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OPINION

Where's daddy going?

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The 2014 season is going to have to wait. There's more important things than racing.

Every morning I disappear sometime between 7-7.30, I live 4 miles from work, I could feasibly leave at 8.45 and arrive on time but I want to get an hour or more on the bike before I get to the office.  On Saturdays I disappear for half the day... it's accepted.  My kids are used to seeing me dressed in my lycra, sloping off down the shed to get my bike.  Despite all this, they still ask: “Where's daddy going?”...  I don't want it to be the only thing they remember about early childhood. 

I like racing.  But this year I'm not (at the moment) planning on pinning on a number.  Last year I was going well early season, scored a point (whoop!), got ill, tried to power through, coughed up blood at a crit, had a long time off the bike during the best of the summer, got depressed about being off the bike, got depressed about losing form, never regained it, moped around a lot.  2013 didn't go well.

What's changed?

I like riding my bike.  Just riding... not unlike VecchioJo's recent blog.  Targeted sessions, structured training, specific work to improve weaknesses?  I've learned over the last few years that they're not my thing.  I'm not a big fan of the dreaded turbo either... I've always been doomed to fail.

Partly my avoidance of structure is down to not knowing how to improve the areas in which I am weak.  I've got mates that do the structured sessions; they're focussed; they investigate and plan well, it shows in their results.  They've got jobs, they've got kids, they've got commitments like I have; whatever they do to fit it all in is admirable (see my mate Owen's handy blog about such matters).

Then there's the time spent scouring the British Cycling website for races, entering, hoping you get a start, not planning anything for those weekends, declining social invitations just in case.  Then when you get a start, it's generally a whole day taken out of the weekend.  Daddy's disappeared again.

Excuses

I've been putting off writing this blog for a few months, mainly because it feels like a failure to admit that I'm not going to be racing.  There's been more than one thing that's contributed to this decision, but this is how I felt last year:

If I was getting enough time on the bike, I was feeling guilty about not spending enough time with the kids... If I felt I was spending some quality time with the kids, I was worrying about all the work that my friends/rival racers were putting in while I was building towers out of Lego.

It's not concrete that I won't race this year, if there's a feeling like I could do something useful in a race, then I'll consider it.  As it is, the Category 4 (and 3 / 4) events in Scotland are generally oversubscribed so someone who's really dedicated to it should get a start, not me.

Looking forward

Despite how this blog reads, I'm feeling pretty confident and happy about cycling this year.  It feels like a pressure has been lifted and I can do what I want without worrying about whether I'm riding enough or if I'm spending too much time with the kids.  Racing is something I will come back to when the children are older (who knows, it might be next year) and they're more interested in knocking about with their mates than their dad, but at the moment, they're the priority. 

Bloody hell... this must be how David Millar felt when announcing his retirement! (Now how do I make that read as a joke, without using a  3 smiley?)

For 2014, I will mostly be just enjoying riding my bike...

...and playing with Lego.

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39 comments

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ike2112 | 9 years ago
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I went from training 5 times a week in one sport, to doing nowt as I got to the age where 'life' takes priority. Just make sure you plan in your time to still enjoy cycling and keeping fit, as it will benefit you and your kids when they're old enough to go out with dad. I just stopped completely for almost 2 years, got fat and right miserable! Now I know it's important to plan in advance and find time; to get in some exercise and to keep periodically doing something you enjoy.

I have a question for you though Sam; I just read your blog entry on your BC point gained last year, saw you mention your physical turnaround. I'm on a similar turnaround, going from rugby player to cyclist.
At what point did you join a club, and feel comfortable to keep with their weekly routes? I'm out around the Bathgate hills, 40-50k every Sunday, climbing around 500m gain but doing it at a casual 22/23 kph. No real reason to hurry - I like to cycle and look around as I do it.

