Back in January like a lot of other people I made a list of goals I would like to achieve in 2017.
Half way through the year I thought it was a good time to look at what I have achieved and what is left to go.
Whistler – heli-skiing didn’t go to plan this was probably a bit ambitious considering my skill level on a snowboard, however we did go back country ski touring which was great fun and gave us an experience of something totally different we had never considered before.
24 hour pairs race – Fitness and timings didn’t come off for this one.
Complete the South Downs Way – Still to do
24-hour solo mountain bike race – despite the biblical rain and a broke bike I made it across the finish line in 2nd Really happy with my achievement at Pivot 24:12.
Mont Blanc expedition – this has been moved to 2018
Bike down Snowden – hoping to complete in October
Bike packing with Mum – Still working on where…
The first time I wrote this I was upset by how little I had achieved. After a good run I decided the way to finish this post was to look at how my goals had changed and why maybe some of the things I thought I would do had moved.
The first thing is my unwritten goal this year was to grow my cycling club Pedal 2 Pedal. This has been successful. I have started Saturday sessions once a month and have been fully booked for the first term. I have run 10 summer holiday camps which all filled up and from that have new children waiting to join my club. I have taught 8 children how to ride their bikes. This has taken hard work and commitment to plan, market and deliver these sessions but the hard work has paid off and Pedal 2 Pedal has grown from strength to strength this year.
Martyn and I have also found a new love for the water and have been kitesurfing, taking up a new hobby requires commitment and time to learn and develop your skills. I have really enjoyed a new challenge and pushing my body in a new direction has been rewarding and given me something new to get excited about and a reason to strengthen my whole body and not just my cycling legs!
Partly to do with having a dog that needs lots of exercise and partly down to having two friends who introduced me to it, I have started running! Not far, I am up to 6 miles. Running is great it gives me the head space and ‘me’ time that I crave from cycling with the same ‘I am working hard’ feeling that cycling for 3 hours gives me. I also brought my first pair of new trainers since I was about 16!
Had fun with friends glamping, walking, cycling and running. Racing is a lonely business, yes you meet great people and races are full of friendly faces but training and racing and the commitment to put racing above everything else takes its toll on your personal life. Having to be strict with yourself and eat the correct foods at the correct times and go to bed on time and not rink and putting going out on training rides over going out with friends was starting to make me feel isolated. This year I have fully embraced spending time and making memories with family and friends. I am happier for it, although maybe not as fit!
Overall I am pleased with amount of ‘stuff’ I have done this year and will continue to work towards my other goals.
Over the weekend I ran my first instalment of mountain bike camps. These are now a Pedal 2 Pedal tradition and usually book up really quickly! Saturday was no exception; I had 8 in my beginners group ranging from 4 to 9 in age and with a mixture of off-road experience from none at all to already riding the blue trail.
We started our sessions with the usual bike checks before heading up the fire road to the field once there we played some games looking at cornering and the ready position which are two core techniques used in mountain biking.
After a short snack break we used the field again to work on our techniques, talking about our breaks and how many fingers we should have covering them. Then it was time to put what they had learnt into practice, with a volunteer helper from my academy at the front and a volunteer mum at the back and me in the middle we made our way as a group down the blue trail, stopping at a switch back corner to have another go at our cornering technique before ending our adventure back near the car park.
Each rider received a certificate and I have had some great feedback with six out of the eight who wanting to come back for more.
“Thank you so much for the kids’ course on Saturday – they thoroughly enjoyed it. We did the blue route down after the course and came back on Sunday to do the whole blue route 1 & 1/2 times. The kids are keen and I am going get them out as much as possible.” Guy, Evie and Tristan’s Dad.
Next up was my academy group these riders come to coaching every week and I have coached some of them for four years. There is real team competitiveness between them and the Tuesday beforehand I had set them a front wheel lift challenge which many had already started to grasp. It’s great to see youngsters so keen to improve themselves in their sport and makes me feel very proud to coach such a great cycling club.
Our session looked at group riding using a game called jail break. I like this game because all riders have to communicate and work as a team to keep the ‘prisoner’ in jail so it adds something to a mountain bike session which can end up being all about your own skills, it brings the group together and makes them concentrate on being a team, a great life lesson as well as bike skill!
Afterwards we worked on our front wheel lifts and manuals. A lot of the riders can manual now using their upper body and momentum but a front wheel lift requires just a little more fineness and practise to master.
