Wayne Baker interview (entry 22 feb.)
Wayne Baker is one of the very best riders of the last 15 years. Here's an exclusive interview. - Age? Residence? Profession? 49 years young! Weston-super-Mare near Bristol (in region of North Somerset) I work as a Press Officer with Avon and Somerset Police. The work is exciting and challenging with each day presenting a different challenge, whether it is a missing person, a major motorway crash or even a murder. - Sometime, somehow you have started tricycling and racing. What is the story behind it? What is the story behind the Pink Panther image? Could you tell about your tricycle(s) and give some technical information? I started riding a trike in 1990. It all started by accident. I had spent the season on two wheels and in July lost interest and it was Norman Fenn, a team mate who suggested I might like to try his spare trike. |
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I did the customary test ride and didn’t fall off and immediately fell in love with three wheels. I raced in the national championship 10 about three weeks later (after just one competitive race on three wheels) and finished fifth. I bought the 1958 Higgins Ultralite trike from Norman and had it resprayed pink during the winter. I went on to win the national 10 mile championship in 1996 and 1999 and the National Tricycle League championship three times (1995/96/97).
When I took up tricycle racing I was already wearing a pink skinsuit for racing – the idea was to wear a bright colour so that I could be seen by motorists. After my daughter bought me a pink Rolls saddle in France I started adding pink accessories – racing shoes, socks, gloves, thermal top, crash helmet etc… Even off the trike I wore pink shirts and even have a pink jacket and a selection of pink ties!
About four years ago my club Stourbridge asked me to become a member of their elite squad and provided me with clothing which meant that I started racing in the club colours of orange and blue – although the trike has remained pink in colour and I still use the Pink Panther disc covers on my wheels for major races.
I had my current trike built by George Longstaff about five years ago. It was purpose-built for time trialling and does not have any lugs. It is two wheel drive and last winter Geoff Booker replaced the original TWD with his own system which was complemented by hollow axles. I use 32-spoke Mavic SUP rear wheels and a Campagnolo Atlanta deep rim front wheel. I am not a great believer in spending a great deal of money on expensive wheels and other accessories as I don’t have the funds available and at the end of the day I believe that it is the strength and fitness of the rider that is the determining factor.
- When riding a trike, people here in Belgium usually think one must be seriously handicapped. Also the (small) tricycle industry is completely focused on handicapped people. What kind of reactions do you get from people in your environment when riding a trike? Is the situation comparable?
Because my trike has been designed to race I tend not to train on it or use it outside races. Whenever I have used it , it does attract a lot of attention. People are naturally drawn to it because previously their only experience of a tricycle is probably a tricycle they had as a young child. I think people do find tricycles quite amusing until they see you racing into a bend at 30mph (48kph), especially when the bend has a reverse camber which requires both confidence and skill to negotiate. Young children certainly appreciate the trike – especially when I have the Pink Panther discs on the rear wheels!
In Britain my experience is that the trike is made predominantly made for able-bodied participants. There are more than 600 active tricyclists in the UK. However, I do feel if the trike can help those with a disability to take part in some form of sporting event then we should give our encouragement and support. I believe the two disciplines of able-bodied and disabled sport can complement and help each other.
- Do you consider the current tricycle sport as a serious thing? How is tricycle sport viewed upon in England? Do you see an evolution? Do you think tricycle sport has a future?
I certainly consider tricycle racing as a serious sport, although I perhaps should put in a lot more training than my work allows. It would be helpful to ride to work and back but that is not practicable as I am required to have my car available in case I am called out to assist at a major emergency such as a murder or motorway crash.
In Britain tricycling is regarded with a certain amount of humour until people actually try to ride a trike and then discover the delights/hazards of three wheeling.
I would like to see more young people taking up the sport but to be honest if you have a young talented teenage cyclist, they should always be encouraged to race on two wheels as the rewards are greater – international opportunities, the Olympics and possibly a lucrative professional career on the continent. The sport does appear to be attracting some top performing cyclists to the sport who are continuing to push up standards, which is good for tricycle racing, helping to confirm it as a mainstream sport with serious-minded competitors.
