PhD student Tim Welsh is recovering from riding in the National 24-hour Time Trial Championships, in which he placed 4th out of a total of 63 competitors on a blisteringly sunny weekend in July.
Representing Cambridge University Cycling Club (CUCC), Tim clocked up 487.70 miles in the 24-hour period, on circuits covering the rolling Shropshire countryside and Wales.
“This was the first time I ever rode in Wales, which is something I’ve been hoping to do in the three years since I’ve been in the UK,” says Tim, who came to Cambridge initially on a Churchill MPhil scholarship, and is now working towards his PhD as a Harding Scholar in the Knowles group. “Of course, as soon as the Croeso i Gymru sign appeared, the roads turned into a vertical wall, or at least that’s what it felt like,” jokes Tim. At that point he had already completed 21 hours and over 420 miles, which may have something to do with it!
Tim's knees get a little TLC.
Time trial competitions are races against the clock, with cyclists normally starting a minute apart, which is ideal for Covid restrictions. Riders usually compete over fixed distances (10, 25, 50 or 100 miles) or fixed times of 12 and 24 hours. Tim has completed several 25-mile time trials, but this was his first 24-hour race. “I like riding through the night, and it was really great to see both the sunset and the sunrise,” he says.
During the competition, hosted by Mersey Roads cycling club, cyclists competed over four separate circuits which were designed to offer the safest conditions for the time of day. It is up to the cyclists to decide when and where to take breaks, with the top finishers stopping no longer than eight minutes over the entire 24-hour period. Tim himself took a longer break than he had planned after a spell of sickness in the night, but mostly he was able to keep going with his support crew providing vital fluids, gels and food at regular intervals. “I didn’t even have to get off my bike,” he says.
Tim first became enthused about cycling as an undergraduate at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he was studying Chemistry, Biochemistry and Applied Mathematics. However, he didn’t really become involved in time-trialling until he came to Cambridge and joined the Cambridge University Cycling Club.
“I just really love cycling as an escape from everything else,” says Tim. “It’s a way to get out in the outdoors, travel and see things. I’ve done a lot of longer rides and tours that have allowed me to travel across the country, Europe and the world. And I love to know I’m getting there purely by my own power.”
Tim is also involved in Audax UK, a long-distance cycling association which organises friendly set-distance rides of 200 to 1000km, or even more. “I really like the UK cycling scene because there’s a real diverse, friendly community with all sorts of different groups,” says Tim. It’s also ideal for a PhD student, because he is not committed to a particular time and day, and can go when his schedule permits. (Tim does emphasise that he gets a lot of work done in the lab as well!!).
Going into the last hour of the competition, Tim says he was determined to squeeze out every last bit of energy he could. “I was out of the saddle sprinting up every climb, and tucking into my most aero position to hit up to 30mph on the straight and flat sections,” he says. Amazingly, Tim’s final lap was his fastest one of all, averaging over 23.5mph – not bad for the end of a 24-hour ride!
Tim is pleased that he was able to compete on behalf of the University, which first made cycling a Half Blue sport in the early noughties, while discretionary full blues can be awarded for outstanding performances.
The CUCC reports: “For his first TT over 100 miles, Tim and all of us at CUCC are pretty pleased with the result – especially on such a hot day where only 37 of the original 64 finished. Also a massive thank you has to go out to Julia, Alex, and Steve who were an absolutely stellar support team, they did everything they could to keep the pedals turning for Tim and it wouldn’t have been possible without them. Tim is recovering and as always is already scheming for his next massive ride (although maybe it’ll be at a more relaxed pace). Onwards!”
It was truly a team effort and would not have been the same without great supporters (left to right: Steve, Alex, Tim, Julia)
