Road Cycling Life

A couple of months ago a good friend invited me to his “Speyside Tour”. Now I have ridden multi-day rides before, traversing the lengths of Britain, Spain and France, but never before where I needed to be fully self supported, needing to carry my own kit with me; previously we had organised either a support vehicle (my long suffering wife) or taxis to carry luggage, etc from that morning’s starting point to the evening’s destination.

This meant a rethink. Not just in terms of the logistics of getting from A to B each day, but which bike to take, do I take panniers or frame bags, what do I wear to make the long days in the saddle comfortable and less “lycra clad”, this was after all to be a tour conducted at a leisurely pace and not treated as a sporting activity.

How do I ensure that I only take what I need, do I wash my essential clothes each day or take extra and accept the extra load, and talking of weight, adding an extra 20KG onto what I am used to would mean a total rethink in terms of the gears needed for the hills. With no backup, we would also need to carry a much wider range of tools in addition to the usual roadside multi-tool kit and puncture repair kits.

We would also be riding on lanes and “cycle paths”, which in the UK means hastily laid and unmaintained tarmac or gravel, littered with stones, potholes, weeds, sticks and glass. Let’s face it, the type of surfaces that would strip the rubber off most road tyres, tear holes in your sidewalls and buckle wheels with nonchalance.

Yes, a rethink would be needed.

My first thought would be to take my trusty stainless steel Condor, yeah okay it is a road bike, but steel, that’s what tourers are made of…however the clearances in the front forks limits the tyre width to 25mm, that would not be enough…research and taking a little advice from Ashley at my local bike shop suggested a minimum of 28mm, or preferably 35mm tyres; lower pressure, more resilience, more comfort over gravel lanes and the expected poor road surfaces. The Condor also does not possess braze-on lugs, ruling out all but the most expensive type of pannier rack….meaning I would need to use (buy) frame bags.

In the end, the tyre limitation and the raised eyebrow from Ashley, reminding me that the Condor is a thoroughbred and not a mule wagon, so I ruled out that bike.

No problem, I have a few other bikes in the stud, and having ruled out the Condor, “Shrek” my sick green cyclocross bike was the obvious choice. With disk brakes, generous tyre clearances and a handful of braze-ons, a geometry for speed, and a bottom bracket whose height was designed for off-road as well as road. It was the perfect choice.

However, did I mention designed for racing ?

Although it has 2 x 11 gears, it is designed for racing around Cyclocross circuits, ie close ratios, with the idea that you pick it up and carry it over your shoulder on the especially designed Cyclocross circuits’ steep banks and obstacles.

We needed to rethink the gears.

Thankfully I did not need to change the cranks, just the sprockets at the back, the chain length and add an extender to the dropout to accommodate the huge 34 tooth sprocket that promised to get me up Everest (or in this case The Lecht). Not quite the “triple” setup you see on a lot of tourers, but should be good enough.

Now to decide on whether to take panniers or frame bags (bike packing as it is trendily called). Panniers offer convenience and come in sizes large enough for most people’s kit, although as they sit over the rear wheel meant that the weight was at the back, making the front steering light and twitchy. Bike packing is a relativiely new concept, which uses various especially designed bags that fit into the triangle in the frame and on the top bar as well as being slung under the saddle. Great in terms of weight distribution, but somewhat limited in terms of what can be carried, and as we found out, you need to take several bags which add to the phaffing each morning and evening routine as you pack and unpack your stuff.

The deciding factor for me was that my brother has a pair of new “Ortlieb” panniers, top notch and water-proof, all I needed to do was buy a rack. I would have been tempted to bike pack, but that would have added significantly to the cost, and as I am not a seasoned tourer, they would sit there, gathering dust and taunting me to take them on their next tour.

Panniers it was to be !

Having installed the rack I placed the panniers on the bike, delighted by the positive “click” as they attached themselves securely in place with no drama.

Next step was to get on the bike…..a feat usually accomplished with aplomb, however now requiring a little more thought as the panniers made it more difficult to get your leg over the saddle.

I did not think too much of this, however during the tour, two young ladies, fresh from a tasting at The Glenlivet distillery walked past as I was preparing to mount Shrek. They admired his sick green colour and as I thanked them I innocently quipped I was having trouble getting my leg over. Without hesitation they both asked if they could help.

Now you could ask were they simply helping a slightly “senior“ gent get onto his bike, or having been slightly lubricated by a cask strength single malt or two, were they upto no good. I am not sure if I detected a twinkle or two in their eyes, or it could have simply been the fresh Highland air that created a flush in their cheeks….we will never know.

