'Toughest thing I've done but worth it' - Pauling on high after charity cycle

A weary-sounding Ben Pauling still had declarations to do on Sunday morning as he recovered from a mammoth 500-mile charity cycle in aid of Racing Welfare – something he labelled as the toughest thing he had ever done in his life.

The Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer was among a handful of the sport's constituents to take part in the challenge, which started at Carlisle racecourse on Tuesday and ended at Newton Abbot on Saturday.

Pauling was joined by Nicky Henderson's assistant trainer Charlie Morlock, Newbury's clerk of the course Keith Ottesen and Sky Sports Racing broadcaster Sean Boyce among others as they covered 100 miles each day, helping to raise in excess of £70,000 so far.

"It was amazing, the toughest thing I think I've ever done," said Pauling.

"I did it off very little training, but the standard elsewhere was amazing. People really trained hard and went to town. What kept us going is that Racing Welfare is a charity that is very close to everyone's heart.

"For years I feel it's been a forgotten charity, but it's much more visual these days and it was so important to do something like this for Racing Welfare.

"It was tougher than I ever could have imagined though."

An unseat slightly complicated things for the Gloucestershire-based Pauling, a festival winner with Willoughby Court and Le Breuil.

"I took a fall on the third day," he added. "I was having some repair work as my bike wasn't much cop, so they tried to put a bigger gear set on the back so I could get up the hills easier.

"My chain snapped in two as I was flying up the hills and I went straight over the handlebars. That was a bit painful and I've got a few scars to show for it, but it was nothing really.

"There were a great bunch of us doing it. Some retired jockeys and people who work in the industry, while my dad Howard, who is 66, did it with me, which was lovely."

Ex-riders Rhys Flint and Conor Shoemark – not far off professional standard according to Pauling – also took part along with former weighing room colleague Charlie Poste.

"We wanted to cycle from Perth to Newton Abbot to raise money and I got in touch with Racing Welfare and they told me they were setting up this trip and asked whether we'd join up and we jumped at the chance," said Poste.

"I ended up having a massive crash on the first day and I'm sure if it was just the four of us [Shoemark, Tom Messenger and Sam Davies-Thomas] on our own that would have been the trip over, but due to the logistical back-up and supply team of the event they managed to pull my bike back together in some form and I was able to carry on."

Poste, who retired two years ago, added: "It was very well organised by Racing Welfare and a heck of a lot of fun. I play lots of sport but I cycle only a bit, not at the level of some of the guys in the group, so for me it was a real challenge to get through five days like that.

"I think we all had our personal ambitions for the trip and by and large everyone loved it. At Newton Abbot yesterday the atmosphere was very upbeat, while we had some fun evenings in the hotel.

"Everyone on the trip bought into the feel-good social media attention and really appreciated it. You hope it’s something that’s shown the real positive side of racing that, as an industry and as a community, everyone does pull together when things like this are going on to highlight all that’s good in the sport. After all, we seem to spend plenty of time wanting to focus on maybe what’s not so good about it."

Poste keeps himself busy running a pre-training and point-to-point yard with his wife Francesca Nimmo, but his cycling exploits are not over.

"I’ll be back riding out in the morning, which I’m really looking forward to," he continued. "My quads and legs are a bit tired and my body is feeling a bit battered, but that’s more from the crash than anything else.

"My bike needs a bit of TLC, probably more than me as a rider. It took a fair old hammering. The four of us mates are already thinking about what to do next year, we’re thinking about something in the French Alps."

Riders can be sponsored via this link.

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