Good bye 2016 it has been a great adventure. We have started renovating our first house, got a dog and the biggest challenge of all, racing the Trans Alp Bike race.
I am excited about 2017, after being inspired by Sarah Williams from Tough Girl challenges, who set 7 challenges for 2017 I have decided to write my own list of goals for 2017. So here goes;
Whistler heli-ski for the first time
24 hour mountain bike pairs race
Complete the South Downs Way
24 hour solo mountain bike race
Walk up Snowden with Martyn
Bike Snowden and film it
Bike packing adventure with Mum in the UK
Thanks for a great ride 2016, here’s to an adventurous 2017!
Imagine falling off your bike so badly that you’re scared to touch your brakes. This is exactly what happened to one of my clients. Now after two years she has decided to battle her fear and get back in the saddle with my help.
Pauline and I have been on a journey over several sessions to regain her confidence in cycling. At the start of her first session she would not use her brakes in a controlled way opting for pedalling backwards and slamming them on at the last minute which made her feel out of control.
I broke down braking into simple steps helping her think about the process of feathering her brakes to control her speed instead of pedalling backwards and gradually pulling them on to stop herself in a controlled manner. She also gripped the handle bars very tightly which was not helping her sharp braking. I told her to think about having a baby bird in each hand which she wouldn’t want to squash this helped her not grip so tightly and in return her braking was not so sharp and her upper body relaxed releasing some tension she was feeling.
When your confidence is knocked getting over the psychological barriers can be challenging. Fear is the mechanism our bodies use to keep us out of dangerous situations, a little fear can be good, as it stops you doing anything where you could put your life in danger, but there is a problem when fear takes over and makes you act irrationally. For example Pauline’s ‘fear’ of pulling on her brakes in case she goes over her handle bars means she has been trying not to brake or brake at the last moment baking her braking jerky and more likely to cause her an issue in the future.
To work through her fear we spoke about the three places Pauline would like to cycle to with her partner Brian, once she was back riding and also to recall positive memories from the past. I also have been helping her not think about the accident and instead look to her future cycling adventures which has also helped her go from saying ‘I would like to try and ride my bike again’ to ‘I will ride my bike again’ changing her mind-set has been really important and has helped us progress over a few sessions where Pauline now is happier riding around braking and passing others on her bike.
As a coach I am constantly looking for ways to help my clients get over their own challenges so they can get the most out of their cycling. I find visualisation of what they want to achieve really helpful and have also found his myself.
I am really proud of Pauline she has shown such determination and will-power to make her dream a reality, well done Pauline.
The shortest day of the year may be behind us but winter is in full swing! Winter is a great time to put in some base training and work on your overall fitness for the spring/summer.
Here are my top tips:
Running: I am not a natural runner, but during the winter I like to put on my trainers, wrap up warm and head out for a 20/30 minute run to stretch my legs, release some endorphins and enjoy being active outside. Try adding some squat jumps or lunges to your run to build leg strength.
Strength & Conditioning in the gym: Working on your general strength is really important, cycling is a non-load bearing sport so putting in some time during the winter to build on your bone strength, build bone density and do some resistance training could really pay off and improve your cycling.
Pilates: Pilates is a fantastic way of keeping your core strength up. Your core muscles keep you in a good riding position, with correct alignment enabling you to ride for longer.
Fartleck Training: Fartlek is Swedish for “speed play,” and that is exactly what it’s all about. Unlike tempo and interval training, fartlek is unstructured and alternates moderate-to-hard efforts over a period of time. After a 15 / 20 minute warm-up, play with speed by cycling faster for short efforts (how short and how hard is up to you), then use an easy effort to recover, this should always be slightly longer than your hard effort. This can be great fun in a group to bring in a competitive element sprinting to the next lampost or end of the road. (Please be aware and careful of the traffic and obstacles)
Training explained
This session mixes up working anaerobically and aerobically.
Anaerobic exercise is a physical exercise intense enough to cause lactate to form. It is used by athletes in non-endurance sports to promote strength, speed and power.
Aerobic exercise is any physical activity that makes you sweat, causes you to breathe harder, and gets your heart beating faster than at rest. It strengthens your heart and lungs and trains your cardiovascular system to manage and deliver oxygen more quickly and efficiently throughout your body. Aerobic exercise uses your large muscle groups, is rhythmic in nature, and can be maintained continuously for at least 10 minutes.
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]Hey, I did this a while a go for Specialized and thought I would share. #happyRiding
Wow, that’s a tough one there is so many! Locally to me I love riding around the South Downs exploring new trails and usually getting very lost!
I love being in the mountains and have spent a lot of time walking, climbing and now biking in Wales. There are so many trail centres and plenty of natural riding too if you know where to go.
My favourite trail centre at the moment is Afan Forest because you can easily link more than one trail together to make long rides.
Afan also packs in lots into its trails with technical rocky descents, big hard climbs, fun rooty singletrack through forests, board walks and stunning scenery where ever you look.
