Mel inspires all during her pilgrimage to the island
GB paralympian cyclist and endurance wheelchair racer Mel Nicholls has once again returned to Arran, this time to recount and share her tale of how she recently broke the world record for handcycling from Land’s End to John o’ Groats.
Describing Arran as her spiritual home and holding a special place in her heart as the place where she was spurred on to accomplish great things, Mel, who is 42, needs no excuses to return to Arran where she regularly trains for her ultra endurance challenges while also finding time to cycle with her friends, the Arran Belles.
Mel’s story of indomitable spirit started around 2008 when her life was turned upside down following a car crash which resutled in her having three strokes that left her without the use of much of the left side of her body.
Unable to walk and having previously been a horse rider, runner, cyclist and all-round adrenaline junkie, it was only four years from that life-changing year that Mel found herself racing in front of an 80,000 strong home crowd in the 2012 London Olympics, just 15 months after taking up wheelchair racing.
Continuing with a string of achieving track world records, European and World major medal success, Mel continued to push her boundaries and in 2016 she competed in her second Olympic event when she become a paralympic finalist at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Following that, Mel changed her focus to a new sport, handcycling, which appealed to her sense of adventure and her hunger to test herself in ultra endurance challenges. This avenue led to her latest challenge, a quest to break the world record for handcycling from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, and the subject of her two talks at Arran High School.
Unsurprisingly, Mel shattered the existing record of nine days to complete the challenge in just six days, 22 hours and 18 minutes. A documentary film of the adventure, called Dream Big, was screened at the high school on Sunday where Mel shared her tale and answered audience questions. Following this, Mel held another talk with school pupils who are planning a cycling trip to the Outer Hebrides. There she shared important advice with the group who were keen to learn about nutrition, motivation and handy tips and tricks that will help them on their adventure.
Speaking to the Banner, Mel, who is originally from Worcester, said: ‘Arran is an incredibly special place for me. It is the birthplace of where I discovered what is possible and where I rediscovered my sense of adventure. I always receive a warm welcome on Arran, whether it is when I am out training and strangers greet me and wish me well, or just when I am meeting my cycling friends, the Arran Belles. There is a sense of community and openness that exists on Arran and I am incredibly grateful to everyone for being so welcoming and supportive.’
Mel is an ambassador for many organisations and groups and through her public speaking and corporate appearances she hopes to inspire others to achieve their goals and to inspire others to believe in themselves and to ‘dream big’. And according to reports from those who have attended her reaffirming and enjoyable talks, her friendly disposition and passionate spirit have been both inspirational as well as motivating.