Mosselbaai on the Indian Ocean

Most hand cyclists I know disappear off to Lanzorote for a few weeks of winter training, but I like to be different!
I met Hilary Lewis, organiser of the Toer de Kaap (TDK), at my first UCI World Cup in Segovia last year and she managed to talk me into giving the hand cycle event an attempt. I didn’t know at the time I booked that she has only completed the entire tour once and Hilary thrives on tough challenges!
It seemed sensible to stay on in South Africa and visit relatives in Cape Town afterwards and then of course, it was just the right timing to do the beautiful Argus Cycle Tour. I love how they describe it as a tour, when in fact it is a cruelling 109km with 1340m elevation.
It turned out that the TDK was extremely good training for the Argus, despite suffering in the 39 degree heat and having to be doused with cold water virtually every half hour by our lovely support drivers. I did 386.7km, with 4,129m elevation in 29:37:00 over the six days of the tour, and was 170.3km short of completing. Perhaps living and training in Lincolnshire was my downfall! Actually, I’m very proud of my achievement, as I massively increased both my weekly miles and hours and am not fazed by climbing any more!
So, a few ‘easy’ weeks followed, staying at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport http://www.sastraining.co.za and training with beautiful views of vineyards and mountains.
Then it was onto Cape Town to stay with my Aunt and visit my cousin and his baby daughter and relatives. My cousin Craig is attempting the Robben Island swim in April and he was keen to show this ex-triathlete the beautiful Bays of Cape Town. Armed with my trusty Huub wetsuit, I braved the 14 degree water, feeling decidedly wimpy compared to the cozzy only clad swimmers. It did cross my mind that I would definitely look more seal like in my rubber suit and hence potentially appetising to any passing Great Whites…I kept my face in the water far more than I usually do!
I was lucky that Craig had a big new family car to take me and my bike to the bottom of the two last climbs on the Argus, so I was able to practice Suikerbosse and Chapman’s Peak before race day. Each single climb was not difficult, but they would come when I’d already completed over 80km, so it was nice to feel mentally prepared.
I was also delighted to be ‘kidnapped’ by Delia, who I had met in George before the TDK, and her husband Johann, both hand cyclists,and taken to Melkbosstrand, so that I could train somewhere flatter than the side of Table Mountain. They were incredibly generous and wonderful people, to the extent that Johann was up at 4am race morning to drive me to the start, having prepped my bike the night before.
There were 28 recumbents in our start group, with just over 20 being hand cyclists, although only two women. Unfortunately, we had a South Easterly wind for the first 50km of the race but the scenery was a good distraction. I rode with Brunhild, a South African hand cyclist, sharing the load and motivating each other on, until about 30km to go when I seemed to get a second wind and picked up the pace.
I completed the Argus in 07:09:04, the first official female handcyclist to finish. What a fantastic way to end my wonderful month in South Africa. Now it’s all about training to race!

Pep talk before the TT

It was with trepidation that I travelled to Spain to compete in another UCI Para-cycling World Cup this time against the worlds top female hand cyclists, all of whom had competed in London 2012 Paralympics. To be able to compete Internationally in Para-cycling required me classified again and my appointment had been allocated a few days prior to the competition which meant I had time to do a few training rides in the sunshine.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take into account the topography of the area where the official Hotel was situated and my ‘easy’ ride turned into a bit of a nightmare, especially when my gears failed on the long climb back. A UCI official Jose Aurelio, kindly stopped after seeing me stuck on the side of the road. I was fortunate that the South African Team Mechanic was able to fix the problem.

As I was classed as an ‘Independent’ and not part of the official funded GB team, I relied on the organised transport to get me to the race site, about an hour away. The Time Trial was a flat and fast out and back course with one steep bridge. I was seeded first as the slowest competitor and we set off down the start ramp in two minute intervals. It was hard to gauge my effort with nobody to chase down in front, but Rachel Morris overtook me after the halfway point, with the others swiftly following. My lack of an opportunity to navigate the course beforehand meant I was unprepared for where the turnaround was and how to tackle it.

Fortunately, I have met Mark Rohan, an Irish Paralympian, at other races, and his friends Anne and David Hadfield where only too happy to drive me round the course for the next day’s Road race course so I was more prepared for the tight turns, speed bumps and steep cobbled section repeated over three laps totalling 36km.

The Road Race was a bunched start and I had hoped to be near to Rachel to at least draft for the first of three laps, but I was placed way back in the pack. I had not realised the mixed category and gender race meant I could draft anyone, as usually we can only draft within our own categories, indicated by helmet colours, and did the entire race as a solo time trial.

I finished fifth in both the TT and RR, and was pleasantly surprised to be ranked joint first in the UCI world rankings afterwards!

I was persuaded to participate in my first UCI Cup by my Spanish friend, Susi Rodriguez. The clincher was that the organisers subsidised the cost of the Hotel and provided transport, which meant no logistical nightmares for me as I always travel ‘solo’ to my competitions. This is not by choice, but because of financial constraints and I am grateful to Brain Alldis and Chris Madden for showing me how to put a bungee cord to good use when travelling with a hand bike, wheel bag, day chair plus luggage!

The Bira races takes place in Artxanda (TT) and Mungia (RR) outside Bilbao. Now, if I had studied Geography at School, I might have realised that it is rather hilly round Bilbao…The 10.5km Time Trial elevation map showed a double dip with climbing of 211m and the Road Race of 33.5km involved 235m, with both events on consecutive days. I am one of those strange cyclists that relish a challenge, especially when it involves hills, having a good power to weight ratio, but I soon realised why there were so few hand cyclists at the event!

The weather was not good on race morning, chilly and cloudy with light drizzle, but fortunately it cleared up by mid morning. Mark Rohan, Irish Paralympian, warned me to take it easy on the first uphill section and on the downhill sections of the TT, which had many tight turns. I was glad of his advice as I grinded my way up the steep inclines and flew down the steep downhills. My chain fell off as I prepared to cyle down the last hill to the finish and I managed to put it back on just before the finish line.

Unfortunately, I had ‘tweaked’ my supraspinatus in my left shoulder at the BIDS swimming competition earlier this year, and my whole shoulder, neck and arm spasmed and locked up with the effort of the challenging course. Fortunately, the Fundacion Saiatu had volunteer Physios on hand to massage and tape my shoulder for the following day.

I had further problems in the Road race the next day when the ratchet in my gear shifter broke half way round, which meant I was stuck in a high gear for the climbs. Despite the set backs, I finished first in both races and was ‘crowned’ overall Champion with a rather charming felt ‘chapella’.

The pain from my shoulder was made bearable by the enormous hospitality and friendship at the after race prize giving and lunch provided by the organisers. I was even ferried to a Rehabilitation Centre the next morning for some more Physio treatment before my flight home, carrying a yellow jersey, three bottles of wine, a trophy, a medal, flowers and of course, my hat!