York couple complete trans-US cycle odyssey

7:00pm Thursday 3rd July 2008

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THE first UK couple to complete a gruelling cycle race across America are back home after braving extremes of temperature, a huge thunderstorm, “sugar burn” – and a frog chorus.

Stacey Eccles and Brian Welsh, of Nether Poppleton, took part in Race Across America, a 3,013-mile bicycle race from California in the west to Maryland in the east. Cycling in shifts so that one of them was always in the saddle, the couple completed the trip in eight days, 17 hours and 58 minutes making them only the second man and woman team – and the first UK couple – to complete the race in under the allotted nine hours.

Stacey, 36, who works for Nestlé, said: “The best bit was crossing the finishing line together. There was also a stretch called the glass elevator where you just descend and you can feel the heat coming off the rocks. We were travelling at 48mph and the support vehicle could barely keep up. Another amazing bit was at night and you had frogs singing on one side and cicadas on the other.

“Descending off the Rockies was absolutely freezing, it went down to -4C at one stage and you were shaking on the bike it was so cold.”

The freezing temperatures were contrasted in the desert where the mercury reached 46C (115F).

For Brian, 50, the best bits were travelling through the Grand Canyon gorge at sunrise and watching a ferocious thunderstorm approach.

He said: “We were in Kansas at the time and you could see the storm moving in from 100 miles away. It was amazing but we got a bit damp.”, His worst bit was the first day in the Appalachians when he said it was cold, wet and dark with only the prospect of cycling uphill for the next 24 hours ahead of them.

For Stacey it was probably the “sugar burn” she experienced. Using up to 600 calories an hour it is impossible to eat enough to keep the body fuelled, so the pair were taking nutrition drinks that are extremely high in sugar. After finishing a cycling shift Stacey got back to the support van and forgot to wash her mouth out with water. As a consequence the extremely high sugar content in the mouth essentially ferments leaving a severe burning sensation. Unable to eat properly, Stacey had to drink lots of water and eat yoghurt before she could manage solids again. The burning was so bad she was unable to even have a celebratory glass of red wine after the finish.

But despite that the trip was a great success and also raised around £1,000 for the charity Parents For Children.

The pair thanked their six-person back up team and sponsors High 5 Sport and Nutrition,, Exposure Light and Optilabs for all their hlp during the trip. Mike is now planning on completing the race solo next year while Stacey plans to go it alone in 2010 or 2011.