Tour O Booths Rider Profiles

Aldene Fort is a Process Assistant at Carnforth Booths. She came to cycling later in life, completing her first long distance charity ride in 2018, with Rosie’s Ride, a 136-mile ride to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Unit at Wythenshawe Hospital in memory of Rosie Neath.

What’s your motivation to ride the tour O’ Booths?

Unlike most people I did not have a bike as a child, as my dad was very protective and worried for my safety. I taught myself to ride a bike during my lunch breaks at school. I owned my first bike at 17 and rode it to work on it at the bank in the West End of Morecambe. I always hoped after Rosie’s Ride, that I might get a chance cycle to all the stores. It is massive motivation to me to have a small part in helping to provide life-saving treatment for the people who need it.

What leg of the tour are you looking forward to?

The leg of the tour I am most looking forward is the last day to ride, into my own store of Carnforth. I am also looking forward to paying a visit to Christie and St James’s Hospitals.  

How are you training for the tour?

I am training mainly outdoors on my road racing bike slowly building my distance and my hill climbing abilities, to build muscle in my legs. Most of my rides are solo and have reached just over the 50-mile mark in a single ride now and do shorter rides in between the longer ones. I have a turbo trainer and cross trainer as well in my garage. 

What are you eating and drinking to keep you motivated?

I eat snacks at rest stops of peanut protein bars, oat bars, and my favourite are Eat Natural Chocolate and Cranberry bars. I drink lots of water as it always feels refreshing on a long ride. 

What is your “power song” to keep you going?

Coldplay- Adventure of a Lifetime 

I use the song for training all the time and the title is very apt for the ride! 

What do you look forward to doing once you complete the Tour o Booths?

When I finish the ride I intend to have a long soak in the bath, will look forward to that and will so need it!

Damien McDonald is the Head of Finance at Booths and the chief route planner for the Tour O’Booths. Damien took to cycling as a teenager, as a low-cost independent way of holidaying with friends with tents strapped to the bike. He returned to cycling when he taught his children to ride bikes.  Like many cyclists of a certain age, he returned to the bike after an evening with friends — waking with a hangover and a vague recollection that he   agreed to cycle the coast to coast. After a few days of thinking “why didn’t I just say no?” Damien rediscovered his love of cycling and has been hitting the roads ever since.

He’ll lead the way as the team ride 600 km across Booths country taking in every store across the North.

What’s your motivation to ride the tour O’ Booths?

The tour is helping to raise money for another great charity, and allows me to combine work with my favourite hobby. The last Tour O’ Booths allowed me to complete my ambition of visiting all of the Booths sites and meeting so many colleagues along the way.

What leg of the tour are you looking forward to?

Scotforth to Clitheroe — my local roads — and at the end of a tough week of cycling, I am looking forward to having a good chat with my colleague John Gill, on the steep ascent of Hall Hill, the final climb of the week!

How are you training for the tour?

Everything possible — Zwifting on-line, recce’ing the routes and even a bit of weight training.

What are you eating and drinking to keep you motivated?

Same as my approach to training. Everything is possible, although not in the same quantum as I once did!

What’s your “power song” to keep you going?

Galvanize by Pete Tong, although I do like a bit of Lizzo.

What do you look forward to doing once you complete the Tour o Booths?

Hopefully we will all be free to go overseas on holiday as I have an appointment with Sa Calobra to beat Nigel Murray’s time!

Gary Apps is the owner and director of My Fish Company, who have supplied Booths with seafood and fish for 5 years. Gary joins not only the Tour o Booths, but will join Booths COO Nigel Murray as they take on the gruelling Tour 21 which will see them cycle the full Tour De France route for Cure Leukaemia. 

What’s your motivation to ride the Tour O’ Booths?

I turn 50 in 2021 and I’ve promised myself to have something of a sabbatical.

I lost a former colleague and friend to Leukaemia in November 2020 and I decided to spend some of this year raising money for a great cause. I’m moved to tears by the determination that patients show every day combating this dreadful disease. They have no choice but to dig deep and fight for their life. This is my motivation.

What leg of the tour are you looking forward to?

I’m looking forward to all of it! I’ve visited and delivered to all the stores across the years, but it will be a unique experience on two wheels. I’m also looking forward to visiting the trial hospitals too. 

How are you training for the tour?

I’m training 20 plus hours a week for the Tour 21 and the Tour O’ Booths is perfect distance training for the challenges of France this summer.

What are you eating and drinking to keep you motivated?

Flapjacks, jelly babies they’re allowed, honest! I’m not at my target weight yet, so challenge is on for coming weeks. But fuelling the day before big rides and keeping fed during training and rides is important.

What’s your “power song” to keep you going?

Currently strangely, Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles — it’s got a feel good summer sense of freedom that makes you smile when you’re on the bike. 

