Trevor Marshall, age 72, from Conwy in north Wales has ridden the epic Babble Ride Across Britain, Land’s End to John O Groats event nine times already and is going for a record breaking tenth later this year. He will be riding the day of his 73rd birthday, “I think I must have something mis-wired in my brain!” Trevor says of his cycling adventures.
Land’s End to John O'Groats or vice versa is the UK’s most popular long-distance routes, the shortest distance is 850miles but for a more pleasant cycling experience most routes are longer to follow quieter more scenic roads. As well as the challenge of riding between the two furthest points in mainland Britain it is also an excellent way to discover more about the country by cycling through its varied landscapes. Tens of thousands of riders tackle LEJOG as it is known every year, self-sufficient touring cyclists, holiday companies, charity events or as part of Ride Across Britain, a fully-supported experience. Trevor says it is the experience of the RAB event that keeps him coming back, “the attention to detail is amazing, I can’t fault them. Nothing is too much for them. At the end of every ride there are massage therapists, hot showers, food. Everything you need.”
There are many different ways to traverse between Land’s End and John O'Groats, you could design your own journey, follow the popular LEJOG 1000 route or join an event like RAB and be part of a rolling village of hundreds of cyclists tackling the same challenges daily. “It’s a great atmosphere” explains Trevor praising the food stations, support and camaraderie of the other riders, it is also well signed “you don’t have to look at a Garmin or anything as there are big arrows everywhere! You see an arrow and you know you are in the right place.” Trevor enjoys following the RAB signs so much he took one home (with permission) “I’ve got an arrow on the door of my house!”
Trevor’s relationship with endurance sport started at primary school with a love of running, encouraged by the fact he hated Rugby “I was pretty fast and realised I could do my run and be on the way home while the other lads were still walking to the pitch.” After decades of running Trevor felt he “was getting a bit long in the tooth” and decided to do a bit of cycling instead. Around the same time the LEJOG bug bit, “I saw Michael Portillo on telly and he was standing by a sign at John O'Groats, I thought I quite fancied having a go at a long-distance route like that. I did a bit of research and found Ride Across Britain.”
980 miles in 9 days
Riding over 100 miles a day for nine days in a row is physically challenging for most cyclists, even those not in their seventies, but it is one that Trevor relishes and takes in his stride, “If you start early you can get out in front and just keep going. My attitude is get it done. I prefer to go early, get it done and then chill, have a few drinks, dinner and go to bed. If you take your time it’s all a big rush and then you start the cycle again the next day without any proper rest.” His advice to other riders is to keep moving “I do a good steady pace and I don’t stop for long. At the feed stops I ram a load of food down and don’t hang about. A lot of people better than me will come in have a coffee and a chinwag but I can make a lot of time up on them.” Despite the event being non-competitive rider times are recorded so you can keep an eye on your performance, “I’m a bit of a silly sod so I do get a bit competitive, I still look at where I finish, I think I was about tenth out of 600-700 riders.”
Training for a long-distance cycling event can be time consuming but is essential, “You have to train, however old you are. It’s bloody hard if you don’t” but despite dedication to training Trevor follows no set plan, “I am very unscientific. If the weather is crap I just don’t bother. I did 50 miles today and I’ll probably do 70 more tomorrow.” While not scientific in his planning he keeps track of his progress, “I keep a note of my times and I’m not far off where I was a few years ago.” Trevor has a simple bike computer, “it is annoying they don’t make them anymore, it is all GPS now,” and has consistently recorded his cycling since he started “it is over 60,000 miles now.”
“I keep saying every RAB will be my last one but I keep turning up again! I’m probably one of the oldest, and definitely one of the daftest.” So, what keeps Trevor riding? “I still get a buzz when I cross the line” he explains, but more than anything it is the quality of the event that keeps him coming back, “my first event the airline lost my luggage, I went to the organisers to tell them and they just said ‘don’t worry we will make sure you ride tomorrow’. They sent me off to the Halfords stand and told me to get whatever I needed and they offered me a hotel for the night. They didn’t have to do that but that has been the attitude at every event, nothing is too much for the riders.” There is also a little incentive, “if you do the 4th event you get the 5th free! I’ve done 9 and this will be my tenth.”
Despite his impressive achievements Trevor relies on a light-hearted approach to training, his only advice for other younger riders hoping to be as fit as he is in his seventies is consistency, “you’ve got to be a bit bananas! You have got to have determination, you’ve got to keep at it. The secret is don’t take it too seriously.”
