Cycling tips for try hard newbies

A year ago I thought that the bike part of a triathlon would just involve getting a new bike and riding it. I am such an idiot and I apologise to all you roadies out there.
My cycling experience involves cheap mountain bikes that got me from A to B with a few attempts to ride into School/ Uni until my bikes were stolen. I often need to stop for obstacles since my sense of balance is rubbish.
Last May (2011) I bought myself a new road bike. Friends would ask me what I have got and my answer is it is white and green....typical girl I know. In fact is is a Merida Race 901 with Sora group set ...erm that's about it. My 1st ride was outside the shop and I went down a couple of streets and back. My 1st impressions were that it felt wobbly, I couldn't touch the floor easily whilst seated, and I was going to die because I was too frightened to even trust myself to stop safely. Somehow, money changed hands and I was a nervous owner of a brand new bike.

These posh bike do not come with pedals so I negotiated some toe caged ones and gave it a go on some local outings a few times. I knew of clipless pedals  and the term makes no bloody sense to me since you need to 'clip' your shoes in yet they are called 'clipless'. The fact is that the soles a rigid and allows better power transfer so much better for hilly rides. I did my research online and thought I might as well give it a go but to try SPD's which are usually for mountain bikes but are somewhat easier to clip in and out of, either side, compared to road bike ones (LOOK, SPD-SL, KEO are all the same type but different brands and require matching cleats, the things that fit under the shoe and attach to the pedal). So I bought new SPD shoes and pedals on the pretense that it is easier to also walk in for short distances. On reflection the walking part is a load of nonsense. You end up walking like a robot since you cannot flex your foot and if it does flex it is not doing its job on the bike. Anyhow I took my bike and SPD's out for a spin and I got myself into so many muddles because I didn't know how to unclip sensibly. Forums were of some help and so was you tube to some extent. However it was nice to learn on the forums that some people were worse than I was.

TIP #1 : When braking look ahead to keep balance. Transfer your weight to one leg (R) and shift forwards so you are standing off the saddle. When you are near to stopping unclip the other leg (L) and put that (L) foot down.

When learning, just unclip early to avoid mishaps. I am still learning and I still get butterflies in my stomach when I get out on the bike sometimes. I didn't get on with my SPD's mainly because I bought shoes that were too small even though they were my usual size (My size 8 flipper feet). I thought it was a good opportunity to go for road pedals along with new shoes. They are suppose to spread the load on your feet more because the pedal is larger which is more comfortable for longer rides. I suffer from cramp in my feet due too so it seemed a good idea to try it and see if it was better. However it only clips in on one side of the pedal so it is a little bit trickier to clip in...just takes practice and patience.

Tip #2: Check your shoes have enough toe wiggling space. Often bike shoes are made on the tight side and most people order a size up. Trying shoes on late in the day simulates puffy feet on a long cycle ride, hence a good idea.

Tips #3: Ride with others, relax, cake stops are good!

FACT: When using clipless pedals you will probably fall at some point! Even for the most experienced riders as my colleague demonstrated in the car park one day.

FACT: Cycling is a bloody expensive sport. Kit to keep you warm, kit to keep you on the road e.g. spare inner tube, basic tool kit and tyre levers to fix spares, pump...it goes on. But my fears aside it is an enjoyable sport and you get to see so much you wouldn't do if you are walking or driving. Also very necessary when training for triathlon!

Tip #4: Get cheap kit form Lidl and Aldi. Check out their newsletters. Also other cyclists are wise to this so get in early, stuff sells out really fast!

Tip #5: Get a bike fit.

To get the best performance, take the guess work out and get a bike fit. If you are spending more and more on your bike, like some triathletes, it makes sense to make the most out of it. Text books offer advice on height of the saddle and angles, even 'you tube' does but you cannot do it by yourself because you need to look from afar and get on and off making tweaks etc. Check out local bike shops and ask what they have to offer. Word of mouth is best. However it takes a while for your body to get used to these tweaks so be patient. Probably not a good time to do this just before a race.

So my saddle gets moved up some more and I definitely cannot reach the floor whilst in the saddle anymore. Work on tip #1!

My stupidest moments on a bike

• Riding sub-zero temps and skidding off my bike.
• Having rubbish balance I rarely drink whilst riding for fear of falling off. One time I bailed my bottle into a grass verge when I felt a bit wobbly. 
• Not checking my bike after a fall and trashing the rear derailleur later on....if you fall on the right always check the hanger and that all your gears are working properly before moving off. Same applies when you have moved your bike out of the car etc.
• Stopping for the most minor of obstacles which leads to my husband behind cursing at me profusely.
• Not being able to cross a junction that was steep downhill so I got off and crossed the road...embarrassing.
• Not being able to stop fully on a 20% downhill gradient nearly led me to smash the back of a car on a mini roundabout. Luckily the road cleared just in time...I was 3 cm from the back of this mini.

From fat kid to triathelete? The story from the beginning.

About this Blog

One year ago I had just had my second baby and my life was just focused on getting through the day. I was feeling sleep deprived and tried my best to cope. The last thing on my mind was working out.
Now my boys are aged 5 and 1, I have just started back at work and I am doing my first sprint triathlon next week. My friends endearingly call me a nutcase and are flummoxed by how I find the time and energy. In response, I shrug my shoulders, but little do they know how much they inspire me as much as I inspire them.