Anyway, back to touring. Next I needed to think about pedals and shoes. I would be walking more than usual, stopping for coffee and lunch, mulling around scenic Highland glens and sleepy Speyside harbours. Touring bikes usually have pedals that come with clips that hold your touring shoes, and secured with a strap. Clipless pedals are for road bikes and by design the shoes need cleats that sit on the sole, not good for walking about in. Shrek comes with SPD pedals that are designed such that the cleat sits within the sole of the shoe, meaning you can clip in and walk…the best of both worlds. A had an old pair of Shimano shoes with SPDs, and while not ideal, would serve the purpose. I worried about the fact that they were not designed for touring and were anything but waterproof, but combined with SealSkin overshoes and waterproof socks (they have a rubber membrane sown in between two layers of sock material) I was pretty confident, and rightly so; we experienced a cloud burst and hail storm, my feet remained comfortable, dry and cosy.

Next was what to wear. It would not be appropriate to look like a lycra-clad weekend cycling warrior. We needed a touch of class, something that could be worn that did not upset or excite Scotland’s blue rinse brigade that congregate in Highland tearooms, but was practical, allowing a degree of give and comfort for cycling, could be easily washed and dried overnight, and would stand up to a little rain and general wear and tear that accumulates when cycling long distances.

My chosen material for the jerseys would be Merino wool. Strong, warm, breathable and cut for style as well as function. For the cycling shorts, I chose a pair of randonneur shorts from Rapha, a little “urban” and “on trend”, and some people might say too “hipster“, but from my experience a very well designed and constructed pair of shorts, which when combined with padded underwear (from Halfords, the other end of the trend scale), were ideal. For colder mornings I took a pair of long bib tights from Castelli, after all, when it is blinking freezing cold, go for what you know works.

So, how did I fare on my first self-supported tour. I will explain next time….cheers !

When is weather fickle ? or should the question be, are we really prepared, mentally and physically, for what mother nature has to throw at us, sometimes several shades of “climate” in one ride.

I have previously talked about the need for correct preparation of your bike and use of layers to keep you warm and dry on your rides, especially as we move from Autumn to Winter riding conditions, but this weekend reminded me that we also need to prepare our psyche.

Sunday morning, October 21st, 7:30am, after a quick cup of tea to bring me around, I looked forward to the promise of a few hours on the bike enjoying the beautiful colours that erupt during Autumn, especially here in Cornwall, with the bracken high on the coastal hills shimmering golds and reds in the low sunshine. Glorious.

I had checked the weather reports the previous evening, light to zero wind, temperatures climbing to a balmy 15 degrees, light clouds and sunhine….based on that my mind shifted to which bibs to wear, which gloves and shoes needed, should I put on overshoes, a gilet or long sleeve jacket….making choices of what to wear is part of the pre-ride ritual for me; get it right and you get an immediate reward as you push off, toes and fingers warm, you are a little cool, but you know that this is temporary and you will be up to temperature in a few minutes simply through your own exhertions as you warm up for the first 5 to 10 minutes.

But getting it wrong can be dire. The first few minutes you are painfully cold, and although you warm up, the extremities remain bloody cold, it isn’t a great experience !

So, back to fickle weather. I open the curtains to see, well nothing much other than a wall of sea mist that rolled in overnight like an ice blanket. Don’t get me wrong, there is something surreal when riding in mist (with strong lights and a high viz jacket), one of my fondest memories is riding across the Scottish highlands near Altnaherra with a low mist embracing the moorland and giving the appearance of rivers running uphill, but this was not the weather I had been expecting.

For a brief moment I thought “sod it”, that’s the ride buggered, but remembering that this is after all Autumn, and so we should expect changeable conditions, my evening preparation only needed to be slightly tweaked to include warmer gloves, a cycling cap and a change to full legged bibs, and I was ready.

How did it go? The first few minutes at 4 degrees was a little cool, but as I climbed out of the valley the mists disappearing behind me, sunshine greeted my cheeks, the road became smooth, the crystal clear air filling my lungs. You can hear every breath on still days such as this, the bike hums and the sounds of gulls soaring high above add layers to the emotion.

I stop at St.Ives, no longer swamped with tourist, but a tranquil haven, the bay stretched out ahead of me. In the distance, home, shrouded in mist like a welcoming embrace. A few more hills and then the descent into the harbour.

Days like this are to be cherished.

Fickly weather ? Bring it on, cycling in Autumn brings it own beauty and surprises, joy jumping in our hearts and our souls stirring with the graciousness of mother nature.

Keep riding, fitness and personal wellbeing beckons those who do.

A recurring theme that I hear from clients, friends and other cyclists is an obsession about what speed they should be going and how they can get faster.   

Now don’t get me wrong,if you are wishing to be a competitive cyclist, or ride with a club then sure I get it, you need to train to improve your performance, ie to be faster.

But for mere mortals, i.e. those of us that might like to join our buddies on a mid-week ride or Sunday “ride to the cafe” jaunt, or we ride purely with an intent to improve our fitness and wellbeing, by concentrating on speed without understanding the need for the accompanying bike handling skill is tempting fate.  At some point when you least expect it, without good technique, it is highly likely that your confidence in your abilities will exceed your actual competence to handle the situation, with the usual predictable outcomes of costly damage and/or painful injury.

