St Albans mum to cycle alongside Olympic star Victoria Pendleton in Macmillan Cycletta
St Albans mum Lottie Williams and Olympic cycling champion Victoria Pendleton - Credit: Photo supplied
Braving the roads on her “rickety” old bike for the first time in decades has helped a St Albans mum-of-four gain enough confidence to enter a women’s-only cycle series and become a coach.
St Albans indoor cycling instructor Lottie Williams is training for the Macmillan Cycletta - Credit: Photo supplied
Lottie Williams, a former primary school teacher, will join Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton in this year’s Macmillan Cycletta, a series which enables female cyclists to raise money to help people affected by cancer.
Lottie met the cycling champion in London on Tuesday when she launched the series which features routes from a manageable 20km to a more challenging 60-70km.
The mum explained that when she was about to turn 40 two years ago, that looming milestone prompted her to address her fitness levels – or lack thereof – although she had not taken part in sports since leaving school.
Lottie hit the roads with a rickety old bike, and with regular indoor cycle training and the support of fellow riders in St Albans, she entered last year’s cycletta.
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She described completing the event as a “real turning point in my life”, and she credits cycling with boosting her confidence levels, as her family has gone through some tough times.
This included seeing her son left profoundly disabled following treatment for leukaemia at the age of three.
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Lottie is now an indoor stationary cycling trainer and a cycling coach.
After meeting Victoria in London she described her as “a lovely lady and down-to-earth”.
The sports star doled out tips to fellow cyclists, including the importance of wearing gloves so they do not cut their palms should they fall off their bikes, and to “invest in really good padded shorts”.
At an earlier press conference Victoria said it was important to hold women-only events such as the Macmillan Cycletta, where participants responded being in a “less intimidating environment”.
The series starts in South Wales on June 8, and Victoria and Lottie will both take part in the Bedfordshire event on June 29, at Woburn Abbey.
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