David received a warm welcome from staff at Bradgate Bakery last week. The Olympic Star had a tour of the sandwich facility, meeting people from all departments, as part of the Samworth Sporting Stars initiative.
Of the visit, David said, “I really enjoyed it. I didn’t realize that so much work went into producing sandwiches. I met some great people and it’s really heart-warming to know that they are supporting me.” Not only did David get chance to try a sandwich or two, he also had a go producing them on the line.
It’s exciting times for David as the New Year has seen him move from his base at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham down to the newly built Olympic white water course at Lee Valley in Hertfordshire. Talking about the experience, David said, “The course is amazing, with big drops and huge waves. It’s built in a horseshoe shape, so that the finish is near the start, with a conveyor belt that takes you back round ready for another run, this is great as I can fit in more runs during a single session.” Not all the construction is complete yet, but Lee Valley should be open to the public from the spring.
January also holds the pleasure of jetting off to Australia to get some warm weather training on board. Flying to Sydney, David and the GB Canoe Slalom team will be training for the next six weeks on the white water course purpose built for the 2000 Olympic Games. This is a stark contrast to the extreme cold weather of the UK winter, which has seen David having to break the ice to train and the River Trent freezing over. We’ll find out how he’s coping with the heat in the next update!