The Day I Cycled the IMUK loop With 7 Times an Ironman ‘Crooky’!
So, 14 weeks into my amazing journey, a most magical thing happened.
7 times Ironman (4 x Bolton) and local IMUK legend ‘Crooky’ very kindly agreed to cycle the 47 Mile IMUK loop with me.
This sent me into dreamland!
Getting to ride the entire loop with someone like this and interview them at the same time was definitely one of the highlights of my amazing journey so far!
I should point out that me and ‘Crooky’ didn’t really know eachother before today, but I hope that I will be seeing him again many times on my journey, you will soon discover why!
I should also point out that Crooky has an issue with me calling him a ‘legend’ and I quote “I am just a normal bloke with a little too much time on his hands that likes to exercise a bit”
Likes to Exercise a bit?
The man has already completed 7 full Ironman triathlons and has his eye on doing 12 for goodness sake!!!
The fact that he plays it down in such a humble way makes him even more of a legend as far as this first timer is concerned!!
At the end of the day, for me, when someone like Crooky speaks…..
I listen!!!!
Here is how it went!
Given recent 100 mile ‘grinds’ I had been planning to take full advantage of the sunny weather this weekend by treating myself to a single loop on Saturday afternoon and was really looking forward to it.
But then I got a message from Crooky late on Friday night.
‘Doing the loop tomorrow 7:30am start if you are about’
I had been pestering him to do this with me for a while and finally, here was my chance.
It took me about 10 seconds to abandon my plans and snatch his hand off!
With the ‘meet’ arranged my attention was drawn to sorting the bike out.
My front tyre had been ‘going down’ inbetween rides and I decieded that it would be a good idea to change the innertube.
I wont bore you with all the details but 1 hour and 3 ‘dud’ innertubes later the front wheel was finally good to go.
This is seriously unacceptable to the point where tyre changing training sessions are now actually inked onto my Ironman training calendar going forward.
With that out of the way I finally gets in bed for a relatively early night setting my alarm for 6am to be at the bottom of Babylon lane for a 7.30 meet.
At 2:30am I wakes up ‘ping’ wide awake.
I was simply unable to get back to sleep – I was more excited than what I am on a race day! – my mind was whirling with the excitement of riding the loop with a 7x finisher and all the questions I planned to ask him.
I pretty much lay awake until 5:30 in that awful state where your body is technically ‘resting’ as it is just lying there but your brain is working at a million miles an hour.
I arrived at our meeting point in good time and was surprised to see Crooky already there complete with his distinctive yellow and black ‘pirate top’.
For those who do not know who the pirates are, they are a group of Ironmen, large in number, that go by the name ‘Pirate ship of Fools’, often abbreviated to PSOF and I doubt it is any coincidence that this triggers the words ‘Piss Off’ in the mind.
Legend has it that it all started with one guy who, whilst training for Ironman on a budget, developed his own aero bars using empty Pringles dispensers and a Smarties tube.
Then, in his small daughter’s school bag, he found the pirate sticker, which sat happily on front of the now legendary ‘AeroPringles’.
If, after reading that, you don’t immediately want to become one, then don’t worry about it…
You likely never will……..
But the pirate’s website continues…
“People who take themselves too seriously or demand respect because they reckon they are ‘great triathletes’ soon lose interest. So we are left with a great bunch of people, with a huge can-do attitude who aren’t afraid to laugh at themselves and each other in the process. That’s what the Pirates are all about”
Make no mistake though, some of these Pirates have gone on to record many fantastic times at Ironman, times many a ‘expert’ would be more than a little envious of….
Anyhow once I got myself sorted we cracked on up Babylon lane and I started to fire the questions at Crooky:
So How many times Have you Done the Ironman Crooky?
7
Wow! which ones have you done?
IMUK Bolton four times, Wales, South Africa and Lanzarotte
Which of those was your favourite?
Bolton, for the atmosphere, but South Africa for the beautiful scenary
And The Most Difficult?
Lanzarotte- Heat, Hills everywhere and you haven’t seen wind until you have cycled in Lanzarotte!
If you don’t mind my asking, How old are you, what do you do for a living, and are your family supportive of your Ironman adventure?
I am 46, I work full time in solar energy, my girlfriend is very supportive of my adventures – she is even starting to get into it herself lately!
How Did You Get Into Triathlon?
I went to watch the Ironman in Bolton town centre and I loved the amazing crowds and the fantastic atmosphere, when I saw what happened to the final finisher I thought to myself ‘I want a bit of this’ and signed up for the next race pretty much straight away
Had you any prior triathlon Experience?
