Andi Woolass

What was your reason for wanting to ride the Trafalgar Way?

2019 To slay the beast, after not riding the full distance in 2017 I wanted to come back and finish it for real.

2017 To challenge myself against the distance, time and terrain initially - then after the tragedy in Manchester it was to raise money

How would you sum up your ride of the Trafalgar Way to a friend?

2019

Monstrous ride with stunning scenery and fantastic people. Not a race, other than vs the cutoff, more about the distance and the hills. Every rider wants to complete, and wants others to complete too, great comraderie.

2017

Hard, beautiful and rewarding with extreme highs and lows.

The event is fantastically organised and I still find the fact that if I hadn’t a GPS I could have followed the orange triangles from Falmouth to London (every turning - every roundabout was signed) a truly phenomenal effort!

RTTW is a friendly representation of what cycling should be about - the journey - and riding with like-minded strangers at the beginning and friends by the end is testament to that.

Aid stations were staffed by conscientious and helpful marshals and the hot food (especially in Blandford) was life saving.

What was your most memorable part of the ride?

2019 As much as the finish was an emotional waterfall, riding above Chesil Beach at 20:00 in the pitch black with 40mph cross winds, torrential rain and sea fog was horrific but entirely memorable.

2017 Riding from Blandford in the pitch black into London and seeing the skies getting bright

What are your top 3 tips for anyone thinking of riding the Trafalgar Way

2019

Prepare, ride in the worst conditions as well as the best.

Climb, short steep beasts make up the first 40% of the ride if not more

Take or make friends for the ride, makes the process much more enjoyable

2017

Climb as much as you can in training

Temper how long you stop each time it eats away at the 24 hours without you realising

Keep warm and dry as much as possible - spare bib shorts aren’t just a luxury

What are your top bits of equipment or kit you wouldn’t want to ride the Trafalgar Way without?

2019 Lights, multiple front lights so you can charge one and use the next.

2017 Battery pack and cable for phone and garmin

What bike (make and model) and chainset / cassette set up did you ride the Trafalgar Way with (if available)?

2019 Storck Visioner with a 52/36 and 11/28 set up and carbon 55mm wheels. (In retrospect carbon rim brakes in torrential rain wasn’t ideal! Should have checked the forecast better!)

2017 Storck Visioner with a 52/36 and 11/28 set up