Congratulations to veterans Mary Corbett and Norman Harvey on the massive achievement of riding 183 miles on their trike in the CTT National 12 Hour Championship in early August.
Mary: “I’ve always enjoyed the longer running and cycling events, the 12 hour being one of my favourites. So even when the old body let me down almost eight years ago, I never gave up hope of getting on the start line of a 12 hour time trial again.
Lockdown and a recent trip to see an immunologist gave me enormous insight into what my body can cope with, it taught me how to better manage my M.E. and how to keep the body battery topped up. That and the arrival of our beautiful Bonnie Bagheera at the end of March made the decision an easier one. At last, this was to be my chance.
We chose the CTT National Championship 12 hour which incorporated the VTTA National Championship 12 being held on 1 August. We just love the atmosphere of the National events.
In the build up to the race Norman and I were full of mixed emotions. With only a handful of longer rides under our belt, we would have to rely on our wealth of experience gained from riding many 12’s together in the past. Not to put any pressure on ourselves, we chose a target of 130 miles, our vets standard being 128.934 miles. Anything over and above that would be a bonus.
All I can say is that come race day, those bonuses kept coming in. Each additional 10 miles lead to a feeling of ecstatic disbelief and once we had reached the finishing circuit with about 165 miles done and an hour and a quarter to go, I’m not ashamed to say I sobbed with happiness. After downing a tin of rice pudding each, along with some chocolate we pedalled an additional 18 miles where our time ran out at timekeeper number one.
Our official distance has been recorded as 183.30 miles. Not too shabby for an 88 year old super stoker and a pilot who has seen better days. We are tired, elated and still somewhat overwhelmed. I don’t think it has quite sunk in yet. Of course we couldn’t have done it without the support and cheery faces of our helpers, Penny Cossburn, Bob Damper, Christine Walker and Steve Walker. A massive thank you to you all.”