WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE ON THE Cycling #cw5000 5000 MILE CHALLENGE 2021

Last year thousands of riders took on Cycling Weekly’s challenge of riding 5,000 miles in 2020. Vern Pitt spoke to some of the riders and passes on their advice and inspiration for this year’s entrants

- Vern Pitt

THE GRAVEL ENTHUSIAST

Gethin Howells

Howells bought his first road bike 13 years ago to train for mountain biking, then realised he was much better on the road than the dirt. The cardiac physiologist and third cat racer decided to do the CW5000 because, “I like figures and I like a target.

“It helps me to get out of the house. That’s the hardest part, once you’re out there it’s fine,” he explains. “I always have a target in mind, whether it be a certain mileage, certain average speed or certain elevation gain.”

He continues: “I’ve never been somebody who likes cycling by themselves, I always go out with friends or the Ystwyth Cycling Club.

“And with what’s going on this year, this has given me focus to get out. I probably wouldn’t have done that without the challenge, it kept me sane throughout lockdown.”

The 41-year-old says he averages 4,000 miles a year most years. “Being me I panicked and overshot the mark early, I completed 5,000 in August.”

He also took on almost all of the monthly challenges the magazine set him. “I probably missed a couple in January but beyond that I did them all.”

A big fan of his gravel bike he’s been enjoying exploring the forests: “I didn’t know my area as I thought I did.”

The only downside he says is initially he became “a bit of a hill dodger” to help keep the mileage up. But one of the monthly climbing challenges over the summer snapped him out of that.