Sideburns and spanners: Guy Martin interview Mountain bikes I race mountain bikes in 24-hour solo races. It's 50 per cent physical and 50 per cent a test of your mental focus. It doesn't matter that your body is screaming at you to stop, you have to keep on keeping on. The first big race of the year is in Strathpeffer in Scotland in January. It's the most brutal. At the last British championship I got on the podium and should have been happy as that had been my goal. But then I thought, "I wasn't far off winning." Now I'm focused on winning one. PHOTO: Chris Leah Spanners My spanner collection at work is bigger than this [pictured]. Even the bloke from Snap-on who came in said it was the most thorough spanner collection he'd ever seen. When the man who makes them says that, it's impressive. Music I'm big into the Stone Roses. I gave some signed pictures of me to a mate, so he could sell them, and in exchange he gave me this signed poster [pictured]. Sadly I've not seen them live. Home and away A few years ago I went to Cuba. I'm fascinated by the whole communist thing. No one has a lot but everyone is the same. I like that way of living. We went down near Guantánamo and drove about. Once you're outside the touristy thing, it's mega. It feels really backwards. Lincolnshire is still a bit backwards and I like that. It's not trying to conform to anything, it's just doing its own thing. I only go to London once or twice a year and they're only flying visits, but it makes me appreciate home more. Shorts It's taken a few years to get them like this. I can't wear these shorts now [pictured] because they get caught on the seat. Father When I was little, I would open up lawnmowers and try to make them go faster. I wasn't strong enough to do some things so I'd wait for my dad to get home from work to help me. He was great but he never really encouraged me, and I'll be the same if I have kids: I'll leave them to do their own thing. He was a mechanic too, and he'd let me sit in the shed and watch him build engines, but he'd say, "If you're coming in you can't talk, just sit there and watch." I was fascinated with engines and hungry for more information. We'd go on holiday to Butlins and I'd be talking the whole time about engines. He'd say, "Look, I'm on holiday, I don't want to talk about engines!" He still works and is an absolute grafter. He'd put anyone to shame. Technology People sometimes recognise me when I go out but I don't go out very often. I have no TV so I never see myself. I like films, but I can't sit still for very long. I don't have a smartphone either, just an old Nokia. There's so much information out there, and I'm short enough on time as it is. You go on the internet and the next thing you know, hours have passed. TV This brick was from a TV series I did. I don't normally keep souvenirs as I don't consider it work. It's a way of meeting people I can glean information from and some of the stuff I've done as a result, money couldn't buy. The idea for this series was to break the record for the fastest push bike. We went to a beach in south Wales called Pendyne Sands where a few records have been broken. I was towed up to 60mph [because the gears on the custom-built bicycle are too big to turn from standing]. After the first run I said, "This is going to go horribly wrong." I wasn't in control at all, because sand isn't constant like tarmac. I said, "We'll go for one run and that's it." We did 112.9mph to break the British record. I didn't come off but I came very near. I want to do 200mph now.