^The Welsh corgi, in the car with my Welsh Corgi teddy (and former York Uni CC Mascot). He makes for a good pillow and has now become a stress reliever for me and my placement mates.
Helena always carries an air of certainty on her shoulders. She simply presents herself like she knows what she's on about, and that's because 99% of the time, she does. A tri******e turned cyclist over the winter (yet another one that I've seen escape from the dark side), she is keen for all things gravel and endurance- which is quite the opposite of me. She is the definition of persistence.
What we do have in common, though, is the fact that we're both trainee teachers struggling to balance doing the sports we enjoy with the job we also enjoy (well, most of the time). She is also one of the rare few people who seem to have more mannerisms than me. I can picture her reading this and pulling the 'Helena stare', where she twists her head, looks down in frustration, breathes out heavily through her nose, before then looking at you in dead silence for the next few seconds (terrifying), before resuming her normal chatter.
For this interview, we are sat in our fellow trainee Ed's car on the way back from another long and tiring day on school placement. (An interview with Ed may well follow later, and I was surprised that he didn't interject any of our conversations during our interview, as he always has something interesting or funny to add.) The golden sunset beams through the windows and makes the leaves and rumple strips on the road ahead of us glow. It is fatiguing, but serene.
F: What is your name/ age/ life status and home town?
H: What's 'life status'?!?
[If you look back on my earlier interviews you'll see that this used to be 'degree subject', but this felt more universal to me- albeit intimidating!]
H: My name's Helena, I'm 25. Life status... I'm doing a PGCE (teacher training) at Cambridge. I think you're doing one too?
F: Funny you should mention that...
H: My home town's Swansea in South Wales.
F: Which bikes do you have? Be as nerdy as you please.
H: I'm not that nerdy, but [proceeds to be nerdy] I have a Vitus substance gravel bike, which I put road wheels on for the winter. I don't really have a road bike, but I've just got a Boardman TT 9.4 which I'm really excited about. I haven't actually ridden it outside as I only got it the other week and it's Winter, so it's on the turbo. It's in red too.
F: Both of your bikes are in the colour red! Do you actively like the colour, or did you just end up with 2 bikes in red?
H: The Boardman I got off Facebook Marketplace and there isn't much size option for really small women, but I do just like the colour red. I did at one point used to have pink bottles with the Vitus, but I don't think it was quite the vibe.
F: My first ever road bike was in red, and my Dad's friend who helped me find it always said that red was a go faster colour.
H: It's good for races because people can actually spot you!
F: You may have to interpret this one a bit differently, but what is your main cycling discipline?
H: Well, I got into cycling for tri*****n purposes, but I like gravel cycling and bike packing. I'd say. I'd say that for mostly the last couple of years I've been doing tri*****n and bike packing. I don't really do gravel much except from on weekends away, just because gravel in the UK isn't particularly amazing. I haven't done a lot of group riding, but I definitely want to get more into it, so right now that's my focus. I've thought of dropping triathlon for time purposes [as] I want to get more into the PGCE and focus on that without the additional stress of training for 3 disciplines. With running, you lose control of a lot of things when you get injured.
F: Yeah, in terms of injury when cycling, it seems like you either mess it up badly or just get a little bit of road rash.
H: Yeah. I get so frustrated at not being able to run. I want to get enjoyment through sports and not frustration. Cycling really gives me that.
F: It's so tricky though when there are so many disciplines on offer because of new types of bikes and events coming out, but you're under time constraints. You have to ask, 'should I keep to my strengths and do what I think suits me, or should I try something else that might suit me?
H: Yeah, I've considered gravel Audaxes [races based on endurance- longer than sportives, but shorter than ultra endurance events] and Sportives, but it seems like it's more just older people doing it and I want to get some speed while I'm young. There's a bit too much choice, and when you have three disciplines there's even more choice and distances. You see what other people do on social media and you're like 'I just want to try everything'. I think for now, I'm just going to focus on the sport of cycling and maybe one or two disciplines, maybe time trial and bike packing, and just try to get through the winter!
^Despite the fact that I berate her for being a tri******e, Helena has done several races in the field, even winning the Open Female category at the Northumbrian 70.3 (Half Ironman Distance). A very impressive feat, which she keeps very quiet and modest about.
