The first time I speak to Fatima Ahmed, it is by phone and she is walking into a bike shop. I can hear muffled shouts and metal clanking in the background, Ahmed hurriedly explaining that her road bike needs looking at. Does she mean her race bike, I wonder. There isn’t a moment to ask. “Can I call you back?” Yes, yes, I assure her I’ll call at a quieter moment. But quiet moments are few and far between in the life of the 51-year-old road safety manager who is in the process of turning herself into a long-distance adventure cyclist.
Ahmed is in the thick of preparing for the Pan Celtic Ultra, a self-supported, ultra-endurance bicycle adventure starting on 6 July. She is aiming to complete the ‘short’ route, but don’t be fooled by the name – it’s 1,145 miles (the full is 1,426 miles), beginning on the Isle of Man with a 100-mile, self-navigated nighttime test. Racers are then ferried at dawn across the Irish Sea to Heysham, Lancashire, making their way through the Lake District before crossing the border into the epic wilderness of Scotland’s west coast and Inner Hebrides.
After looping the Isle of Skye, the race cuts across the Scottish mainland and finishes in Inverness. It is a gruelling, glorious journey, with riders climbing over 84,000ft (25,600m) in total. There is no hard and fast rule for how long it should take; “you finish when you do,” states the organiser’s website. But if you want to make it to the party, you have 10 days to complete the race.
この記事は Cycling Weekly の March 07, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Cycling Weekly の March 07, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Emperor Sport
The amateur 'Animal' attacked on this fixed wheel
Overtraining
We ask a fatigue specialist what bike-related burnout really means, and how to avoid it
SLEEP CYCLES - Is tracking shut-eye time well spent?
Are cyclists sleepwalking into information overload, asks Lexie Williamson
Giant Revolt X Pro
Steve Shrubsall gives Giant's gravel mile-muncher a multisurface mauling
How do I keep my tubeless set-up safe?
Tubeless tyres are no cause for concern if you take a few simple precautions, finds Joe Baker
SEB GRINDLEY & HIS DAD DAVE
The British teenager has hit the ground running in his sporting career, but that's no surprise as his father did exactly the same
THE BARD OF BRIOUDE
Revered as much for his erudition as his élan, Romain Bardet is on a mission to change cycling for the better, as Chris Marshall-Bell finds out
THE HUB
All the news you might have missed from the last seven days
Holmes sees double with Gralloch win
Ex-WorldTour rider's triumphant return to racing continues with glory on the gravel
FRED WRIGHT - Martian preparation for the Tour
Fred Wright rides for Bahrain Victorious