Once everyone had a good practise we hit the red trail with a volunteer Dad on the front and another in the middle I rode at the back so I could watch their riding style and give a few tips along the way, usually about heel position.
We have started riding ‘snake bites’ at Queen Elizabeth Country Park (QE Park) which is a series of switch back corners which take you down to the fire road, as it had rained they were a little slippery so we did half and then peeled off onto the blue descent to finish.
The team at QE Park have done an excellent job on working the trails and have created a great blue which the kids enjoy challenging themselves on.
The day came to an end with a few riders opting to race the Go Ride race at the QE Cycle Fest, a twisty course had been set up by British Cycling and I think my riders where still going round long after the racing was over!
If you would like your kids to join a mountain bike camp or would like to join an adults camp please get in touch.
After the Trans Alp last July my Mum decided she would like to take on some cycling challenges, as you can imagine I was thrilled at the thought of being able to share some biking adventures with her.
On Sunday the adventures started with a trip to the New Forest to take part in the Spring Sportive.
Since buying her road bike a few months back my Mum has managed a few rides but had not really been out for any distance so this was a great test of her endurance.
We arrived in the New Forest early Sunday morning to cloudless skies and warming sun. We picked up our Power Bar goodies and numbers and headed to the start. We were soon pedalling our way through country lanes around the New Forest on our 30 mile route.
The miles seemed to fly by and soon we were at the feed station, a very pretty village hall where we stocked up on jammy dodgers and flapjacks. 12 miles down we rolled out for the final 17 miles Mum was doing really well and we were averaging around 13/14 miles an hour eating up the miles passing through quaint villages, farmers’ fields, New Forest ponies and even a Donkey greasing the verge.
The elevation of the last section included a few steady inclines and I could tell this last 2/3 miles were becoming difficult for her so we eased off enjoying the views. The great thing about Sportives over races in the huge mixture of abilities enjoying time on their bikes, there is no pressure to go fast you can take things leisurely.
Cycling through the New Forest
We soon turned back down the long track to the finish line to complete our first mother and daughter sportive. I am sure there will be more to come!
Sportives are a great way to test your endurance cycling ability in a safe environment knowing you can rely on feed stations and mechanical support if needed, making them a great opportunity for new cyclists to get out and enjoy time on their bikes and explore new areas on two wheels.
I have never given / taken anything up for lent but this year my challenge is to ride to and from work at least once a week, so far so good!
For those of you who started out triumphantly giving up chocolate or bread this week and feel like 40 days is going to be a lot to bear, why not give up a cycling bad habit instead?
Here are my top four bad habits you could have ago at breaking.
Not cleaning your bike after riding Regularly cleaning and maintaining your bike reduces the impact of standard wear and tear and can lessen the chances of mechanical failures down the line. It also gives you an opportunity to check your bike over for any issues that may stop you riding next time you head to the shed.
Going out unprepared for punctures We’ve all been guilty of this one. About as far from home as your route allows and you suddenly feel like your dragging a dead weight, that awful feeling when you realise you have no puncture repair kit or pump… Even if your going out with friends who are usually ‘prepared’ you should be able to look after yourself. This leads nicely onto my next bad habit…
Not knowing how to change an inner tube I was rather shocked to find out my Mum, who is a budding road cyclist, has no idea how to change an inner tube. It is a simple skill and a vital one if you want to be independent when your cycling. I will do a video on this soon so watch this space and let me know if there are any other skills you would like to learn?
Braking in a corner
The first rule of cornering is to scrub off all excess speed before you arrive at the corner, braking in the corner disrupts your flow and on the road can make your tyre grip less effective. My top tips to improve your technique are, scrub off all your speed before the corner, take the corner wide and head in towards the apex, when choosing your line take the straightest one possible. As you begin to exit the corner, keep looking ahead up the road to ensure you spot and anticipate any obstacles or hazards.
Thanks for reading, I hope you have enjoyed my blog post.
This week I decided to take up something for lent. I have never taken or given anything up before but for the next 40 days once a week I am going to commute to work by bike. This week was my first week and it was a great experience, on my ride home i decided to step up the pace and increase my miles, making use of the lighter evenings. The next morning the weather was ideal for cycling I was greeted by big blue skies and a warming sunrise as I pedalled the 33KM route to work.
I arrived at work feeling exhilarated and ready to face the day! Happy to have not sat in a single jam not had to wait for a single light (my route is all back roads) I had had a stress free journey to work, burnt some calories and released endorphin’s.
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