With London staging the Olympics in 2012, that could be a golden opportunity for tricycle racing to be placed on the world stage as the demonstration sport. Darts, which has just been officially recognised as a sport in the UK, is bidding for the right. If a so-called sport with its background in the pubs - and its close association with cigarettes and alcohol - can bid for the right to feature in the Olympics, then why not tricycle racing? That would be a huge showcase but it would need a big effort from everyone connected with tricycling to join forces and mount the campaign and demonstrate that it is a worldwide sport. There is six years left to mount a serious campaign…..
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- Could you tell about tricyclists, one in the past and one now, that deserve your full respect.
A difficult one because I have been told so much about the heroes of yesteryear and their exploits by my friend Norman Fenn but I never actually saw them race. If it was not for Norman, then I would have not have been introduced and taken up trike racing. Norman has been riding on three wheels for around 30 years. He has never been a big-name performer but has supported the Tricycle Association and tricycle racing in the country. He is currently the National Secretary of the TA and still regularly turns out on the trike. One of his proudest moments was completing the Lands End to John O’Groats ride on a tandem. Throughout my racing career – particularly on the trike – Norman has provided invaluable guidance and support, particularly on the mechanical front. I still talk with him on a regular basis to seek advice and support.
There are some very good riders currently competing at a top level but I have a very high regard for one of my great rivals - Steve Brown for Yorkshire. Steve, a former policeman enjoyed a highly successful career on three wheels before retiring last year to concentrate on his university studies. – the winner of the first world championship in 2002. He is an amazing athlete, extremely fast but also powerful. About three years ago I rode with Steve on the tandem trike and in our one and only ride we managed to complete 10 miles (16kms) in 20.01 – just 11 seconds outside competition record. Steve holds the tandem tricycle record for 10 and 25 miles, the tricycle record for 25 miles and 30 miles.
- Do you have a training programme or how do you get fit? Could you tell about your cycle club? Do you also ride a bicycle? If so how is it to change from trike to bike and vice versa?
Every year I plan to set out a full winter training programme but always find that there are other things to do. We moved to our current home just over a year ago and there is a lot of work to do. I don’t like riding in cold conditions. Several years ago when I used to go out in all weather conditions I contracted a virus which kept me away from work for three months. Since then I have tried to use an indoor turbo trainer during the winter months but that demands a great deal of willpower and it does not give you the strength and endurance that you develop by actually riding your bike outside. My biggest problem is my weight. I enjoy my food and wine and tend to put weight on over the winter and then struggle to get rid of it…. Once I am racing I tend to lose the weight and get fit quickly.
I have just joined a new club – Weston Wheelers – who are based in the area where I now live. They are a very good club and run an evening time trial each week during the summer months. Previously I was with Stourbridge Cycling Club and spent more than 20 years with them. I have been a member of their elite squad for about five years and this meant I received some financial backing for travelling and also racing clothing. It was a big decision to leave the club but because I have moved from the area it was better to join a new local club. This means that I will probably be racing in the blue and yellow colours of Weston Wheelers in Belgium – or maybe “Mr Pink” will make a return to the racing arena….
Most of my training is done on the bike. Because I live on the coast, which is a popular holiday destination, it is not safe to use the trike so most of my riding is on bike. A lot of the local roads are quite narrow so it is also much easier to use the bike. I have no problems swapping from bike to trike or trike to bike. The positions are all very much the same and I seem to be able to adapt from one to the other very quickly. However I do feel much safer on the trike in wet conditions – the legacy of a fall from the bike while racing a number of years ago.
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- What do you consider your best performance? What is the story behind it? Although I have won two national 10 mile championships and three National Tricycle League championships I think the 2002 world championship in France provided me with most satisfaction. That year was the realisation of a dream, seeing the European trike championship - which I had helped launch in 1998 - actually becoming a world championship. My father died in April and I wanted to win the gold medal for him but Mr Brown thwarted my dream, although I felt I put up a good challenge and could not have tried harder – against a much younger opponent. |
I think that was the year we attracted TV coverage for the event and what was special for me was that my daughter attended the event. Having her with me when I received the silver medal was special. That day I rode with a photograph of my late father in my racing shoe....
