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Dan Ibbotson

Inline skating comes in many forms, from aggressive to artistic, but none is more exciting than speed skating.

That is a view Derbyshire鈥檚 Dan Ibbotson absolutely agrees with.

鈥淓veryone likes to have that buzz and get that kick, and I get it out of skating,鈥� explains Dan.

鈥淲hen I鈥檓 sprinting, I鈥檓 going upwards of 30mph. It鈥檚 quick enough when all you鈥檝e got on is a helmet and a skin suit.鈥�

The 23-year-old is currently ranked as the third best sprinter in the country, and was recently named in the British team to compete at the European Championships in Germany.

鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those things that when you start skating you鈥檙e competing against the guys who skate for Great Britain. You want to become one of those guys that everyone is trying to beat.鈥�

Ibbotson competes for Midlands-based outfit Cado Motus, where he also coaches. The team has members from as far afield as Denmark and Holland, but Dan often finds skating a lonely pursuit.

鈥淭raining is normally a lot of time spent out by yourself, either on your skates or on your pushbike, or at the gym,鈥� he says.

Dan, who competes in the 200m, 500m and 1500m events, works full-time on top of his heavy training schedule: a must for a sport in which the basic equipment costs over 拢1000.

Curiously though, it has been known for Dan to compete in some of the longer races too.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not something that I do particularly well, I do prefer the shorter races,鈥� he says.

鈥淏ut if you can skate a marathon and have the sprint at the end of the marathon, it does come in handy.鈥�

And even though he is still recovering from injury, this Draycott resident is soon returning to competition, with the hope of claiming the crown of top sprinter in the UK.

鈥淚鈥檓 building toward the British Championships now which is in October. And then it鈥檚 winter training until February when I start my season again in Portugal.

鈥淚鈥檝e just got to knuckle down and get back to full fitness.鈥