No
Wow You went and did an Ironman as your first triathlon?
Yes! But don’t get me wrong, I trained really hard for it!
However prior to the Ironman, I had not done a triathlon before
I’m surprised you came out with me today given what I worte last week!
I totally understand your journey and what you are trying to do, Iron
What training did you do for your first Ironman?
I trained for pretty much 12 months solid, my training started the day I entered the event
Specifically what training did you do?
At that time the course was different, you had to do Sheep House Lane 3 times instead of twice and there was no Hunters, so I went out and practiced sheep House Lane almost every morning before work for three months together with regular runs and brick sessions.
What about the swim?
When I first started I could only swim breast stroke, but this got me round the swim element fine
That’s an amzing ‘tip’ in itself! Any more about the swim?
Due to the rolling start it can take you up to 25/30 minutes to enter the water after the race has begun! – The pros have often already completed their first lap before I even get in!
Many people don’t realise this!
Do You Still Swim Breaststroke at events?
No, I can do front crawl now
What would your top tip be for people that want to learn front crawl?
Learn how to use the pull buoy, it really helped me
How did you find balancing all the training with working full Time?
I got up earlier and trained every day before I went to work and again at weekends.
If you want something badly enough you will find a way.
Which of your Ironman races was you most proud of?
Obviosuly my first, you will never forget your first one, ever!
But I had a bad injury before another race yet still went on to complete it, so that one is right up there too.
Talking of Injuries, Have you had many issues on that score?
Touch wood, I have been very lucky.
But as I mentioned above, There was one time that I pushed it a bit too far on steep decent, hit a pot hole at about 35mph and came off the bike, I was so badly injured that I had to phone for an ambulance and my knee was in a right mess.
It wasn’t long before the Ironman race but I didn’t let it stop me from completing it!!
In typical Ironman fashion Crooky made sure that I understood his bike was OK after the accident!
More importantly he went on to make a good recovery, but pointed to a big scar on his knee!
Is that why they call you Crooky then!
Yes! partly because of my Crooky Knee!
Speaking of the Bike, You have a very nice looking one there Crooky! looks like it would be more expensive than some of the cars on this street! How much did that cost?
You are right!
What was your first Bike?
I did my first Ironman on a £400 aluminium Trek and got round fine!
Having Ridden Ironman on Both, What difference Does the expensive bike make?
Is it the bike or is it the rider? that’s the million dollar question, I think its a mix of the two, heavily weighted towards the rider, as a crap athlete on a fantastic bike is still a crap athlete.
An expensive bike is the cherry on the cake, but first you have got to bake the cake.
Just on that note whenever I got a bit ‘lively’ and went charging off I loved the way Crooky would effortlessly come gliding past me in a way that said ‘nice try but don’t even think about it sunshine’
How Are you at Sorting Punctures?
Front i’m OK but back does my head in!
Whenever I am out though I always carry at least 2 spare innertubes and a couple of bottles of Co2 Gas
Have you ever had puncture/tec issues on race day?
Again I have been very lucky, but once my tyre went down the day before a race for no apparent reason (how spooky is that)
I racked my bike at transition and pumped it up fine, but when I came back the next day it had gone down again, I should have changed it, but I didn’t and just pumped it back up.
Anyhow second time round sheephouse on race day and what happens? Tyre goes down.
How Long was you by the side of the road?
I don’t know exactly but probably a good 20 minutes, you try not to panic and stay calm but that is easier said than done when the clock is ticking and all the other athletes are whizzing past! even for me!!
I think you are right when you say you need to practice punctures as part of your training!
Are you a member of any Tri or Running Club?
Other than the Pirates, No, I have thought about it but I would prefer to do my own routes on a day/time to suit me
Tell me more about the Pirates
The Pirates are a group of Ironmen that subscribe to the mindset you talk about above (aeropringles, attitude, etc) some do train together but mostly we train alone (due largely to the fact that we live all over the place) we interact online and then ‘come together’ to race certain events throughout the year, there are often large numbers of pirate supporters in the crowd that go mad when they see the kit.
When I first went along they were very welcoming to me and we had such a laugh, it was ace!
Going back to Bolton, what do you love most about this event?
Without doubt the atmosphere from the thousands of spectators.
They are all superb but you will see certain ones that really stand out from the rest – case in point There is one lady who completes the Ironman herself and then goes and stands in the middle of the run course and shouts encouragement at every single athlete that runs past, she has done that every year since goodness knows when, look out for her. (OMG!)
Lovin That! Any other tips specific for Bolton?