– Favorite food?
I love Greek and Italian food, there is nothing better than fresh pasta and pesto with some scrummy olives!
My favourite riding food is salted peanuts, or malt loaf. On long training rides I use nuts as a source of energy which is a change from sweet training ride food.
– How long have you been riding?
When I was growing up I used to go mountain biking with my Dad to Wales and around our local Dunwich Woods. When I was 10 I went to Slovakia on a mountain bike holiday which was really hard work, at times Dad had to tie a rope around my handle bars and help pull me up the hills. I loved the experience of being outside and the freedom of exploring trails. I then discovered horse riding and it wasn’t until 2012 (some 12 years later) when I was watching the Olympics at Hadleigh I felt inspired to get back on my bike and try racing.
– How did you get into it?
I got into racing when the Olympics came to London. I was watching the girl’s race at Hadleigh on the TV and was so inspired by these incredible riders that I wanted to try it myself. After my first race I was hooked and decided to set myself a goal, to see how far I could take cross-country racing.
– Who inspires you?
My parents have always been very inspiring to me both competing for Team GB in Judo and Canoeing. They have always taught me to go out and push myself for what I want to achieve.
From the world of cycling I find a lot of the women racing inspiring but lately watching and hearing about Annika Langvards training for the Cape Epic and how she runs up 16 flights of stairs in her local hospital 10 times has really helped to keep me going in my Trans Alp training.
– What kind of riding do you do?
Mountain biking is my passion and where I compete, but I enjoy the freedom of getting out on any bike, I just think it’s a great way to experience your surroundings and to be able to go places by your own steam.
– What’s your favourite thing about riding?
One of my favourite things about riding a bike is you see the world in a different way, on early morning training rides I often see deer, badgers and owls all creatures that you would usually never see in your car.
I love the freedom cycling brings when I clip into those pedals it’s just me, my bike and the trail, nothing else matters. My mind is clear from everything apart from what’s going on in front of me and I find that is a magical feeling.
– What’s your best cycling memory?
My best cycling memory has to be travelling around Scotland with my boyfriend Martyn ticking off as many trail centers as we could in a week.
There has been many from a coaching point of view the first time I taught a child to ride their bike with confidence.
– What’s your least favourite thing about cycling?
Working full time, like most people my training time is squished in around work. I am an early bird so tend to train around 6.30 before work. I actually love this time of day but when the wind is howling and its chucking it down or icy outside it makes training a lot harder, but it’s about having the resilience to get out, endure the bad weather and know when it comes to racing you will be stronger for it.
– What advice can you give to people starting out?
If you’re new to mountain biking I would suggest you go with friends who have some experience and head for either your local bridleways or a trail centre and try out green/blue graded trails.
The key things to mountain biking are:
momentum – speed can be your friend it’s going to help you when the ground is muddy or sandy so remember to keep the bike moving
look where you want to go – this sounds easy but when you start to progress onto steeper terrain or more committing trails the key is to look where you want the bike to go, looking down at the tree stump usually means you hit it!
gear selection – using your gears effectively makes climbing so much more enjoyable, don’t change down to your smallest gear as soon as you start going upwards, ‘reward’ yourself with a change down gear as you go up the hill this will make it easier going and again you will keep your momentum
Getting some coaching is always a good option as you will learn things correctly and stop any bad habits.
– What advice can you give to people who want to improve/ potentially start racing?
There are two options when you’re looking to race if you’re thinking you want to do it seriously you need to look at you strengths and weaknesses to choose the type of racing which will suit you, or if you’re just keen on mountain biking then just getting into cross country is the most accessible type of race with regional races all over the country for different abilities.
The best way to improve your riding or racing technique is to practice, analyse your strengths and weaknesses, then set yourself a plan of how to improve. Getting a coach is a great way to keep motivated and reach your goals.
– What’s made you want to do the Trans Alps?
In 2012 when I started racing I set myself a goal of a stage race. Now 4 years on I feel my fitness and ability is ready for such a challenge. My aim is to encourage and inspire other women to get outside and have adventures on bikes whether they’re big or small. I want to show that with hard work, determination and focus you can achieve your dreams.
– What will be your biggest challenge?
The Trans Alp will be a huge challenge both mentally and physically, we will be climbing over 17,000 m which is twice the height of Everest over 7 days in heat, so getting enough fluid will be really important. The altitude makes its harder work too and it’s something I can’t really train for in the UK.
Mentally getting up each day for 5/6 hours in the saddle is something I have not yet experienced, but something I can practice. Michelle my Trans Alp team mate and I will be going to Wales to do long rides over a few days to get an idea of how this will feel!
– Tips to improve confidence?
Look at how far you have come and what you have achieved, when you are faced with a new challenge look back at the last challenge and how you achieved it and think positively about how it will feel to overcome this new obstacle.
Please can you add these social details:
Follow Hannah’s journey to the Trans Alp and beyond on Instagram @beyondthemud
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