Helene Rossiter started cycling at the age of 23 and soon found she had talents for running and swimming too.

CYCLING was Helene Rossiter’s gateway sport in her road to triathlon and once she’d mastered that the sport’s two other disciplines quickly fell into place. She started leisurely swims with a work colleague who soon suggested she added running to the mix and gave her the inspiration to give triathlon a shot.

She was hooked after her first race and although a complete novice at the start made steady progress. After ten years of dedication to the sport she entered her first Ironman. 

It was that Ironman which saw her get selected to race for Team GB in her age group, which she has now done on numerous occasions, and her growing confidence meant she qualified to race for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii last year.

In this exclusive interview Helene talks about her experiences as an athlete, her new-found role as a coach and her passion for travel which sees her blog about her experiences on the road in her campervan at www.wherethewheelsgo.wordpress.com

When did you get introduced to triathlon and how long was it before you had ‘caught the bug’?

I bought my first road bike when I was 23. It was spring, I’d just split up with my boyfriend and was looking for something I could do on the sunny evenings after work on my own. I decided cycling was a good idea and picked up a second-hand road bike from a friend.

I immediately loved it and was cycling every evening and going on long bike rides at the weekends exploring my local countryside. Back then, in 2004, cycling wasn’t nearly as popular as it is now, and I’d hardly see another rider, and certainly no pelotons or individual girls like me.

I started swimming at lunch times at work with a colleague, just for fitness, and he suggested that, seeing as I had the bike and had started swimming, I may as well throw running into the mix and do a triathlon!

And so it was, in 2004, at the Salisbury Triathlon I competed in my very first race. The moment I crossed the line I was hooked!

What were some of your earliest triathlon successes and who were your biggest supporters and mentors at the beginning?

Just to be clear, I was a complete beginner…! I could hardly swim four lengths when I started swimming and my knowledge of cycling and running were limited in the extreme. I’d always done team sports at school but never something individual like triathlon.

My friends thought I was a bit mad I think, but I had colleagues who were supportive (who I swam or ran at lunchtimes with) and I started going out with a very good swimmer which helped improve my technique in the water!

I just loved racing and would book in a handful each year. Year on year I saw improvements which motivated me, and then I started to win my age group or get on the podium which just felt amazing. It was in 2014, after ten years of doing triathlon, that I bit the bullet and entered the Ironman race in Wales. My biggest challenge to date and a daunting one.

Cycling was the sport which sparked Helene’s triathlon assault.

What did it feel like being selected to represent Great Britain and what have been some of your achievements and experiences with the team?

After my performance at Ironman Wales I was delighted to be selected to race in the GB Age Group Team at the World and European long course triathlon champs in 2015. Never in a million years did I think I’d be good enough for this! It felt like the hard work and training had paid off and I wanted to work even harder to made sure I did the GB suit justice.

Since my first appearance for the Team at the World championships in Motala, Sweden, I have raced numerous times for GB in long course and middle-distance championships, a highlight being a silver medal in 2015. But my biggest achievement and highlight to date has to be qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. This is ‘the’ place to race as a long-distance triathlete and to be there in 2017, just three years after my first ever ironman, was a dream come true.

Its been fantastic to be part of the team, to travel to races across the world and to meet such a great group of like-minded people. It’s made me want to be a better athlete and to constantly set new goals.

Tell us about your experience of marathon running and how it compares in terms of the thrill of triathlon?

A few years after taking up triathlon I realised my weak link in the sport was my running so I joined my local running club, Hart Road Runners, in an effort to improve.

I loved the friendly set up, the regular training nights and running with other people, and my running gradually started to get better. When I found out I’d been lucky enough to get a ballot place at the London Marathon in 2015 I set my mind to really working on my running over the winter of 2014/15 in an effort to do myself proud on the streets of London.

With expert coaching from the club and a great group of fellow club mates to train with, I smashed my target on the day of the marathon – a PB I still have not broken despite numerous attempts since!

Marathon training and racing is quite different to triathlon – its simpler. You just need trainers and to get out of the door and run. With triathlon there are three discipline’s so you are always juggling the training between each of them.

