Not content with being British 100m and 200m champion on the athletics track and competing in the Beijing Paralympic Games, multi-talented Neil Fachie and his pilot Barney Storey won gold the London Paralympics in the men's individual B 1km time trial. 

Within a year of taking up cycling, the 28-year-old had broken a world record and claimed gold against pedal veterans in the 1km time trial at the Para-Cycling Track World Championships in November 2009, a feat akin to a kitchen virgin knocking up better Michelin-starred grub than Gordon Ramsay in a cook-off.

Here Neil tells us what prompted his change from athletics to cycling, about his relationship with his tandem partner and how to beat saddle soreness…

I took up cycling when…
"I knew I'd gone as far as I could in athletics. Sprinting had been part of my life for 14 years, since I was 10 years old, but I needed a change. Sprinting and cycling are similar in that they're both explosive, so all those years of training and competition didn't go to waste. Besides, I fancied a sport where I could sit down."

I broke a world record when…
"I made my competitive debut at the Para-Cycling Track World Championships. After watching other athletes standing on the winners' podiums collecting their medals at the Beijing Paralympic Games it felt great to experience it myself. Being able to call yourself a world champion and a world record holder has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

I had my first crash when…
"I came off my bike travelling at an incredibly low speed in my very first race. I didn't do myself any serious damage, but it was pretty embarrassing. The second was at the Newport Velodrome. I was warming down after a race, came around the corner, forgot to steer and crashed in front of all my team-mates. They found it hilarious and it was a case of my ego rather than my body taking a battering."

My relationship with my tandem partner is…
"Like an old married couple at times. I ride with Paralympic champion Barney Storey and there are rows and there's compromise. To be successful, we've got to have a good understanding and putting in the hours during training means we spend a lot of time together. It's very difficult to communicate with each other during a race, so you've got to be in tune."

I love cycling but…
"I'm absolutely useless at fixing punctures. Luckily I've only had one since I took up cycling but it took me half the day to do it."

I cure saddle soreness with…
"Chamois cream. There's no sure-fire solution but it does help reduce the pain. It's a problem for tandem cyclists because we're out of the saddle less than solo riders and that means more friction. It's even worse over the longer distances…"