Exclusive: Wooler Wheel announce 2014 plans
Navigation:
Home » Sportives

Exclusive: Wooler Wheel announce 2014 plans
Cash 4 Kids as beneficiary, Ned Boulting ambassador for Borderlands


When Beth Mills decided to host a cycling challenge in October 2012 with the aim of introducing people to the rural town of Wooler in spectacularly scenic Northumberland, little did she realise the impact it would have.

Just 12 months from delivering her first ever event, plans for the fourth Wooler Wheel production are complete, doubling maximum capacity to 2000 riders across four rides on May 17 and acting as a springboard for the Wooler Outdoor Week – a seven day celebration of activities the town has to offer.

FIRSTS
A series of firsts defines the 2014 Borderlands cycling challenge where the unique meets the unusual. A first project with charity Cash 4 Kids and ITV cycling’s Ned Boulting as event ambassador, Britain’s first junior sportive and the first cattle market - complete with bull ring - to host a sportive HQ.

According to Mills, growing from the debut Wooler Wheel event in October 2012, which attracted a sellout of 350 riders, to an event which is the focal point of the town calendar, has been only possible due to unprecedented support from the local community and riders.

“We took the advice available – for example from British Cycling guidelines – and then added to it. We went straight out for best-practice from day one.”

Beth Mills on the delivery of the Wooler Wheel.

Describing the reaction from participants at the first event as “unbelievable”, Mills said it was customer pressure which triggered the organisation of a second event sooner than planned.

“I was inundated with emails, posts on facebook, on the website, phone calls, post, it was overwhelming” Mills said, describing the immediate reaction to the inaugural event.

“They had really enjoyed the experience, the day, the route and the marshals. And because it was a community project they said the people made it as well, as they cheered them on even in the middle of nowhere. When they told us they could not wait a year for the next event, we decided to run another ride in May.”

WRITING SUCCESS
Such success came as a result of meticulous planning by Beth and a man she calls the 'routemaster'.

“We write everything down”, is the basic explanation offered by Mills when questioned over the way in which Wooler Wheel events are organised.

“This was from day one. I run a highly-graded bed and breakfast, the routemaster came from a high pressure business and we both knew if you’re putting something on to showcase the area you have to do the best from the very first moment.

“We took the advice available – for example from British Cycling guidelines – and then added to it. We went straight out for best-practice from day one.”

But this approach was balanced throughout by the fact that for Mills, organising any kind of event was a totally new venture.

“When you start this, you have no clue, there are alot of unknowns and had anyone told me what it would involve I would have run a mile”, is Mills’ humoured conclusion when asked to describe the past year, tempered by her anecdote, of dreaming of blurred spokes when she sleeps, such is the all-consuming nature of event organisation.

“I think it is the steepest learning curve I’ve ever undertaken. I don’t think I’ve had so many sleepless nights” Mills confesses, adding that the pressure only increased following the first Wooler Wheel.

“The event does feel like a big responsibility now and it’s a responsibility that we’ve started to look more deeply in to – not just what we do on the day, but who we attract on the day as well. And there is the responsibility that the next time you put the event on they won’t be disappointed.

“When you start this, you have no clue and had anyone told me what it would involve I would have run a mile”

“When it first happened Wooler had never seen anything like this since the 1950s and certainly on this scale, but now people turn out and a lot of people in the community take part. The feedback from them is invaluable and you get very honest feedback and we always take that as it is how you progress.

“My bed and breakfast is based upon welcoming people into my home and looking after them while they’re here and if they go out walking in the hills and during the day I worry until they get back. I have exactly the same feeling with the cyclists; I wanted to welcome them into the area, look after them and worried until each one was back. And as for the event coming up in May – I’m worried about that already!”

Entries for the 2014 Wooler Wheel Borderlands go live on Sunday December 1.

Part two of the Wooler Wheel interview on December 2 will explore the challenges of organising a growing event and the benefits that the growth of the event has had for the local community.