Geraint Thomas and Nathalie McGloin
OJ BORG 00:00:04
Hello. Welcome to the Good Time Sports Club I'm OJ Borg
RAYA HUBBELL 00:00:06
And I’m Raya Hubbell
OJ BORG 00:00:10
On this week’s show I catch you up with two time Olympic gold medallist and Tour De France winner Geraint Thomas
RAYA HUBBELL 00:00:15
And I learned all about the wonderful world of Footgolf
OJ BORG 00:00:19
And I also speak to the only female tetraplegia race driver in the world. Nathalie McGloin but first Raya, I have to ask you, how was your sporting week?
RAYA HUBBELL 00:00:28
It was good. I have to be honest. It wasn't particularly intensive as I've only really done one training session this week, but I finally got myself back on the bike. Um, and after a few weeks of injury, I'm, I'm actually feeling pretty good. How was your sporting week?
OJ BORG 00:00:46
My sporting week was okay. I feel like I have slightly over trained actually, which is not a bad thing. I'm desperately trying to lose weight because I lost four pounds. Went on holiday, put on six. So I've done a whole load of riding. I actually got back in the climbing gym, which has been a while because I love a bit of climbing. I try and train just for the zombie apocalypse. So the things that I do have when the world ends, which you know, let's be honest, there's signs everywhere. So I know I can, outrun an outline zombies. I'm going to start axe throwing in a couple of weeks, but I'll tell you what I did do. I'm got my wife after five years of badgering her. Today, earlier on today, before we recorded this, I got her to go on a ride with me. 45kms we did!
RAYA HUBBELL 00:01:24
Wow. Do you know? I think it is Epic because I truly believe that couples who trained together stay together. It's for me, it's, it's a monumental thing. And if you love the bike, get her on it quick.
OJ BORG 00:01:37
I've been trying for ages. She's been on the turbo. I've been trying to get to do Zwift she hasn't gone for that yet. But I've been trying to get up or outside on the road for years. She finally cracked and we did a 45 K ride, lovely weather in Manchester bizarrely. And do you know what she moaned the entire world moaned about it was hard, the Hills were too big. It was too hard. Oh my God. This headwind blew all the way around, she got back, I was like did you enjoy it. She went “No.” So I went for a shower, came down. She was online on the Rapha site looking at kit.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:02:08
Amazing. Congratulations. That's a big feat. It is.
OJ BORG 00:02:11
It's lovely. I'm very excited about it. Right then. Shall we get into the news? Raya let's do it.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:02:13
OJ well after hanging his gloves up 11 years ago, Oscar De La Hoya is the latest boxing legend to announce a return to the rings. But the former pound for pound King isn't planning an exhibition fight like Mike Tyson or Roy Jones jr. He's planning a full comeback. The 1992 Olympic gold medallist has already been called out by former world champion Amir Khan. Wow.
OJ BORG 00:02:41
Okay. That'd be interesting. I mean, the thing is though with Oscar De La Hoya he has been offering people out for a while. There was an MMA fighter who had got very close that they were going to fight. I mean, it all got very unseemly towards the end, but yeah. Interesting.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:02:53
When is it not? When is it not with boxing
OJ BORG 00:02:57
In MotoGP, Valentino Rossi has described the huge accident in last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix as terrifying if you've seen it. “Oh, my word” Valentino and his Yamaha teammate Maverick Vinales barely missed the flying bikes of Franco Morbidelli, that is a name. Morbidelli, If you've got to watch out for dying, that's the name and Johan Zarco in the incident. Remarkably, no riders were seriously injured in the crash. And if you've seen the video now has done the rounds. It's one of those ones. It's like a fail blog. It's like, how did someone survive this? The way it bounces over them is insane. I watched it once and I refuse to ever watch it again.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:03:31
Yeah. And speaking of crashes, we had some big crashes in the world of cycling this week. but Team Ineos has shocked the cycling world by leaving two of their biggest stars out of their Tour de France team, Chris Froome and GeraintThomas both having won five of the last seven yellow jerseys has missed out on the British team who selected just one British rider for their Tour squad for the first time, since their creation as Team Sky back in 2010, that is a change up of the team for sure. OJ
OJ BORG 00:04:01
It is a watermark moment. It's an evolution of the team. It's a changing of the guard. We're going to chat about it, after this interview, because what we're going to talk about, the fact that he’s been dropped and what this means for cycling. and also as Raya you mentioned the crashes in the Dauphine, because it was very dodgy. Lots of crashes been going on, but first let's hear from a man who's been an Olympic champion. He's won the Tour De France, he's one of the best cyclists on the planet. Now we spoke to him last week. It was after a brutal stage two of the Dauphine on the top of Col De Port. At this point, as you're about to hear the question wasn't if he was going to go to the Tour De France, but if he was going to be the leader, so let's get into it. Now, I didn't want to start by asking him about lockdown. I knew every interview would have been about that. he's done so far. So the only thing I can think of, and believe me, I've racked my brain was to ask him how many of those old school, white frame Oakleys did he have
GERAINT THOMAS 00:04:53
(laughs) I've got a few pairs. I reckon four? So, the supplies starting to shrink, but I'm always on the lookout. So any keen fans want to swap contact me on Twitter, but yeah, I've got four, I think I should be all right for this season and next, but it depends on how long I keep going for then really. So I'll retire as soon as I'm out though. Can’t race without them.
OJ BORG 00:05:20
Is that how you time your career? As soon as you run out of those sunglasses, that's it time to call it a day?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:05:26
It makes sense now.
OJ BORG 00:05:29
Yeah. And that's it. That's my non-lockdown question done. Let's get into it. How'd you feel to be about racing again in this new, normal, whatever the new normal is, how does it feel?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:05:39
Yeah good. It's obviously different here, and no offence to journalists, but it makes our life a little easier. You know, normally on the Tour it's just chaos or any race. You go off the team bus and there's guys that want to speak to you thrusting a microphone in your face and then there's fans everywhere. But now it's just really strange. You get off the bus and there's nobody there you ride to the start, the sign on is real quick and easy. You know? And there's obviously all the face coverings and stuff. And, but then the actual racing is just like normal. So yeah that's good. And yes, it was a bit of a shock to the system though. You know, riding around on your own for, you know, three, four months and then suddenly you're in a peloton of 200 guys or fighting for position. And so, yeah, that was a bit of a shock, but it's nice to be back on the bike though, just with the team and in this environment again. Cause it's kind of what you don't realise, how much we're sort of ingrained in that really and that’s what we're used to it and like doing. And that’s what we trained for as well at the end of the day. We train to race. So it's nice to be back, back racing.
OJ BORG 00:06:44
I heard Bradley Wiggins talking about it on his podcast and he was saying, there's two types of races. Those who can train on their own, they can hit their numbers they've been given something to do, and those who have to race to get into shape, which one are you?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:06:57
I kind of a bit of both really. I can train well and sort go through that process. But at the same time I need to have a goal to do it. I can't just ride around and train just for the sake of it and then once I started racing, I think I feel like an old car now. I take a while to sort of get the engine going and really warm up. I’m starting to feel better now I’ve had five days of racing, three more to go and then we have the Tour. But yeah, it has been tough. It felt like, you know, April, May it kind of was just going through the motions and cause there was no real end in sight, but now obviously there is and we’re racing again so that’s all good. But, it has been tough for everyone and I think the main thing now, the main difference you kind of see is everyone is just so keen and with such little racing before the Tour is going to be an interesting Tour. I think, anything could happen really.
OJ BORG 00:07:59
Well, you're saying anything could happen, when this goes out. I think we'll be just about a week or up to a week before the Tour De France. Normally, you know, who's in form, you know, who's doing what, you know, who's won. We're talking to you on the second stage of the Dauphine, so for you and for any of us, I guess you don't know who to watch. You don't know who to mark or who's going to be dangerous there?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:08:19
Yeah. You kind of have, the usual suspects, but then after today was the first sort of big mountain day and obviously Jumbo stand out that they've got a super start to the season or season 2.0, but, the rest. Yeah, like you say, it's this a bit up in the air really. And we just need to, the main thing is staying concentrated on ourselves, try and get to the tour in the best shape we can and then not, not end up just racing one team, you know, cause it'd be easy to focus on Jumbo. You know, there's obviously another sort of 10 guys you can realistically podium. So, yeah, it's just keeping that in mind as well really.
OJ BORG 00:09:01
So will we see your name on the start list of the Tour de France, is that nailed down? Is that something that's gonna happen?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:09:07
Uh, should be, all being well. But as we all know in sports; don't take anything for granted. So, yeah, the preparations been going okay. I started at the Tour d’Lain, which was a three day race and a bit of a stinker already. I was a bit tired going into it and it was super hot. It was like, 36, 38 degrees. And being from Cardiff I’m not necessarily the biggest fan of that. So I suffered a bit there, but I’ve started to find my legs now, so all being well, stay on that sort of trajectory and go to the Tour yeah. Be good to go.
OJ BORG 00:09:44
Like when you won in 2018, you go in as not an outright favourite. does that suit you? Does that suit you personally?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:09:53
Yeah. I think just going in under the radar is easier. You have to do less interviews. There's less people talking about you. Youjust leave that to the other guys, really, you know, Jumbo and then, Pinot, the French guy and obviously Egan in our team and I can just do less and just sort of go about my business. That works with me. Yeah.
OJ BORG 00:10:16
I re-watched the moment post stage 20, just before this interview where you were told you’d just won the Tour. I got emotional watching it. Have you watched that back since?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:10:23
I've seen a few times? Yeah. Um, yeah, I still saw makes it has in the back of my neck stand up really. And like that last 500 meters, I'll always remember just being on the radio to Nico who was our DS and uh, just's asking him “Nico, have I won the tour” and he’s like “G you’ve won, the Tour” . That feeling will always stay with me. It was in incredible.
OJ BORG 00:10:47
Where have you kept, have you got that yellow Jersey that you wore that day? If you kept it somewhere?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:10:52
I don't know have that one, cause it’s a skin suit, but I do have the yellow jersey that I wore that I want on Alp d’Huez and also the jersey that I wore on the Champs-Élysées so I framed the one I wore on the Champs-Élysées and I've kept the one with the numbers still on, from Alp d’Huez as well. So, um, yeah, that's nice to have for sure.
OJ BORG 00:11:14
Now you're going to be doing, as far as I know, a significant amount of the classics the first time in a few years, what gets your juices flowing more? Is it a grand tour or is it the brutality of one of those big one day races?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:11:24
They're totally differently. A one day classic race is just so intense and it's just all on that one day and it's just real, raw racing. Whereas, grand tours, there's a lot more calculated. Day after day, you know, not spending too much. So that's the appealing thing with one day is just, you just go, you just race and you just maybe sometimes do something stupid and attack, you know, far out or whatever, or they're just really good races. And, that's the biggest difference I find really. With the Tour, always from November, it's always in the back of your mind, you're always thinking about the Tour and every race in the build up to it, you're going through a similar process and it's not monotonous or anything, but it is really sort of calculated. And whereas yeah, the classics are more like an art really rather than a science. But I enjoy both of them. When you go and while you're in the front and you're racing for the win, both are great
OJ BORG 00:12:31
There is a day they call it super Sunday, October 25th as a fan, as a fan. What would you watch? You've got Paris-Roubaix both the men's and the new women's race. You've got the Giro d’Italia, the final stage. You've got the queen stage of the Vuelta up the Tourmalet. As a fan. Which one of those would you want?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:12:47
I think Paris-Roubaix. Yeah. I think, it's what I grew up watching. So yeah.
