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By Bob Jolliffe

Few women have ridden sub four hour 100s, but Angela Carpenter managed it in her one and
only effort over the distance. It was entered on a whim, and raced just two days after moving
into her house in Chichester last June. “Exhausting. I don’t seem to make life easy on myself,”
she said.

That 100 mile time of 3:53:16, coupled to 50 in 1:52:48 and 51:56 for 25 miles earned the 50
year-old fourth place in the CTT Women’s British Best All Rounder competition, one of numerous
spectacular results and age records she set during 2019. They included the VTTA National 10
and 25 titles on scratch and standard, the National Three Distance Competition overall and first
woman and third overall in the VTTA Short Distance competition. She also set National age
records for 15 miles, 25 miles, 30 miles and 100 miles.

There was also an equally impressive showing in the Wessex Group Two and Three distance
competitions and BAR and there were also age records at 10 and 50 miles. A host of other
awards came in CTT National and South District competitions.

All of this is some achievement, especially when you hear that she only started riding time trials
in South DC’s Sporting Road Bike series in 2017, in which she won the Spring Cup. She actually
started cycling in her early 30s on a heavy mountain bike. “I loved it and took to the trails both
locally in the South Downs and in the Lake District, Wales, Quantocks, Exmoor and even Greece,”
she said, adding “It was all for fun, no racing.”
Then she started running, doing adventure racing including the Scottish Coast to Coast, which
also included mountain biking and some kayaking. “My adventure racing team duo was called
Brains and Brawn. I was the brawn, which got me out of being blamed for navigation errors.”

She got a road bike in 2007, but it was tucked away for a while as running took precedence. But
she began having breathing issues, which eventually led to a diagnosis of asthma and her
stopping running and taking up some gentle cycling instead.

Three years on and with the diagnosis made, her cycling became more vigorous. She took part
in the Rome Granfondo, three Ride Londons with Team Prudential and then the UCI Tour of

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