This is Noel Johnston. We call him ‘Big Chief’.
He was christened on one of our Saturday morning rides. We were going up through Slaughtneil towards Glenullin discussing the film ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’.
Re-enacting a famous scene from the movie, Noel turned towards me, stuck out his hand and said: “Juicy Fruit”. Those were the first words uttered by the character ‘Big Chief’ and it was the first thing Noel said that morning.
He’s been ‘Big Chief’ ever since. The name suits Noel because everything about his physical presence is big. He has a head like an anvil, a neck like a ship’s funnel, and legs like Redwoods. He’s just big – and therefore profoundly unsuited to riding a bicycle uphill.
But guess what Noel Johnston loves doing? You got it. Defying gravity. Climbing mountains. It’s like Frankie Dettori developing a passion for sumo wrestling. But there’s another thing about Noel which is worth knowing. He is insanely determined.
You know the joke about the skeleton in the wardrobe being the world champion at hide-and-seek? That’s Noel. He has that quiet, unflinching focus. And there is no stop button.
On our cycling trip to Mallorca last September, he was the oldest man in the party. Noel is 61. Everyone else was in their 40s. Everyone else weighed from 11st to 13.5st. Noel was over 16st.
Most days we were on the bikes for five hours. Sa Calobra is a six-mile climb. Puig Major is an eight-mile climb. But he tapped it out. Head down. Tap, tap, tap. No complaints. No short cuts. No suggestion of ever stopping.
This Saturday Noel should have been back in our holiday destination for the Mallorca 312, an endurance event tailor-made for people built absolutely nothing like him.
The Mallorca 312 is a sportive which comprises 16,500ft of climbing over a distance of 312 kilometres.
What does that mean? To understand the climbing, think of the Glenshane Pass. From the foot of the Glenshane Pass to the Ponderosa Bar at the summit is 1,000ft of climbing. To complete the Mallorca 312, you complete that climb 17 times while riding to Galway - 200miles. That’s the Mallorca 312.
Oh yes, and there’s a time limit. If you don’t reach certain towns within a specified time –you’re kindly asked to step into the broom wagon.
To prepare for the event, Noel asked me to supervise his weight loss regime. Before anyone accuses me of touting for business, that’s not the case. When the gym got too busy I stopped doing individual nutrition plans.
I took on Noel because he’s a friend and because he was one of my first ever success stories. When he joined the gym in 2015 Noel was over 18st. After starting my nutrition plan on December 12 (yes, he insisted on starting before Christmas), he shed three-and-a-half stones.
For his most recent battle with the scales I set Noel a challenge. I told him I wouldn’t charge him anything if he lost two stones and weighed under 14st 10lbs at the start of this week. However, if he failed to make the target weight, he would have to cough up £312, £1 for every kilometre. He agreed, as I knew he would.
When he started on November 4, Noel weighed 16st 9.25lbs. This week, he’s tipping the scales at 14st 2.5lbs – as I knew he would.
Even though the Mallorca 312 is postponed, Noel stuck to his regime. He eats around 2,400 calories per day. Last week he clocked up 350miles on the bike. His Saturday outing was a 100-mile solo effort! Not bad for a 61-year-old who was told by his doctor that if he didn’t change his lifestyle he would be heading for an early shower.
As many readers will have put on some weight during this lockdown, they should gain some hope and inspiration from Noel.
Before he got into cycling, he weighed 22 stone, smoked 60 cigarettes a day and worked every hour he could. He owned a catering business with a chain of mobile units and a café in Portstewart - The Doughnut Tree.
A motorbike fanatic, he was also race director of the Ulster Grand Prix, a post he held until stepping down a few weeks ago. On the weekend of the Ulster Grand Prix he smoked 100 a day!
Then Noel started his journey back to health and a new life. First, he stopped smoking. Next, he bought a bicycle. His first outings with our friend Craig Gibson were covert affairs conducted at 5.30am on winter mornings. Those eight- to 10-mile circuits of Maghera are remembered to this day as “brutal”.
He also sold all his businesses. He still holds a part-time job delivering bread, but that’s only because it gives him something to do at five in the morning. He is one of those people who can function on four to five hours sleep. The final major move was he joined the Carn Wheelers Cycling Club and the Train Station Fitness Academy.
Last week Noel went through his wardrobe trying on the clothes of the man he used to be. He filled six bin bags.
Big Chief is not so big anymore.
