Medal winning cyclists at Bridgtown Cycles.

Express & Star

Meet two of the staff at Bridgtown Cycles, who have just come back with medals from recent competitions.

Transcript

00:00So we're here at Bridgetown Cycles and we've got Lynne and Jake. How you doing guys?

00:11So we're just here because you've got an amazing shop here Lynne. How long have you been open now, Bridgetown Cycles?

00:16We've been in business since 1981. Yeah, so clocking up a few years here. Well established aren't you really in the cycling world.

00:27And Jake works here with you. Yeah. We're not just here to show off your amazing shop.

00:32You've had a few accolades over the years haven't you Lynne? You've been cycling for...

00:37Ever since you was a young lady I'm presuming. Yeah, I started racing when I was 20.

00:42Yeah. And I've built up my racing over the years. At one point you had the record the Lands End to

00:49John O'Groats. That's right, I still hold the thousand mile record. Oh okay. I still hold the tandem end-to-end record as well.

00:55Tandem? World records, yeah. I didn't realise it was tandem record as well. Yeah. Fantastic. Were you on the

01:01front or back? How does that work? I was on the back. Yeah, yeah. And you're not giving up

01:07your racing. What are those nice bits of bling we've got hanging around your neck? What have you

01:10been up to recently? So just recently I rode in the track world masters at Roubaix in France.

01:17Yeah. And I won a gold medal in the team pursuit with three other ladies and a bronze medal

01:25in the individual pursuit. Well done. They are world medals. So you travel all over then doing

01:32this don't you? Yeah. Awesome stuff. And who were the other ladies? Are they local girls?

01:38Yeah, so one lady's called Debbie Capewell. She's the mother of Sophie Capewell who won the

01:44gold medal in the sprint in the olympics. Yeah. Another lady's called Amanda Chambers.

01:51This was her first ever world medal. So she's chuffed to bits. Yeah. And then Lindsay Clark

01:56who's been a classic cyclist for years as well. Yeah. So your body, it's still going isn't it?

02:04I mean I'd have thought by now you'd have worn your legs down to your knees. No, it's still going.

02:09And in terms of your fitness in your form then, I mean you know if you're coming back with medals

02:14like that there's no sign of you giving up then. No. So what are you getting out of it

02:17Lind? What is cycling giving to your life? Cycling is my life. Yeah. I just love everything about it.

02:25I just love riding a bike basically. And if I can carry on racing as well, it just gives me a goal

02:31to aim for. So it's track isn't it that you're, is that your specialist track? I suppose it is now.

02:39But I've been long distance for years as well. I still do the odd time trial here and there.

02:44Yeah. And have we still got a healthy racing scene in the Midlands? Yes. Definitely.

02:51We haven't got, have we got any decent tracks Midlands? What's? In Derby. Okay. Yeah yeah.

02:57So do you have to book yourself in slots there then for training and stuff? Is that how it works?

03:01Generally on a Sunday. I don't go very often. Yeah. I just turn up and you don't forget.

03:06Yeah. Yeah. So Jake, she's quite an inspiration, isn't she? Really, you know, when you listen to

03:12all the stuff she's done, makes me feel incredibly lazy, frankly. Jake, you've been cycling since

03:18you was a young lad? Yeah, definitely. On fifth year riding since I've ever had a go on a bike.

03:24Yeah. And you're a Cannock lad. Yes. So you're kind of on your doorstep. You've got these amazing

03:29off-road trails and stuff. And we got your lovely bit of kit here just to give a clue away that it's

03:34a bit of a different type of riding to Lynn. So what's the event you've just competed in, Jake?

03:38So I just raced the first round of the winter series at Starr Park up in Rugeley. Yeah. And I

03:42come away with the win there. Cool. And it's only your second year racing, isn't it? Second year

03:47properly racing. So last year I took part in a few nationals and a few regionals. Yeah. But this year

03:53I've done a full kind of round of nationals, regionals, locals, kind of everything under the

03:59sun really. And is this the first year racing with the new bike? Yes, it's the first year.

04:04So it's all kind of clicking together then, isn't it really? Yeah, it's been a proper roller coaster

04:08trying to find, I mean, all the different settings on this. Yeah. Trying to find that sweet spot's

04:12been definitely something. Yeah. So what's next for you then in terms of events? Any in the

04:18pipeline that you've got your eye on? Next year we're looking at doing all the nationals again.

04:22And then me and my mum have been talking about traveling to places like Portugal

04:26and Switzerland. Yeah. Maybe do some of the nationals out there also. Yeah, yeah. So that's

04:31just something we've been looking at. Nothing booked in yet, but where I can gain a few more

04:36points, a few more national points. So you want about just like national leagues and that and

04:40you're quite, where are you fitting it on that scale then? So this year I come 45th with doing

04:46just my first round of, first round altogether. I think there was 140, 135 boys in the country

04:54that raced in junior category. Yeah. So for my first year racing downhill bike, I'm pretty happy

04:59with it. So how old are you now then? 17. 17. Next month. Yeah, he's doing well isn't he Lynne? Very.

05:04Yeah, yeah. You never fancied, you know, chucking it down a hill for mountain biking?

05:10I've done a 24-hour mountain bike race. Oh yeah, okay. And a six-hour. Yeah, yeah. A few years ago,

05:16just to see. But I enjoyed it. Yeah, well I should imagine that's quite difficult, 24-hour mountain

05:21bike race, because mountain bike race, you've really got to, you know, have your wits about you

05:26because of the terrain. And I should imagine, you know, yeah, when you're getting tired, you start to

05:31drift off a bit. No, you don't get tired on that. You do on the road ones that I've done,

05:36on the mountain bike one, because it's quite technical, you've got to be aware. So it keeps

05:41you alert sort of thing. Oh okay, yeah, yeah. Well, amazing stuff. Lynne, have you got your eyes on,

05:47you'll be there next year, will you, competing? Yes, so I think it's at Roubaix again next year.

05:51Yeah. So we've already started to talk about that. Yeah. And we've got a competition in April,

05:56so we're starting to train for that now. Awesome, awesome. So if you two were to go out on the same

06:03kind of bike, you know what's coming, don't you? And I said, right, off your trot to Wales,

06:11who's going to fade first then? What do you reckon, Lynne? On a road bike? Yeah. Oh, Lynne's smashing me.

06:16There you go. On a mountain bike. Yeah, yeah. Well, awesome stuff, guys. I mean, as I say,

06:22you've got a great shop here and with your expertise in your different disciplines.

06:27Fantastic and we wish you all the best for future riding. Keep us informed. Thank you.

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