About me

Growing up I had always struggled with my weight. Family meals consisted of excess food and by the time I was 13 I was a blimp. I remember keeping a record of my personal details in a little keepsake and remembering noticing a pattern, when I was 7 years old I was 7 stones, at 8 I was 8 stones and nine I was 9 stones....not a good pattern to continue. My parents were worried about my condition and my mum put me on a liquid diet and I remember suffering terribly from stomach cramps because of it. The diet didn't last long but it started my obsession with fad diets. I was desperate to be like my friends and had poor self esteem and self image….Hmmm, the typical state of teenage girl?
My Uncle went to a local gym, the dank, dirty, weight lifting kind where the focus was pumping iron and looking as lean as you can. Somehow, my Uncle convinced me to join him. After a few sessions I was hooked. My goal was to become bigger and leaner. I loaded up the weight machines and pushed out the reps with training partners screaming “just 2 more reps” down my ear. Puberty kicked in and I stretched up a bit. In truth I continued lifting weights; I even became a fitness and aerobics instructor, but I was never lean. I am 5’8” and just put my big frame as the reason behind my 12 and a half stone weight. In between phases of being lazy and fat, I was an obsessed gym rat. Yep- a bit extremist, I’m a bit all or nothing. This I was certain of, I didn’t do endurance and I didn’t do skinny.

Before deciding to start a family I had one last effort of dieting. I ditched the carbs and got down to 11 and a half stones. I was certain that my body would be ruined after having children because my mother and friends who were mums told me so. Therefore, it must be true right? I am not Victoria Beckham with her nannies to give her time to train; mere mortals don’t have time to go to the gym? Who has the energy? Throughout my pregnancies I tried to keep fit. I went to the gym and did a bit of swimming. I was adamant that I wouldn’t become overweight but by the time I decided to have a second child (3 years on) I didn’t see the point anymore and let myself eat what I want.

After I had my second child I was just under 14 stones but my outlook was changed. I accepted that there was no point striving to be like a bikini model since I had stretch marks and different proportions now. I was breastfeeding so my job was to eat a healthy variety of foods. I had developed SPD in my pregnancy which basically meant my pelvis was weak and couldn’t support things like running. Trying to do so caused quite some pain. By the time my baby was being weaned I had lost some of my baby weight and I felt ready to go back to the gym. I learnt that the local fitness centre had a crèche and I was straight onto it. My baby hated it at first and was screaming down the hall when I left for my hour session. It tore my heart apart. However I knew I had to use childcare at some point when I went back to work (in 6 months time). I also needed a break from doing chores that seemed never ending. I was determined that the hour was precious and I had to make it worth it!

I started on my usual gym routine and quickly realised that my body was quite weak. I had no core strength and my SPD related pains reoccurred. This was when I started to swim again…with my leisurely breast stroke of course. The pool advertised a swimathon whic sparked my interest. My husband convinced me that 1.5k was too easy and to train for 2.5k. I organised a 1 to 1 coaching session to look at my swimming technique and found out that my front crawl wasn’t too bad; however I still wasn’t very fit and found it difficult to maintain it. 2-3 months later I progressed to a slow front crawl and I was pleased to finish 100 lengths in 1 hr 11mins without stopping. It was my first time fundraising and I was proud to raise over £400, it was definitely added motivation. Having to train for something was so refreshing. I wasn't training to get skinny. It didn't work anymore since I always had an excuse to do less and eat more.

I met an inspiring lady who was retired from the RAF and I learnt that she wanted to do the Richard Burton 10k run. She was in her 40's, new to running but she wanted the challenge and decided to get a coach and train for it. For some reason I didn't know that anyone could sign up for races and that person could be me. This was when I signed up for the Llanelli 10k. I am not a natural runner, 10 minutes of running was usually like murder. My face would be bright red and I would be gasping for breath and turning back as soon as I could. I think the maximum I would have done was 2 miles. In fact I remember having to do 1500m at school and I was so unfit I had to walk it after 100m and it took over 10 minutes. I also had experiences of flashers in the Birmingham subways when I was at Uni. Eew!
Putting my demons aside, I started at a steady pace and turned back after 15 minutes. It felt like an achievement because it wasn't too bad and I didn't have to stop. I started to enjoy running and ran further and further. I loved the flexibility of it. I didn't need to leave the house at a set time, the days were getting longer and I could run when the children were sleeping. It was great to be outside. Beautiful views cleared my mind and were breathtaking. I don't know why I didn't do it sooner. I thought about setting my next challenge when the 10k was approaching and started to consider triathlons. Chance conversation with a collegue established that as well as running she was also interested in triathlons. I was also toying with the idea since I only needed to practice cycling....and you don't forget how to ride a bike right? Since I was on maternity leave I used my evenings to research and found a local tri club. We joined with a notion of learning how to swim in open water. I bought a cheap wetsuit (surfing type) and was good to go. It was great to be able to train with a friend. Meanwhile I gradually increased my running distance and ran the Llanelli 10k. I probably started off too fast as I struggled to maintain my pace and each kilometer became desperately painful as a gullped for air, I eventually finished it in 1hour and 6 minutes. I was gutted because I worked really hard and I wanted to complete it in under an hour. I wasn't too disheartened and quickly signed up for more races.

So is this me? I barely recognise myself. I didn't do outdoors, I had never even dipped in  the sea, I don't particularly like to go fast on a bike and I didn't like running. Yet I am embarking on a sport that requires me to do all of the above! It is a massive challenge for me. However I am taking little steps at a time. I can't believe how far I have come already.....Oh and the side effect to all this excercise is that I am now the skinniest that I have ever been. I have a good self image and setting a good one for my kids. I have stopped being obsessed with diets and my weight. I feel great! I am motivated to stay fit and to never end up where I started, I have worked too hard to start at square one again.