Andrew Wilkinson - Doing it My Way

Porkyboy

Andrew Wilkinson - Doing it My Way

Yesterday I was privileged to spend much of the day with Andrew and Jill Wilkinson at their home near Chester. As many people will be aware Andrew is essentially a legend in his own lifetime in the UK either holding, or having held, many of the long distance cycling and time trialling records over a number of years.

Andrew is currently the joint holder of the mixed Land's End to John O'Groats tandem record (51 hours) and also holds the human powered vehicle Land's End to John O'Groats record in a faired recumbent vehicle (41 hours), Andrew has previously held the Land's End to John O'Groats solo bicycle record.

Andrew won the British Best All Rounder (BBAR) in 1996 establishing National records at all distances. In 1997 he set the competition record for a 24 hour TT with an astonishing 525 miles. On the 25th and 26th of June this year, last weekend, Andy again broke the 24 hour TT record with a stunning distance of 541 miles. The list could go on!

I was very interested to find out more about someone who could do this sort of thing, how he trains and prepares, the equipment he uses and all the multitude of other things that go to make up a record breaking cyclist. I was delighted to get the opportunity to interview Andrew at length which I completed yesterday.

I will be editing the material I have and uploading it to YouTube as a series of short videos over the forthcoming months which I very much hope will serve two purposes. 1) I want it to act as a source of reference material for people who are interested in an amateur rider who has proved capable of these extraordinary endurance feats. 2) I want it to act as a permeant record and tribute to an extraordinary cyclist, and thoroughly nice bloke, whose talent and exploits perhaps don't always get the recognition they deserve.

The link to my YouTube channel is shown below. Subscribers to the channel will be the first to be informed when a new episode has been released as a subscribers only bulletin will be published. Subscription will be by far the quickest way to learn that a new episode in the series is available. There will also be an interview with Andrew's wife Jill, herself a very high level triathlete, giving a fascinating perspective on their lives and what it takes to support a record-breaking cyclist.

http://www.youtube.com/user/PedalBikerUK

I very much hope that the series of videos will prove to be of interest.

kieranb

I saw a short U-tube clip of Andy doing the 24hr, I was shocked by his state when he finished and they took him off his bike, talk about pushing yourself!!

Porkyboy

kieranb wrote:

I saw a short U-tube clip of Andy doing the 24hr, I was shocked by his state when he finished and they took him off his bike, talk about pushing yourself!!

Indeed so, interviewing him was an education and a fascinating insight into what it takes to do these things, even if you already have bucketloads of talent! I hope to be publishing the first episode of the extended interview in the next few days.

ynyswen24

one of the two most impressive riders I've ever seen - the other one was Sean Kelly.

I saw him riding in a 24 in the 90's while I drove support for a mate (hello Kev...) and Wilkinson was expected to break the then record of 508mls that year (having previously been the only other rider to pass 500mls). A few days before he broke his time trial bike so fitted slicks and aero bars on his mtb and rode 496mls...

Porkyboy

Hi

The first episode of the series from the extended interview I did with Andy on Saturday is now available on my YouTube channel. I plan to release an episode avery 1-2 weeks as time allows. Hope folks enjoy getting to know this great rider.

http://www.youtube.com/user/PedalBikerUK

Q

Porkyboy

Hi

I have now uploaded episode three of the series of videos entitled "Andrew Wilkinson - Doing it My Way" which I hope people will find enjoyable. This video covers hydration and nutrition, Andy's views on "rocket fuel", early cycling years, first race and early sporting "prowess"

The link is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqlEb53txP8

Cheers to all,

Quentin.

geoff_ss

He's not so much a great athlete as just a guy who seems to love cycling. It seems to be a bonus that he's so good at it. He was guest of honour at our club dinner not long after he rode the recumbent trike to the end to end record (1994? ish) and he arrived on his bike!

I remember his riding the '24' in 1992 or 1993 on his mountain bike and being unable to walk up the stairs for the presentation! I was helping to feed a rider in both those years.

Great bloke and I'm filled with admiration for his enthusiasm and ability. I'll view your films with great interest - thanks

Porkyboy

Geoff_SS wrote:

He's not so much a great athlete as just a guy who seems to love cycling. It seems to be a bonus that he's so good at it. He was guest of honour at our club dinner not long after he rode the recumbent trike to the end to end record (1994? ish) and he arrived on his bike!

I remember his riding the '24' in 1992 or 1993 on his mountain bike and being unable to walk up the stairs for the presentation! I was helping to feed a rider in both those years.

Great bloke and I'm filled with admiration for his enthusiasm and ability. I'll view your films with great interest - thanks

Yes, smashing bloke isn't he Geoff. Thanks for the comments and I hope you continue to enjoy future episodes.