So what type of bike handling skills do we need to master to get the most enjoyment out of riding, keep the rubber on the road, and strangely enough will increase your overall speed.  The following is a list of common skills required, and is not meant to be exhaustive:

1. Braking: use of the brakes in a progressive manner, knowing when and when not to use your brakes, the differences between the front and back brake and how affect your balance; what do do to prevent and recover from your wheels skidding, at preventing the front wheel “washing away”. 

2. Cornering :  how to safely and optimally approach a corner, using the apex to find the best line through the corner and how to exit the corner such that you are ready for next corners or obstacles. Doing this right will give you significant speed advantages.

3. Descending: how to safely descend hills, staying under control to maintain smooth bike handling

4. Riding in a Group: riding safely with two or more riders, positioning and drafting 

5. Pedals; how to smooth out the pedal stroke thereby avoiding “stamping” and strains, plus correct feet positioning and use of cleats, thereby getting more speed for your efforts

6. Use of Gears: use of the appropriate gears to maintain smooth progression 

7. Use of hand signals : notifying other road users of your intentions and warning other riders of obstacles, rough road surfaces, changing your riding line, slowing down and stopping

8. Riding Slow: maintaining control and balance of the bike when needing to undertake slow speed manoeuvres

9. Riding in Traffic: understanding how to ride safely in traffic, being assertive and controlling your space, maintaining awareness of potential hazards and how to avoid potential issues with other road users (pedestrians,cars, horses, etc).

10. Eating/Drinking while riding: how to ride while taking one or both hands off the bars to take a drink from your water bottles or snacks from your jersey pockets. It’s no good being a speed king if you have to stop every time for a slurp of water 🙂

How do you learn to master these skills ?  

1. Recently the UK Government rebranded the cycling proficiency test (if you can recall them from your thought) into Bikeability training plans that cover the very basics of handling a bike (in a playground) to more complex road awareness training.   However it is basic.

2. If you are looking for something more advanced, the most common route is to join a club and get instruction from the more senior members, but…   

3. If you are not ready or willing to join a club then there are a lot of videos on sites such as YouTube from organisations such as GCN that will give you the basics but that can only help so far.

4. Other means are to sign up to a cycling “bootcamp”…there are plenty in Spain and Mallorca for instance, however from my experience these are primarily targeting the club and competitive rider….if you can’t keep up then you are assigned to a “social group” which maybe highly enjoyable, but is not there to teach you technique.

5. The best therefore is to work with a cycling coach, however there are a couple of options:

1. The first is a fitness coach. This type of coach usually offers online coaching which requires you to sign up a programme; you may or may not actually ever meet the coach as the focus is on structured workouts and post activity advice to ensure your fitness increases without you suffering high levels of fatigue, or preparing you for a particular cycling event.

2. The second type of coach is more of a conventional instructor, i.e. observes your techniques and provide guidance on how to improve your bike skills and eliminate bad habits.  This can be either individually or as a group.  British Cycling bases their coaching model on this type of instruction, going from basic techniques that you would learn in safe, off-road environment (for example a school playground) to specific techniques for road, MTB, track, downhill, etc to the elite programmes aimed to get talent onto Olympic podiums. 

3. A much newer type is the hybrid coach.  This type focuses on fitness, but also offers individual or group rides to help improve technique.  This is the model offered by Cycle For Fitness, ie primarily fitness focused, but also providing advice on our blogs, and options for accompanied rides to help with the techniques that will make you safer and improve basic bike handling skills.    

With any of these options, make sure that the person coaching you is accredited to a national organisation such as British Cycling and has public liability insurance.       

If you’d like to talk these options through with us, please get in contact, or just reply to this post.

Segura ciclista!   

Grant

British Cycling L1 Coach

TrainingPeaks L1 Coach

Well first of all, let’s dispel the myth that to cycle you need to be one of those lycra-clad weekend road warriors.

Just a few years ago I would have fainted or broken into a cold sweat at the thought of getting on a bike and pedalling on the UK’s roads….and allegedly for fun !    But as a “middle of our years” type of person, taking up cycling has been more than just a means to roll back the years, it’s been a life changing experience, reversing the descent into type-2 diabetes and ill health, giving me a new perspective and lease on life.

Even during times when motivation is low, or when it seems a bit cold or wet outside, within a few pedal strokes the sheer joy and sense of freedom reminds me of why I took up cycling as my journey to fitness and wellbeing.

Looking back, when the opportunity for a career change arose, I created Cycle For Fitness, took my certification as a British Cycling coach and working with Dr Tom Kirk created programmes that are designed for people who would otherwise feel intimidated by the thought of cycling. People who would think it is too late in the day to take up a new hobby or they feel they are too unfit to start make a positive change. However, from my own testimony, it is never too late.

If this resonates with you, if you would like to regain the kind fitness you naturally had in your twenties and thirties, if you enjoy the feelings wellbeing, pick up the phone, message me, email me or request a callback on our contacts form.

We are here for you, the first step in any journey is the hardest, take a deep breath, contact me for a free, no obligation chat.

Grant@cycleforfitness.com