OJ BORG 00:12:57
You won it as a junior. Do you want that on your palmares?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:13:00
Oh, I wouldn't turn it down. That's for sure. But yeah, out of Flanders, which is the week before, it's like the big Belgian race, then you got probably Paris-Roubaix. I probably prefer Flanders because I think it's suited to me a little bit better. There's like punchy climbs, whereas, you know, Roubaix is just pan flat, but yeah, something special about it, you know, you win a big cobblestone. So yeah, I wouldn't turn either down though, to be fair.
OJ BORG 00:13:28
We started this interview talking about when you run out some glasses, that might be the time where you hang up, hang up your bib shorts. Have you thought what you want to do post-career? I mean, maybe you could do some sort of cooking show. I saw you tweeted out your half rice, half chips, all carbs meal the other night, half pasta half chips, right?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:13:44
Yeah. Hard to say. Not sure about a cooking show. I'm not the best cook, but that tweet where it was a bit, uh, there was, obviously some sort of sauce and like a meat as well, but yeah, I didn't make it look the nice nicest, but um, I dunno, I'd love to stay in the spot, but yeah, to be honest, I haven't thought about too much yet. Really. Hopefully it's a long way off. Yeah.
OJ BORG 00:14:12
Yeah, I mean, I think everyone who follows not just cycling but follows sports wants you to be in the sport as long as possible. It's just, I guess when you started to achieve, do you start looking at what's afterwards and plus through lockdown with a new baby spending more time, maybe even seeing what life would be like when racing finishes, did that give you a taste of it?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:14:30
Yeah, to be fair. It did actually and to be honest, it is something I've started thinking about just like, Oh, I could actually do. Um, but yeah, hopefully I still have another four years or so to sort of figure that out. But it's something I've always been mindful of, you know, trying to set yourself up. So, we've actually got something to go into, but at the same time, I'd love to do an ironman. So I've said it before. I think I'd like to go into that and do that for awhile for a bit. Hello?
*LINE BREAKS*
OJ BORG 00:15:05
Sorry, man. I think we just keep losing you that so, where are you where did the stage finish today?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:15:11
Oh mate I have no idea. We basically get on the bus. We ride our bikes, race our bikes, get back on the bus in different hotels. And that's it. It's strange. I if I looked at a map, I would have no idea where Alp d’Huez is or the Tourmalet well, I know they're in the Alps and the Pyranees, other than that, clueless!
OJ BORG 00:15:30
Best luck for the Tour. I can't wait to watch it, of all the Tour’s you’ve raced where's this one, right on the excitement level, considering you've not raced that much this year and you all going into it with a, with a whole load of unknowns?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:15:42
I think the unknowns make it less excited to be honest. Cause I'm a bit just like, you're always second guessing yourself. As an athlete, you're always a bit sort of, well, I find a little insecure. Sometimes you always double guessing and assessing how your legs are feeling this and that. So it’s strange not having of a lot racing to give you that confidence going into it. But yeah, it'd be great to just hopefully do it. Hopefully get to Paris. Cos, who knows in this day and age, but yeah, hopefully we get to Paris and all is good and that will be lovely to have another yellow jersey in the team.
OJ BORG 00:16:19
You surprised me, you say that you don't have full confidence in yourself that you were unsure. You've always looked like one of the most confident racers on a bike that I've ever seen. Somebody who knows that they're always just going to achieve.
GERAINT THOMAS 00:16:29
Yeah. Maybe confidence is the wrong word, but I dunno, you just sort of like, you just constantly assessing basically once you're in the race and you go in, then it's different. But beforehand, especially with the lack of races you're always just a bit like, “Whoa, how am I going to be? you know, et cetera”. But, as soon as you get going, and it's all good. It's just that perfection thing. We're always searching for that perfection.
OJ BORG 00:16:39
Aren’t we all, aren’t we all? G man. Thank you so much for doing this. Really appreciate it. Can’t wait for the Tour. I can't wait for super Sunday. So do you know if you're going to do Paris Roubaix or is that just too far off for you to know?
GERAINT THOMAS 00:17:02
I think I'm down for, at the moment. I'm definitely not down for the Giro or the Vuelta. So I’m guessing I'll be there.
OJ BORG 00:17:20
I'm going to have about 10 screens on that day. Try and watch it on a phone, a laptop out all the same time. G man thanks. Very much.
GERAINT THOMAS 00:17:27
Cheers guys.
OJ BORG 00:17:31
The thing is though, I think, I think it's shocked everyone. And I ended up on 5Live a couple of nights ago and they're asking me the question. “Was it a slight by Dave Brailsford, Sir Dave to leave Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome at home. What are your thoughts on it Raya?
RAYA HUBBELL 00:17:46
I mean, I don't know. It's one of the best funded teams out there and at the end of the last tour you had what, five GC riders that are all capable of taking the yellow Jersey? If that's the case and you have been as successful as those two guys have, maybe you do give the lead ride to the younger fresher blood and you do leave those guys out and I'm not saying that's right, but in my mind, that's how it's been played.
OJ BORG 00:18:21
You have to look at Ineos, it's been very much like Manchester United when Alex Ferguson was there, you keep the people doing the job while they can do it as soon as they can't - you move on to someone else. Now coming out of lockdown, I think Chris Froome, it was always understood that it was going to be difficult for him to find his form. He's had what? Three days racing in two years. No one knows, but coming out, no one's had any days racing and you would've thought somebody with the background of Geraint Thomas, who's come through the British cycling program here to be given a load of numbers and you hit these numbers in training and then you come out of it and you go to the Dauphine and you're good. And are a lot of people were saying, Oh, maybe Froome and Geraint and Egan burnout to that point, maybe they're not going so well at the Dauphine because they've got training in the legs. Cause then he also liked to race them stress beforehand, to see how they deal with it. I honestly believe the problem is they came in a little cold. Now you can usually start the Tour De France, we know Ineos have done this before. You can start the Tour De France tied and you ride yourself into form. It's such a long race that if you go in firing in the first week, by the time you get to the third week, you've burnt yourself out. You look at that, you look at the parcours. Because of the Tour de France this year, you could, you could easily be four or five minutes down by the time you've got out of the fourth day. And I just think Dave Brailsford has looked at it and said when you're not in form, you're not going. Mark Payne is with us here, who produces the show. You heard the interview though, when he did it, there was no mention of him going to do the Giro because he wanted to do Paris-Roubaix.
MARK PAYNE 00:19:45
Yeah. Exactly. The thing is, you mentioned Dave Brailsford. He’s famously one that doesn't stand on sentiment. You know, this is a very similar position to, uh, 2013. You had Bradley Wiggins who’d just won Britain's first ever Tour who came in on the back of an Olympic wave and everybody just expected him to go to the Tour. You don't know if it was just as a support for Chris Froome and he was, he was moved on to the Giro quietly. This time we've got an even more complicated situation. You've got the defending Tour champ in Egan Bernal. Who's been very successful. And then you've also got Richard Carapaz he won the Giro last year, who they brought in specifically to ride a Grand Tour he was going to do the Giro so him and Geraint have basically swapped over. And, and you know, now they've also got Pavel Sivakov who's been on incredible form.
OJ BORG 00:20:32
Who was flying. It don't make the difference. The difference with it, all the difference I would say is after Bradley Wiggins won the Tour and then when, when that gold medal at the Olympics, I think his head wasn't in the game. I think, yes, I'm going to return the favour, but I think, I think that was an easy one. I mean, there's no favours, it surprises me with, Froome going to Israel, startup nation. Maybe it's almost like what we've got to look at the future. Anyway, I thought that they’d take Geraint Thomas I must admit. Maybe we haven't seen his numbers. I mean, you know, you're a coach Raya do you think he just wasn't firing?
RAYA HUBBELL 00:21:05
Like you said, no one has seen their numbers, but given his heritage, given his success rate, my personal view is it it's probably down to politics more than fitness and you and I will, I guess, agree to disagree there. Cause I think you think there's no forum. Um, and I, I can't see someone like G not being able to ride himself into form in the Tour De France, which is what he's done time and time again
OJ BORG 00:21:33
But he would not be a leader, but he would not be, he would, he would be going simply as a domestique because the thing is, if you look at those first few stages, you could be tens of minutes down. You could see Ineos, who let's be honest about it, the whole point of the INEOS team was to, win the Tour De France it's not to win the Giro, it's not to win the Vuelta it's not to win week long races or any of the monuments it's to win the Tour De France hence why they've won, whatever it is, five out of the last seven. So, you know, to go with a team that isn't firing, I just think, I think it's a sad thing and it makes it a very non British race. Now, historically the Tour De France it has never really had British riders in it up until what, 10 years ago, when Bradley Wiggins was in it, we weren't anywhere close saying we the Royal way. So the only British riders that we think are going right now are Luke Rowe at Ineos, Adam Yates at Mitchleton Scott and then potentially also Connor Swift, Mark Cavendish do you think Cavendish is going to go, do you think he's going to go? Cause I heard people saying that it's, you know, he's a he's on the long list. You shouldn't take him. You want him to go?
MARK PAYNE 00:22:32
I want him to go.
OJ BORG 00:22:34
I want them all to go. Of course. I want them to go. It's interesting.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:22:36
I mean, I love his, his longevity in the sport. What he's accomplished, seeing him still keen to ride. I mean, it would be great to see him go, especially along with the other riders who are there that you named, I mean, he's certainly one of the more experienced and well known you know,
OJ BORG 00:22:56
Here's the question for both of you? Yes or no. Does Geraint Thomas leave Ineos?
RAYA HUBBELL 00:23:01
Yes
MARK PAYNE00:23:03
No
OJ BORG 00:23:04
I think no as well. I think, I think he's onto a good thing. I think he will see every rider who's left Ineos who was part of the Ineos setup has never gone on to bigger things. There's never look, look at Richie Porte…
MARK PAYNE 00:23:10
I was gonna say that the Richie Porte situation is interesting. And also you put this another way and I think this is the way that G will say it. He will be disappointed that he's not raced in the classics. He’ll be disappointed, not to go to the Tour, but if he wins the Giro. The opportunity that he had a few years back, when he crashed out there when he was in form. That extra week’s break, he goes there and then he's just got a win the Vuelta to complete the set. And that for a rider is almost as important as winning a double, sorry another Tour.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:23:43
Pretty fair analogy, actually thinking about it.
OJ BORG 00:23:47
Hey, that's what we think. But what do you think? I always like to know your thoughts on it. Maybe you disagree, maybe you vehemently disagree, want to shout at us using all caps. We'll take it, let us know via your social media of choice, the hashtag GTSC will get your thoughts to us.
