I wish... I cycled to work (part 7)

When facing an uphill struggle, find your own rhythm and go at your own pace.

Despite packing as lightly as I could, my rucksack felt heavy and cumbersome. Terry and Mark, who had decided to cycle to work with me on Sunday morning and had already teased me for being 10 minutes late, thought my bulky bag was hilarious.

I needed to carry a change of clothes and a packed lunch. I was commuting to work, not going out for a leisurely ride. I also needed to carry lots of food and water to keep me going on the bike. I refused to run out of energy this time!

I checked my watch. 7:15am. Would I make it to Southborough by 8:45?

The three of us pedalled up onto Ashdown Forest in thick mist. We said good morning to people in hi-vis jackets waiting for an organised cycling event (I was tempted to shout out that we were the breakaway group) and accelerated downhill, remarking on patches of warm and cold air that reminded us of patches of warm and cold water in the sea. 

I lost sight of Terry and Mark before the bottom. I wasn't taking any risks on the damp road surface. When I finally caught up with them I hitched a ride in Terry's slipstream, keeping my front wheel inches away from his back one. Saving my legs. Saving my energy for the hill out of Groombridge.

It paid off. I couldn't believe how well I climbed the hill with a rucksack. I felt bad about cycling away from Mark but I needed to keep my cadence high and bounce in the pedals. I needed to find my own rhythm and go at my own pace. Besides, Terry soon cycled away from me. I crested the hill and cruised through dense woodland on my own.

Suddenly a deer leapt into the road in front of me. I squeezed my brakes hard and the bike skidded and the back wheel slid sideways, startling the deer which turned 180º and bolted back into the woods. I eased off the brakes. The bike straightened and I sat back down in the saddle. 

Wow. Fear, exhilaration, wonder - I felt all three emotions in that single moment. What a beautiful creature. Stunning. I only wish I hadn't scared it.

Terry, Mark and I regrouped at the next junction. It was 8:20am. Only 25 minutes to go! We cycled together through Fordcombe, Penshurst and Bidborough, and I headed the charge into Southborough just before 8:45am.

I had done it! I had cycled to work. Well, we had cycled to work. And contrary to Google's prediction, it was exactly 22 miles.

Now all I had to do was a day's work and then cycle home again...

Fortunately work was less physically demanding than normal, and I felt recharged for the ride back. So much so that I accepted Terry's extra challenge and took a detour to Hartfield, increasing the return journey to 28.34 miles. 

I had cycled 50.34 miles in one day! Hilly miles. With a rucksack on my back. I was amazed by what I had achieved.

At the beginning of the month I wished that I cycled to work. Yesterday I did it. Over the course of 4 weeks I rode my bike 12 times, experienced cramping calfs and burning thighs, consumed thousands of calories, braved the roads after dark, almost hit a deer and travelled a total of 274.44 miles. That's roughly the equivalent of cycling from London to Newcastle.

Now that I've cycled to work once, I can do it again. I'm fitter, stronger and more confident riding my bicycle than I was at the beginning of the month. Next time I won't worry so much about the hills or the traffic or whether I've eaten enough. I know I can do it.

In a previous post I wrote that my brother-in-law Terry likes to know how far and fast I've cycled. Why? Because he's talked me into entering the wiggle New Forest 100 Sportive with him on Sunday 12th October.

I'm going to cycle 81 miles in one go. Wish me luck!

What do you wish you could do? Start doing it in October and amaze yourself.

I wish... I cycled to work (part 6)

Work out what your body needs to keep going.

"I don't want to do this anymore," I whined, hunched over my bicycle and weaving along the road at a painfully slow pace.

It was Friday evening, dark and getting cold. Terry and I had just cycled to Seaford and back. 35 miles. We were 7 miles from home. 

I had run out of energy. Hit the wall. Bonked. No power left in my legs. I thought my front light had been flickering for the past few minutes but I realised it was my vision distorting.

"I've got to stop. I've got to eat something," I said.

I turned into the entrance of the nearest driveway and stopped. Terry handed me an energy bar and I wolfed it down.

"Have you got any food left?" he asked.

"Mars bar."

"Eat that too."

We stood there in the dark; me chewing, Terry waiting, bugs chirping. I washed it down with swigs of water.

We carried on.

My legs got stronger, but I was still slow. Terry nursed me through Palehouse Common and Ridgewood and into Uckfield. 

