The childhood dare that led Gordon Allan to track glory

A kid with cerebral palsy [CP]. A hill. A mate. A mountain bike. A dare. A sense of fearlessness that became . . .  freedom . . .

The above forms the plot line to New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete Gordon Allan discovering his passion for cycling as a 12-year-old boy in Sydney’s western suburbs.

Allan, who before that fateful day hadn’t ridden a bike for years because he was self-conscious that while his mates were doing wheelies and bunny hops, he needed to attach training wheels to his bicycle to give him balance.

The 25-year-old world championships bronze medallist smiles broadly when he recalls the typically ‘boys’ way’ behind his hurtling down the hill behind his house in a blur of speed and excitement which transformed him to another dimension.

 “I’ve lived in the same house at Lalor Park since I was born, and we have an easement in the park that’s at the back of our house,” said Allan who also swam, did athletics, and played football as a schoolboy. “There’s a gully in the middle of the park with two slopes on either side.

“As kids my friends and I were always out there kicking a footy around or doing whatever. One day my mate had his mountain bike with him, and he dared me to ride down the hill on it. I said: ‘Are you sure, mate?’ and he just replied, ‘Yeah mate, I dare you!’

“A dare’s a dare, so I jumped on his bike and had a go. I went down the hill and – probably to his relief – I didn’t stack it. Two weeks later I had a bike of my own, so, yeah, it was awesome.”

“It was the excitement; that feeling of riding a bike. It was something new. I always liked to challenge myself because growing up with CP meant things weren’t easy, I found there were always ways to get around it.

“I tried to keep up with my mates and do whatever it was they were doing. I didn’t want to wear that label of ‘you can’t do this’ or ‘you can’t do that’. I played local football for Kings Langley with my mates until I was 17 or 18 and only gave it away because I had to decide between that or cycling.

“I played in the midfield, and really enjoyed it. I’m still mates with all the guys, but it was cool to have that bit of freedom [in soccer] by doing something I could do. It was the same with the bike. Riding it was something I’d always wanted to try, and when I did it that day, it became another notch in the belt as something I could do.

“It was so . . . good.”

Three years later Allan showed enough potential on a Wattbike at a Paralympics Australia Talent Search Day in 2012 to impress Paralympic gold medallist Peter Brooks, who also rode for the Parramatta Cycling Club. After being set up on an old loan road bike, ‘Gordo’ Allan became a member of Parramatta’s junior program, and he spent the next two years learning the basics of riding a road bike before progressing to a track bike.

In 2014, he joined the Western Sydney Academy of Sport’s (WSAS) cycling program, where he had the distinction of becoming the academy’s first Para athlete. He was humbled to learn the opportunity was engineered by Brooks. While at the WSAS he was mentored by the head cycling coach Nash Kent.

Allan credits the efforts of Brooks, Nash, and the state’s Para coach, Tom Dawson, for putting him on track to become a Tokyo Paralympian.

“I’ve been fortunate to have had some good people along the way; always the right people who’ve helped me get to where I am,” said Allan.

“[For instance,] Tom has been with me since the start when I was in the pathways. He understands what it’s like to be a Para athlete. We’ve worked together for so long now, and I’ve been so lucky to have him as a coach – he’s always been very supportive.

Allan said competing at the recent World Cycling and Para Cycling Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, had galvanised his resolve to compete at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

“This year’s ‘Worlds’ – we had a combined Para and Abled [championships] – was a brilliant experience,” said Allan, who won bronze in the C2 Time Trial. “All of our sessions were sold out and it was very exciting to compete. I’d be excited to have the opportunity to do it in Paris.

“I thought the big crowd would add to my nerves, but once I got there, I was OK. We’d drive in on the team bus and we’d see people queuing . . . these massive lines of people waiting to get into the velodrome, and I thought: ‘this is awesome’.

“You don’t usually get a big crowd at Para events, but to have the whole stand cheering and offering their support was brilliant. So, I’m excited to compete again; I’m really excited by the idea of competing in front of a big crowd in Paris.”

Allan, who is studying Sport Exercise Science, said rather than his build up to Paris being measured in kilometres, it would be gauged by his pain threshold.

“As a sprint cyclist it’s not about how many kilometres you do,” he replied when asked to estimate the number of kilometers he’d ride in preparation for Paris. “It’s about how hard every ‘K’ is because you need to go fast.

“I’m not an endurance rider, they do a ridiculous amount. So, while I might not do a lot of K’s (in comparison) I’ll be sprawled out on the ground each time after five minutes because while there might not be a lot of K’s, the ones I do won’t be easy.

“It’s like your body wants to shut down. Your legs burn to the point where you can’t stand up. You feel like you’re going to throw up. But, in saying all of that, it’s such a good feeling. You’ve hammered yourself and given everything, but you also just want to lie down in a quiet spot for about half an hour.

“So, it’s brutal. But what appeals to me is cycling is one of those sports where you have to give everything to achieve your goals. You need to empty all your energy levels and be at your best. That’s a genuine challenge, and it’s why I like it.”

While Allan conceded he needed to continue work tirelessly to give himself every opportunity to book his flight to Paris, he returned to Sydney from Glasgow hungry and determined.

“What I took from the world championships in Glasgow is how competitive everyone is,” he said. “Everyone is building, and everyone is exciting.

“Para sport . . . Para cycling . . .is getting bigger. The number of people in the field is getting larger and larger, and it is great to have that level of competition. I’m excited to see where I’ll be at in a year’s time.”

The 12-year-old daredevil who has evolved into a proud Paralympian, added NSWIS would continue to play an important role in his sporting endeavours.

“NSWIS is a great support network,” said Allan. “And the support I have received from people like Chris Brandner in Strength and Conditioning, and Holly Edstein in nutrition has been great to have.  It allows us to compete and to do the best we can.

Daniel Lane, NSWIS