Now, last week in the blazing sun, I sat down to talk to the disability and accessibility president of the FIA Nathalie McGloin to chat about how she found herself behind the wheel, her thoughts on the future of disability, motor sport, and even then cycling was on our minds
As I said, thank you so much for doing this. How was your day going?
NATHALIE MCGLOIN 00:24:25
Yeah, good, I just come back from a bike ride. I had to go to the bike shop and it was a lot longer than I anticipated. So thank you for bearing with me.
OJ BORG 00:24:35
It's all right. That is the way, I mean, if we were on video right now, you'd see, I'm sat here in soggy Lycra. It is warm out there.
NATHALIE MCGLOIN 00:24:43
Yeah. That's why I'm not on video. (laughs)
OJ BORG 00:24:47
Your story is an inspirational one for people who don't know about your background, if you don't mind telling it, just tell me about how your background, where you got to your racing driver career now, and the work you do with FIA just talk me through your story if you can.
NATHALIE MCGLOIN 00:24:58
So, um, I broke my neck in a car crash on the road when I was six days. Um, no one's fault, just one of those things, wrong place, wrong time and after that I went back to school, went to uni, was introduced to a sport called wheelchair rugby and it was actually wheelchair rugby that got me into racing. So I had quite a passion for cars just through kind of my uni years. And, I met someone at wheelchair rugby who also had a passion for cars to introduce me, to the track and just things got out of hand very quickly. And before I knew it, six years after I started doing track days. I bought myself a race car and myself into the Porsche Club championship. So, that was kind of the short version of how I got into racing. Then shortly after I started racing, I started public speaking and, I was invited to speak at the FIA international conference in Geneva in 2017. And Jean Todt heard me speak. Shortly after that, he offered me the position as the president of the newly formed disability and accessibility commission. And that all happened very quickly as well. So, uh, that's how I got to those kinds of points if you like in a nutshell.
OJ BORG 00:26:27
It's an interesting journey that if a car is something that ended up making you disabled, you became tetraplegic to then pursue a career in motor sport. That is an in that's an interesting journey.
NATHALIE MCGLOIN 00:26:41
Yeah, I don’t associate them with the same things. People often ask me, you know, “how can you race cars given that's how you broke your neck?” And, you know, when I broke my neck, I didn't have a driving license. I was a passenger. So I guess in my mind, because I wasn't in control of the car, I don't really see the kind of risk of being injured in the road has anything to do with motor sports. So, yeah, it's not an obvious choice, but I'm always driven by passion, and cars for me were a kind of freedom after my injury, in that once I got my driving license, I could go wherever I wanted to go without anyone's help. So, um, they became my kind of gateway to kind of developing on my journey, I guess, after my, my injury, to getting more confident and more independent. Then the passion for kind of the speed developed through just a love of, of kind of fast cars and introduction to track days. I just, I fell in love with the fact that I could do something at the same time and in the same way that able bodied people on the racetrack. And you know, that coupled with the adrenaline and kind of a feeling that kind of need was, was something that drove the passion to want us to go basing and you know, all of the sacrifice and all of the hard work that that takes. But I just, I just loved it. And if I love something, I'll, I'll give it my everything. So that's how that developed.
OJ BORG 00:28:19
You talk about the passion. What are the emotions like every time you sit behind the wheel of a race car?
NATHALIE MCGLOIN 00:28:24
Massively mixed. So obviously nervous. Anyone who says that they are not nervous at the start of a race is not telling the truth. The, the kind of the adrenaline is something that you have to control. It's something that I try, but adrenaline is all that kind of fulfilling that kind of need, but, you know, using the wrong way, it can lead to you making rash decisions on the race track. So moderating that is massively important. So I think control is a massive factor in racing, just control of your car control over your, your senses control of your ability to process information. Um, there's a lot of stuff going on in your head and, you know, if you can keep a cool head by just focusing on your, your kind of race and making sure that you do the best you can do, but at the same time, still having that, that drive to want to win. It's a fine line. And, I described racing is the thing that I love about it is, is having control on the edge. So when you're in a corner, trying to get the most out of the speed, but also being on the edge of the grip. So, you know, that you're the right side of that line because the wrong side of that line will either push you wide or force you into a crash, but being the right side of it, but just enough so that you're, you're getting the maximum is, is what I love about racing.
OJ BORG 00:29:59
The thing is that you’ve not just raced on the road, you've raced rally as well, haven't you?
NATHALIE MCGLOIN 00:30:03
Yeah. So I got my money license last year in February, and, that was something that I'd always wanted to do. My partner and I set up a charity where we give, disabled drivers, the opportunity to experience driving. And we progressed into rally driving because I knew that I couldn't do it without an organisation being available, and just cause it was a natural progression of what we were doing. But that allowed me to, to get into rallying and to get my, license. Yeah, it it's completely different disciplines, the racing, I find it less stressful as a, day because you don't have that big buildup to kind of the lights going out and being on the grid with everyone. It's, a more tiring day because your, your kind of, um, energy levels are at 90% all day. Whereas racing, if you've got one race, you're at a hundred percent to maybe, you know, an hour of the day, or if it's two races for two hours of the day, but just, the discipline of rally that you haven't got the opportunity to practice. It's something that I love. And it's something that I do with my partner as well. He's won a couple of, uh, British championships in rally and he was, he was kind enough to be my co-driver for my first rally, which was good could have been very bad, but it was good.
OJ BORG 00:31:37
I mean, rallying is a lot about listening, isn't it? I mean, I mean, obviously in a relationship you have to listen. How easy is that when someone's calling out corners and brows of Hills coming up, how easy is that to do in a relationship as well as being in the front seat of a car?
