Page 114 - Healthy (March - April 2020)

FITNESS

LESLEY AT THE
2019 BMX WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIPS,
IN BELGIUM

I started of near the bottom, then got halfway up and
worked my way to the top. You don’t want to ly down the
start hill or you’ll be too out of control to negotiate the irst
jump safely, so I went really slowly to start with, but you also
need enough momentum to get up the irst jump. The other
big challenge is getting the conidence to go a bit faster
each time. When I started racing, I was always miles
behind everybody, but people would cheer me on
because it was a big joke back then. I just loved it; I’ve had Belgium, in 2019. That was an unreal feeling. I was
it was exhilarating. 53 and going to my irst World Championships,
‘Age doesn’t matter when it comes to riding BMX
– I’m proof of that. Of course, elite athletes start when struggles cycling on the same track as the world’s best
athletes. I just tried to focus on the race, otherwise
they’re small, but anyone can do it. I was scared of I could have been consumed by nerves.
falling of – who wouldn’t be? I still see people falling with anxiety ‘I came 35th out of 59 women in my age group,
of all the time, so I’m cautious, particularly because which wasn’t too bad. At the moment, men have
it’s always in the back of my mind that I have to get in the past. a 50-plus category, but women only have a 40-plus
Jacob and myself home afterwards.’ one. We’re hoping that will change – there are
BMX racing deinitely enough of us now. A lot of the women who
THRILL OF THE RACE raced together have become friends since – we’re
‘I don’t think I ever realised I had talent, I just kept has helped planning to train together this spring, in Alicante.
racing because I loved it. Then other people would ‘Next up are the Nationals, in early March, at
join so I wasn’t last any more, and I kept getting faster boost my the indoor National Cycling Centre in Manchester
and more conident. I’m pretty fast now – I can keep – a seriously scary track. I’ve also qualiied for the
up with some of the little ninjas, as I call them. Before confidence World Championships in Houston, Texas, in May,
long I was training every week and competing every as I inished 10th in the world in 2019. It’s exciting,
weekend. It took over my life. You start competing locally at but it can be challenging. I work as a tutor (I used to teach), and
club level, then you work up to race at a regional level and after have to fund everything myself: my lights, my entry, even my
a year you can compete for your region nationally. Jacob was own shirt. But I can’t wait to line up at the start gate.’
already competing nationally, so we were going all over the
country, but after a year we started doing nationals together, LIFE-CHANGING BOOST
travelling as far as Scotland, from our home in Cornwall. ‘These days, I’ve never been itter, and I go to the gym three
‘I qualiied for the British BMX Championships, but times a week. I train with all ages and I’m leaving younger
during training, I came of and broke my hand. I was riders behind – I’ve even lapped some of them! There are
supposed to stay of my bike for six weeks, but the some really good women in my age group in my region, the
Championships were ive weeks away, so I just strapped it up South West – I regularly race with the world number four As told to Laura Potter. Photographs Gregory Martin @photogregmartin
and did it. I didn’t race hard, I was at the back just enjoying and ive. We’re ones to watch, the GB team.
the fact I was there. That was the irst time I’d ever ridden ‘I’ve struggled with anxiety in the past, and BMX has
against the best in the country in my age group and it fuelled helped hugely. It’s given me conidence, it gets me outside, it
my ambition even more. gets the endorphins going, it gets my heart rate up, and I feel
‘Every race is exciting and has its own challenges – some so good after riding my bike. Plenty of people thought I was
tracks are scarier and more technical than others, but you crazy when I started riding, but BMX has changed my life.
just get on and do it. After two years of racing nationally, I feel like a completely diferent woman to the mum who was
I qualiied for the UCI BMX World Championships in Zolder, cheering from the side of the track. I’m totally hooked.’

114 healthy-magazine.co.uk