Bea Underwood
Name: Bea Underwood
Age: 44
Location: Devon
Experience
I had pretty good base fitness before signing up, mainly from running, swimming and mountain/gravel biking, but less experience on a road bike and had never done anything even remotely near this scale. I had got a gravel bike for my 40th birthday and enjoyed doing leisure rides. Then 12 months before Le Loop I did my first and only sportive – the Dartmoor Classic Piccolo at less than 45 miles. I had no idea that a year later I’d be in France!
If I can do it, anyone can! Following the Le Loop training plan from the moment I signed up was a great way to build up my mileage and feel confident that I was on track with my training. I was lucky to have excellent mentors to learn from (my partner and several friends are Grand Loopers) and discovered that experienced cyclists seem really happy to share their knowledge and expertise with a novice. It wasn’t just their words of wisdom that helped, but their skills in showing me how to ride as part of a group, increase my speed and stamina, and to ‘ride with my head’. Their tuition helped me so much, but I’m sure if someone doesn’t have cycling friends, finding a club would be a good alternative. The staff on Le Loop were all amazing, so helpful and polite, and everything is so well organised from start to finish. They really do take care of everything. My three stages were fantastic, with beautiful scenery, from rolling farmland to stunning river valleys and mountains, and people cheering you along the way - I loved (almost) every moment! I had been nervous about joining in with a group of awesome cyclists and worried I would feel out of place or just not able to live up to the challenge. I’m sure that’s natural when you take on something so totally new. But I’m so glad I overcame those fears.
Where are you now?
I’d love to be out on my bike as much as I was then, but my time is a bit more balanced now, with more of my previous sports than during the run up to Le Loop and a little less cycling. I still enjoy doing longer rides than I had ever done before and I’m keen to take on another sporting challenge in future – I really hope that could involve some more stages of Le Loop!