NATHALIE MCGLOIN 00:31:51
It's more challenging in a relationship. I'd say Andrew, my two first rallies was a instructor slash coach because he knew what I needed to do. So there was, there was more instruction than there would have been, had it been a professional co-driver or a semi semiprofessional driver. So yeah, then there are a couple of, of heated moments let's say. Mainly when I got things wrong, it was good. And I think that it was really, it was really nice that I had that experience from him because, you know, it was something that I, jumped into it quite quickly and having a rally driver as your co-driver, I think is really valuable for your first couple of rallies. We were a bit nervous that, you know, there might be a few too many arguments, but there were a couple but not unacceptable amounts. So, yeah, it was great. We loved it.
OJ BORG 00:32:52
What is the future then with the FIA and disability motor racing? Because there have been some high profile cases with Billy Monger and Alex Zanardi, what is the future? What's the FIA looking to do
NATHALIE MCGLOIN 00:33:03
We want to make, motor sport more accessible while not compromising on safety for me? And, you know, the vision of the commission, for the future for me is that we, we make such progress with motor sports. The disabled kids start to look at formula one and believe that that could be them. Because at the moment, you know, disabled kids think that life is so limiting as to what their, their opportunity is. And if they could see to a mainstream sport like motor sport and not a disabled sport, you know, a mixed ability sports because there's no, there's no different class for disabled drivers. We all compete together. I think if, if I could get a child, either born with a disability or, you know, a youngly acquired disability to look at motorsports and look at formula one and say, “mummy or daddy, that's what I want to be when I'm older”, because they genuinely believe that that's true because of what the work that we've done. My commission will have been a success, and that will be the legacy of it and desperately what I want to achieve.
OJ BORG 00:34:11
So if somebody is listening to this right now, they have a disability or they know, or they have a child who has a disability, what do they do? Where do they go first?
NATHALIE MCGLOIN 00:34:18
The best place for kids is your local kart centres will often have hand controls or different adaptations that, the kids could use if they have different needs, um, and it’s something that they can do with their friends as well. You know, it's not a separate like wheelchair basketball or wheelchair rugby, where you could only play with disabled people. You can go with your friends and have a go. And if your local karting centre, doesn't have hand controls, they will be able to point you in the direction of one that does. And if you're really serious about getting into this, and you've got you know, some, some backing behind you reach out to me on Twitter or any of my social channels. And I will give you the advice you need on where to go next.
OJ BORG 00:35:12
And obviously you drive with hand controls. What adaptations do you have on your race car?
NATHALIE MCGLOIN 00:35:16
So the adaptations in my, in my Porsche Cayman racecar are really straight forward, actually. So I'm paralysed from the chest down. I don't have any movement or sensation below my chest. And my finger function is also impaired because I broke a bone in my neck. So I haven't got full grip capacity in my hand. So I have a lever that is fitted to be brake and accelerator pedal, which, is kind of a rod system, which extends to kind of sit next to the right hand side of the steering wheel. And it's a handle that basically I pushed forward to accelerate and I pushed down. So I pushed the brake and I pushed down to accelerate. And the mechanism of me pushing forward actually depresses the brake pedal. And the mechanism is me pushing down the to the accelerator pedal. So there are no electronics involved. It's literally an extension of the pedals, which means that the car can be raced by able bodied people and my partner and I actually co drive the car together. So in some races, I’ll start and he finishes. I drive with my hands. He drives cause his feet. And the only other adaptation for the car because it's the nature of the car I've chosen to drive. It's a PDK, which is Porsches double clutch transmission. So what I actually do is I leave the car in drive. So I don't change any gears, I let the car change the gears for me, leave it in automatic mode, which, because of my lack of finger dexterity, manipulating a pedal while holding onto the wheel would be very difficult. I know other people who have got gear change options in their cars and race who are tetraplegic, but, because the gear box is so good, it drives so well as it is. And also we haven't felt the need to, to adapt that aside from that, it's a, it's a standard racing car, like had anyone else's on the grid, just with the hand controls. Oh. And I've had the steering lightened so, because I race on slicks, the steering is quite heavy, driving with one hand and after a year and a half of driving, just with the standard staring, I decided to get it lightened and it transformed my racing really. So yeah, that’s the only thing I had done for the car doesn't involve normal race adaptations, which is great.
OJ BORG 00:37:55
You mentioned earlier, you'd like more disabled drivers in sport. You mentioned Robert Kubica, how impressed have you been with what he's been able to achieve with a largely immobile hand in an F1 car?
NATHALIE MCGLOIN 00:38:05
What Robert Kubica does in an F1 car, or what he did last year and continued to do with all of his racing is rather remarkable because the demands of an F1 car, not only through the loads on the steering wheel, but how many things are going on, where you're, you know, you're adjusting the brake bias, you're adjusting it so many different buttons for performance and setup of the car as you're, you know, you're going into maggots and becketts, at Silverstone at 180mph, and to have a disability where his arm is fairly redundant, you know, it's there more as a propping agent really. What he achieved is, is very, very impressive. And, you know, he's massively competitive with it. I know the Williams' car. Wasn't what was right for him, but that's not the driver, you know, just an unfortunate position that Williams found themselves in last year. I'm hoping that they, they make some improvements. But yeah, I mean, the things that he's done and the things that a lot of disabled drivers do are a fairly incredible, I mean, Billy to come back after, you know, a year after having his accident that amputated his legs and to finish third in a more powerful single seater, going from F4 to F3 and then to win the Pau GP I think it was, um, he, you know, he's one of my idols because his attitude towards everything is just, you know, if I, if I had had someone like Billy to look up to when I was injured at 16, I think I'd have been really lucky because I think he would have motivated me to do a lot more, a lot sooner. I think he motivates a lot of people regardless of disability or age, just because of his, his outlook and how he's dealt with everything with such class. And yeah, and not as a lot of unsung heroes into, in racing who you'll never hear about, because they don't want to be considered as a disabled writer. They'll just want to be a racing driver and that disability is insignificant to what they do on the track. So it's a great tool for that.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:40:33
Thanks OJ and now for something completely different! On the pod today, we have got a very new sport. Certainly a sport, I've never heard of, maybe you have, and we're going to talk Footgolf and to help me find out about this new sport, I have the Neil Shave president of the Footgolf association of Scotland, and Stuart Campbell - Stuart is a Scottish pairs player and currently along with his partner, Michael Eardley are the top four in the Scottish rankings, as well as the course development officer for the Footgolf association of Scotland. Oh my goodness. Hi guys. How are you doing?
