Former Guinness world record holder, Josh Quigley, is lucky to be alive after a horror crash in Texas when his medical bills totalled over $500,000, but he is determined to make his mark at the highest possible level of Scottish cycling.
Now, after concentrating on long distance world records in ultra endurance cycling, Quigley has now turned his attention to road racing and competition in local and national events this year.
The professional cyclist is due to jet to Spain for warm-weather work in the next few weeks, leaving the bleak Scottish winter behind him, as he continues his build-up to this year’s cycling programme.
Livingston-based Quigley (pictured by Nigel Duncan in Pedal Power, West Calder) has just picked up a £7,000 bike from West Calder-based retailer, Pedal Power, and the 31-year-old, who thinks nothing of cycling to Blackpool, through The Lake District, in a day, and returning the following day.
Looking back, the cyclist recalled that he held the record for the greatest distance cycled in seven days. That was in 2021 and he covered a staggering 2,179 miles with the help of a support team.
His schedule was to wake up at 3.30am and be on the bike at 4am, riding from then until midnight. Bed at 1am and up again at 3.30am and do that every day for a week. He admitted: “It was pretty intense.”
Quigley ate and drink on the bike, consuming energy bars and gels, and the back-up team also fed him sandwiches, on a course on Deeside near Aberedeen.
The record attempt was during the COVID pandmic, when travel was not permissable to other countries, and the cyclist said: “We were looking for a challenge that we could do in Scotland and this was what we did.”
Quigley has also cycled around the world and admitted to having obstacles along the way. These included his accident in America when he was hit by a car being driven at 70mph.
The rider takes up the story: “I had cycled across Europe, Asia, Australia and America, and was a few weeks away from finishing the round-the-world challenge, when I was hit by a car and almost died.
“I spent five or six weeks in hospital in Texas but I managed to go back a couple of years later and cycle from my hospital in Texas to New York to complete the challenge.”
His medical bills were huge and he revealed: “I got a bill through when I got home and it was for $42,000. That was for the helicopter which took me from the roadside to the hospital.
“My insurance obviously covered it and the total (medical) bill was about $500,000. I am fine now and I am back on the bike. I’m lucky to be alive and doing what I love.”
His main focus currently is the Scottish National Championships and he said: “I want to go there and get a good result.”
Quigley admitted that being a professional allows his to “live the dream” and give 100 per cent dedication to being on the bike. Not having to worry about work during the day, which makes it much more difficult, is a massive bonus.
The 31-year-old admitted: “I am lucky, I have good sponsors like the local bike shop in West Calder, Pedal Power, who have supported me a lot. It is a really privileged life being able to train full-time but it is obviously not easy and I have had a lot of set-backs and injuries.”
Scotland has recently been battered by gale-force winds and this has made it difficult to maintain a training schedule but he added: “I am lucky that I was in Spain for three weeks in January and I am due to go back there soon.”
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