Poole surgeon to represent Team GB at cycling championships

Mr Charles Willis-Owen is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at The Harbour Hospital in Poole and has received a call up to represent Team GB for his age group at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Trento, Italy, on September 18.

A keen and committed cyclist, Mr Willis-Owen finished among the top riders in the UK qualifying event earlier this year. He will now go on to compete against the best cyclists from all over the world for the title of UCI Gran Fondo World Champion.

The race is played out over a 144km course in the Italian Dolomites.

No stranger to competition, Mr Willis-Owen has been racing competitively alongside his day job as a surgeon in Poole for more than 30 years.

The Harbour Hospital in Poole

Following his selection, Mr Willis-Owen said: “It is an incredible honour to represent Great Britain at this event. I must say I was a little taken aback at first when I heard I was successful in qualifying at the Tour of Cambridgeshire in June this year.

“A lot of preparation has gone into preparing for the race and I am grateful to my family, friends and colleagues at The Harbour Hospital for their support.”

As a competitive cyclist and sports injury specialist, Mr Willis-Owen feels his own experiences of competition helps him to better understand his patient’s needs.

“Cycling is a great way to get active without impact,” he said.

“One of the main benefits of the sport is that people of all levels of ability and age can find some sort of cycling that works for them.

“The benefits of even a short cycle each day can be seen across someone’s cardiovascular system, calory burning and a full muscle work out.

“It is never too late to try and add a little exercise into each day. Cycling worked for me following some damage I did to my knees after years of running marathons. Switching to the bike was easy and allowed me to continue being active without doing long-term damage.”