What do you look forward to doing once you complete the Tour o Booths?

Not stopping! The Tour O’Booths is the prep for the Tour 21, followed by the N2 Challenge in Portugal cycling from Lisbon to Faro in September. The finish line is my wedding in December — a perfect end to my 50^th year. 

John Gill is the Head of Marketing and Trading at Booths, which means he’s in charge of what Booths sells and how we sell it. John’s sense of optimism and trademark catch phrase of “We can DO this!” will stand in good stead as he prepares to ride 600k across all 27 Booths stores for Cure Leukaemia.

What’s your motivation to ride the Tour O’ Booths?

I wouldn’t class myself as a cyclist by any means, albeit I’ve always tried to maintain a good level of fitness. By signing up to do the Tour I know I will have to train harder than I have for some time and that’s probably the main motivation. I’m also looking to forward to finishing it and being able to say I did it.

What leg of the tour are you looking forward to?

The final day between Kirkby Lonsdale and Central Office. The route goes through Lancaster where I live and then up through the Trough of Bowland, which will be stunning in May. The route also includes a killer climb up Jubilee Tower. Last year I did one stage of the Tour and struggled up Jubilee Tower, so this year I aim to lay that ghost to rest.

How are you training for the tour?

I’ve bought a new bike and am managing to get out a lot each week, particularly as the weather has improved over the past few weeks. I’m focussing on building up my endurance and speed. The gym reopening has been a real boost and I’m trying to get there at least three times a week. Otherwise walking dogs and eating more healthily where I can.

What are you eating and drinking to keep you motivated?

Peanut Butter on Granary Bread is my pre training go to snack, homemade flap jack is another staple. I’ve upped my fruit and veg intake and a smoothie each morning has become a part of my routine. Treats wise, after an evening on the bike I usually pour a cold German lager for some light refreshment at home.

What’s your “power song” to keep you going?

 ‘Where’s Your Head At’ by Basement Jaxx is guaranteed to get me pedalling faster.

What do you look forward to doing once you complete the Tour o Booths?

I’m hoping that having trained a lot and then completed the Tour, I’ll be really motivated to take on some other challenges. I like the idea of touring on a bike and have started to look at some routes up in Scotland to do later in year.

Michelle is the drive behind Shelly’s Drinks, established in late 2016 with the creation of a unique Mulled Gin. A hit at the Manchester Christmas markets, Shelly set to bottle it in her Salford kitchen and expand the range.

What’s your motivation to ride the tour O’ Booths?

I loved doing the tour in 2019, it was such a good challenge for a great charity. I was really unsure about taking part this year because I, like so many people, have lost my fitness and gained weight during the lockdown. I really needed a new challenge and something to get me back into my routine of keeping fit as well as raising funds or the Cure Leukaemia charity.

What leg of the tour are you looking forward to?

I’m looking forward to the ride in the lakes. The tour will be harder than in 2019, as we are visiting The Christie and St James’s in Leeds, so a few more hills and miles. I rode 3 days of the previous Tour O’ Booths, so this will be a big challenge for me. 

How are you training for the tour?

I have borrowed a Wattbike so I can train every day indoors, rain or shine and I am following a training programme. I have also restarted outdoor sessions at my gym and together with some Pilates, this plan will put me in good shape for the tour. 

What are you eating and drinking to keep you motivated?

I decided that I needed to be focussed on losing some lockdown weight to make the ride easier. Carrying less weight = easier ride! So, with that in mind I am on a limited carb diet (50g per day) And no alcohol!!! which I’m not sure how long that will last, but I am determined to complete the tour!

What’s your “power song” to keep you going?

I generally put a training sound track with something loud and with a good bpm keeps me peddling.

What do you look forward to doing once you complete the Tour o Booths?

A physio massage and more cycling!

Nigel is the COO of Booths and a man who relishes a challenge. Not content with running a supermarket in one of the most challenging retail years on record, this summer he’s heading up the Tour O’ Booths as a 600k “training run” for the Tour 21 which will see him ride the full Tour de France route to raise 1 million pounds for Cure Leukaemia.

What’s your motivation to ride the tour O’ Booths?

3 things:

• Organise and take part in an event which helps to bring together internal and external teams, consider it “one big team build”
• Ride my Bike and continue to get ready for the Tour de France this summer
• Raise money and awareness for a very deserving cause, Cure Leukaemia

What leg of the tour are you looking forward to?

Stage 5: Trough of Bowland, Scotforth to Clitheroe. It is beautiful and challenging and I don’t get to ride it often.

How are you training for the tour?

Combination of outdoor miles and indoor turbo training. Ramping up to around 400 km per week by mid-May. Currently at c 200 km per week.  Also Pilates, post exercise stretching, and nutrition management are equally as important.  I’m not quite living like a monk, but I would love a beer !!

What are you eating and drinking to keep you motivated?