Home. I was so happy to be home. We had cycled 42.48 miles.

I had learned a valuable lesson: I need to eat more. I need to eat more before a ride and during a ride. Anything to maintain the glycogen levels in my muscles. Energy bars, malt loaf, fruit cake, jelly sweets...

I could think of worse things!

I also learned that I needed to change my saddle. To put it bluntly, I had a sore bottom and a raw undercarriage. It wouldn't do. So I detached the saddle and replaced it with the saddle from my old bike.

Yesterday I cycled to Tunbridge Wells for a job. Not as far as my usual workplace, but not far short. I ate Mars bars and fruit cake galore to fuel me, and I felt OK. Even my bottom.

Don't get me wrong; it was hard work, especially uphill with a rucksack on my back. But I didn't run out of energy. And when I arrived I felt elated.

This Sunday 28th September I will cycle to work and back. My usual workplace in Southborough. The hardest and hilliest cycle yet.

What is your wish of the month? What could you do this week to move one step closer to fulfilling it?

I wish... I cycled to work (part 5)

Be inspired by professionals. Don't compare yourself with them.

The Tour of Britain came to my home town on Saturday. In honour of this week-long race for professional cyclists, Uckfield pulled out all the stops; roads were closed, bunting strung up, crowds turned out, and our community radio station went into overdrive.

I waited on a hill outside of town with my sister Rachel, her husband Terry and my nephew and niece. Mark was also there with his better half Wendy. We cheered and waved flags and took photos. And that was just for the police motorbikes.

I watched in awe as the cyclists cruised up the hill. They were halfway though a 226 kilometre stage. That's approximately 141 miles. 141 miles!!! 

They made it look effortless.

Back home, I watched the conclusion of the race on television. A helicopter-mounted camera streamed footage of the riders racing into Brighton at breakneck speed for mile after mile. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

How do they do that?

Needless to say, I was inspired by what I saw. So much so that, during my ride this evening, I imagined myself attacking up Ditchling Beacon and sprinting along Madeira Drive to win the stage.

Reality didn't quite match the fantasy. I hit a couple of potholes, the zip on my saddle bag broke, and I spat gnats. But I did move one step closer to being able to cycle to work and back:

I cycled 29.10 miles!

No comparison with the professionals. But then I'm not comparing my ride with theirs. Or that of other cyclists. I'm comparing it with my first ride of the month. At twice the distance, it makes me feel pretty good. :-)

What is your wish of the month? Wouldn't you like to see yourself improve?

I wish... I cycled to work (part 4)

Train with others to raise your game and have more fun.

"Are you coming out with us on Friday?" asked Terry, my brother-in-law.

I knew what that meant. It meant a big cycle ride with him and Mark after work. It meant pedalling as fast as I could to hang on to their back wheels. It meant strained lungs and jelly legs.

"Yeah, sure," I replied.

The pace was relentless. I tried to keep up whilst Terry and Mark chatted side by side. Every now and then one of them would look over their shoulder to check I was still there and say, "Alright Rich?"

About 15 miles in, they challenged each other to race up a small hill. How funny would it be if I sprinted past them both when they were least expecting it? So I did.

I veered over the white lines in the middle of the road to get past them, but as luck would have it, a car appeared over the brow of the hill. I swerved to avoid it and was promptly overtaken by Terry and then Mark.

Glory stolen and power drained, I trailed behind the other two until we reached The Six Bells Inn at Chiddingly to eat and drink and regale our battles on the road. 

We mounted our bikes once more and headed into the darkness. I marvelled at the hills to our west silhouetted against a dark blue sky. At moths dancing in the beams of our lights. 

We whooped and laughed like naughty schoolboys. We should have been home over an hour ago. The women in our lives would not be happy.

20.61 miles at an average speed of 18.2mph. That was quick. Quick for me anyway.

What is your wish of the month? Who could you team up with to make it happen?

I wish... I cycled to work (part 3)

Do not assume what your body can or cannot do. It will surprise you.

I wanted to cycle further than 14.4 miles. On Thursday I took a route I was familiar with but had never ridden on my own before. One big hill, lots of country lanes and an A road.

I don't like cycling on A roads. Too many vehicles travelling too fast. But the A26 was the only way to get from Isfield to Ringmer. So I pedalled as quickly as I could for a mile or so and tried not to think about the hulking black 4X4s roaring past with half a desire to squish me.

