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OPINION

Back on a bike after years in the gym - why has everything changed?

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How have I forgotten so much about cycling?

Here’s to a summer of sweeping descents, smooth tarmac, effortlessly climbing out of the saddle to crest yet another Alp, all riders around you bow to your cycling prowess…. 

It turns out I am dreaming and very possibly delusional, but I am at last returning to riding. It’s been almost 5 years since I last called myself a bike rider, but finally, I have thrown a leg over a top tube and ventured out for what cyclists call a ‘ride’. Yes it was only 20 miles and yes, I was passed by fat pigeons, but I remain determined; ‘The Comeback’ is on! 

Currently, it is early spring, and the country is showing signs of wriggling free of winter’s grip. The warming sun and longer days have woken a cobweb-covered, dusty and rusty cyclist deep within me, and it’s time to train him.

Ciaran riding through London

Firstly, I guess a little bit about me would be useful. My name is Ciaran, and I am a Personal Trainer (PT) at AMP Athletic, in Marylebone, London.  For the past five years, I’ve been off the bike, focusing on building size and strength, but before I put in reps, I put in miles and miles cycling around my former home, Somerset. I’ve even been lucky enough to venture to the French Alps, where the climbs were not so gentle on my ‘generous’ build.

Having loved riding the big climbs, I want to return to the Alps this August. That might be an optimistic goal given my current cycling fitness and the current pandemic situation, but we carry on undeterred. Given that the last pedal turned in anger was up Alp D’Huez in 2015, some socially-distanced training is without question in order. Whether or not the global pandemic ceases in time for a trip abroad, I am determined to get better on a bike than I ever have been.

Where I’m starting from

I am 23 years old, I stand at 6’0” on the nose and, following several chicken munching, weight training filled years, I weigh approximately 12kg more than the last time I rode up Alp d’Huez. I currently work and live in London so my riding options are pretty extensive, given the beautiful surrounding countryside. Whilst I am anticipating some weight loss during training, I’m not specifically trying to get light. I am going to continue eating and weight training as normal, and get out for rides where work allows.

I will be heading towards the local climbs soon, so should you come across a wheezing heifer on a Surrey slope, please remember climbing is not something I particularly excel at (cough-cough, 90kg). Should anyone have any tasty Strava routes around London or suggestions of the best roads to ride, please leave them below!

The Bike

I'm sorry for the bar situation

Ah yes, enough about the fat pilot, let’s talk kit. My current training set up comes courtesy of my brother, whose addiction to cycling means that I have a Cannondale Supersix Evo with Ultegra Di2 groupset and a pair of fancy carbon wheels. 

Finishing kit consists of a carbon Pro handlebar, Thompson seat post and carbon Fizik saddle. Of course, I recognise my good fortune to have (free) access to all this kit, but there is still a seemingly unending list of ‘bike stuff I need’. From mini-pump to bottle cages, inner tubes, gels and saddlebags, I’d forgotten quite how much kit goes into being prepared for big rides. Quite frankly, I’d forgotten just how expensive cycling can be, but any suggestions of kit I may have forgotten are more than welcome.

The set up also feels far harsher than I remember, hardly surprising considering the full carbon frame and zippy wheelset. I’ll touch more on the ride and handling once I’ve begun training properly. My only jaunt so far has been a quick lunchtime spin around central London, hardly fitting distance or terrain to judge this machine or get used to the slammed position.

This will also be my first foray into the world of power meters. There’s one on the bike but I’ve never used one before so tips, tricks, and training recommendations are again more than welcome. 

I think my first move will be to establish a baseline FTP (functional threshold power) and go from there! As Box Hill is so close, it seems that my future holds many efforts up the famous Surrey slope. 

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11 comments

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IanEdward | 3 years ago
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Nice one, following with interest!

Am coming back from injury (herniated disc, since you mentioned it!) so am currently between 86kg and 88kg depending on what mood the scales are in. Am 6ft also although rapidly approaching 40. Is there some way of getting tested to know what a health weight might be? I don't appear to be carrying any excess flab but neither do I appear to be carrying much muscle...

Tinkering with fasting and currently just trying to build up my hours with low intensity riding before starting a slow train for my own European odyssey next year (Raid Pyrenees).

Don't listen to nonsense about stems, mine looks like that too! You can also buy bars with additional riser (Controltech, Specialized Hover) if you want an extra 15-20mm. I'm slowly removing spacers but doubt I'll ever get mine slammed, I'll be happy with 'only' 30mm of spacers.

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Compact Corned Beef | 3 years ago
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If your riding takes you south, around Caterham/Redhill, consider taking a jaunt up Titsey Hill, White Lane and Chalkpit Lane. A friend of mine swears by Toys Hill, out towards Sevenoaks. Or is it swears at? Either way, it figures in quite a few of his training loops.

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kil0ran replied to Compact Corned Beef | 3 years ago
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Succumbs Hill too. Just a cheeky 25%

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Ciaran Cahill replied to Compact Corned Beef | 3 years ago
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Sounds fantastic, I live in SW London so that's definitely a viable option! Thanks for the advice.

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jollygoodvelo | 3 years ago
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Welcome back.  As a fellow 'strongly built' rider - you may get laughed at by the racing snakes uphill, but the glee of allowing gravity to help on the downhills is ours.

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Secret_squirrel | 3 years ago
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Am I the only one who thinks the cockpit setup is a bit iffy?

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Woldsman replied to Secret_squirrel | 3 years ago
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Maybe he's got a bad back from all that coughing?

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Ciaran Cahill replied to Secret_squirrel | 3 years ago
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Hi there. Good spot! As the bike was my brother's, it isn't quite the right size for me. Flipping the stem allows me to use this bike without herniating any disks in my back 

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slappop replied to Secret_squirrel | 3 years ago
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It obviously had been slammed and sawn by his brother and was a bit low him. It's a sensible solution short of buying new forks.

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CharlesMagne replied to Secret_squirrel | 3 years ago
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Secret_squirrel wrote:

Am I the only one who thinks the cockpit setup is a bit iffy?

The slanting down saddle and angled up shifters methinks. No problem with the inverted stem. It's all aesthetics at the end of the day and a functional setup is better than an uncountable one.

 Do your best to find a long flat road with no stops for your FTP, anything which gets in the way will throw your results and reduce repeatability. Work out how long that needs to be based on 20 minutes hard riding. You may consider 'bigger' roads, not such a problem with reduced traffic these days. You can always do it on a turbo too, they tend to 'under read' though.

I loved riding through Richmond to Kingston and Hampton Court when I was London based. London to Brighton is a must on a sunny weekend too. Ditchling Beacon is ten times the hill Box is. Leith Hill is a much better challenge.

 

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Ciaran Cahill replied to CharlesMagne | 3 years ago
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The bike set up is going to take a bit more fine tuning than I thought it seems! Thanks for the tips regarding FTP, to be honest i think fear is the main thing stopping me from testing it at the moment!

Richmond to Kingston is beautiful, and I've been enjoying that side of London in the few rides I've done so far. Leith Hill sounds like its worth an explore too....

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