Championing Resilience: VOLT & the Electric Cranks’ Connection

This month will see significant awareness movements like Organ Donation Awareness Week (18th – 24th Sep) and World Heart Day (29th Sep). What better time then to share the extraordinary journey of the Electric Cranks.

The Electric Cranks is a unique and super pumped and motivated Cycling group of pre and post-op heart and lung outpatients riding electric bicycles. Most of the riders are themselves battery assisted – ‘e-humans’ having Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAds) – mechanical heart pumps powered by large external batteries – fitted and connected via an abdominal driveline. They are supported and dependent on a specialist medical team and heroes including: Professor Rajamiyer Venkateswaran, James Barnard, Vipin Mehta, loannis Dimarakis, Nnamdi Nwaejike, Issac Kadir, Paul Waterworth, Rajesh Shah from Wythenshawe Hospital Transplant Centre to provide 24 hour monitoring, care and equipment maintenance. Founded by Ged Higgins, this amazing group is here to provide peer group psychological support – and encourage physical and mental recovery – via the physical activity of cycling – venturing back out into the great outdoors, and British countryside.

At VOLT, this is precisely the type of story that fuels our passion each morning and motivates us to go above and beyond to encourage people to get on ebikes! Finding words to convey our emotions upon discovering the Electric Cranks is a challenge – “Absolutely AMAZING!” comes close. We’re filled with immense joy and pride as we extend our support to these incredible individuals. To aid the Electric Cranks and all potential newcomers in joining their ranks, we’ve provided the VOLT Connect, a versatile hybrid bike designed to conquer hills. Our aim is to facilitate their transition onto the saddle, helping them acclimate to the new power, the camaraderie of the group and the wonders of the outdoors. As a tribute to their exceptional journey, we’ve established an exclusive offer for these deserving individuals.

August 20, 2023 – Letter from the Electric Cranks

In the wake and warm glow of Media exposure the Electric Cranks have had a few offers of additional equipment to assist with our growing peloton. One of these is the E-bike company VOLT.

Bob Gower had a discussion with Mathilde at VOLT in mid July 2023 and in early August we each had an option of purchasing their E-bikes with a £250 off voucher valid till the end of the year with a lock plus one brand new Connect E-Bike, how brilliant is that???

Now at the end of our epic coast to coast ride in 2023 on Roker Beach, Ian Wilton noticed a friendly face in the crowd, none other than fellow LVAD outpatient Hugh Brazier. He lives near York and had made his way to Sunderland to show his support for our New Start fundraiser. His reward on the day was to get to ride Ian’s E-bike along the promenade and develop his first E-bike smile, 😊 … .everyone gets one, once they’ve pushed off and start pedaling!

So here we are in mid August, attending to the loose ends from our LVAD cafe in Wythenshawe hospital. Where is our compass direction pointing? On the horizon is the Organ Donation Awareness week 18th-24th September and we really should be making suggestions to be fully focussed and inclusive with this important annual milestone.

Outside the sun is full shining once again during our lackluster British summertime and here we are inside at Costa because the doors to the veranda are locked 🙄 they’ve lost the key. Chris, Ged, Ian & myself huddle round a table in the corner (just to be near the warmth of that holy light if nothing else). Ideas started coming thick and fast…

How about…..Riding each day from a different location close to a Crank’s home? Letting the LVAD community know that we have spare e-bikes and hold short, easy to ride routes? Ensure everyone is signed up to recording their mileage so we can make a decent fist of the week in terms of effort? We need lots of pictures and video and Peter you can be the blogger 😆

We have a plan.

Hugh Brazier has now joined our ElectricCranks WhatsApp & Facebook groups and he will be the first person to make use of the VOLT Connect; Bob & Ged will organise its delivery during this coming week 21st-25th August.

I think we should provide him with a purple Mohican, ElectricCranks jersey and jacket too 🤔

Like a VOLT of Lightning⚡️

At least, that’s sometimes how it felt.  But, not so much when I was struggling up (or indeed down) the steep rocky track that we encountered.  The cycle-track guide had assured us that this was an easy route, suitable for novices, small children and for unfit old men.  As for that… like the curate’s egg… Oh no, my Lord, I assure you, parts of it were excellent!

On Wednesday last week I drove from my home in York to Gargrave, just west of Skipton in North Yorkshire, to meet fellow Crank, Bob. Then take charge of the VOLT Connect e-bike that VOLT Bikes UK has kindly lent to the group and try it out on a short (“short and easy”) ride before taking it home for more trials over the coming weeks….

It started so well.  Lovely weather, a quiet road, virtually no traffic, a nice smooth surface, gentle ups and downs.  We were both wearing the original Electric Cranks cycling jerseys and Bob was also kitted out in his Mohican-cum-Roman-helmet-style cycling helmet.  So, when we stopped for a breather (after about half a mile) a passing cyclist also stopped, to enquire about the fancy costumes.  This lad was John, halfway through his marathon solo ride from Cambridge to the Yorkshire Dales and back.  He was happy to stop and chat and then to take photographs of us.  Just as well the photos were taken early on.  I didn’t look quite so fresh and beaming later…

We only took two wrong turns. I’m blaming Bob. (Who wouldn’t?).

Each time we quickly realised our mistake and retraced our wheel-tracks a few hundred meters to pick up the right path. Unfortunately, however, that mile-long rough track at about the halfway stage was not a wrong turn. This section was steep, stony, loose and littered with large boulders, even larger potholes and piles of horse poo strategically placed to catch out the unwary novice.

The e-bike was great and held its own remarkably well on the rough track. The three power settings and the nine gears coped admirably, once I learnt how to use them effectively. The problem was the rider. You see, apart from a short spin on Ian’s bike along the seafront promenade at Roker Beach, Sunderland a couple of months ago, this was my first ever experience of an e-bike and it’s well over 20 years since I was last on a bike of any sort. I do have advanced heart failure and I have an LVAD. And I have lots of other excuses.

So I’m proud of my achievement that day. There was only one bit where Bob had to push my bike up the last few meters of a particularly steep climb while I lay in a heap in a nettle patch beside the track, recovering my breath and my composure before clambering my way on foot to rejoin Bob and the two bikes.

That counts as a success, I think.

It was a relief to get back to the smooth roads and a thoroughly enjoyable ride back to the pub in Gargrave. We did 10 miles in all. Not a lot but, just right for my introduction to the joys of e-cycling. According to Bob’s Relive record of the day, it took us 4 hours 14 minutes – but he assures me he didn’t switch it off until after we’d spent a long (long, long) time in the pub at the end of the cycle ride. (Editor – Bob’s got form with Relive having recorded the fastest speeds of any Crank, 70 mph.)

Seriously, folks… I did find the rough section of the route very challenging. But I’m glad we did it. I learned a lot from it, far more than I would have if our ride had all been on a nice smooth asphalt surface. I’m already hooked. In fact, I’ve been out for a second cycle today, on the flat paths and minor roads around York. I’m getting to know the VOLT Connect e-bike, I’m re-learning the skills of cycling (there’s quite a lot to think about), and I’m loving it. It’s great cardio-vascular exercise and very enjoyable. You’ve not seen the last of me…