Secret of champions’ success as simple as riding a bike

THE benefits of sheer bloody-minded hard work were graphically illustrated to me last November when I tried to ride a bike over Torr Head.

Situated on the north Antrim coast, Torr Head provides a cyclist with breathtaking scenery and a breathtaking five-mile climb. It combines rugged beauty with ritual torture.

The assault on Torr was the brainchild of my friend, Philip. Precisely 14 weeks earlier, Philip had bought a new bike. A cyclist in his teenage days, he quit at 16. That was 22 years ago. He hadn’t worn Lycra since.