing my body was something else, but I really wanted to see what I could do," he added.

 

Riding beyond 24 hours non-stop is unknown territory which is why he surrounded himself with the best medical support. Dr Jerry Hill worked with him in the months building up to the challenge and was by his side throughout the ride.

 

As a gesture to them for their support, Sterry provided the support crew with envelopes to open at every checkpoint with a quiz, sweets, torches and quizzes, a hamper of goodies and a float for petrol and other essentials.

 

"We agreed that if Jerry, Anne or Kate told me to stop I would. Any cyclist will tell you they are fine but Jerry gave me regular tests at checkpoints, Anne looked after my muscles and I had mental agility tests," explained Sterry, who told his wife Fiona of the challenge just two weeks before.

 

"Her support was wonderful and of course she was worried for me but she turned up at the end to cheer me home and riding into Winchester with our son Dan was even more special."

 

Richard paid tribute to Ben [Hunt-Davies] for teaching him self-belief. "One of his phrases is: 'today is going to be a good day, because I am going to make it a good day'. I stand by that. When I had a puncture in the first mile I was in a right tizz, but I told myself I was going to make this a good day. I didn't get another puncture, just stayed focused and strong even though my i-pod packed up on me, and the second would not work. I rode past all the wildlife singing to myself.

 

“It’s a solo ride and the risks are huge,” he added. “I know riders will want to have a go at the triple challenge but as a word of caution – it is really dangerous. If I had not had the medical support I would not have done it. If I had gone ahead without that back-up, I could have put myself in a very dangerous position and done serious damage to myself. It is crucial anyone who attempts this has that support.

 

With just the one puncture on his Scott Scale 29er, bought from Petra Cycles at Oxted, Sterry admits he had moments of “torture” the worst 60 miles from the end when he felt “wobbly” on the bike, his body temperature dropped, he started shivering and feared it was all over. “My body was collapsing,” he admitted. The experts covered him with space blankets, provided hot tea and cakes, and monitored his blood sugar levels before allowing him back on the bike.

 

“If it had not been for them I may never have made it. I was determined to finish so when I saw my son Dan and he rode the last mile with me, that was really special. I completed the double in 22 hours 55 minutes and a sub 36 hours was the overall target. I missed it by a handful of minutes but I am so thrilled to have just done the triple.

 

"I have always wondered what it is in an elite athlete that makes them elite. I think I am learning."