- It's hard enough doing swimming, cycling,
and running back to back.
Then imagine doing that whilst attached to another athlete.
Well, I want to find out just what it's like
to be a guided athlete
and also the challenges that face the guide themselves.
So I've come here to Mallory Park race circuit
for the British paratriathlon training day to find out more.
(relaxing music)
Today I'm finding out
how the paralympic visually impaired athletes compete
and train with the assistance of their guide.
They're attached by a cord for the swim and the run,
and then they ride together on the tandem.
Well, as we are here,
I thought I probably should have a go
to actually experience what it's like to be guided
and maybe even do some guiding.
But as you can see, I've got a tandem,
I have never ridden in tandem before,
but the biggest problem being,
I need someone to help me
so I have recruited an expert guide.
I'm delighted to say that today,
I'm gonna be joined by Mia from GCN Español.
- Hello!
- Thanks for joining me Mia.
- Thank you.
- And I know that you know what you're doing
and I really don't, but where do we start with this?
- Are you ready?
- I don't think so but,
(Mia laughs)
I'm gonna have to give it a go!
- One, two, up!
- Oh my God.
(Mia laughs)
- And then we'll start pedal.
Pedal, pedal, pedal.
Pedal!
And then we'll cue it.
- Ah!
- And you tell me.
- Sorry about that!
- No, no worries!
Are you doing good?
- Yeah!
- Okay, perfect!
(relaxing music)
- [Learner] As you can see,
riding a tandem isn't quite as easy
as the pros make it look.
The visually impaired athlete, or in this case myself,
sits on the back, and the guide at the front.
Now the guide's role is to control the bike.
So they'll steer, break, accelerate, and most importantly,
communicate to the athlete on the back.
As a guided athlete, your job is to keep your head down
and pedal at the same rate as your guide.
You're going to have little choice in your RPM
as the two drive chains are connected,
meaning you must pedal simultaneously.
- [Mia] Up, up up, up, up!
- Pick up!
(excited screaming)
(relaxing music)
- [Learner] So Mia, you've obviously been a guide
for many years.
How did you become a tandem guide or a triathlon guide?
(mumbles)
- I used to be a swimmer.
And then when I moved to Spain,
because I was born in Mexico City,
and I used to do triathlon event when I moved to Spain,
I started triathlon more seriously.
And then I had an injury in my foot,
so I couldn't do the running.
So I started cycling and as I started cycling,
a girl just like, "Oh do you want to be my guide?
I want to start doing the UCIs and the bigger races."
So we started in the tandem together
and then I started racing as my own, as well in the cycling.
And yeah, I became a tandem pilot, just for cycling.
And then, we got really big results
and then I went to the Paralympics in London.
And then a friend that new that I did triathlons before
just contact me and,
"Oh, do you want to be my guide for triathlon?"
And I'm like, I haven't done triathlon in a while
and I don't know.
So we started together and it's when the sport started.
It was gonna be the first time in the Olympics, in Rio.
So we just started doing the races
and we got a pretty big result.
And yeah, it was really nice.
- And what do you think are the qualities
that you need to be a good guide,
or to be a guide in the first place, like what?
- I think you have to trust each other.
It's a team effort.
It's just, it's not because she's blind.
It's just, she's an athlete as well as you,
so you have to work together to get the result.
You have to talk to each other, know what you're feeling,
know your strengths.
And it's a lot of pressure
because you have all the responsibility.
But it's been a good road.
(relaxing music)
- Well that certainly made me realise
how tough it is to ride a tandem.
And the importance of a solid relationship.
Well I caught up with visually impaired athlete
Alison Peasgood and her guide Nikki Bartlett
to hear how the pros do it.
How do you go about finding a guide
and what are you looking for in your guide?
- [Alison] It's obviously, essentially,
you need someone that can swim, bike, and run quick enough.
But it's also, got that, kind of,
attitude where they can be confident,
that you feel that you can rely on them,
that you can build up a good rapport with them.
So it's not just that they can swim, bike,
and run really well.
It's that they can make you feel confident,
they can make you feel relaxed when you're in a situation
where you feel vulnerable.
- [Learner] And then how do you go about, sort of,
developing that trust with them?
- It's just spending time with them,
like running the bike, swimming.
For me, swimming's one of the challenging things.
When I go into water I really struggle to see at all.
So that's our trust, just by doing it
and feeling that the more that they understand
how hard you find it, and then just practising it,
you start to feel more confident in them.
- [Learner] And do you do much with your guide
outside of your, the actual swimming, cycling and running?
Like, how big a part of your life and training do they play?
