Hints and Tips...

There are a few things I have learned about cycling while training. Now you have to understand that at the time when I signed up for this 'jaunt' (ah yes I will regret my flippant attitude, I do love the "I told you so's" :) ) that I had spent very little time on a bicycle since the days of my summer job berry picking. When I was 11. (Catherine - we were good back in the day!)
Now, I'm not that much older now, but 14 years off a bike, well, it makes a girl a little rusty. Other than the odd spin class and the day when I bought my current bike 5 years ago (literally the day, and by day I mean sitting on it to see if it fit/I fit (?)) I was pretty much starting over.

So, blase as ever and with that "wouldn't that be fun" attitude I seem to have developed, I signed up.

With a lot of help from Cycling Steve I got a training plan, and a little reality check when I realised how much I had to do. Training aside all was going well. Confidence was peaking and I started going out for longer and longer cycles out on the road. And that was where I discovered my nemesis. Ice. Yep, you all know that story. I believe I even may have bored some of you with the wound itself, but if you dodged that bullet, fear not....




25 years old and there I was a-falling off my bike and calling my "muuuummmy" I should say that back in the day when I was hitting the road on 2 wheels en route berry picking this never happened (although I did have a spectacular fall when I lost a pedal... oh and once I ran over a rabbit - impressive, no?)

You'd think that I would have learned my lesson after this and the fractured ribs from a few weeks previous, and I did... overall I have learned the following:

• Don't take your dog out cycling.... you will only end up dealing with the tricky decision, "do I run over the dog... or go over the handle bars?" (FYI I chose handle bars, hence the broken ribs...) For the comedians amongst you I don't mean take dog cycling on bike, that would be silly. Although I am loving the image of Scuba on a bike.


• If there is ice on the road, slow down.


• If there is ice on the road, slow down and pay attention


• If there is ice on the road, slow down, pay attention and stop singing as if you really think you could make it to the x factor... Albeit in the "worst auditions show"


• Cycling right on the edge of The Dee can lead to disaster (please note the 5 foot drop underneath my bike

• Padded shorts are a must


• Thongs are not suitable underwear while cycling, despite the presence of the padded shorts


• Cycling for long periods of time indoors in boring, unless you have something good on tv...

• People will never tire of telling you you need stabilisers!
  
• Lycra is not really a good look, ever.

Guys, the list goes on.

The main thing I have learnt? Is that you can bloody well do anything. To think how far I have come in just a few months is amazing, imagine how much I could have achieved had I been training a little longer? And not just physically. I come from an amazing family, big sis (as ever) has been an inspiration to me as has my mum. Both into their long distance running marathons, and triathlons being raced all over the place. I am trying to keep up, but am going with a sitting down sport first.