An aspiring Olympic cyclist who didn’t ride his bike for 40 years after he discovered ‘beer and women’ is now hoping to compete for team GB again.
After Steve Johnson, now 62, had a heavy crash racing as a teenager he gave up on the sport and began eating daily fry ups and takeaways and drinking up to 20 pints a night.
Following a health scare three years ago he gave up drinking and moved to a plant based diet before tentatively getting back on the bike after nearly four decades out of the saddle.
He now rides over 300 miles a week and competes with British Masters Cycling Racing, which provides competitive cycling events for people aged 40 and over, and is aiming to qualify for a veterans world championships taking place in Australia next year.
Steve’s passion for cycling began as a teenager when was taken under the wing of cyclist Tommy Godwin, after visiting the iconic rider’s shop in Birmingham.
In his prime, Steve competed in road races, time trials and track tracing and was named West Midland club Saracen RC’s ‘best all-rounder’ two years running in 1975…
