Team Wiggle Tandem finally broke cover on their superfast tandem outfit Rocket 1 last week with a successful 3 day trip scouting out potential problems that the team may encounter in its bid to set a new record from Pembroke in South Wales to Great Yarmouth on the coast of Norfolk this summer.
“It’s been a while coming but it feels good to get out on the road in near enough record setting trim,” commented pilot Jeremy Hastings. “We had some setbacks to our proposed schedule but we also have a great team around us and it’s a testament to their dedication that we are out here checking out the route for a June attempt.”
Original plans for a late March attack were scuppered when stoker David Harmon suffered a double tear to the left Achilles tendon following a crash in training. The injury put all record attempts on hold, but a rigorous regime of rehabilitation brought back use of the left ankle in under 2 months.
“It was very depressing at first but, thanks to the incredible support from Peta McSharry at Sports Massage Zone, I am now back and able to train again” said Harmon, who is currently on duty with Eurosport commentating on the Giro d’Italia alongside classics legend Sean Kelly.
Team Wiggle Tandem will attempt to set a new Pembroke to Great Yarmouth record of under 17 hours in the 3rd week of June aboard Rocket 1, an all-new tandem machine designed and built by legendary British framebuilder Terry Dolan. Featuring a host of features unseen on an endurance tandem before, Rocket 1 is the first in a series of machines that Team Wiggle Tandem hope to use to tackle some of the” End to End”. There may even be an attempt at the legendary Paris-Brest-Paris race in 2011. Some of the ground-breaking technology includes Hope disc braking, a custom carbon tandem fork, Rotor Q-Rings and custom-manufactured PowerTap cranks and Fast Forward carbon rims.
Richard Gorman, team principal of Team Wiggle Tandem, is in no doubt that the combination of preparation and technology is vital in any record attempt; “The time and effort that our equipment providers have put into this project is incredible and we are very happy to welcome Fast Forward and PowerTap to the team. We firmly believe this is the best tandem in the world right now. Coming out to recce the course has been vital too; there are a lot of little details that could be easily overlooked but that could have massive effects on the record attempt: roadworks, traffic calming systems, volume of traffic and local events can all play a part and we have to be 100% on the ball.”
Pilot Jez Hastings continues to tune his form at home in Islay whilst stoker Harmon racks up the miles morning and evening alongside regular riding partner Sean Kelly in a programme designed to bring back form.
Harmon and Hastings will come together again on Rocket 1 after the Giro d’Italia, when the pair will tackle both the Verenti Dragon Ride and the Northern Rock Cyclone sportive rides over some of the toughest terrain in the U.K. before assembling the full team in Pembroke on June 19th.
