Brian Alldis – from Bury St Edmunds to Beijing, next stop London

Brian is full of life and really passionate about his sport. He’s a T54 wheelchair racer – the T stands for track and the 54 is a classification based on muscles – Brian has very little muscle in his legs but strong stomach muscles.

He competes in 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, the marathon and relay races. He’s currently training for the London Paralympics in 2012 and hopes to be selected for as many events as possible.

“Beijing was an amazing experience and now everything is focussed on 2012. I’m so lucky that it’s happening in my era and I can’t wait.”

Brian started off playing wheelchair basketball (winning the 1999 National Junior Championships) but switched to wheelchair racing after a chance meeting with Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson at a charity event.

Tanni is Britain’s most successful paralympic athlete with 11 gold medals and has been Brian’s coach since 2005. “Tanni is an inspiration. My coach at the time felt he had done all he could do and so I approached Tanni and she’s been my coach ever since. She’s great. She’s really famous but she’s so down to earth. To me she’s just Tanni. She sends me regular coaching and training plans by email and I see her monthly when I go down to Lee Valley.”

A typical day for Brian means getting up at 8am and going out training at 9am. He usually does 10km to 40km (6-20 miles) each morning, eats Frosties before he goes out and toast and baked beans when he gets back. He then goes off to work in the afternoons – as an information assistant at Bury bus station.

“It’s a great atmosphere at work and I enjoy dealing with the public. Work sponsor me so I get time off whenever I need it – which can be quite a lot in the racing season. I’m off to Switzerland for two weeks this summer and then America for four weeks. I love travelling and seeing new places.”

Some facts and figures and other questions…

What’s your fastest speed?

36 miles an hour. It was downhill in the Tyne Tunnel, surrounded by other racers. It was scary but so great – you can see the race on www.tunnel2k.co.uk.

It’s described as the ‘fastest wheelchair race on the planet’ – it must be amazing, it certainly looks it.

It is. The top speed is nearly 50 miles an hour – I’m one of the slowest going downhill as I’m too light – but I make up for it on the uphill bit. It’s 1km downhill then 1km uphill. I came fifth last year.

Do you crash much?

Not on road races. We crash more often on track races. Racing is fantastic – it’s what I love – it’s unpredictable.

What about going out in the winter?

I like the cold – I was out in the snow this winter and loved it. It adds something extra, something a bit different.

Is it scary being out on the roads when you’re training?

No, cars give me loads of room – much more than they give bikes – it’s fantastic.

Tell us a bit about your wheelchair

My chair is specially made – it fits me really tightly, and it’s very expensive, so I have to be careful about what I eat. The frame costs £1,500, the carbon wheels are £1,500, the front wheel is £700 and the steering parts are £400. There’s also a compensator which I use on track races – you hit it to go straight and then hit it again to corner. I also have special gloves to protect my hands.

What are your aims for the future?

All I can think about is London 2012!

What about coaching – would you like to coach in the future?

I would if the opportunity came up. I help out a couple of juniors now and it’s great to pass my experience on.

What are your tips for other disabled young people who might be interested in wheelchair racing?

For information about getting involved in wheelchair racing look at www.bwra.org.uk

But try different sports and find something you love. You’ve got to enjoy it. This country is great for sport and there are so many opportunities. Coverage of the paralympics has really stepped up and hopefully after London there will be even more opportunities for disabled athletes.