F: You say that gravel in the UK is not necessarily the best thing. Do you think that's because of the gravel scene, or is it the sheer geographical nature of the UK?
H: From the gravel I've experienced, probably the nature. There are some great firetrails and singletrack areas, but they tend to be quite constrained to certain forests like the New Forest or the... Well, I've forgotten the names of them but there are a few in Wales as well.
F:The Forest of Deeeeeaaaaaan? [York Uni CC members know it well]
H: Yep! And the Brecon Beacons... But if you want to traverse across areas of the UK, it's a bit more difficult to find consistent gravel. You end up between mountain bike-y unnamed trails and singletrack. With gravel, unless you go to a forest or a set route on bikepacking.com, if you try to find your own gravel it's a bit disjointed. You spend quite a bit of time on road, I feel. As soon as you hit the firetracks, you think, 'oh, this gravel's amazing!' but when you're not you're on a mix between trails and road.
F: What exact moment truly got you into cycling? Or was it exact at all?
H: Well I... I started just doing exercise again by running. I was at Uni partying a bit too much and thought I wanted to do something more meaningful in my life, so I signed up for a marathon...
F: Fair play! A steep learning curve!
H: And then I started training for that and went to a local running club. All these people were on Strava and would upload their cycles all the time and would talk about going for cycle rides all the time. I suddenly realised that everyone who ran seemed to cycle and did triathlons and I fancied having a go at this after getting the marathon done first. I got a bike and started swimming and started really enjoying it. Although the first time I ever went out on a bike on the road I did cry because I didn't drive at that point and had never been on the road except as a passenger. I was going through the centre of Cardiff and I didn't know any of the road bike rules. I didn't know what to do! So I thought, let me go join a club first and practise riding with them first. [the English teacher within me loves the grammar here]
F: It's something that you don't really think about when you go to start cycling, and something experienced cyclists struggle to consider. Looking back in hindsight, you don't think of training for that, but it's certainly something that crops up, for sure.
H: I definitely went down some dual carriageways I shouldn't have gone down. I should've had more of a cautious mindset... But I'm all in one piece, so it's ok now. A lot of people are too scared to be out on the road because they've never been out there. If you don't have a welcoming, beginner friendly club, then they won't get out on the road. I was the opposite of that! But I should've had that hesitant feeling maybe and try it out with a club. If people don't find that kind of club, they won't get into it.
F: It's similar to teaching: you've got to learn not to assume anything. You think 'oh yeah, they'll know what rhyme is by year 9, surely?', but you can never assume it. If they don't know, what are you gonna do, berate them? Then they won't want to learn and will feel left out.
H: That's true. To anyone joining a club, if you go somewhere and don't see people who look like you, you won't want to join. If you see people on expensive bikes and wearing expensive kit, who know all these terms and you don't, you'll probably feel scared to join. People in clubs need to have that mindset of 'actually, we need to be welcoming the fact that some people don't know anything about cycling'. If it's just you on your own, then you can come in with nothing but a desire to get somewhere with it. And that's what counts.
F: Talking about kit though, what is your favourite bit of riding gear, no matter how techy or basic?
H: Erm... [Taylor Swift- one of Helena's favourite musicians and one of my least favourite- plays on the radio while Helena ponders this...] Aesthetically, sunglasses. Nice sunglasses look really good on people. Practically, I really like a bar bag. It's not aero, but it gets everything in. If you need to bring jackets, inner tubes, anything techy and all your kit with you, it's great for bikepacking in case something goes wrong. They're so practical. One thing I really want to get is a down jacket that packs up really small for winter rides when you need to stop.
[Helena asks me for my answer to this question- the answer is my first item reviewed in blog 4!]
F: Here's a snappy one, also kinda relating to kit: would you rather be riding in the rain, or riding in extreme heat?
H: Rain. [She's Welsh, what were you expecting?] I get really uncomfortable if I'm too hot. In the rain, you can just ride harder to get warmer. I prefer suffering in the cold.
F: What is your go to drink and snack at a café stop, on or off the bike?
