Pensioner’s pedal passion powers him through 9,200 miles in a year

Pensioner’s pedal passion powers him through 9,200 miles in a year

Cycling fanatic Torty Hubert decided to celebrate turning 81 at the beginning of 2017 by pedalling 8,100 miles over the course of the year.

After reaching his target with several weeks to spare, the St Brelade resident added a further 1,100 miles for good measure.

‘My normal annual bike mileage is between 4,000 and 5,000 miles and last January I decided to make it 8,100 miles – because it seemed a good idea at the time,’ said Mr Hubert, who rides a £1,500 Focus racing bike.

‘By the end of November I had reached my target so I pressed on and I even did 30 miles on Christmas Day.’

Mr Hubert, whose passion for pedal-powered transport developed after the Occupation – ‘I did a ten-mile time trial at the age of 15 and finished in under 30 minutes’ – says he averaged 30 to 40 miles a day last year.

‘I’d do 50 miles twice a week and a bit less on the other days, spending about 15 to 16 hours a week on the bike,’ explained Mr Hubert, who has two grown-up sons, Peter and Tim, who also ride, and a granddaughter – Nicole – who is engaged to a keen cyclist.

‘Every day when I got back home I would check the mileage on my Garmin bike computer and write it down, then I’d have a pint of low-fat milk – it’s the best recovery drink.’

Mr Hubert, who is an honorary life member of the Caesarean Cycling Club – which he joined in 1951 – amassed some of the mileage in Spain and France, where he joined 7,500 other riders for the La Pierre Le Bigaut Sportive in Brittany for the 15th time.

‘In February and March last year I cycled down in Calpe in Spain, a very hilly area near Benidorm, where there were a lot of professional cycling teams training.

‘I also did the La Pierre Le Bigaut Sportive again. The sheer volume of riders is impressive – you can cycle in a group of 100 riders and get drawn along with them or catch the next big group, or drop back into another large group. You can also choose to do 60, 80 or 100 miles.’

Mr Hubert, who turns 82 on Friday and has in the past cycled up the fabled 6,273-ft Mont Ventoux in Provence, added: ‘I am a glutton for punishment, but I love the feeling of freedom cycling gives you.’

The octogenarian, who was part of Jersey’s team for the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff and served as president of the Commonwealth Games Association of Jersey from 1966-1978, says his weight came down to 8 st 9 lb last year – the same as it had been in 1958.

‘Best of all, I still don’t need to take any medication,’ he added

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