I like the simplicity of marathon training. I like the rigour of the training programme and the different types of running that it involves – long and steady, tempo, speedy intervals. But the feeling when I cross the finish line? Well, that is very similar to crossing the line in a tri. A mix of relief, fatigue, happiness for a job well done, and more often than not a desire to do better the next time – because there’s always room for improvement!

Helene Rossiter is close to be come a seasoned Ironman competitor with Kona already under her belt.

What has your experience been of  Ironman races and do you intend to compete in anymore in the future?

Ironman distance events are undoubtedly a physical and mental challenge. The endurance required to complete, and the strength required to do it as fast as you are able, are not insignificant.

My very first Ironman in Wales was a scary affair – I felt sick in the days leading up to it. Sick with nerves. But as soon as I got into the water and started racing I loved it. And the same has been true at every ironman since.

You know it’s going to hurt, it will be hard work, but you also know that the long hours of training will stand you in good stead and that you can only do the best you can do.

In 2017 I broke my ironman PB and qualified for Kona. This was a dream come true and proof that with some hard work, consistency and determination anyone can do it.

My next ironman event in 2018 will be Challenge Roth – the famous world record course race in Germany. I will be doing my best to go faster than ever before. And beyond that…. Who knows!

Tell us about your day job and how it coincides with your passion for the outdoors?

I used to work for the South Downs National Park Authority, the organisation which, like the National Park Authorities for each of the UK’s 15 national parks, looks after and conserves the protected landscape.

I loved my job and being involved in caring for one of the most stunning parts of the UK. I’ve always been passionate about the outdoors and took a leap from the private sector years ago to start working with the Parks – firstly the New Forest, and then the South Downs. My cycle commutes to work were, as you can imagine, much nicer than sitting on a packed train going to London.

Back in 2016 however, at the age of 36 I decided I needed an adventure and that, having not travelled when I completed my university degree, I should do so.

I made the very difficult decision to leave my job. I rented my house out and bought a van, which I converted into a camper and headed off into Europe in pursuit of the best places to swim, cycle, run and race. On the way I made sure I experienced as many national parks as possible. My blog, www.wherethewheelsgo.wordpress.com documents my journey.

I am working with the Parks again now, involved with projects across all 15 of the UK national parks, which is a great privilege – to be part of conserving and enhancing these protected landscapes for future generations and helping people access and enjoy them now is, for me, an important endeavour.

How do you manage to fit cycling into your busy life schedule and tell us about your trusty camper van which helps you see new places and find cycling locations?

When I worked full time from an office the very best way of getting the cycle training in was to commute to work by bike. I’m sure my colleagues thought I was mad as it was quite a long way, but better to cycle it that sit in a car!

Now I work a little more flexibly I am able to fit rides in in different ways. In the winter the trusty turbo trainer comes in handy, in my dining room, and in better weather you’ll find me on the green lanes of Hampshire. I also support a Mallorca-based organisation with triathlon coaching and cycle guiding on the beautiful Balearic Island and that certainly helps with getting bike-fit!

As for Victor, my campervan, he is my pride and joy! When I left to go travelling in 2016 I knew I wanted to take my bikes with me. A road bike for everyday riding and my triathlon bike for racing. So I converted a VW Transporter from a carpenters van to a practical, comfortable living space for me and my bikes. The bikes are stowed on the inside for protection and security and I can sleep alongside them!!

The van makes it possible to travel anywhere with the bikes and hop out at a moment’s notice when it looks good for cycling. It also means I can camp in all conditions, get out hill walking in the National Parks and sleep safely and soundly wherever I go. I’m like a snail – I carry my home on my back!

Helene’s campervan has become essential in her adventurous outdoors lifestyle.

What can our readers expect from your website and what other projects are you currently working on?

My website documents my journey across Europe, the races I’ve competed in and places I’ve visited. There will be more of the same to come – I have some new blog posts coming soon, and plans this year to head off in Victor to race in Germany at Challenge Roth and then explore the parts of Europe I didn’t get to last time round. If anyone has any top tips of places they’d like to hear more about or where I should go then please get in touch!

I am also starting a coaching business in the UK to mentor and guide people who want to get in to triathlon or improve. It is rewarding to help someone break their own goals, gain confident and experience the joy of training and racing. More on this soon on my website. If anyone is interested they can contact me here https://wherethewheelsgo.wordpress.com/contact/.