FITNESS
I used to store all my bikes and kit inside the house, but as I was amassing more and more, my wife’s tolerance was getting stretched. Shopping around for garden rooms, I was being quoted prices of over £20,000, and I thought, ‘Hang on a minute, I can build this myself’. So in 2016 that’s what I did – for about a quarter of that cost.
I run a bathroom installation business, so I already had the skills required. YouTube was very helpful for any extra information I needed, and the entire project took around two months.
For several years, I was working two jobs and didn’t have time for cycling, as I was just too busy, but over the past couple of years I’ve got back into it. Only now do I realise how much I’d been missing it! It is such a great outlet to release stress.
As I’m getting older, I seem to be getting more competitive. Although I don’t race, I signed up for the Tour de Manc at the end of April, a 130-mile sportive, and I trained hard for it. I tend to do longer rides at the weekend plus Zwift sessions during the week. Being based in Manchester, I have easy access to the Peaks, and I’m built for climbing – my mates hate me!
I’ve done the Coast to Coast twice, raising money for a local hospice and for a brain tumour charity, in memory of my late father. I’d love to do it again – my mind is saying yes, but my legs aren’t!
THE TRAINER
The Tacx Neo smart-trainer is my Zwifting device. I had to extend my internet connection via cable from the house to eliminate drop-outs but now it works perfectly.
KEEPSAKE BIDONS
I go to the Tour of Britain and I’ve been to the Tour de France, and wherever possible I’ll fight a child for a water bottle for my collection (joke!)
