A RIDE WITH PRESENTER LOUISE MINCHIN

BIKES MADE ME TRI

I love my cycling the most. It was riding a race bike for the first time around the velodrome that got me into doing triathlons. Over the winter I ride my turbo and have used Zwift with a bunch of women riders every Sunday night for a virtual ride.

RISE AND SHINE

I aim to ride at least twice a week – also running and swimming – and it’s usually in the hills of North Wales with my coach and a few friends. I don’t have a plan as such - it’s just getting more hills into the legs as fast and efficiently as possible. I’m doing my first Ironman in Patagonia in December, a 120km bike ride into the foothills of the Andes so I’m focusing on that. It should be amazing.

DOWNHILL FAST

I’ve just completed the Slateman Triathlon around Llanberis, which was one of the toughest races I’ve done so far. The swim was great, the weather was superb but the downhill section of the ride – coming down through the pass – was terrifying. I wasn’t actually breathing at one point I was so scared!

CRASH COURSE

I’m fortunate that I haven’t had any major crashes, touch wood, only ones where I’ve not got my cleats out of the pedals quickly enough! During a triathlon in Liverpool my left leg went numb and as I went to change from the bike to the run I collapsed – I’ve not learned how to get off my bike using my right leg. I was covered in blood and cuts… but the bike was okay!

FULL CONTACT

I don’t have a TT bike, just two road bikes – one for winter and one for racing. The racer bike is a Liv Envie, the other is a Kona. I’ll fit tri-bars to them for nondrafting races. I’ve had about six different bike fits now but have gone back to the saddle I first used, five years ago – luckily I hadn’t binned it. The only other “modification” I’ve made is that I always have a contact lens Sellotaped to the stem in case one falls out – that has happened in a race.