- Yeah, you can't get away from Nikki,
so we're always doing things together.
Like socially, we'll go out just to build that relationship
so that you feel that you do get on with them.
Obviously you're not always gonna get on with everyone.
But you want an element of being able
to be friendly with them and understand
how they're feeling in certain situations.
- [Learner] And what have you had to develop yourself,
Whether that's like, your mentally or physically,
to be a better guide?
What have you had to work on?
- Oh I guess, 'cause obviously I came in this
and I've never guided before,
so it's just, it's getting to know Alison as a person.
How, what she needs around races,
what she needs around training and day-to-day life.
You know, her vision in different lights.
And then, obviously to more technical sides,
swimming alongside each other and getting in sync.
Then obviously tandem.
I've never ridden tandem in my life,
so that's something you have to get used to.
And then, on the run,
it's, well, we haven't done any run training together,
but it all seems to be good when the races
(mumbles)
The run is pretty self-explanatory.
- [Learner] And the biggest part obviously,
I'd imagine is communication,
when you're relying on the guide to communicate
what you can't see.
What are your communication strategies?
And, especially when you swim and you can't talk either?
- So swimming is a big one, cause you can't talk.
So it's just you'll talk through the,
where they buoys are beforehand
and normally in a race,
we'll do a
(mumbles)
so that we know that,
how many taps there'll be.
So basically we get taps on the head
for turning for a buoy,
and you'll talk through that there's be three taps
and they're left hand turns or whatever.
And then there's other communication tips
that maybe we don't want to give away
that we use for certain things.
But it's all like,
we've practised it so many times
so that I know exactly what each thing means.
- [Learner] And on the bike, what are you wanting to hear?
What are you asking from your guide?
- Mainly just that, when corners are coming, that,
like if it's a tight left hander,
that I can be effective with leaning the bike as well.
And then just what's going on,
so if you're in training ride, just to know what's happening
what's going on, where we are kind of thing.
And like, especially going through slow traffic,
it's good to know that we're just going steady
because there's cars in front.
Otherwise, I'm like, "Oh, why are we slowing down?"
(relaxing music)
- [Learner] Okay, it seems that I have been thrown in
at the deep end.
As British Paratriathlon I've very kindly,
invited myself to join in with their
full triathlon training race.
I'm really not sure what I'm letting myself in for,
cause we haven't practised swimming or running together.
Yes, we've done a little bit on the bike
and they have ever so kindly given me these goggles as well,
which are blacked out.
Well, not entirely,
but very much replicating what sort of
the V.I. athletes can see.
So there'll just be a little bit of light around the top.
Haven't even tried them on yet or tried swimming,
so Mia and I are gonna attach each other by the leg,
like a guide would do normally.
And I'm pretty much gonna have to rely on her.
We have not even swam together.
So a bit scared about that.
Then it's onto the bike,
which in theory is familiar zone,
although Mia is very ambitious
and she wants us to put the bike shoes on
and we're gonna see how that mind goes.
I'm not holding my breath.
And then finally the run when I'll be in my comfort zone.
And I'm just gonna run normally for that,
and we're gonna do it together.
So, it's fair to say I'm a little bit scared about this.
(relaxing music)
- [Learner] Well that was quite some experience
and I'm very grateful to have such an impressive guide.
Mia, thank you so much for your help on that.
But it really just gave a bit more of a perspective.
I mean, like, the swim,
I could just about see your
(mumbles)
and like you know with those goggles,
that was quite an experience, having not done that before.
- Oh my God, you could do sometimes though.
- Yeah, sorry.
- No, no worries.
(laughs)
It's normal.
- Yeah, but then on the bike, as you have probably seen.
The map was harder I think than we anticipated.
But obviously I am a complete novice.
But it just showed to me how much,
as a guided athlete, a visually impaired athlete,
that you've gotta trust your guide.
And I was lucky that I was learning to trust Mia.
I probably should have done more so,
but just how important it is to be such a strong guide.
- Yeah, you really have to practise,
as you see it's a relationship.
This is like a marriage.
- Yeah.
- You have to work out things and try new things as well.
And just practise a lot.
- Yeah. And I think we're lucky that we were
in sync for the swim and the run,
and you made it for the bike.
So that you so much for that,
I really enjoyed this experience.
Hopefully you guys enjoyed it, too.
But if you want to get all of our videos at GTN
then you can find the globe on the screen to subscribe.
- If you liked our video,
don't forget to give us some thumbs up!
- Awesome. And if you wanna see a video we did
on the Challenged Athletes Foundation,
you can find that just down here.
(Mia speaking another language)