Some thoughts for new riders or those returning to their bikes.

Some pics of today’s ride as well. Finally got some mojo back.

Getting out the door is the first battle.

OK. So some pointers for new riders or returning riders in their middle age.

In no particular order.

1. Your not as fit as you imagine. So….. You may be thinking this is a bit harsh. First time I returned to activity I was 30. I’m 45 now and I’ll get to that in a moment. So I was 30. Coaching football. A lad said to me I bet you can’t run round this all weather pitch like you make us do. Challenge accepted and with a strong believe that I don’t ask others to do what I wouldn’t do I set off with them. My memory was that this would be easy.

I lasted approx 100 metres. Stopped. Blowing out of my arse. Unable to get my breath. Legs felt like two lumps of lead. I was disgusted with myself.

Years of abusing my body with rubbish foods, going out on the lash etc had caught up with me. My youth that I took for granted was gone.

I set out to change this. Devised a running regime that started with run walk for half a mile and built up to my first 10k 6.2 miles. Swansea. I remember it well. Came in at 59 minutes. I was delighted and went on to 4 half marathons and a handful of 10ks. This naturally developed to getting back on a bike.

2. Variables. Don’t be hard on yourself.

So. By this I mean there will be days you feel unstoppable. Fantastic. Full of energy. There will also be days you feel dead inside. Like a corpse on two wheels you’ll plod around cursing the bike. Cursing yourself. Wishing you’d never bothered. Thoughts of growing old gracefully will swim through your mind.

Weather. For me obviously headwind is hell but heat saps my energy faster than a hangover. Rain I can live with. Snow and ice….. Well just be careful.

Tiredness. Quality of sleep all play a factor.

What have I eaten or not eaten. As a type 2 diabetic I try not to eat too many carbs. But this can lead to completely running out of energy on the bike. Very hard balance to get right nutrition.

Bike….. What tire pressures am I running. Now you can read about this on the Internet forever. I use a 32mm tire shwalbe marathon plus as I like a bit of light gravel as well as road. I’m 13 stone and I run 40psi at the front and 60psi at the rear.

When I used 25mm Road tired I ran 100 psi front and 120 psi rear. On reflection this was a little too high and highlighted the lack of quality on our wonderful Pembrokeshire roads.

Is anything squeaking? Have I maintained the bike well. This can make a big difference. That little squeak or rattle can become very annoying as you get tired. Keep up your love of the bike.

Mood. I have to put this in here. Long term depression and anxiety. What I’d say here is simply the best rides I’ve had have been the ones that I almost cried getting out the door as I could see no point, had no energy, and generally felt like shit. There’s a lesson in there.

Don’t bother worrying about times and pace etc. If your going to get back into cycling for the sport and competing fair enough. If not just enjoy the ride.

3. Time. Give yourself. Allow yourself time for you. To enjoy the ride allow for stops. Coffee. Cake if your not diabetic.

4. Nutrition on the ride. Eat well before you get hungry whilst on the bike. A banana. Some nuts. Raisins. Mars bar. Whatever floats your boat.

Drink little and often throughout. Again drink before you feel thirsty. Consider a camel sac if its hot and your doing some distance. Remember distance is relative to you. So a long ride for you may be 10 miles. For another 50 and so on and so forth.

5. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else that cycles. You are you. Your doing an awesome job just being out there on a bike. Probably 80% better than most of us at our age.

So there’s my 5 tips. Thanks for reading. Here are some pics of today’s ride. 16 miles on and off road. Taking my time and chilling out.

Motivation, where art you motivation.

So. Lockdown 2021. Wales. Perfect opportunity for cycling more. I see people out on their bikes and smile. Many more cyclists around me. What am I doing? Bikes in the shed. I’m sat on my bottom. I dream about getting on the bike but it never materialises. I love cycling yet all motivation to do so has disappeared like a river dried up in the beating sun. Once the river flowed hard and strong and now like my motivation it has withered and died.

What is going on? Who else is affected this way? More time than ever to cycle. More excuses not to than ever before?

Who else is sharing this experience? Am I the only one? The only middle aged lover of cycling to not be getting on his bike? I’ve not even looked at the bike. Not lovingly cleaned its chain. Checked tires. Nothing. People let me know, are you experiencing similar lockdown blues? That’s what I’m calling it……..

Let me know in the comments please. What is your experience regarding motivation to cycle or to do any kind of activity at the moment? Perhaps we could inspire that spark in each other? Relight the flame. Stir the passion for our 2 wheel friend. Comments and discussion welcome.

Until I roll again…….

Work, lock down, scary times and a bike ride. A brief mental health note.