When you hit the amazing crowds on Hunters Hill you will feel a rush of energy but resist the urge to get out of the saddle and go stomping up it, many a time I have done likewise then got to the top and thought ‘why the fuk did I just do that?’
Do the Pros Ever Talk to you as they come past?
You will hear the other athletes shouting for Lucy (gossage) as she passes them and if you do likewise she will always smile at you and say thank you, every time. (Can I just say I had tears in my eyes writing that!)
What Is the funniest thing you have ever seen on your journey?
In South Africa a couple of guys came stomping past me on the bike dressed as a cow (and yes they were racing in the event!)
Looking Back on your journey is there anything you would change?
I would have liked to have trained more for some of the my more recent events
I have heard talk about ‘post ironman blues’, have you had any experience of this?
Not really because as soon as I finish an event I sign up for another!
So are there Any ‘Secrets’ that you would be prepared to share with me?!
Crooky went on to confirm quite a few things that I had already been told by the Ironmen, which was very re-assuring! but he added a couple more, one of which I had partly heard of, the other I definitely had not, and he kindly gave me permission to add these to my book.
What do you know now that you wish you would have known Before your first Ironman?
That everything is going to be alright
What Top Tips Would you Give to Other 1st timers Crooky?
- Carry a mobile phone with you at all times during your training, you never know when you might need it
- It can take ages to enter the water after the race has started due to the rolling start, (sometimes 20 min plus) bear this in mind with your plans
- Keep your transition simple, the amount of people I see with huge transition bags the size of a suitcase and 80% of the stuff in there they really do not need
- Trust Your Training – if you have trained hard for it you will be fine, do not worry about anything on race day, you will worry though (even I still do) but if you have trained properly, everything will be alright, trust in your training
- Enjoy every second and don’t forget to smile the whole way round (Whenever I ask an Ironman this question this is the one that comes up every single time)
- The guy who finishes in 10 hours is called an Ironman, so is the guy who finishes in 16:59
- Time passes fast, 6 months is nothing, maximise every second
Thanks! They Are SUPERB! What’s Next for you then?
I am doing Bolton, Italy and Lanzarotte again this year
3 More in 2017! What is your motivation to keep entering Ironman events?
I am never going to win, but after I experienced the amazing atmosphere at my first ever one I instantly wanted to do it again! after that my girlfriend is from South Africa so I thought we could kill two birds with one stone, combine another Ironman with a holiday like….
But then I got wind of the Kona legacy…
The Kona Legacy? What’s that?
If you complete 12 Ironman events you can apply to enter the Kona Legacy, it is like a lottery where our name goes into a hat and if you are successful you get to race at Kona, that is my dream.
That’s amazing Crooky! Good Luck With That! My goodness we are nearly at the end of the loop already! One last tip?
“The biggest tip of the lot, On your final lap of the run, say thank you to all those people out on the course, all the volunteers, the marshalls, the event crew, the people on the feed stations, all the supporters….
They have been on their feet all day……
For you…..
Make sure you say thank you to every single one of them as you pass”.
With that ‘lump in the throater’ one of the most amazing IMUK loops of my life drew to a close.
I can’t finish without telling you one other thing…
See This Picture?
Some other cyclists from Preston kindly took that for us outside the legendary Rigbye Arms at the top of Hunters Hill, not before I had re-arranged the ‘Ironman’ sign mind!
It was hidden from view by a big wagon and the lads watched open mouthed as I went and fetched it!
We had a laugh with them, exchanged the usual pleasantries and they asked me about my jacket before quickly boasting ‘I did IMUK for the first time last year’ and I did the ‘Lakesman’ and ‘I did this, I did that’….
I looked at Crooky and was amazed at how he just sat there listening to them go on without uttering a single word…
When they finally got it all out of their system I looked again at Crooky with a ‘Go on then! TELL EM!!!’ Expression but he just continued to sit there in silence with a big smile on his face.
I am not having a go lads, I enjoyed the conversation,.
But I thought this summed up beautifully the quality of guy we are dealing with here! (as if that wasn’t evident already!)
I was very aware as we went round of constantly being ‘in the moment’ and that I was creating memories today that will last a lifetime.
A million thanks to Crooky for taking the time out to do this, it means the world to me and I feel certain many a first timer will benefit form his words in the months and years to come!
But what was our time for the loop I hear you all cry?
Really?
Have you not learnt anything at all here, lol?
Seen as you ask the question…..
Thanks to Crooky, I recorded my best time of 2017!…..
You can follow crooky’s amazing Kona adventrure on his twitter feed @crookybwfc
To Your amazing Journey!
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