STUART CAMPBELL & NEIL SHAVE: 00:41:10
Hi, hey there. really good
RAYA HUBBELL 00:40:33
I love new Sports. I love when Sports come through and things change in the world from traditional to new and so I got really excited because I used to play golf and I love it. And then I Googled it and realised there was a football involved, which got me quite concerned. For the sake of everyone who's never heard of this before. Tell me what is Footgolf and how the heck did it come to be?
STUART CAMPBELL & NEIL SHAVE 00:41:40
Okay. So FootGolf is obviously a hybrid sport, which is a combination of golf and football, as it sounds, um, it's played predominantly on golf courses, but there are some FootGolf only courses. No, and it's played with a size five or for junior sized footgolf. And obviously you play the rules was pretty similar to golf. So we play with par five threes, fours fives, um, and obviously into a slightly larger hole than a golf hole and yeah, the rules, the rules very similar, but the great thing about the sport and the reason it's taken off and growing at a really quick rate is the accessibility of the sport for everyone. Yeah. All you need is to go out to the course of a football, no expensive equipment. Give the sport a go. And then obviously if you decide it's not for you, you've not, you've not put a lot of money into the sport.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:42:31
So you get your football. And I guess from the sounds of it, you're saying it's so accessible. There isn't the same golf membership fees and green fees.
STUART CAMPBELL & NEIL SHAVE 00:42:40
No, we tend to have, and just pay, pay to play fees. There are some courses for golf course in there that do have member fees to keep the costs down for the year, but most people can go and have a round from anywhere between 10 and 15 pounds for a round. So it's not, it's not an extortion at all.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:42:57
Brilliant. It's so great. When you've got something new, I have terrible, um, foot, hand coordination. So not even play with you guys until I'd felt like I was almost a professional. Um, but tell me, um, how did you get into it? How did you start it and how, Stuart, has competition been for you? Tell me what your Footgolf career has been.
STUART CAMPBELL 00:43:20
I went out for a social round with some friends about three years ago now on a course not too far from where I live. And just from a Footgolf background being quite competitive. It got me right away. I wanted to go back and beat my own score, repeatedly. And so that's so like, and then I felt there was a club league if you will. And then from there it just progressed to the Tour, competitions and then obviously playing on the, on the Scottish tour and then the national team and stuff like that. So it's definitely from our point of view it’s kinda taken over my life to be honest. I gave up football completely just to focus on playing Footgolf. So now it's, it's very, very addictive
RAYA HUBBELL 00:44:05
Well, golf has always had that romanticism, right? You go out, you get to spend four or five hours on a golf course. Football itself is quite the opposite, but being able to combine two, possibly the most famous sports you can possibly imagine and put them together. I can imagine you guys have just fallen in love with it and obsessed might be the word you, you, you would use to describe it.
STUART CAMPBELL & NEIL SHAVE 00:44:29 Yeah, absolutely. I think everybody comes to this Sport for the first time has that feeling, I can’t wait to go back and do that again. And as you say, golf can take up quite a lot of time to play 18 holes. Whereas me and Neil could easily play a round in about an hour. So it's a lot quicker pace wise. So you do get good value for your money. Absolutely. The frustration of having a bad round makes you want to play even more again, rather than the opposite, which is great.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:44:57
Yeah. I remember the days when I was sort of starting off playing actual golf, where I often would throw my a little temper tantrum and say I was never playing again. So the thought of being able to play a bit more quickly and have that urge to do it is, is very good for me. How did the, the leagues work? Is it, is it similar to a football league?
STUART CAMPBELL & NEIL SHAVE 00:45:18
Yeah. Well, we have a bit of both of that actually, which is great. It's again, maybe comes from the hybrid of the two Sports. We have, as Stuart mentioned, a club league where you're representing your club and those clubs play with an a league table, which works similar 3 points for a win, one for a draw, et cetera. Then we also have the individual Tour where you're playing for a ranking point. So depending on your final position from the tournament, you collect points, which go into rank and leaderboard that lasts the entire season. So it's a bit of both.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:45:45
Very good. Now, when I introduced you guys on the pod today, I noticed that you guys are very proudly with the accents. Obviously I'm part of the golf association of Scotland. I listen, I'm from Canada. So I know that not all nations can get along because in Canada we try to separate as well, the French and the English just don't like each other. And I've heard on the grapevine around here in England. It's the same, the Scots and the Englishmen just want to be separate. So why is UK golf and Scottish golf separate? And what happened? Did you guys have a falling out? Talk me through the politics
STUART CAMPBELL & NEIL SHAVE 00:46:20
To be honest, that the long story short that says, we just want to give the Scottish Footgolf the best chance to develop within the sport and represent their national team without having to travel too much. The previous system meant that our players would have to travel seven, eight hours in the car, most weekends to go to tournaments that were predominantly held, um, and the lower half of England obviously the sport is, is relatively new and it's not fully professionalised. So people went in big amounts of money to be able to go and compete every weekend. So what we wanted to do was give the Scottish players here, the chance to compete on tournaments regularly within their home area to then go and represent the Scottish national team if they're playing well.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:47:04
That suggests to me that even though it's a relatively new sport, it's growing at quite a rate, and you must have some young players coming through the grassroots system.
