By Pamela McGowan

Last updated at 11:51, Wednesday, 03 October 2012

A physiotherapist has won bronze in an international mountain biking and orienteering event.

Angela Brand-Barker

Angela Brand-Barker, from west Cumbria, travelled to Veszprem in Hungary to compete in the World Masters Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships.

She entered the W50 category, for women aged 50 to 59, in the sprint distance race and finished third.

Angela, who lives in Cockermouth and works for the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in Maryport, said: “I am very proud of my achievement in the sprint event, which took place around the outskirts of Balatonmadi – a town on Lake Balaton near Vezprem.

“I also got to hear the British National Anthem as my team-mate won gold, which was a wonderful experience.

“Cycling in Hungary is different to cycling in Britain. In Hungary we could cycle anywhere whereas in Britain we have to stay on tracks or paths. Unfortunately, there were a lot of thorns where we were cycling and we ended up with a few punctures in our tyres.”

It has been a great year for Angela, who was among the 8,000 chosen to run with the London 2012 Olympic torch in the relay back in June.

Having worked at Maryport Health Services for 18 years she said she was honoured to carry the torch.

“It was a wonderful experience – all I could hear were happy cheers and all I could see were smiling faces.

“I couldn’t help but feel that my feet didn’t touch the ground for the 300m that the Olympic torch burned bright.

“A very different day in Maryport that I’ll never forget,” she added.

Angela, 50, grew up in Wales and represented the country between 1985 and 2005 in the World Mountain Running Championships. She gained her best finish, coming sixth, in 1988 when the event was held in Keswick.

She was also British Ladies Fell Running Champion four times between 1983 and 1994 and now organises her own fell races, orienteering events and mountain bike orienteering events in the Lakes.

First published at 11:31, Wednesday, 03 October 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk