We first met Bill earlier this year when he signed up to Le 10 Cols Challenge. He’d become a Sunday training ride regular with Cheltenham & County Cycling Club as well as being Club Membership Secretary and got chatting to another of our regular 10 Cols Challengers during a cold February outing. He was soon on the phone and booking his slot with us for our trip to France in June.
Bagman sat down with Bill over a coffee to catch up and chew the fat…
BM: Bill, you travelled and moved around the world for business all your working life; when and why did you get in to cycling?
BO: I’ve always had a bike but never ridden seriously other than when getting to work for holiday jobs in hilly Devon. One of my brothers gave me and my wife bikes as a wedding gift. We took them to Singapore where mine was stolen, a place where such a theft gets lashes and imprisonment – probably a poor site worker wanting a means to get home. I went to buy a second hand replacement only to be up-sold to a shiny new and expensive one. The cost made me think I’d better ride it and thats how I started riding in earnest. I joined one of the clubs, ANZA (Australia and New Zealand). Its a bit like C&CCC in terms of philosophy and size although they had an active racing group as well. To be in the sponsored race team you needed to race in the open category but I went with older age groups in cat 3 and 4. This was mostly stage races in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Quite a contrast to riding either clockwise or anticlockwise around the flat island of Singapore.
One aspect I really like about cycling is that the cost of entry is relatively low and so it is “open” to all walks of life. I also rode regularly with a group of Chinese and Malay Singaporeans, all of them a refreshing relief from the expats – very friendly, humble, genuine and supportive. They seemed to embrace me and we often went on great cycling trips into Malaysia, the Cameron Highlands in particular with a long 80km climb.
BM: You’ve competed in a number of stage races abroad, can you tell us a little about them?
BO: The longer stage races were/are in Thailand and specifically the Tour of Friendship (ToF) and the Masters Tour of Chiang Mai (MTCM). The former has operated under other names and was started to raise money to help drug abuse by local Thai’s. The founder died and it is now continued by his wife K Kai. Its a tough 5 stage race usually held north of Bangkok in May – so usually in the high 30+’s. Whilst some administrative details could usually be better the roads are good, the police support is excellent and the water support fantastic. Its strongly supported by expats from around the region and further afield (eg Brazil, US etc). If any club member was looking for a holiday combined with a race I’d recommend it, as long as they can cope with the heat.
The Chiang Mai race is 4 stages in November. Its organised by K Wisat who is high up in the Thai cycling federation and oversees the Thai youth teams and the Thai ladies teams so you could be racing with some seriously good riders. The stages don’t look long but to make it affordable for locals you ride to and from the start and finish so the KM’s mount up. Cooler than Bangkok and a lovely place which again could be combined with a holiday.
BM: And how did you get on in 2019?
BO: I came second in the Tour of Friendship in May. To be honest I waited when the race leader crashed so it may have been a different result but i didn’t want to beat a mate due to him crashing. So, it remained my goal to be on the top podium spot. So in November I had another chance at the MTCM. While the over 60’s field was not that strong I was racing against a former Australian pro who outsmarted me on the circuit race and is more experienced in time trial but I was stronger on the hills so took the overall win as well as two stages. I put that down to the 10 Cols France trip combined with riding Nigel Woodcock’s sportives in the relentless Cotswolds.
I also did do the C&CCC race on the Winchcombe circuit. Funny that the road surfaces in third world Thailand are much better than here. I found the riding discipline better than I’d been told but by being cautious, crammed for space and with the sharp corner i was dropped on the third circuit – a good learning experience and i’ll certainly give it another go. Very different from stage racing which is much more tactical and where you have to manage your effort much more effectively.
BM: What attracted you to Bagman’s Le 10 Cols Challenge?
BO: Having repatriated back to the UK after 16 years overseas I have been amazed at the general club cyclists knowledge of bikes and the many climbs in Europe. I know nothing by comparison so being able to participate in the French 10 Cols was perfect for me as every detail was taken care of and I simply had to ride and yet covered some of the most iconic french climbs. It was superbly organised and the accommodation ranged from good to excellent and the food was wonderful. I look forward to doing the same in Italy in 2020 and hopefully Spain in either 2020 or 21.
BM: Did you experience any improvements in your cycling performance following that week in June?
BO: I’m definitely a stronger rider now than a year ago. 10 Cols isn’t a race but I’m certain that cycling those gradients each day builds endurance and specifically for me I tried to increase my cadence to manage my effort better. I was much faster up Alp d’Huez than previously and I am sure the 10 Cols contributed to my podium result in Thailand…
BM: Finally Bill, what plans for 2020?
BO: I’m aiming to have a go at some of the LVRC races next year if I can crack their website. I will do the ToF again in May and know I have an even stronger opponent – a swiss guy called Ralph who is a monster in the hills. He raced in the open category last year!
Good luck with that Bill and we’re looking forward to seeing you on the 10 Cols Challenge Italy – ‘The Italian Job’ in June!