OK. So it’s been a while. Well a week or two. UK is gripped in what I can only describe as a nightmare pandemic. I won’t discuss the governments approach to it here. This is not the place or time.

Thankfully we can ride. From the house. Back to the house. Above is a pic of my latest adventure a week ago. Torrential rain has stopped me (judge me if you will) venturing out on the bike this week.

January. January provides many challenges for us cyclists and those like me who struggle with the black dog (depression). What people that have never endured chronic long term depression don’t realise is that getting out of bed is an achievement. Getting your arse into work, faking the smiles and laughter is exhausting and once home you have nothing left for your family. Or at least this was my experience. Throughout I exercised. On and off. Stop start. Did it help? Sure it did. Annoyingly not as much as many would have you believe. Sure mild to moderate depression it works for. Severe depression? Well it’s certainly useful. Addressing the underlying cause with a professional and medication and exercise and diet in check and doing baby steps, with tiny goals got me there slowly. What’s the baby steps. Today I will have a shower. Next day today I’ll change my pants. May sound stupid. However at my worst these were the things I had to achieve. Building my life back from there.

I changed my job. 20 plus something years as a mental health nurse. Took me about 7 to 10 years and eventual complete crash to do. In the end I didn’t feel there was a choice. Before I continued to give the family what they needed and deserved. They are older now, the children. I was lucky. Lucky to have a family. Lucky to have parents that helped me enormously. I recognise that not everyone has such luck. My message would be simple tho. Never ever give up. Always plod on. You cannot see the future. This too shall pass.

Crikey I’ve kind of got away from cycling here for a minute. I thought I’d share a little. Just in case. Just in case by sharing my experience a little it helps you or someone carry on.

I don’t know the law regarding mentioning other people’s work. I’m going to be brave and put it out there. Messages that get through come from weird sources sometimes. There is a geordie bloke. He’s on Facebook of all things. Names Paul Mort. I hope he won’t mind me saying…… That I may not agree with everything he says on depression and anxiety, his book helped me immensely. One phrase. It was harsh. It helped me tho. “It’s your responsibility to get better. Nobody else’s.” Does hit you in the balls a bit. Or guts for ladies. It was a key for me. To stop blaming everyone and everything else and to start doing something to sort my shit out. To make changes. Now I’m not saying that phrase will help you. May help someone as it did me. Who knows.

OK. So cycling. Ah take a peak at some pics of my last ride below. I remember thinking in this mad world, with all the shit that’s going on. When I’m on my bike in fresh air I’m grounded. The world is beautiful and that hasn’t changed. In that moment of cycling I was free from fear, anxiety and at one with my surroundings. Mother earth has not changed. Its still there for us. Its we that must change.

Anyway. Enough of my thoughts. Here’s some pics to enjoy.

Pics from today’s cycle 🚴‍♀️👍

So today was the day. I’ve lost motivation recently, put on a few more pounds. Blood sugars are high blah blah blah. Today I reconfirmed my love of cycling. A short mildly hilly (everywhere is in Wales) route.

I thought I’d share some pics I took along the way. Send in your pics of your ride. 👌👍

The stead. Pinnacle Arkrose r1 2019. 32mm shwalbe marathon plus. Tiagra group set and derailleur. Only mods are the tyres and the carbon seat post. 11-34 rear cassette and the mudguard….. Oh and the seat and disc pads.

One of my other loves. Is it the same?

So. What is it that makes us love cycling? Can this be found elsewhere? Is there anything unique to cycling that cannot be found elsewhere?

Well. Motorcycling is two wheels. It’s freedom. It can be done solo or in a group. Any weather….. With the right kit. Any place with the right bike for the right job? Do I love it? Hell yes. It’s not environmentally friendly. Not when compared to cycling. Huge distances can be obtained on the open road. I’d argue a bicycle in towns is by far quicker.

So what else comes close to cycling?

For me skateboarding. Yes I know I’m 45. My left knee hurts I know. But the benefit of skateboarding is your really using your mind to think up how you can use obstacles, kerbs, drinking fountains, monuments, or just a piece of road. There are so many options.

You make progress under your own steam as well. That hits those endorphins. My furthest skate tho was 7 miles. It was beautiful. On a cycle path. Not as quick as cycling and I guess due to the backwater that I live in I sometimes get a few comments about growing up etc. I believe this to be jealousy mostly as the world has dictated what adulthood is supposed to be once your over 40? My view. If your body allows, if you enjoy it, then just do it. I mean really? We are very much here for a short time in comparison to the universe. Like a very short ass time. So hit the fxxk it button and do it. Skateboards appeal to my difficult with authority personality. I’m not keen on being told what I should or should not be.

