Heat

Sun high. Hot. Not a cloud. The mercury rises and rises, heatwave headline writers twitch. A month earlier snow. Three changes of gloves in three days, goodbye heavy oven gloves, hello flimsy finger-less mitts.

Hell of the north: Paris – Roubaix, 1919

Cycling is full of hyperbole and cliche. Epic, hell, brutal. It’s rarely any of these. And then you see the images of the first Paris-Roubaix race after World War 1. A ride through hell. This is the origin of Paris-Roubaix’s nickname as the ‘Hell of the North’.

Unstructured structure – Agile training plans

Cycling imitates life. Structured cycle training plans provide a framework, a tiered progression. Base miles, strength training, VO2 max intervals, rest days. Agile training is a flexible alternative. A loose, free form plan. Adapt as you go. Be free.

The inevitable guilt complex

Life, I decided, is more important than cycling. Blasphemy. Treason! Hang him! Lovers who’ve come to terms with their love for one another and other people. We’re not exactly on a break, no. We’re just open to seeing other people. And you know what, I’m enjoying it.

Getting older and cycling, still

Age creeps up on us, say some. Not the cyclist. For every day we’re fighting it, raging against the dying light. Life passes quickly. Like a mountain descent, we cling on, releasing the brakes for as long we dare, bracing ourselves for the next bend, for the end.

What am I training for? [The meaning of life]

I don’t race, I ride. Yet I’m training. For what I’m training for, I cannot say. There’s no medals to point to. There’s the small number of hill climb races I enter. Or the bravado of leading out the peloton or the fear of being dropped on a club ride. There’s local hills and personal bests. Yet I’m not really training for any of these.

Obsessions only cyclists have

Yeah, I’m niche. Not really something to boast about yet we humans like to feel as if we’re forging our own paths, that we are remarkable in some small way, atypical, one of a few. We follow not crowds, only our own will, for yes I’m smart, in control, not one of them, all those […]

Hello winter bike. Please forgive me.

Hello old friend. It’s been a while. What? Yes, it’s that time of year again. I know, I know. Brrr. Her? The mistress? That was a mere summer fling, showing off in front of others, a lightweight frolic beneath the sun. Nothing compares to you, ever dependable winter bike, bike number 1 once and forever. […]

Why do cyclists climb mountains?

A strange addiction. Climbing to the skies, slow motion, pain, body revolting, hour after hour of mental questions. Why am I climbing this mountain? We’re a strange bunch us cyclists. Speeding along dressed in tights, bottoms padded, riding great distances much to the bemusement of non-cyclists. To them it’s unfathomable that riding up a mountain, […]

Today we ride

Ride, roll, spin. Gasp. As if to live I must fight for air. Hunched, knees unnaturally near jaw Not the poise of one who flies. Gloves fingerless So nails can enjoy the view. Drink suckled from teat Nothing odd with that.