At this stage a protein-based diet to build muscle mass as once the Tours (Booths and ’21) start it simply won’t be possible to replace all spent calories, so you need to enter with some surplus. I use a range of Science in Sport nutrition, energy and recovery products as they are one of the Tour ’21 sponsors. 

At the point the events start the diet will move to a more carbohydrate-based diet to provide instant expendable energy. In addition to meat and fish protein I’m eating lots of whole unprocessed nuts, natural yoghurt for healthy fats and a brilliant protein rich chocolate almond milk is my indulgence. I general treat myself to a really ‘nice’ meal once per week, the latest being a Simon Rogan 3 course food box, which was exceptional.

What’s your “power song” to keep you going?

New Order, Charlatans, Stereophonics and The Stone Roses are the go-to playlists – specific song would have to be Get Away by Circa Waves, I class it as a ‘gift’ from my daughter who recommended it.

What do you look forward to doing once you complete the Tour o Booths?

Seeing the family as I will have been away for a week, having 1 or 2 cold beers, then getting back on the bike to finish getting ready for the Tour de France route in June and July.

Rebecca is the Technical Compliance Office at Farrington Oil, who supply Booths with a range of Rapeseed Oils and salad dressings.  Rebecca’s interest in food production stems from her love of sport and the effect that nutrition has on performance.

This spring she joins colleagues in the Tour O’Booths tour to raise money for Cure Leukaemia as she cycles 600k taking in all 27 Booths stores and The Christie Cancer treatment centre.

What’s your motivation to ride the Tour O’ Booths?

Riding my bike is my happy place which has been crucial to my health, both physical and mental, over the last year of Covid-19 lockdowns. I’m looking forward to the challenge of 5 days of consecutive riding and joining others doing what I love.

What leg of the tour are you looking forward to?

The North-West is a dark area on my Strava heat map so I’m looking forward to lighting this up. I do have some connections to the areas we’ll be visiting, mostly from childhood holidays to the Lake District and Ilkley, also I used to live in Preston for work at Hesketh Bank and Lancaster so it will be great to see these areas afresh. I think stages 4 and 5 in the lakes will be stunning. 

How are you training for the tour?

I‘m commuting to work as much as possible (in fair weather) 16 miles each way on a single speed bike and getting out for a longer ride at the weekends, on a bike with gears! 

What are you eating and drinking to keep you motivated?

My consumption of peanut butter and Kendal mint cake on the bike should make me eligible for sponsorship but the humble banana also has its place – the greener the better for surviving in the back pocket of a jersey. Off the bike I’m trying to eat well as this makes a noticeable improvement on performance. I’m finding inspiration on the Farrington’s Mellow Yellow website.

What’s your “power song” to keep you going?

My stand out song is: The bongo song – Safri Duo, I remember it was played in the opening ceremony to the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games and since then listening to it is like having a shot of adrenaline. I ration my listening of it for times when I really need to dig deep.

What do you look forward to doing once you complete the Tour o Booths?

I hope this is the start of sporting events continuing, I had some big events planned in 2020 that were postponed so I’m hoping they go ahead this year. Also after 14 years of entering the London marathon ballot I finally got a place so fingers crossed this will go ahead in October.  

Simon Oddie is the operations manager for Waterfields Bakery, the family-owned craft bakers that supply Booths. Simon has worked with the Booths team for over 20 years helping to develop bakery ranges from flavoured focaccia, quiche and cream cakes. 52 and married with 2 grown children he’s set to tackle this year’s Tour O’Booths, taking in all 27 Booths stores for Cure Leukaemia. 

What’s your motivation to ride the Tour O’ Booths?

My grandad had a mild form of blood leukaemia and this hindered his later years of life.

I want to contribute in his memory and help raise money for Cure Leukaemia — a great cause.     

What leg of the tour are you looking forward to?

The glorious Lake District!

How are you training for the tour?

I have been riding 40/50 miles throughout the winter months, which is what I would normal ride.  Now that the spring has arrived and now have a purpose and target, I have increased my riding to 150 miles per week. Over the coming weeks I will be increasing the distances to   achieve over 300 miles per week prior to the tour. Now that covid restrictions are lifting I will be venturing out into the hills to strengthen the legs!

What are you eating and drinking to keep you motivated?

As a keen cyclist I am aware of the right/wrong things to be eating. My main energy source whilst riding tends to come from Soreen bread.  As we get closer to the tour start, I will be increasing my intake of carbs to keep me going.

What’s your “power song” to keep you going?

To be honest, I don’t listen to music whilst riding a bike. However, I do like to listen to something in the car on the way back from a ride out.  Something with a beat like, Darude “Sandstorm” or Chase & Status, Count on Me.

What do you look forward to doing once you complete the Tour o Booths?

Spending a long weekend in Bowness on Windermere with my wife to heal the wounds….