Since a very early age, 3 for starting cycling, 10 for motorbikes and around same time for skateboarding I’ve found pure freedom in all of these activities. I’m sure there are many others that come close?

But is there anything better than a bicycle? It has freedom. It has exercise. It’s environmentally friendly. You can cover great mileage on a bike pack tour and parts don’t need to be expensive (something I’ll cover on another day).

What are your thoughts? Is cycling the ultimate freedom? The best exercise? The best at feeling connected to the world? Have a ponder and let me know.

Ponder it over a cuppa 🤔

Broken dreams covid 19

I should really start with an apology. Broken dreams? No. Paused dreams. The dreams are still there.

I like many of you had many plans for 2020. Many cycle routes and a couple of trips planned as well as a family holiday. On the back drop of many years being depressed with anxiety on top (as is often the case). So this year was set to be different. It ended up being different in a completely alternative way from that I’d imagined.

Did I get out cycling? Well oddly enough during the first lock down I took myself out of work unpaid. I messed up in reality but there ya go. In terms of cycling tho, it was one of the allowed forms of outside exercise and as I ride solo most of the time it suited me perfectly. As a result I managed some epic local rides here in Pembrokeshire West Wales.

One particular memory was a on and off road affair, using cycle path from Pembroke to Kilgetty via East Williamston I then headed off road through Templeton air field and canaston woods. A beautiful sunny warm but not too hot kinda day. Sheltered under the canopy of trees I tested out the limits (mine mostly) of my gravel bike. I continued via Wiston to Haverfordwest and made my return on the Brunel path, a path that follows the train tracks Haverfordwest to Milford Haven, returning across the cleddau bridge with its outstanding ever changing views, colours and activity.

I learnt a lot about my bike on that journey. As a result I changed the tires from 28mm slicks, to 32mm shwalbe marathon plus. This was a compromise in reality between a all out gravel tire and a tire that would still be good on the road. I reviewed em for ages. I have to admit I have not been dissapointed. Puncture resistance is amazing I. E. Not one puncture yet (its now December, lock down was early May I believe?)

I also learnt that standard pads on my cable discs were not what I wanted off road. The feel was poor as was over all power. I changed em for some ceramic disco pads and have never looked back. Far more responsive with impressive power when needed.

I cycled more during lock down than I have since. I enjoyed the 3 months off from the usual grind. I even managed to do a fair bit in my garden. Yes I was lucky to be able to make that option happen. Am I pleased I took the time? Damn right I am!!! I cannot wait to get out again. At present I’ve not gone out in a shameful couple of months. My sugars are high and I’m lethargic. It’s time to dust off me bike and get back out there. I’ll let ya know how it goes 👍

Odd image on a cycling page? Not at all. This was my best friend for 17 years. Mutley, who sadly had to be put to sleep just prior to lock down. Although he didn’t come cycling with me he came everywhere else. Permanently by my side. A mad ass free spirit, full of character he got me through many dark times. Thank you my beautiful friend. R. I. P X

What’s the difference in my age?

What’s the difference? Mentally nowt. I’m 14 in my head. Physically? Well. There are days I feel young, vibrant, able to do anything. I pay for those days with days of waking up thinking a bus has hit me. My younger self would or could have gone straight back out and done it all again. Sound familiar? Other days it’s like trudging through treacle. The answer is acceptance.

You see when your battling the inevitable, the reality of life, it causes an unease, an unhappiness. Thoughts of it not being fair, true or real keep you in a constant battle with your ego and or reality. Once we accept that OK I’m 45 (or whatever wonderful age you are) and that my knee hurts, I’m diabetic, high blood pressure or whatever ailments you may have then we can become at ease with ourselves. It’s not giving up. Oh no. It’s accepting that our pace may have to lower. More coffee breaks may be needed. We may even have to push on the steepest of climbs. It’s accepting that this is OK. Remember a slow cycle is a cycle. It beats hands down not cycling. Sitting on the couch watching Eastenders or whatever particular garbish is on at the time. We are still benefiting mentally and physically from whatever cycling we are doing. That’s before we even consider vitamin D we are obtaining naturally. Endorphins, the feel good factor and the sense of achievement of getting to places under our own enviromentally friendly steam. Finding pastures new or getting our shopping. The love of cycling is in its simplicity. Accepting our limitations isn’t defeat, it’s embracing the glorious cycle of life and being happy and thankful for this moment.

Let me know what you think. What is your experience of cycling past 40 and beyond? What differences do you notice? What adaptations have you made?

Cold and tired. But out and despite the face happy 👍
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