My Story: Cycling 101

"Cycling 101" was originally written for "My Story" on 10/07/2010.

Moving back home to live with your parents after several years freedom can really hit a person's Pride Factor quite hard. There are however, certain benefits.

The main one that comes to mind is regular meals.

I haven't eaten so well since... well, since I moved out in the first place! As a typical student the jacket potato has been the biggest staple of my diet.

But at home, meal times actually exist. There's this one - it's called Breakfast - never happened when I lived away - but now, almost every day I'm having some cereal or toast. Breakfast - it's a magical notion.

The dinners are phenomenal. I've had a roast dinner every Sunday, and they are always covered in all the trimmings, and swimming in gravy. They also serve meals with these fantastic things called Vegetables! Marvelous things - they give you energy you didn't realise you had, and make you sleep better too.

And so with this improved regularity, I've dropped about a stone since I moved home. (That's 14lbs to the Americans of the audience, and just over 6 Kilos to the Metrics). Confidence and energy soaring, I decided to do the unthinkable - I went cycling.

Now, if moving home to live with your parents is a hit to your pride - there is nothing worse than having the memory of being in good physical fitness - as demonstrated by this:

And then losing said fitness over time, so that 45 minutes of cycling makes you look like this:

It was really fun though.

I live in a small village called Long Itchington, which crosses the River Avon. The canals go all the way to Stratford...Upon Avon, and there's a footpath for walkers and cyclists.

The views are beautiful,

and the varying terrain makes for good exercise.

I also learned a lot:

Cycling Rules

PART 1 - Preparation

One of the first things I did wrong was get up, raring to go, and forget to eat or drink anything. I don't know what possessed me to just jump on my bike, but 15 minutes into the cycle I was completely drained. I pushed through on this occassion, but I won't be making that mistake again. The banana and bottle of water I had after I returned from my cycle will now be what I have before I go.

Going for a bike ride doesn't need to be like prepping for a space mission, but I'm sure there are similarities.

So, here are the rules:

- Make sure you've had something to eat and drink before you go. Maybe wait for 15-30 minutes before getting on your bike after eating, but either way just make sure you're topped up on fluids, and that you have some energy to use.

- Apply sunscreen. Obviously, this is more of a summer thing, but stay safe.

- Always wear a helmet. If you haven't got a helmet you shouldn't be getting on a bike. When I see people not wearing helmets I want to yell at them for it, but I worry that the shock of being yelled at would cause some people to actually have accidents. I cannot stress this enough - it may not look cool - in fact it may make your head look like a giant mushroom. I'd rather look like a mushroom for half an hour than spend the rest of my life as a vegetable. Your choice.

- Make sure your bike is in good working order before you set off. Ride it around the block or just down the street and back again, testing the brakes, the gears, and - if appropriate - the suspension.

- Carry a water bottle with you. This was another mistake I made on my first trip, and in some ways I honestly do not know how I got back okay, because I was about ready to faint by the time I was done having had no fluids all day!

- Plan your route. I knew that I wanted to go down to the canal but I had no idea how far I would be able to go or how far I would want to go. I also hadn't considered the prospect of coming back again. For a first time go, plan a simple route that should only take you 15 minutes. See how you get on. If it's beyond easy - plan a longer route the second time. Websites like Cycle Routes UK can help you with this and provide more advice.

This is how far I got. You can't tell from the picture but at this point there was quite a steep drop, and I decided that if I went down it I would have to come back up and I was absolutely shattered! So I turned back here. Knowing your limits can also help with route planning.

PART 2 - Riding

I don't know why bike seats are so deliberately uncomfortable, but I'm going to have to look online to see if there's anything I can do about mine. The ride was fun though, it was nice to be out on a sunny day, feeling like I was doing some semblance of productive exercise. It was also nice to watch other people go by, and look out at the countryside.

Rules:

- Safety first. Be careful on roads and make sure you know where you're supposed to be riding. If you can, stay on the pavement and off the road, but either way be very mindful of your surroundings, cars or pedestrians as appropriate. Also be aware of environmental hazards like uneven ground, or the river!

- Test your gears. This is something I discovered while I was riding. It's good to know how different gears will help or hinder you while you're cycling. A low gear is great for uphill cycling, which can be tough, but if you're going downhill to a flat surface if you take your gears up you can really reach some high speeds and the effort is still fairly low - as long as you continue to go fast in that gear.

- Take regular breaks. When I got to the slope where I decided to turn around, I stopped and sat down for a minute. While it was important to keep going as long as I could, I also knew that I needed to stop. I was then able to get back on my bike and cycle back. This links in a lot with the next rule.

- Know your limits. If you get to a point where you are completely worn out, it isn't really safe to keep cycling. Find a path, get off your bike, and either stop - or walk your bike the rest of the way. There is no shame in walking with your bike. There is shame in fainting, falling off your bike and landing head first in a river. Never happened... (No, really, it didn't!).

PART 3 - Recovery

I need a person on call, who I can just ring and say "I need a massage, NOW!". I realised this after I got home. I could barely move. I was exhausted, exhilirated, completely worn out, and barely able to keep my eyes open. The water and banana provided me with enough sustanance to climb the stairs to bed and collapse on it for 10 minutes. I got up, had a cold shower, and felt immediately much more refreshed.

There is only really one rule about the aftermath of any exercise:

- Take care of yourself. Do whatever you need to do to feel better, whether its stretching, having a cold shower, getting some water or a bite to eat, taking a nap, or even a massage from a willing loved one. Rest, recover, and start planning your next trip!

This post was really for myself, to remind me of what I learned, and how I want to keep going. I hope I can continue to improve so that one day I can ride all the way into town - though that's a long way off just yet.

I decided to write this down so that if anyone else was considering taking up cycling - they could see that it's a lot of fun, but just be a bit more prepared than I was!

Thanks for reading,

David