Robert Draycott

I have been a member of Kettering Cycling Club for two years. Before joining KCC I marshalled for a previous club and enjoyed mountain biking before getting the road riding bug about 6 years ago. These days I seem to do a lot of time dieting – that’s a sport isn’t it?

I am a Software Developer and ex-Carpenter/Joiner. I don’t cycle to work as it’s not really viable, strapping on a laptop for a 20mile commute along the A43 or A508 is not going to happen!!!

I have been cycling since I was about 6 years old, competitively for 3 years of club membership and actively participating in TT and road races. I have been interested in cycling since I was as a youth, waned in my 20s (cars and motorbikes), got into hardcore mountain biking for fun and was like a laughing Hyena out in the woods and hills! A bad crash into a highly inconsiderate tree made me re-evaluate things (the wife was very worried about me going out on my own, we are talking BM here….. Before Mobiles) at which point I noticed a little wheeled 1960s Moulton in Leicester, I did some research, got one and started road riding. I love my Moulton full suspension road bike with 16” slick HP tyres ….whoosh ;-).

I enjoy cycling because it gets me out in the fresh air, I enjoy going as fast as I can under my own steam and it’s good sharing an interest with others. My favourite run is Rothwell to Rushton, Corby, East Carlton, Mkt Harborough, Lamport, Rothwell. This run has a nice mixture of gradients without the feeling you are biking up Ben Nevis! The cycling discipline I am most interested in is Time Trials. I’ve had a go at a handicap road race series which was good and tactical.

I remember feeling very nervous in my first race and daunted at just how fit the other riders seemed to be! My best cycling performance was getting close to a sub 30 ‘10’ mile TT last year but my car accident has had me out for a while so it’s going to be a hard slog to get my fitness back to the same level! I have ridden some 50 mile charity rides and a day out with the local CTT boys, again about 50 miles has been the furthest I’ve ridden. These rides are especially satisfying when I do them on my Moulton, the shock on people’s faces when you coast past on a small wheeler is great, and many the time I hear a plaintive call from behind me along the lines of “he’s only got little wheels”.

My sporting ambition is to achieve a sub 30 in a ‘10’ for a realistic start, especially if I could get it on the evil (my nearest) Lamport route! Oh and next week I hope to take over ‘the world’ ............... isn’t that a sport?

I don’t have any role models in particular, just anyone with the determination to maintain their fitness and times. Oh and I’m in awe of those occasional cyclists that manages to nip out and stay ahead of the peloton and win a stage in the Tour de France, especially when they do it on their own.

Aside from cycling, I enjoy Radio controlled model Gliders like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ra5OowjIKo) and Indoor Freeflight modelling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYAk5nXJ6d4).

My favourite food has got to be Salmon with a bit of foie gras and I’m partial to a little Stilton, Gromit! My favourite alcoholic drink is Vodka straight from the freezer and without any pollutants like ice or mixers, as it comes in the bottle is good enough for me, non-alcoholic has got to be Vimto.

In the future in the UK I would like to see:
(1) More cycle routes (ie part of the road like the coloured road lanes in Kettering and Mkt Harborough) not the cycle paths (widened pathways). I don’t want to have relegated pedestrian status - having to stop at every intersection and cross when I could ride on the road and have the right of way and less stopping and starting. Too many ‘pathways’ discourage young riders riding with the traffic and getting to grips with the highway code as it applies to cyclists.
(2) A driver at fault clause in law, like they have I think in Holland, if a cyclist gets injured/hit it is always the motor vehicles fault, that would certainly force drivers to take a lot more care.
(3) Mountain bikes going right out of fashion as day to day bikes in favour of “Hybrid” bikes or as they used to be called “Tourers” cos let’s be honest they are just too G.D heavy to ride on the road for anything other than fetching the paper from the corner shop, unless you slick the tyres add about 40 more PSI!

Last Updated: 29/03/2010

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