Just for the sake of it

Most blogs start this way and mine is no exception….
“It’s been ages since it was updated and it’s about time I did it.”

A little update before the meat and bones-
Following my accident in May the healing is going steadily, my back is a little stiff but I’m certain it’s going to be OK, my collar bone is still not fully knitted in yet but I have a good range of movement. It’s plated up with 7 screws. In short, I’m bloody lucky. I’ve been able to get out riding but being in pain, unfit and overweight is not a good combination. Mentally I’m a lot better, I was somewhat fragile following the crash as I had a lot of other stresses at the time especially as I had bitten by HIV+/HEP C+ drug addict.

I had decided to give up road racing as my current job was in jeopardy and I didn’t want to take too many risks especially now with 3 kids to feed.

I thought I’d stick with time trialling until my Wife and I heard the terrible news of Karl Austin being killed. Karl was very well known on the local time trial scene and his death, well, it’s just incredibly sad, so pressure from my wife made me decide to stop TTing too. Karl’s Funeral was very moving and there was a tremendous turnout from the cycling fraternity. I’ll never forget that day. It was my first ride out on the bike since the crash and the physical pain was forgotten about. It would be a while before I was able to ride again.

I’d had to stop being coached by Adrian Timmis in the short term due to financial constraints however the lack of racing meant that this sadly became a long term thing. However he had opened a new shop, Cadence Sport in Barton under Needwood in late May/Early June so I went along to see him there.

The shop itself is very nicely appointed, he has some really great memorabilia on display from his racing days and (worse for me and my wallet) some very nice bikes and kit for sale.

We had a good chat, comparing injuries (Ada had broken his collar bone and elbow 18 months ago but had lots of problems with it). It was then he advised me to sell my Powertap, ride on feel and most importantly to remember why I started riding in the first place.

The decision to get rid of the powertap was pretty easy due to the financial issues of being off work however I then had to get to grips with the idea of training without power. This should not be an issue whatsoever but I had become mentally reliant on those figures. However my reliance also translated into misery when my numbers weren’t what they should be or I was hoping for. For a rank amateur this is not a good thing.

I don’t miss it. Not at all. Having used power for every session and in particular doing intervals my legs have learnt how each effort should feel. I’m pretty confident that when doing intervals I can be pretty consistent.

But that’s not important anymore. Here’s the crux- I’m just riding for the sake of riding. I’m not ‘training’. It’s incredibly liberating and in fact the thought of not racing has been almost like a weight off my mind. I still get pangs when I think of racing and look at my trophies but I also feel my wounds and look at my kids, they soon go. I’ll still do my turbo sessions due to time/family constraints though, an addiction to The Sufferfest will ensure that. (New video out, review to follow)

Last Friday this liberation hit me enormously. I possibly had the best ride of my life. I was in full summer gear as it was beautifully warm but the autumn colours added an extra vibrance to the peak district. I’d picked a great route and there was no pressure for me to ride at a certain speed/heart rate/power output. It was, quite literally, just a bike ride.
I even didn’t mind stopping to take a few snaps, here’s my favourite of the day, you can see the road going back over the hill in the distance-

One thing that struck me was that I was able to ride several hours now without back pain. Thinking back to all the niggles I used to feel, one of the biggest factors in the enjoyment of the ride was the fact my bike fits perfectly. You can’t enjoy that ride if you are in pain or have niggling soreness. Bike fit and riding enjoyment go hand in hand.

Forget spending any money on new bike bling, the most important purchase after a bike, in my opinion, is a bike fit from someone who knows what they’re doing. The biggest ‘upgrade’ you’ll ever get. Even if you don’t get any ‘niggles’ or discomfort, you could be losing power through an inefficient position. That’s free speed. Racing or not, free speed is nice.

This brings me back to Adrian Timmis. You owe it to yourself to pay him a visit. Then get out and REALLY enjoy your riding…

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~ by NapD on October 8, 2011.