Veteran Mick Ives takes his 85th national title (+ video)

Mick Ives, who races for Team Jewson-MI Racing-Polypipe, has won his his 85th national title at the age of 77. He took the Veteran Time Trial Association National 25-mile Tandem Championships on Sunday in partnership with 75-year-old Murray Kirton.

It was Ives’ third VTTA National Tandem success, having won the 10-mile Championship with Jack Watson and the 30-mile Championship with Vic Haines a few years ago.

The veteran’s 60-year career has also seen him become UCI Cyclo-cross World Champion in his age category on five occasions.

Of his latest success, Ives told the Rugby Advertiser:

“Times were slow for all competitors due to very strong winds and very wet and slippery conditions. This made the course, which included 12 roundabouts, especially difficult at times. On the long inclines into the wind, speeds were down to 18mph but on the return leg using a top gear of 56x11 we were hitting 35mph. We had to take great care on the roundabouts, which were tricky enough for the solo riders, but much worse for tandems.”

Barring a couple of minor setbacks, Ives rides summer and winter and says he hasn’t stopped racing since the autumn of 1956.

"I had an operation in November [2014] on my lower back after wearing part of it out after clocking up over 700,000 miles," he told Business Insider. "And I had an operation on my heart in May [2015] as I had an irregular heartbeat, and they have sorted it out."

In 2005, at the age of 65, Ives became the first pensioner to complete the Tour de France route solo. According to his team's website, he started out one day ahead of the pros and finished in Paris a day early after doing two stages in one day. He raised £20,000 for charity through is efforts.