Big Interview: Helen Scott

For Helen Scott, recent weeks have been a literal trip down memory lane.

With her usual base at Manchester Velodrome closed, the Paralympic cycling champion has been training back on old yet familiar roads around her hometown of Halesowen.

There has also been a return to the place it all began, the concrete outdoor velodrome at Halesowen Cycling Club on Manor Way where, now nearly two decades ago, Scott took the first pedal strokes of a glittering career.

“It has brought back a lot of memories,” says Scott. “The last week or so has been the first time I’ve ridden round Manor Way for about 12 years.

“I came back to Halesowen when things started shutting down just prior to lockdown. I thought it would be a good chance to spend a bit more time with my family – plus my parents house is bigger than my own in Manchester too!

“It’s been nice to be back riding on some familiar roads and seeing old friends, even if it has been from a safe distance.

“I’ve always felt I was lucky to have a club like Halesowen on the doorstep. When I was moving through the ranks you also had the likes of Jess Varnish and Jacob Tipper at the club and it’s still one of the best in the country for developing young cyclists. I’m a life member and proud to call it my home club.”

It should perhaps come as no surprise that for someone who has made their name racing around a cycle track at high-speed, Scott likes life away from the sport to be similarly frenetic.

Her Twitter biography includes the brief but telling two-word comment ‘I’m busy’ and at a time when most of the world has ground to a halt, Scott gives the impression of having speeded up.

“I’ve actually been busier than ever,” she says, before going on to detail how her lockdown has included holding online mentoring sessions for younger members of the GB cycling team, while also continuing work towards her degree in exercise and sport science from Manchester Metropolitan University.

Her parents’ back garden has, meanwhile, been transformed into a temporary gym where Scott carries out strength and conditioning work off the bike.

“We were able to take quite a few weights with us when things started closing down in Manchester and that has been a great help,” she says. “I’ve always really enjoyed my gym work and I know it is beneficial to my performance on the bike.

“I’ve been in constant contact with my strength and conditioning coach, Keith Barker. I’ve been working on things I might usually not get the chance to and I’m hoping the next time I see him in person he will be impressed.

“Thankfully there have been no complaints from the neighbours so far, though I do wonder whether some of the turbo sessions – which can get quite loud – they are looking out of the window and wondering: ‘What on earth is she doing!?’”

Less easy to answer is the question of what Scott is working towards. This was supposed to be a huge year for the 29-year-old and her tandem partner, Sophie Thornhill. The duo – Scott is the sighted pilot for the visually-impaired Thornhill – claimed two titles at February’s World Championships, pencilled in as the last major event before the Tokyo Paralympics.

Confidence of matching – or even bettering – their gold medal performance in Rio was high. Then came the coronavirus and in almost the blink of an eye, everything changed.

“There was no other option but to cancel the Games, we knew that,” says Scott. “But that didn’t mean it was easy to get your head around at first.

“When you are in a Paralympic year, everything revolves around the Games and we were already at the stage where preparations were intensifying.

“We were ready, not only for the six months building up to Tokyo, but also the fact that after six months all the hard work would be over.

“Me and Sophie were both in a great place and we were confident of doing well.

“Now everything has been put back, all we can do is aim for the new date. The uncertainty comes with not knowing when you are going to compete again or what you are training for.

“The good thing is we both love our sport and we both love our training. I’ve tried to use this as an opportunity.”

Scott’s motivation has been helped by her involvement with the ‘Para Queens’ – a WhatsApp group founded by her close friend and fellow Rio gold medallist, Bromsgrove rower Lauren Rowles.

Over the past few weeks it has expanded into a virtual community and a Who’s Who of British para-sport. Midlands swimmers Ellie Simmonds and Claire Cashmore are also members.

“God knows how many gold medals there are between all of us,” says Scott. “I met Lauren in Rio and there was an instant bond.

“Right at the start of lockdown we did a couple of virtual weight sessions together and she decided to set up the group. It quickly grew from there.

“We have a weekly training session over Zoom and we encourage each other. It’s also been good for keeping everyone’s morale up.

“All of us were preparing for Tokyo and the postponement has affected all of us in different ways. The first chats we had were about that and the support we were getting. It’s just nice to know you are not alone.”

Scott, who turns 30 in July, might joke she is now ‘getting old’ but hers is a career still a long way from finished.

The trophy cabinet is already bulging, with the gold she won in Rio one of four medals claimed at the last two Paralympics.

There are a further 16 World Championship medals, while Scott is a four-time Commonwealth champion.

There is also the small matter of the MBE she was awarded in 2016 courtesy of her success in Brazil.

Yet the love for cycling and hunger for success which first came to the fore all those years ago in Halesowen is still there.

“I do think about the future and my degree is part of that, I want to stay in sport in some capacity,” she says. “But in terms of my cycling career I have always taken it one event at a time. When I went to Rio I wasn’t thinking about Tokyo, for example.

“Right now the focus is on competing there in 2021, while Birmingham 2022 is obviously a target.

“Beyond that, Paris 2024, who knows? All I know is that while I’m still enjoying it, I’ll keep competing.”