Q

cougie

Anyone remember him from that Hercules prog on bbc3 a few years back ?

ex-pat scot

ynyswen24 wrote:

one of the two most impressive riders I've ever seen - the other one was Sean Kelly.

I saw him riding in a 24 in the 90's while I drove support for a mate (hello Kev...) and Wilkinson was expected to break the then record of 508mls that year (having previously been the only other rider to pass 500mls). A few days before he broke his time trial bike so fitted slicks and aero bars on his mtb and rode 496mls...

Hi Mike!

Agree he was awesome - my proud moment was being able to keep up with him (OK 50 yds back) for the last couple of hours of the 24hr. We were both motoring at 20-21mph and he was still going smoothly.

My vivid recollection was the top half dozen of us, sat down in the communal showers back at Farndon, all unable to get up and out. Relied on some poor soul to keep pressing hte shower button to keep the water flowing. Hard man stuff.

After Roy Cromack's 507m record, I think Ian Dow (and Butcher?) sneaked up to 501. Andy blew that completely out of the water with his 525 and now 540.

"We're not worthy"/

nferrar

Ooh missed this thread before, will def be watching the vids tonight. He was a big hero of mine when I started out TTing, although it was depressing when I worked out his 100 mile TT average speed was faster than my 10 mile one (and I was in the 22's at the time I think)

Porkyboy

Hi

I have now uploaded episode five in the Andrew Wilkinson interview series, the link is below, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed talking to him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbZ1BeUpfsw

Q

Jeff Jones

Thanks for the videos! They're inspirational and a great insight into a long distance legend.

ynyswen24

Jeff Jones wrote:

Thanks for the videos! They're inspirational and a great insight into a long distance legend.

Intreview and feature article in Cycling Plus... more people need to know about him. He could even give hinys on touring technique.

Porkyboy

Jeff Jones wrote:

Thanks for the videos! They're inspirational and a great insight into a long distance legend.

Hi Jeff

Thanks very much. All the Andy Wilkinson interview episodes are grouped together in a single playlist and as I add videos to the playlist they will appear there automatically. If you wanted to make the list available as a permanent feature or link for people to refer to I have enclosed it below, just a thought.

http://www.youtube.com/user/PedalBikerU ... 5AC715BD3C

Q

Porkyboy

Hi

After a break for which I apologise the latest in this video series has now been published:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kr9vNRXNnA

Q

Old Tuggo

cougie wrote:

Anyone remember him from that Hercules prog on bbc3 a few years back ?

Yes I did - if I remember he came 2nd after doing some incredible endurance feats. I expected the programme to be repeated but it never happened.

Old Tuggo

Porkyboy wrote:

Hi

I have now uploaded episode five in the Andrew Wilkinson interview series, the link is below, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed talking to him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbZ1BeUpfsw

Q

Unfortunately the sound was not loud enough for this old codger.

Porkyboy

Old Tuggo wrote:

Porkyboy wrote:

Hi

I have now uploaded episode five in the Andrew Wilkinson interview series, the link is below, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed talking to him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbZ1BeUpfsw

Q

Unfortunately the sound was not loud enough for this old codger.

Can you not turn up your system volume OT? Sounds fine here.

Q

Stone Glider

What a remarkable athlete and very pleasant person. Only one small problemette.......... did he really say he only owned one bike??????? He won't get anywhere in this wonderful world of cycling with that sort of attitude, where would we be if we were all like him????

Porkyboy

Stone Glider wrote:

What a remarkable athlete and very pleasant person. Only one small problemette.......... did he really say he only owned one bike??????? He won't get anywhere in this wonderful world of cycling with that sort of attitude, where would we be if we were all like him????

Yes, he did indeed say he only owned one bike and indeed he does. He uses it for off road riding, commuting, touring, club runs, TTs and of course record breaking! He changes the wheels and gearing to suit what he is doing, a future video in the series will go over his bike in detail, watch this space!

Q

lfcquin

Awesome. Just seen these and will look forward to catching up on them all. I used to ride in the same club as Andy when I was a junior 20 years ago. He used to turn up for 100 mile hard winter training rides into North Wales on his fixed wheel bike. He was a top fella, gave me my first winter bike (a green Dawes 531 frame) and used to look out for us young lads on the club rides. He used to come into a shop I worked in locally and we'd have a nice chat, my mum worked in the same shop for the next 17 years and every time he saw her he used to ask about me and what I was up to. He was genuinely pleased when he found out I had got back into cycling a few years back.

Not many people with a character like that eh?