I think I would struggle to ride at 24 mph for example, as you mentioned is the speed of your chaingang. How did you bridge from the point where you were losing weight and able to get up climbs, to being able to maintain a high pace and being competent at climbs?
Right now I think I need the challenge of a group and pace-setting to push me, but if I joined a club I'd get dropped on the climbs so it'd be kind of pointless.

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KiwiMike | 9 years ago
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+1 for night riding - we now have a group of 5 or 6 who head out on Thursdays at 8pm for 2 - 2 1/2 hrs. Most of us have the £20 eBay Cree LED's. Nightriding is far more relaxed - hardly any traffic, and they don't know what you are or think you're a combine harvester or something so often pull right over and stop. Heh.

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SamShaw replied to ike2112 | 9 years ago
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ike2112 wrote:

I have a question for you though Sam; I just read your blog entry on your BC point gained last year, saw you mention your physical turnaround. I'm on a similar turnaround, going from rugby player to cyclist.
At what point did you join a club, and feel comfortable to keep with their weekly routes? I'm out around the Bathgate hills, 40-50k every Sunday, climbing around 500m gain but doing it at a casual 22/23 kph. No real reason to hurry - I like to cycle and look around as I do it.

I think I would struggle to ride at 24 mph for example, as you mentioned is the speed of your chaingang. How did you bridge from the point where you were losing weight and able to get up climbs, to being able to maintain a high pace and being competent at climbs?
Right now I think I need the challenge of a group and pace-setting to push me, but if I joined a club I'd get dropped on the climbs so it'd be kind of pointless.

First thing for me was putting in time on the bike; 1 hour or so per day before work, then 3-4hrs on Saturday, usually racking up 8-9hrs per week. When I got to the point I was cycling at 17-18mph average on my own, I then started riding with the club. I started in the middle group but soon moved up to the faster guys. Riding a club ride isn't too difficult, but a chaingang is a different beast altogether, it's like one massive interval session, without recovery! Essentially it's like a race, but clubs run development groups which will teach you good bike handling skills and there should be a pace to suit your ability.

Best thing to do is find a local club and go out on their slowest ride, our club has rides that go at 13-14mph for about 35-40miles, it's a great way to get people into cycling without the fear of getting dropped. Nobody gets left behind. Pedal Power (West Calder) have rides to suit everyone, check out this thread, and also look for their Facebook page http://www.pedalpowerrt.site50.net/showthread.php?tid=101 I also think West Lothian Clarion have a good range of rides. Don't be fearful of trying out clubs and seeing which one you like before you join.

One thing you should do is have a go - you'll find that people are welcoming and will be happy to pass on what they know and enjoy seeing you develop.

PS. we went up the Bathgate Alps on Saturday - the first time for me and it was an eyeopener - the ride up to Beecraigs out of Linlithgow is brutal!

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SamShaw | 9 years ago
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@ ike2112

It would also be good if you posted up on the forum how you get on - I'm sure people would be interested to read of your experience, I would anyway!

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notfastenough replied to ike2112 | 9 years ago
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ike2112 wrote:

I went from training 5 times a week in one sport, to doing nowt as I got to the age where 'life' takes priority. Just make sure you plan in your time to still enjoy cycling and keeping fit, as it will benefit you and your kids when they're old enough to go out with dad. I just stopped completely for almost 2 years, got fat and right miserable! Now I know it's important to plan in advance and find time; to get in some exercise and to keep periodically doing something you enjoy.

I have a question for you though Sam; I just read your blog entry on your BC point gained last year, saw you mention your physical turnaround. I'm on a similar turnaround, going from rugby player to cyclist.
At what point did you join a club, and feel comfortable to keep with their weekly routes? I'm out around the Bathgate hills, 40-50k every Sunday, climbing around 500m gain but doing it at a casual 22/23 kph. No real reason to hurry - I like to cycle and look around as I do it.

I think I would struggle to ride at 24 mph for example, as you mentioned is the speed of your chaingang. How did you bridge from the point where you were losing weight and able to get up climbs, to being able to maintain a high pace and being competent at climbs?
Right now I think I need the challenge of a group and pace-setting to push me, but if I joined a club I'd get dropped on the climbs so it'd be kind of pointless.

