FEATURE: A 2025 with ups and downs for Sarah Matthews

2025 was a year of ups and downs for a3crg rider Sarah Matthews, with a busy and challenging life leading to a DNS and a DNF as she built up to her target event for the year – her first 100.
But a strong determination and some good guidance from coaches and friends helped the 65-year-old from West Sussex finish the year on a high with two age-related national records as well as (to date) leading the age-related three-distance British Best All-Rounder competition.

Matthews still works four days a week and when she’s not busy earning a crust, she’s caring for her 91-year-old father who lives three hours away.
“At work I joke that I have an over-active planning gene,” she explained. “Probably not a gene at all but a skill learned through making mistakes!”
Rewind to September 2024 and, while holidaying in Austria, her thoughts wandered to challenges for 2025. Having crashed out of her first attempted 100-mile time trial in 2016, she and coach Chris McNamara decided to have another go.
But her 2025 season got off to a shaky start.
“I’d entered a local 25 on a Sunday as preparation for the VTTA National 30, then a 50 in preparation for my big race of the season - the Hounslow and District Wheelers 100.
“My planning went awry and I crammed too many things in my busy life it was DNS(A) for the 25. That meant no race practice before the VTTA 30 - something I was equal favourite to win, so I squeezed in a Saturday morning club 10 just so I could get some race practice in.
“I raced hard at the VTTA 30 but Jen Clegg took the win. I had to give her 7 mins and 2 secs on AAT so when I passed her with five miles to go and giving it everything I had left, it wasn’t quite enough to beat her. She deserved it and I was thrilled for her.
“Ironically it was exactly a week before my 65th birthday and a week later the age adjustment would have given me the win. At least I had a strong ride in the bank.”
A few weeks later she tried to combine two days in Cardiff visiting her dad with the BikePace 50.
“My Dad bought me a chicken to roast ‘as I do it so well’ as well as some oven cleaner to clean his filthy oven, which wasn’t ideal stress-free pre-race preparation,” she admitted.
“I’d only failed to finish once before in ten years of time trialling but after the first 25-mile lap my hamstrings were screaming, I was fighting my bike and my power was pathetic.
“With a post-race 3.5-hour drive home sitting on painful hamstrings I bailed leaving me with a messed up head just 15 days before the Hounslow & District Wheelers 100.”
The following weekend she tackled a training ride of over four hours on her TT bike, and suddenly the 100 seemed achievable once again.
But when the weather forecast for the big day came out, her elation turned to despair and confirmed her worst fears.
“It said there would be a westerly wind that would strengthen and become more gusty throughout the race,” said Matthews. “The course is five 20-mile laps on an east-west course so five legs into a worsening headwind, and it gave me serious doubts about my ability to get round.
“I’ve done a few challenging 50s but this was twice as far! I messaged a team-mate saying I was feeling overwhelmed. “He replied not to go off too hard, but not to hang around, stay focused and stay positive.
“The words ‘stay positive’ resonated not least of which because they were from David Shepherd who knows a thing or two about long distance time trials.”
The forecast turned out to be correct and the wind got stronger and gustier as the event went on – but it was the same for everyone.
“Looking back it was tough but during the ride I never allowed myself to think just how tough it was,” she added. “I finished in 04:32:12 - and because the organisers were using ResultSheet I got back to HQ to find my WhatsApp alive with congratulations. At that point all I knew was I’d got round, my bum hurt and there were lots of DNFs. Filtering the results by AAT showed I was 2nd overall! I was ecstatic.
“I expected to be off racing for a few weeks afterwards but managed a 25 the following Sunday and I’m sure that was because I got my nutrition and hydration right. 
“Getting round the 100 in tough conditions, and in a respectable time, definitely had a positive effect on my racing this season. I did a number of PBs at the Goodwood League (10 miles), got national age records at 25 and 50 miles, plus a win and a course PB at the Paceline 25 on the P881/25.
“One of the motivators for doing a 100 this season was the VTTA three distance BAR competition – the average speed on age adjusted time for 25, 50 and 100 miles.
“There are some fast veteran women with experience at this competition – Chris Murray, Kim Barfoot-Brace, Claire Emons and Joanna Cebrat come to mind – and my goal was to be in the top five women.
“As I write this I’m not only first woman, but first overall, which apart from winning my age group in the TT at the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in 2023 is my biggest achievement in UK time trialling.”

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