H: In summer, it would probably be a can of full fat coke and maybe an ice cream, or millionaire's shortbread. In Winter, I don't like café stops as much because your legs seize up, but on group rides it's the sociable thing to do. Then, I'd go for a cappuccino and a brownie.
F: What is the toughest ride you have ever done? In what ways was it tough?
H: This summer, there was a day where I was bikepacking in Georgia and we were doing a mountain gravel ride that lasted 10 hours. There were water stops, but they weren't always where the guides said they were. Straight after lunch I bonked, stood there and didn't want to go any further. I've never ridden so moodily, until we got to this tiny waterfall and stood under it for ten minutes, and then it was fine.
F: So, in some ways, you did use 'rain' to get rid of extreme heat!
H: [laughs], yeah.
F: What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve seen on a bike?
H: Erm... People?? I, erm...
This sounds quite lame, but UK national parks. Especially in Scotland, they're really pretty. You get to the top of a hill and when you're descending it, you think 'I love life'. It's more the moment than the thing. The beauty is in the moment. The endorphins you get are like... Yeah.
F: As someone who particularly enjoys bike packing, do you have any dream destinations or bike rides?
H: Yes. I want to bikepack across Southeast Asia. Not as a challenge, but a way of travel. I would like to do South America. It depends on whether it's on my own or with other people. I think Europe would be alright solo, but anywhere else my Mum would have a field day. I know I want to do a whole year of it, but haven't quite planned it yet.
F: This links quite nicely into my next question: do you enjoy self supported bikepacking, or not? What are the advantages, limitations and peculiarities of it?
H: What, as in just bringing your stuff with you? Yeah. I haven't done it supported. I think the thing with it being self supported is that you'll need the same amount of stuff for three days as you'll need forever. You can go off road more and have that flexibility of going where you want to. For a planned trip, with booked campsites, hostels etc. you can't have quite as much flexibility, but in really rural areas you can go anywhere and camp out or book places on the day. I would like to try more wild camping, but not in the UK.
F: Have your geographical studies genuinely assisted with your cycling?
H: Uhm... I have been on many rides and should probably know a lot more about the geography of more areas. Over the Summer though, coming up to teacher training, I wanted to learn more about landscape change so did that through bikepacking, but I even just got more of an appreciation of nature and the environment. Cycling has made me go to places that I wouldn't have even considered, and it's informed me; not the other way around. My sense of place and space has become a lot better. And when people talk about where they're from (as is common at Uni!), I know a lot more of them.
[Suggested further reading: An Introduction to Psychogeography]
F: Yeah, even the weirdest or smallest experiences in cycling can become relevant as a teacher and as a person.
H: It's great just for the people you meet, as well and social skills.
F: Quick one. Tea or coffee?
H: Coffee. Frothi coffi.
F: What skills do you think are shared between cycling and teaching?
H: Perseverance. Just to keep going when it gets difficult. Knowing to achieve what you set out to achieve. I've had a lot of lessons which have gone badly and even though I've been affected by it, I am resilient enough to get over it. Time management too. If you're on a ride, and get back later than planned, you'll have to adapt the rest of your day. It's also a skill needed in teaching. Time management around training during a busy day is crucial too. People who manage doing sports seem to manage to pack more into a day. I could easily come back and say 'I'm too tired...', but I know I can try to get both work and training done. You need to prioritise that and your mental health, and not just work, work, work... Yeah.
F: One last question for a bit of fun: do you ever find yourself singing or dancing on the bike?
H: If I go out on my own, I'll put one earphone in. When bikepacking I'll get into the habit of getting jolly and singing along, at least on quiet roads. If I don't, I'll just get left with my thoughts for too long...
I laugh at this suggestion at the time of the interview, but in hindsight, it can be terrifying to be left with your own thoughts on a bike. At other times, it can be downright silly. At others, it feels like you've almost had an argument with yourself and neither party will say anything to break the silence. But as long as you're persistently on two wheels and can admire the view through the bonk, or hear the sound of your chain whirring through the rain, or feel that feeling of the moment rather than the thing- then you must be doing something right.
^A 'favourite' song of Helena's to finish off this blog post.
Want to be interviewed next? Have anything to add or an interesting story to share? Send me a message at any time! See you out on the road -F
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