Cyclist Alison Carrick took wrong turn and accidentally got involved in triathlon - Metro https://t.co/D72ub4JWSv
— Triathlon News (@TheTriathlonist) June 9, 2016
Alison Carrick of Haslingden, Lancashire, England, hadn’t ridden a bike in years, but got back in the saddle last month. She took a leisurely ride on May 29th and was surprised to be overtaken by riders in the Rossendale Triathlon! But she kept going.
She said: “I didn’t have a clue what was happening at the start.
“I realised it was a triathlon when I saw wet cyclists with numbers on their backs. I thought ‘Oh my goodness’, what does this mean for me. I just didn’t realise we were taking the same route.
“I should have stopped and made my way back but I just felt like I had to keep going.
“I kept thinking it can’t be that much further. I don’t think I realised how far the cycling part of it actually was.”
Spectators noticed the 55-year-old novice rider with distinctly different gear and started cheering her on. They even encouraged Carrick to continue when she saw the opportunity to stop. Other times, she couldn’t stop because of all the bikes racing past her. Carrick ended up staying the course for most of the race. Race organizer Graeme Courtney said he doesn’t know how she managed to do it, but he is encouraging her to enter the race officially next year. -via Arbroath