Rather than a race or ride report for this post, I’m going to talk more about my life in relation to cycling and how it has changed so dramatically in the last 12 months.
Back in late July 2007, while watching Le Tour De France, PDL and I were inspired to get cycling ourselves with the thought of doing some cycle touring as part of a holiday, and maybe improve my health and fitness.
But I very quickly discovered just how unfit I really was and was determined to loose weight to become a better cyclist. Before we brought our bikes, I had in my mind the memory of my younger days as a kid on a BMX, and to discover that I was now so crap on the bike was a blow to my ego. So I just couldn’t let myself be beaten by my lack of fitness and obesity (there- I’ve said it, I was obese!), my ego wouldn’t allow it to happen. So this was an important moment for me because until then, every time I tried to drop weight, I was doing what ever activity or diet to loose weight, rather than loose weight to be better at the activity. It’s a small but important change in how I approached my task but it made all the difference to my mental state and determination.
And so I started thinking about foods differently. Suddenly everything I eat was about “what will this do to me” rather than “what will this taste like”. I was thinking of foods as fuel rather than indulgences and taste satisfiers.
I started playing a game with PDL in the supermarket where I would see a product (eg- chocolate) and I would talk as if that section was just empty shelves. “Gee, I wonder why this whole isle is empty” I would say. Silly I know but it helped me deal with the temptation that used to break me down, time and time again in the past.
Then I happened upon the BV forum and this was a huge, MASSIVE change to my cycling that I can not thank the people of enough. It started with me just reading, lurking and asking the occasional question. Then there was talk of a group ride that sounded like fun – the BBC ride. I asked if a overweight, flat bar riding newbie like me would be ok on the ride and was encouraged to give it a go.
This lead to my discovering the joys of group rides and the added and unexpected benefits of cycling of the social aspect that comes with the rides. I was totally hooked and this was a pivotal moment for both PDL and myself. I can not thank the forum’s members enough for this. It truly changed my life in more ways than I can count.
Which brings me to where I am today; I now ride 250 – 450kms a week without stress, I ride 2-4 mid week morning training rides and usually lead the groups now rather than straggle along at the distant rear of the bunch. I am decent climber now, can sprint pretty well, corner like a demon and decent without fear. I have learnt to track stand with ease and can leap my bike up gutters with aplomb.
I feel like the bike is an extension of myself and heavy traffic is stress free and simple to navigate. I consider myself a cycle racer now which even 9 months ago would have seemed totally ludicrous to even consider.
I have lost 1/3 of my body weight (about 50kgs), dropped my body fat % from the mid 30’s to about 18% and packed on TONS of muscle. My clothes have gone from only being able to shop at the big man’s store to being able to not only being able shop from normal shops but not even the biggest sizes.
I have met and made great friends with so very many people from the BV forum and I always look forward to catching up with them several times a week on our regular training rides. They make me laugh with their posts and I value their friendship more than they would understand, for it is their encouragement and positive words that have made me what I am today. A better person.
My confidence has improved and I am happier in life in general and I look forward to every day’s ride. I love my cycling and life is great.
I can’t wait to see where I am in another 12 months.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
12 Months on the bike - a review
My second Road Race - May 17th
As promised, here is a long over due update to my blog. This was my second road race back in May the 17th and it was a heck of a tough day to be riding, let along racing!
Sorry for the lack of updates but with my new job, still trying to get my own clients work done, cycling as much as I can and finding myself falling asleep on the couch every night, it's been hard to find the time to put into my blog that I used to.
Anyway, here my latest update from May 17th.
Firstly I have raced a few more road races with some varied results. My second RR was at Newham which is just over the back of Hanging Rock. Polkadotlisa wasn't racing that week for reason's I can't remember so we headed off early one Sat morning to get to the start. On the way the weather was looking grim with more and more showers. The temp gauge in the car was slowly dropping till it read 2 degrees and we made jokes about snow. Ha Dee Ha Ha!
Arrived at Newham and there was no one to be found. We waited for a while and as we were sitting in the car in this tiny little town, PDL exclaimed "What’s that (pointing to the sky)!" It was snowing. Yep, real soft fluffy stuff was hitting the ground. Yikes!
Finally some other riders turned up after I realised I had gotten my start times mixed up and was an hour early. A small group of cyclists rolled in and we all huddled under a shelter in the park, wondering if the race was still going to happen. Finally the officials turned up and they pulled out a card table- a sure sign that things are rolling!
