Who am I..? So what is different about my story compared to any other cyclist..?

Depending on your view point you can come to the quick conclusion… “not much” after all a Cycling blog includes a bike, a person riding the bike and the appropriate setting… but what if one or more of those three dynamics differs from the norm then this blog may offer some fun alternatives in experiences and stories.

My story started way back in 1975 when I was just 6 years old. An inquisitive mind combined with a functional operating top loader spin dryer saw me detach my right arm in a pretty horrific accident. Suffice to say foolishly thinking that there would not be a consequence to putting my arm into a machine that was still spinning at full speed was probably not the best decision of that day. Cause & affect meant many years of surgery to reattach everything that was severed, re-education of my mind & body to adjust to life not having the use of both hands / arms. It was in anyones world a harsh lesson to learn for a youngster. Quite quickly I had to accept being slightly different, having to be more than one dimensional in thought and in practice meant that there would be activities in life that I would have difficulty participating within. This wasn’t just restricted to recreational activities but also to career options… let’s face it you don’t see many one armed builders..! not to say things can’t be done but generally it’s not common.

The challenge was not only mine and to this day I’m forever indebted to my Parents, David (sadly passed) & Rossanna and to my younger brother Mark for all their love, support & patience they have given me, which to this day provides my motivation not to let them down when I’m zig zagging on the Col du Galibier with 3km to the summit.

As a council kid growing up recreational activity saw me playing football, cricket, skateboarding and those types of activities.I did ride bikes but generally they’d have one brake i.e. the foot jammed against the back wheel via the frame. When I eventually considered cycling as an option in my mid-forties this journey would prove to be a greater challenge and a quick realisation that this was going to be small marginal gains and not some easy throw money at it quick fix. My right arm at best can be described as a crude stabilizer… no dexterity in my hand means unable to use levers for braking and changing gears, a shortened arm also brings consequences to the rest of the body when cycling is primarily about ‘balance’… the neck, shoulders and in particular the spine take a pounding. All that equates to a compromise in your bike, where the three contact points are your feet, your backside & your hands and I’m massively compromised on one of those. Without a functioning and balanced handlebar cockpit I’ll be going, at best, nowhere fast or at worst a liability to anyone riding in or around me because of the physical danger of crashing.   

Why ride a bike now..? When I was 45 I’m asked if I fancy participating in a charity bike ride Lands-End to Broadstairs along the breadth of the English coast over a week, that would allow the purchasing of an uber piece of medical equipment for an associated friend who has since sadly passed away. A flippant mental response of ‘yeah why not, how hard could it be..?’ was to prove expensively telling. Was the body ready to deliver..? What about a bike..? Something of this nature needs time & commitment… from that day then to this day now the lessons have been frequent, in some cases painful and I’ve found out more about myself, about perseverance and fortitude, that has positively become a life changing experience.

Committed to the ride I had to sit down and quickly accept that the ‘I’ll try anything once’ approach wasn’t going to be an easy uncompromised journey… I needed to train hard on and off the bike. The legs & the back side would get used to time in the saddle, the body upwards from the back side needed to be worked on, catered for, managed, fettled. The bike….!!! Where to start, who can I turn too..?

I’ll be sharing the stories of then to now… For now, now is a 50 year old who has retrained his body, the bike has taken soon 3 years of analysis, design / tinkering to get to the point of allowing a fully functional, ‘balanced’ cockpit that doesn’t leave me incapacitated after every ride reliant upon pain killers. To this end the journey hasn’t been a solo effort… and these are the experiences I want to share because without some truly wonderfully creative people to support me I would never be able to participate within and share this amazing Sport of Cycling… I’ve fleetingly mentioned earlier reference to expense and I’ve used the best that cycling technology can offer. It has helped to create options for me and that is what my life is about, pushing boundaries and having options. I’ll share insight into the products I’ve used, the combinations of innovations and also reference a watchful eye on future industry innovations.

I’ve ridden with friends in some absolutely stunning locations in Europe that ordinarily I would have not been anywhere near. I’ve hit my own personal triumphs in completing rides such as the Maratona in 2015, L’Etape in 2017 and this year Marmotte 2018, I’ve also hit the tarmac in spectacular fashion in places and can laugh / reflect on ‘how the hell did that happen’ moments. I don’t see many disabled riders on these rides and now across the European Sportives the handlebars are being recognized. At the Marmotte I had people coming up to me to say they have seen me before. I’ve managed to ride into the world of the MAMIL. Is it a passion..? Is it an obsession..? Yes, I ‘d accept both but what this phase of my life is about is acceptance to an amazing world that challenges me both physically and mentally, supported by some truly fantastic individuals.  

I have a training coach… Dave Le Grys (#legro). I’ll do him a massive disservice by missing details of his palmares, google has the list. His guidance I could not simply do without… the 1st call I make when I get across the line. Legend…

My bike fitter & creative mind… Ben Hallam (#primocycles) Again another to be referenced on Google. His British National junior exploits and family name has multiple entries. He has made my bike again indebted to him and his care.

My bike tech & creative practical mind… Colin Donaghy. Tinker man, helps gets all those designs functional and is always looking for innovation from mountain bike for ideas. Plus he is bonkers with endurance riding so his insight is second to none.

I’ll guess I’ll finish this entry by summarising that even though I have a disability, with contacts, patience, insight, leveraging others this allows me to participate within the Cycling world I never knew existed or even felt I had a chance of sampling and enjoying… until now. My blogs will share these stories and exploits…

Wayne… affectionately known by my mates as RWA (Raspberry With Attitude)