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What inspired you to pursue this record attempt?
BRIGID: Even though 24-hour time trials have been running in the UK since 1882. In all this time, 141 years, no women’s tandem pair have completed a 24 TT in the UK. There used to be several such events each year across the UK running each year. Now there is just one, the Mersey Roads 24. We were inspired to have a go, to get a women’s tandem result in the record books.
SARAH: I thought it would be pretty fabulous for two ladies based in Gwynedd to create some history! I like a good challenge, especially when you’re not quite sure what is possible. And I just love riding my bike
Can you describe the preparation and training regimen that led up to this record-setting performance?
BRIGID:
Hours of careful planning and training go into preparing for the event. Make no mistake, we didn’t just turn up and “have a go”
It doesn’t matter how fit you are you can’t get anywhere without a smooth-running machine. We were so lucky to have Neil Jones @Cogs y Gogs looking after all our mechanical needs. Neil is a highly qualified and skilful mechanic who has given endless hours remodelling the gears, quickly fixing issues which arose so we didn’t lose training time and generally doing a brilliant job getting the tandem and all the spares in tip top condition.
Training for such an event is simple, you have to “get the miles in”. I’ve enjoyed cycling since I was a three-year-old and my fitness has always been high. I’m now nearly 60 and since taking early retirement a few years ago I’m fitter than I’ve ever been. I did my first 24 hour TT two years ago and my fitness and experience has developed further since then. Through the winter months I usually average about 150 miles a week and in the summer 250 miles a week.
The planning for the event was helped by the experience Suze, my wife, and I have gained from our involvement in the Mersey Roads 24 hour event over the last few years. We first became aware of the 24 about 6 years ago and we’ve been helping on the event every year since then, except when I’ve been in it. You learn so much from seeing what other riders do and you also learn about the course and how the event is organised. These things help you plan for what to expect and be as prepared as you can for the unexpected. We know the roads well and this really helped with planning the schedule and being prepared for what to expect. Sarah and I also drove over to Wrexham to do a training ride so that she too had first-hand experience of the routes.
We kept going for 24 hours because we had a superbly strong support team that were as prepared as we were. They gave thought and planning to help keep our spirits high (they’d even prepared a 4am Cabaret for us) and the stops and feed stations were full of a variety of foods. The planning and help our support team gave us and the bike was critical in our success.
SARAH: Whilst B is a fountain of knowledge and has previous experience in endurance tandem racing, it was all new to me. My first ride piloting the tandem was in February and I was very wobbly! This meant that we did a lot of miles practising so I could get used to the bike handling. Also, I’d been focused on much shorter races, competing in 25 mile and 10 mile TTs, so I had to up the volume of training and we had loads of fun long rides across Eyri (Snowdonia) and around Ynys Môn (Anglesey).
What was the most challenging part of the 24-hour time trial, and how did you overcome it?
BRIGID:
In any ultra endurance type event you are going to experience difficult times, these are usually linked to the difficulties in being able to fuel to effort your muscles are making. It is difficult for your digestive system to absorb any nutrients you put in it because your circulation is so busy with providing blood to the muscles you are working so intensely. This often results in feeling very sick or having gastric issues! Learning how to manage your fuelling needs and what works best for you comes through experience however what has worked in the past won’t necessarily work again. This is where picking up tips, learning from others about what they do and how they manage, means you are able to give yourself lots of options. Having plenty of choice on what to eat so you can choose something you fancy helps, and if nothing suits then I try to get some Kendal mint cake or crystallised ginger down.
The hardest thing, I think, is finding the balance between pushing on and not over-pushing when your body is already exhausted as this can result in putting your body into shock. What you don’t want is your body shutting down and you going into collapse – I came close to this on the last leg of Battlefield and knew if I didn’t take some time-out I risked not getting to the finishing circuit. You have to reach the finishing circuit to get your distance recorded. You need to listen to what your body is saying and learn how to manage it. Having someone on your support team that can help you spot symptoms of this and help you manage it is also extremely useful.
SARAH: Finding a saddle that would be comfortable for 24 hours! I tested a lot of saddles and with the help of Ryan Morley, found one that didn’t leave me in total agony!! Thank you Ryan Ryan Morley Cycle Centre - Bike Fit, Cycling
How did the partnership between you and Brigid develop, and what makes it successful?
BRIGID: All I can say is that every time we’ve been out has been such fun. We chatter away constantly and have laughed a lot. Our priority has been about enjoying the journey, whatever happens, whatever the result we were going to enjoy it.
SARAH: I didn’t know B very well when I agreed to give it a go, but having spent so many miles together on the bike I feel like I have made a friend for life. We always spend our rides, including the 24-hour event, chatting and laughing. Also, we both enjoyed testing out new and old favourite recipes for bike snacks to keep us fuelled! Coconut ice was a win. Rice cakes were not.
Can you describe the experience and atmosphere during the event? How did it feel to know you were on track to set a new record?
BRIGID:
It was amazing, it was so exciting. The support from our team, other riders and their support teams as well as the marshals was superb. It is thanks to one of the marshals, Martin Purser, that we have such lovely photos.
John Butler, a good friend from our Caernarfon Clwb Beicio Menai, gave some invaluable advice on the hourly time and distance schedule and this I feel made a massive psychological difference to how we planned our hourly targets for each of the 24 hours. Throughout the 24 we knew we were on track and as long as we kept going we could set a really good distance.
The atmosphere on the finishing circuit was electric. Friends had turned up to cheer us on. This, in the last two hours helped enormously to keep us going to the very end, it even enabled us to find that last bit of energy to get up the final hill and even sprint down the hill to our finishing time.
SARAH: Whilst cycling though the night seeing a pale pink moon, and then experiencing the sunrise through wisps of freezing fog was pretty atmospheric, it was definitely the wonderful support and encouragement from our crew and the marshals, timekeepers and supporters that kept me going. So many people worked so hard to make the event happen. The finishing circuit felt like a festival with everyone celebrating the achievements of every rider!
What significance does this record hold for you both personally and within the broader cycling community?
BRIGID: I am so delighted that there is now a result for a women’s tandem in the 24. I am just so grateful to Sarah, who is relatively new to cycling, for agreeing to give it a go despite never having ridden at the front of a tandem before mid- February 2024! Up until this event Sarah had only done short TTs on a solo bike, 10 and 25 miles. The Record is the result of Sarah learning fast and being very brave. It is not new for women to be on the back of a tandem in 24-hour events, what is “history” is for a woman to be on the front. The “Captain”, the person on the front, must make all the decisions for the gearing, the steering and also have the strength to hold both of us on the tandem for 24 hours. This takes enormous courage as well as physical and mental strength. Sarah has shown that this is possible. She performed brilliantly, and I’m sure she will inspire others to step out of their comfort zones, pick up new skills and have the determination and strength to take on and achieve in new Challenges.
I would happily share ideas with anyone who wants to have a go at beating our Record or take on any endurance challenge.
SARAH: Over the last couple of years, I have been really encouraging women through Breeze (an initiative from British Cycling to get more women enjoying being out on a bike) to have a go at taking part in time trials, including offering TT coaching sessions and recce rides. I know that for many, taking part in a race or doing something for the first time can be really daunting. It was definitely pretty nerve-wracking at the start line for the 24-hour. I hope my experience will give others the confidence to try something new or inspire them to seek out an adventure of their own.
SARAH: I am delighted to have contributed to a small part of women’s UK time trial history and feel really privileged that B invited me to take part. I hope it inspires others to get out on the bike for an adventure. And give things a go even when you feel way out of your comfort zone.