After a solid effort of 10 weeks off the bike (mortally painful) due to some form of illness and lack of cojones, I am finally getting back into training. However I’m going to do this properly and not ride myself into the ground like last season. This off-season I’m diversifying, screwing the mainstream mantra of MILESMILESMILES and going all alternative. This off-season with the help of my friends (and better bike riders) Sandy King & Dave Nichols I’ve started doing yoga, hit the gym, and begun interval training…in November. I’ve also grown a mustache.
You might be reading this wondering why the hell you should care about what my off-season consists of… you might be right, and I might sound like a complete douchebag saying this, but this diversification me and my friends are doing challenges a lot of age-old cycling concepts. In a way we are bikeoneers, bikericks, bikesplorers. Okay maybe not that extreme, but it’s something different.
Firstly Yoga.
I have taken up Yoga mainly because Sandy suggested it as a laugh. I audibly farted halfway through my first class, so he was right. It has also helped address my many anatomical discrepances, lack of flexibility and EXTREME lack of balance, and although this was hilarious initially, it has, accompanied by a new position suggested by bike-fit hero Sandy, made me a more comfortable rider and a less awkward walker. It’s also one of the few places in Loughborough with a male:female ratio anywhere close to 50:50 and more like 30:70 #winning.
Gym.
I know, cycling sacrilege, and I’ll admit its taken me a while to leave this attitude behind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4i8SpNgzA4 (first 15 seconds) and actually get stuck in. Its pretty sweet, and it is definitely helping all round fitness, strength and going further to helping me balance properly. However it does give you an over-inflated sense of “ripedness” given that initially your body is so unused to it that your muscles immediately become hard and feel shredded. So you feel like this…
I actually look like this:
and I spent the following week walking like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF3R6meBvTU&feature=related
but yerr…I noticed rapid improvements, and its nice knowing I’m an absolute tank…maybe.
Intervals:
I mentioned previously the old cycling mantra “milesmilesmiles” over winter. Dave is of the opinion (and I totally agree, despite initial and continuous appearances he is pretty smart) that miles just train you to do miles…slowly. If you want to race, train to race all the time. It’s hard, but you spend less hours with frostbite and wondering why the hell you are up before everything’s defrosted, its also more interesting and you get fitter, faster and leaner #winning. Get on it.
Finally, I acknowledge that everything I have said makes it sound like I’m becoming a monk (albeit a buddha) but at the end of the day it is November and I can still indulge. In that vein then I’d like to direct your attention to Chocolate Alchemy: http://www.chocolate-alchemy.co.uk/ a coffee and chocolate shop in Loughborough that blows my mind and my student loan. They have an online shop so if you aren’t from the Leicestershire area buy online. It’s awesome.
Cheerio.
Bike-Minded Individuals. 