STUART CAMPBELL & NEIL SHAVE 00:47:13
Yeah. I mean on the Tour we have a separate section for under sixteens, even at club level, we've gotten an under 12 section as well. So we're, I mean, obviously everybody in Scotland loves playing football, so it's just trying to get them over to kicking the ball in a hole, rather than the goal. But no, I mean, we've got some really, really good young talent coming through the Club league level and that's their play, the two events as well, which is fantastic. And it's the next step for them. I think one of the young boys in making his Scotland debut this weekend and made his way over against the rest of the game before the Scottish open, which is fantastic, beautiful part of the relatively young sport has people that joined the sport, you know, from the beginning began and considered really clear pathway into the sort of elite level of the sport, which is really nice for people. And it's quite exciting.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:48:05
Talk to me about some of the major tournaments. If I want to start to get into the sport, um, either through playing or through spectating, what, what events should I be looking out for?
STUART CAMPBELL & NEIL SHAVE 00:48:18
Well, we've got over the Scottish open this weekend and I mean, that's a flagship event. But I mean the entry level yet, as Stuart says from Club league, you know, you can come along and watch that anybody can play Club league ranging from under twelves. We've got a female section, we've got an over 45 section. So anybody can literally play the game at any skill level as well. As long as you get the ability to kick our ball relatively straight, you know, it doesn't matter how many shots, you will put it in a hole at some point, so anybody can play it.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:48:50
What's next for you? There are major tournaments that are going on. I heard on the grapevine that there is an actual world cup already. I can't believe I've missed this - due to be played in Japan.
STUART CAMPBELL & NEIL SHAVE 00:49:02
Yeah. So there's will actually be the, or fourth version of the world cup. The last one was two years ago now in Morocco. Where unfortunately at that point I was representing UK Footgolf and we were, we were defeated in the final by France. So yeah, the next one is now it was scheduled for this year, but for obvious reasons, it's had to be rescheduled. So it is now rescheduled for next year in Japan. We are hoping to be there as Scotland if possible and, do it the back end of next year now in Japan, which is very exciting. And obviously the games now worldwide, there's so many different nations playing an event within the sport. So yeah, it'd be really exciting to go over there and compete again.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:49:50
Absolutely. Well, we wish you all luck to get you qualified and hopefully over to Japan next year. COVID allowing last question for you guys. And for me, it's one of the most important, let's talk about attire. What do you wear on a foot golf course?
STUART CAMPBELL 00:50:09
Brilliant. So our main rule, if you all, we're not allowed to wear football boots, you may call them cleats over there, yeah we’re not allowed to wear football boots we have to wear astroturf trainers, so they don't imprint on the ground as much and then from there it’s football socks, so long socks. Tailored, golf shorts that have pockets and belt loops, and then a polo shirt. That's pretty much it. You can be as creative as you like. I’ve seen some of the kits out there, um, myself included to be honest are quite bright to be honest
NEIL SHAVE 00:50:45
Yeah Stuart likes a bright polo shirt.
STUART CAMPBELL 00:50:51
I prefer a Gallagher pastel colour to be honest. But the brighter the better in my book.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:50:56
I have to be honest it was the most important question to me because when I Googled Footgolf I also clicked on pictures on Google and some of the outfits were outrageous, which I just absolutely loved. Guys best of luck for the Scottish open this weekend. And thank you so much for joining us.
STUART CAMPBELL & NEIL SHAVE 00:51:13
Thank you very much. Thanks so much for having us.
OJ BORG 00:51:21
Stuart and Neil there on the Good Time Sports Club well, two things here. First off I have played Footgolf I did it on my brother's stag do yeah, but it was like being back at school again, I couldn't kick the ball far enough. I just couldn't get it close enough. Every time it was really embarrassing. I just kept, I ended up having to toe poke it. And I went home when my toenail fell off. Secondly, Frisbee golf is the best game where I live in Manchester. We've got a course, like a free course to go to. I loved it, played it years ago. First time I went to America, loved it, thought it was great. Came back. And there's now course around the corner and me and a few of my dad made, we all go on like a Thursday night and play around, drink beer. Don't tell anyone
RAYA HUBBELL 00:51:58
I feel a challenge coming on.
OJ BORG 00:52:00
I do. And that is it on those, on those words we are done. If you've been enjoying the Good Time Sports Club you’ve probably already subscribed if you have, and please do review us, five stars makes Raya so happy. If you can why not tell a friend as well
RAYA HUBBELL 00:52:18
Also give us a follow on our social media channels. You can find us on Good Time Sports Club on Instagram and Twitter. Thank you so much to all our guests today, this week. Thomas Nathalie McGloin Neil Shave and Stuart Campbell
OJ BORG 00:52:34 The Good Time Sports Club is a Shocked Giraffe production. It was presented by me OJ Borg
RAYA HUBBELL 00:52:38
And me Raya Hubble
OJ BORG 00:52:39
And we also had the lovely voice of
RAYA HUBBELL 00:52:42
Mark Payne
MARK PAYNE 00:52:45
My voice has gone very shrill, but that's me.
OJ BORG 00:52:47
Yeah, you can mute yourself quick enough. The show is produced by Mark Payne with additional production support by James Watkins until next week. Raya goodbye.
RAYA HUBBELL 00:52:54
See you later.