The officials asked around to see how many were going to race and with such small numbers (1 E-grader, 1 D-grader - me, about 6 C and 6 B-graders) they decided to run it as a handicap style race and send me and the E-grader off first.
We all hurriedly got dressed, and then I and the E-grade guy assembled on the road where the marshals told us to “look after each other and good luck”, before setting the two of us to ride out into the soaked roads, with light rain falling and as near as much zero temperatures. YIKES.
Myself and the E-grade guy chatting a little as to set off, both rugged up with as much clothing as we could. I had on-
Thick merino socks
Full booties
I had the vent holes in the soles of my cycling shoes taped up
Leg warmers
Bib knicks
3 Jerseys
Arm warmers
Roubaix under gloves
Mitts
Thick polar fleece over gloves
Skull cap head warmer
… and yet I was still freezing!
We rode on getting soaked through rather quickly and freezing as a result. We agreed to work together taking turns on the front but on a long downhill I opened it up a touch and kept up the pace along the following flat. As I turned onto the side road I looked back expecting to see Mr E-grade right behind me, but he was long gone and no where to be seen. DOH! With no other choice I went into TT mode and figured I would ride solo for as long as I could.
The rest of the race was mentally very tough with the marshal’s car driving slowly a few hundred meters ahead at all times, and no one else to be seen. So I just slogged away on the soggy roads, trying to keep a good pace, with no one to draft or pace myself with, I had to use my speedo as a guide to avoid slacking off.
On the second lap about 1/3rd way around, I was turning into another road when my rear wheel slid sideways, giving me the classic flat tyre feeling, and sure enough upon looking back, it was very low.
So with 20kms to ride I figured the flat was a slow leak and I might be lucky enough to be able to ride to the finish. So I tried to move my weight forward on the saddle as much as I could to lighten the load on the rear wheel and I kept plugging away. However, after about 10-15kms, The rear wheel was bouncing under me with each pedal stroke and I was starting to feel the rim grounding out so I had to do SOMETHNG.
A decision was made, stop, dump my CO2 into it and hope it will get me home. So I pulled over, unclipped and went to pull off my CO2 pump from the frame mount, however with so many glove layers on, I couldn’t feel the Velcro strap and after 30 seconds of trying to grab the strap I had to pull off the outer glove from one hand with my teeth.
So I have the glove off and CO2 on the valve dumping its air into the tyre. The only problem is that now with the extreme cold conditions and the natural coldness of CO2, the pump stuck to the valve. After a bit of cursing and struggling I managed to get it off but now it was frozen to my glove! BLOODY HELL! Several frantic attempts were made before it came off, so I throw everything in my jersey pocket (inc my over glove), jump back on the bike and away I go. Whew!
Bike feels much better but I can hear the hissing of the air escaping straight away. Oh no! I struggle to get back into the rhythm I had before but the bike is at least rolling as it should now. The Marshals car had turned back to see what happened to me so I point down at my rear wheel to signify the problem.
As I approach the last corner and into the final 3 km uphill, I can feel the rear tyre is very low already and I know the uphill is gonna be shit like this. I yell to the corner marshal if he can see the pack behind me and he says “Yep! Don’t look, just keep going!”
As I turn the corner the rear wheel slides under me but I can control it fine and I am out of the saddle trying to keep the weight over the front. I look back and there they are. Damn it! Knowing I’m done for, I keep to the left, not wanting to get in the way and sure enough, with about 2 km to go C and B grade come past me as I am now just about rolling along on the rim. A few of the pack thank me for staying out of the way and a few say “well done” on my effort to stay in front of them for so long.
And then, I am last. In a matter of 50mts I went from first to last and it was beyond my control. I was pissed off but to tired to be angry. The sweep van pulled up next to me as I limped along and asked if I wanted to put the bike in the back but I declined saying I made it this far, I was going to finish.
And so I did, with PDL, Dave and Kathy cheering me as I crossed the line. I yelled out about my puncture as I passed them only to have Dave piss himself laughing about it (which at the time I wasn’t able to see the funny side). I rolled up to the car and all I wanted to do was lay down but I was so cold I was shivering from head to toe.
After the race in the public toilets, there was a whole bunch of us cyclists getting changed out of our wet clothes and we were all shaking with cold. My hands were shaking so much it took me a while to be able to control them enough to unbuckle my shoes. Damn it was grim!
And so that was it- my second road race and I was unlucky not to win. Oh well, lets see how I go next time. What doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger hey?
