“MY ADAPTED BIKE HELPED ME CONQUER OVER 30,000FT OF CLIMBS”
Andrew Paddison, 59, is a hand cyclist with an appetite for challenging endurance rides
“IN 2021, I RODE 1,000 MILES IN 10 DAYS AROUND THE HEART OF SCOTLAND RAISING £7,000 FOR A CHILDREN'S CHARITY”
“I’m a hand-cyclist thalidomider and I’ve been cycling since I was a toddler. My father adapted a trike to suit my needs. When I started school, he bought a Pashley adult trike with a basket on the rear, then created a stand for my artificial leg to rest on and I pedalled with a fixed pedal.”
“As soon as I could drive, the trike was ditched! But when I took early retirement, I decided to return to cycling. Having had a hip replacement, a trike was not deemed suitable, so I delved into the world of hand bikes and was soon smitten!”
“I’ve been hand cycling for at least six years. I have a Wolturnus customised hand bike with a footoperated brake and [an electric] BionX torque sensor to assist with the hills. I aim to cycle at least once a week, as I depend on others to help me get on and off the hand bike.”
“As I have no elbows, all the power comes from rocking back and forth.
Without a torque sensor I wouldn’t be able to climb, even in the lowest gearing. The bike doesn’t have full power-assist so the system makes you do the work and it replicates the power you input.”
“If the climb gets over 16%, I start to struggle and often need a push as I’m unable to turn the crank enough to engage the motor. With a full power-assist, this wouldn’t be an issue, but I want to work and feel the degree of difficulty.”
“In 2021, I rode 1,000 miles in 10 days around the heart of Scotland raising £7,000 in the process for children’s mental health charity Place2Be. That involved a huge amount of climbing (over 30,000ft/9000m) with both challenging weather and terrain. I did Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) in 2019 which was a great experience, especially thanks to the publicity I received, which helped me raise £30,000 for cancer charities.”
“Memories are made with every challenge – like descending the Kirkstone Pass in the Lake District during LEJOG without brakes! I also rode the North Coast 500 through a wet-weather warning and into galeforce winds.”
“This May, I'll attempt to become the first hand cyclist to cover the route known as Race Around Ireland: 1,300 miles in 13 days.”
See Facebook: Team Paddison