Cyclist Gabriella Arnold is heading back to Bermuda today just days after being forced to flee deadly wildfires in Oklahoma.

Arnold was scheduled to compete in The Mid South gravel race but the second leg of the event was cancelled as fires approached the town of Stillwater, where the Bermudian cyclist was staying.

Fuelled by high winds, at least four people were killed and nearly 100 homes in the town were destroyed, leaving Arnold relieved to have escaped danger despite having to drive down roads with fire licking the sidewalks.

“It really was surreal,” Arnold said. “My team-mate Kelsey Devereaux did a 50K run as the first part of the double. The cycling was the next day but as soon as she finished racing we looked up at the skies behind us, looked down and the neighbourhood below us was literally on fire.

“With the 60mph winds, the fires were spreading really rapidly so we had to quickly evacuate and start heading out.”

With no official order to evacuate made until later that night, Arnold and her team-mate were proactive in heading to Tulsa, with their decision proving the right one.

“The race organisers did not make a call until much later so we ended up having to make the decision ourselves to leave, which was really hard,” Arnold said.

“Luckily we were able to drive away from the fire. We were fortunate to have made the decision to drive to Tulsa when we did as there were fires all along the highway. The highway was being shut down; we were being pushed on to back access roads, which was honestly pretty terrifying. I’m glad and very grateful that we got out when we did.”

After that terrifying ordeal, Arnold is heading back to Bermuda to oversee the island’s young cycling talent at her training camp; she is looking forward to uniting her two passions.

“I’m super excited to be coming back. Camp is always the highlight of my year as it’s when my two worlds of teaching and cycling collide,” Arnold said.

“I get to be with kids and ride my bike all day. It doesn’t get much better than that.

“There are still a few slots available but a lot of people sign up last minute so I am sure they will fill up.”

Being a teacher, Arnold is used to putting together plans; there is more to her camps than just getting on a bike and pedalling around the island.

“This is my ninth year of putting on a camp but every year the schedule is intentionally different,” Arnold said.

“Once campers register I ask them what their three main goals are in respect of what they want to get out of the camp or things they want to focus on.

“We tailor our schedule so it is completely specific to those who are attending, what they need and how to have a fun week.”

Arnold is joined in running the camp by her fiance Cole McDicken, who is also steeped in cycling knowledge.

“Cole no longer races but was previously a professional mountain biker. He is a bike mechanic and US cycling coach so he has a wealth of knowledge that he can pass on,“ Arnold said.

“His skills are not only convenient for my own life, racing and everything but also for camp.

“Bike maintenance is the largest thing that I wished I knew more about when I was a junior.

“Coming from a family that didn’t cycle, I learnt a lot of it on my own later in my cycling career and not in the most efficient way. So I think it’s awesome to have him here to share that knowledge with the kids and help them understand how to maintain their bike and be successful. A clean bike is a fast bike; that’s something I learnt the hard way.”

• To sign up for the camp, e-mail arnoldgabriella@yahoo.com