In a testament to the power of team effort and a wee bit of patience, Beaudesert cyclist Charles Boyle has won his first medal in the sport.
Avid cyclist Charles Boyle was primed to compete at the AusCycling Track National Championships at the end of March, but the event was called off twice due to Covid.
On 26 November, he finally got to compete at Anna Meares Velodrome in Chandler as part of the UQ Track Cycling Team, and they won bronze in the team pursuit event.
The competition had evolved from a national championships into a national challenge, with state teams competing via timed events in their respective velodromes due to limitations on interstate travel.
By the time the national challenge rolled around, Boyle and his teammates had been training hard all year with no off season, in the hope they would eventually get to compete.
As well as riding around local scenic country roads with wife Jennie and Beaudesert Cycling Club, Boyle trains at the velodrome several times a week and two of their daughters have got into the sport.
Boyle, who shifted from bodybuilding to cycling in April 2020 when gyms shut due to Covid lockdowns, said it was a thrill to train and compete as part of a team.
“I really don’t do it for medals, it’s for my own personal improvement, but to get a medal was the icing on the cake,” he said.
“Because it’s a team event, you all want to achieve something together and because we were meant to be competing in March and April, we’ve not really had an off season, we’ve just been training non-stop for this moment.”
Boyle’s first cycling medal was particularly hard-earned because he competed just days after having four of his teeth, including both of his wisdom teeth, removed.
After the first day of competition, including the medal-winning team event, he bowed out of the second day’s events to recover from the surgery.
Boyle and his teammates now compete in the state titles on 17-18 December.