My front wheel looked a bit wobbly so I pulled over somewhere near Ringmer. The quick release bolt was loose. Brilliant. I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure the wheel is supposed to be attached to the frame. Bolt tightened, I ate a banana and watched a solitary wind turbine generating enough electricity to boil an egg.

I felt terrible climbing the hill towards Glynde. Lowest gear. Huffing and puffing. I knew I could do better than that. My thighs burned and my calves cramped on the way home. Stupid legs! 

20.12 miles. I should have been pleased. I wasn't.

I feared the worst when I got my bike out again on Friday. This is going to hurt, I thought. I'm never going to get up those hills.

How wrong could I be?

I flew up those hills. I bounced in the pedals. I accelerated to the top! I can't explain it but my body adjusted to what I was asking it to do within 24 hours of the last battering I had given it. My body stepped up to the plate. It delivered. 

OK, the ride was much shorter - only 8.41 miles (only, he says) - but there were more hills, bigger hills, and I was moving much faster.

From now on, I will not assume what my body can or cannot do. I will let it surprise me.

What is your wish of the month? Wouldn't you like to surprise yourself?

I wish... I cycled to work (part 2)

Like any sport, victory in cycling is achieved by training. Train hard and competing becomes easier. 

So I hear. I don't race. I attempted a triathlon once for charity. Emphasis on once! This time I'll be competing against the terrain, although it could become a race against time to get to work!

It's been more than 6 weeks since my last bike ride. I knew that getting back in the saddle would be difficult.

I wiggled into my black padded lycra shorts and blue jersey. They're not flattering off the bike but feel fantastic on it; light and aerodynamic. I stuffed the pockets with essential tools, food and drink.

A lot of wannabe cyclists think you need all the correct expensive gear before you start. You don't. All you need is a bike with working brakes and working lights, something bright and/or reflective to wear, and a helmet. Done.

Over time you'll work out what you need. For me it was padded shorts, waterproofs, gloves and so on. I still don't own cycling glasses; I wear old sunglasses. And the only reason I bought cycling shoes with cleats (the metal attachments underneath) is because I couldn't be bothered to change the funny little pedals on my bike when I bought it.

My bike tyres were soft so I pumped them up until they were hard. This makes pedalling SO much easier. It might sound obvious but I see a lot of squidgy tyres out there.

I cycled to various villages around my hometown in the evening sunshine, admiring fields of hay bales and cows and horses. I stopped a few times to eat and drink and get out of the way of impatient cars behind me. Can't blame them really; I'm a car driver too. 

I could tell I was less fit than 6 weeks ago; every hill was a slog and I recovered slowly at the top. But I kept going at my own pace and I felt OK rolling back into town.

14.43 miles in 57 minutes and 25 seconds. "Respectable," said my brother-in-law when I told him. He likes to know the details of my rides. I'll explain why another time...

At that pace I could cycle to work in under 90 minutes. Better than Google Maps predicts. However, the route to work has bigger hills and I'll be wearing a rucksack with a change of clothes in it.

More training needed, definitely.

Do you wish you cycled to work? How many miles would that be?

I wish... I cycled to work

Cycling to work sounds fantastic: It's cheap, good for the environment, improves your fitness, and you don't get stuck in traffic jams.

On the other hand, cycling to work sounds awful: It's hard work, subject to weather conditions, and undeniably dangerous.

So why do I wish that I cycled to work?

I loved cycling when I was a child. I loved it when I was a teenager. I forgot about it when I discovered cars and girlfriends. But I fell in love with it all over again when I moved to London and realised the quickest and most reliable way to get around was on two wheels.

I cycled six miles to work, then two, then four. Along roads, along cycle paths, along canal towpaths. As long as I could shower or change at the other end, the weather didn't bother me.

Then I moved out of London.

I couldn't cycle to work anymore. I had to catch a train. Two hours each way. Horrible. So I got a new job. Bit more local. Thirty to forty minutes each way. Better. But by car. One word: traffic.

I wish I could cycle to work again.

It's 18.8 miles. A climb of 1309 feet. 1 hour 58 minutes of cycling. According to Google Maps. It's not something I could do every day, but I could do it once. I could do it by the end of September.

I will cycle to work by the end of September!

What is your wish of the month? What are you going to do about it?