Although I wasn't looking to lose weight, when I got back into cycling I was lacking general fitness. I built up to joining a club by doing a combination of long steady rides and shorter rides (1 hour) where I would take it easy for the first 15 minutes, then do a few bursts of a couple of minutes at a higher pace with a few minutes break in between, then as quick as I could sustain for the last 20 minutes. Also, practise pedalling fluidly - rather than pushing down on the downstroke (this happens anyway), pushforwards in the top third of the pedal stroke, and drag your foot backwards (like you're scraping dog muck off your shoe) in the bottom third of the pedal stroke.

When I joined a club, it was a bit of an eye-opener. The pace generally was on the quick side for me, but just about manageable. I'd get dropped on the climbs, but that's ok because the group strings out a bit anyway, then regroups at the top or the next turn-off. The shock to the system, though, was the mental aspect of focusing on holding a wheel, considering the riders behind when navigating potholes etc.

I thought I didn't have weight to lose, but dropping 4kg and riding a lot did wonders for my climbing (no surprise there!).

To be honest, you just need to crack on and try it, because here's the thing: If it turns out that the group suits you and don't mind waiting at the top if you get dropped, then you'll have your target to aim for. First, you'll be trying to keep the next guy in front just in sight. Then you'll try and stay with him. Then you'll try and keep the next guy in sight... etc. You'll find who climbs at what pace - I know that I used to be happy to be able to climb with Paul, but once I started to add cycle commutes to my routine, a couple of months later I could suddenly climb with Kevin, etc.

One other thing - I always read that the fat-burning intensity is surprisingly low, but I could swear that my weight started to come off once I had the legs for the 20-30min chaingang at the end of the club run. That's really quite intense, but don't fear it (if the club you choose does this) because the main thing is that once you can keep up, it's such a buzz that it's addictive. You look forward to the mad painful scrap at the end!

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

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SamShaw replied to notfastenough | 9 years ago
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notfastenough wrote:

One other thing - I always read that the fat-burning intensity is surprisingly low, but I could swear that my weight started to come off once I had the legs for the 20-30min chaingang at the end of the club run. That's really quite intense, but don't fear it (if the club you choose does this) because the main thing is that once you can keep up, it's such a buzz that it's addictive. You look forward to the mad painful scrap at the end!

Completely agree with this.

The other thing I used to do, up until a couple of weeks ago, was to sit on and try to wait for the sprint at the end... not sure for what reason other than to try and "win". Recently, I've started to stick in some do-or-die attacks, try to ride off the front, get people behind you working hard, put them under pressure. It doesn't work, but it really is bloody good fun and much better than sitting in trying to conserve energy for the last 100m to the 30 signs!

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notfastenough | 9 years ago
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A lot of our guys sit in the wheels and wait for the sprint at the end. That's all over too quickly, much better to get a proper move on 20 minutes before - when cars don't pass anymore I know we're flying!

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SamShaw | 9 years ago
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The more you do, the more you try, the stronger you get, so it's worth putting in the effort to keep on attacking. The buzz of really pushing yourself, instead of sitting there worrying about when to put your effort in, is much more satisfying.

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keith roberts | 9 years ago
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to get back to the original post..
our kids are a little older (13+) my wife now comes out with me, so it's a case of "where are mummy and daddy going"..snigger , guffaw , etc. this is great for all of us, as the kids get some freedom from we parents and we get some freedom from the kids!
my missus has lost weight, gained fitness and descends like a demon...on the bike. the kids are more independent and we are all seeing the benefit of getting out on two wheels and doing something outside of the general family stuff. We don't belong to a cycling club , but we do ride with a Triathlon club which adds some pep to our rides..we have to push to keep up,they're a competitive bunch..but it's good to push hard and we both know we have improved. and the kids wonder what all the fuss is about....

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