As you know St Marsault has a special place in my heart. This is because in 1998 together with a former policeman who lives in the village with his French wife, we launched tricycle racing in Europe. I had been visiting the village as a holiday destination for more than 10 years and was well known to the local villagers. The decision was made in March and the race was held in June of that year. It involved a lot of organisation and I think both Roger Clemerson and myself made ourselves ill putting the race on. We attracted letters of support from President Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as a good luck message from the Tour de France organisation. We organised T-shirts, baseball caps and even a special bottle of wine was produced with its own label! Luckily Roger Alma joined us the following year and then as Roger Clemerson and myself retired from the race organisation, Roger Alma was joined by Frank Farmery to take over the organisation as the race achieved world championship status in 2002 – a very special and proud moment for me. When the event was launched in 1998 it was our dream to achieve world status. My regret is that I was never able to win the title in front of the French supporters who always gave me a terrific reception and even today still greet me as Le Pantheur Rose or Msr Rose!!!
-. Now to the coming WC. You had the opportunity to have a look at the course. Your opinion? What is your ambition? Which riders are to be considered as favourites?
I think those travelling to Belgium can look forward to an unforgettable experience. While the French event was praised for its outstanding organisation and the warm welcome from the local people, I believe the race in Asse will be bigger and better and provide a real showcase for tricycle racing. I anticipate much bigger crowds and have nothing but admiration for the work that Andre and his wife Marleen have put into the organisation, together with Roger and Myra Alma. I really hope tricyclists rally round and give their support to the event and make it a huge success – the best ever overseas tricycle championship. France provided the foundations, now there is a real opportunity to build on that success and establish tricycle racing as a European event.
The course will be challenging. It is very technical with a combination of fast stretches, downhill and uphill sections and some potentially tricky bends. It combines both a town centre circuit with a section in the country which should suit all tastes. I really think that the tandem tricyclists will have a testing but enjoyable time…. While the time trial will be down to pure speed the evening circuit race will become a battle of endurance and strength over a course which will become increasingly difficult with each lap….
My personal ambitions? Naturally I would love to win the championship but realistically I have to admit that age and fitness are against me. After the disappointment of last year when I failed to make the top three, my target is to try to regain a place on the podium – I will give 100 per cent effort.- To end, could you tell us about an unforgettable experience, a true tricycle story? I once beat Chris Boardman, the former yellow jersey holder and world time trial champion in a time trial while racing on the tricycle… It happened in the classic time trial event, the Porthole Grand Prix, a popular 25-mile (40km) tour of Lake Windermere in the Lake District in the north west of England. We were both in the 120-strong field. Chris managed just five miles before his handlebars split in two forcing him to retire. I punctured just before the start, replaced the tube and carried out. I managed to get about seven miles into the race when I punctured for a second time. Not having another spare tube, I decided to retire. However I managed to complete two more miles than Chris… |
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In another visit to the Lake District, I was racing on the fast Levens course which has a very fast downhill start when you can reach speeds of more than 30mph. In one race my computer showed 35mph when I was thrown off the trike and over the handlebars, suffering bruised ribs and severe bruising to my chest, arms, legs and stomach. The offside wheel had come adrift – I had forgotten to tighten up the wheel nut! Remarkably I had completed a 10 mile warm-up without any problems. The unfortunate thing was that the incident happened just seven days before the national championships...
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- Any last words? I would just like to thank André and Marleen and the people of Asse for their support in staging the 2006 World Tricycle Championship. I think their decision will be rewarded with a really entertaining event. Thanks also to the work put in by Roger and Myra Alma. As a previous organiser I know how much time and dedication is required to ensuring the event goes ahead. Without such enthusiasts events like this would not go ahead. I hope tricyclists everywhere rally round and make this event – the first in Belgium – a huge success.
Interview: Trike Anyday - photos: Wayne Baker |