The back story -
I came back to cycling around 6yrs ago, it was not just because I had put on weight or for the love of outdoors, but more bourne out of frustration. 8yrs prior to this I was still actively playing football for my local team in lower Welsh leagues and that's were the frustration begins.
While playing in a local cup match I broke my leg, nothing to worry about some may say. Few months recovery and back to it. But not for me alas, the break never heeled properly and part of the knee joint broke away, which caused quite a lot of pain while trying to run or put any sort of impact through the knee. A trip to the surgeon, a clean up of the joint were it broke and then the inevitable from the surgeon. No more running or impact on that knee young man or you'll end up back in here for a new artificial one. I was devasted, 29yrs old and now longer able to play the game I have loved since a child. Over the next few years I suppose I sunk into a depressive state, with weight gain and the hatred of having my favourite sport taken from me, out of no choice of my own. I was still able to play golf and that did help, but did nothing to alter the way I felt about the physical state I had become. Slowly I got bigger and bigger, the scales topping out at 19st. It was then at the age of 36, weighing 19st I knew I had to do something about what I had become........the couch potato, watching tv, watching sport, but still not happy I couldn't play the game I loved.
I was in work one day and over heard a discussion between two work colleagues, one of them being David James, father of Welsh Olympic athlete Becky James. It was about a cycle ride that was taking place between Bournemouth to Brighton in aid of asthma uk. Now I didn't suffer with asthma, but my nan and two uncles did and in the early years of his life my son too. That conversation I heard was enough to kick start the cycle of cycling and the return to the love of the bike. I knew the event was going to be easy, I was a big guy, not been on a bike in years, but did own an excercise bike and so the journey began. It was 18mths to the event and my challenge was to get down to 15st for the event. 2 days, 75 miles a day, leaving Bournemouth camping overnight half way and then onto Brighton in day two.
The training -
I started the training on the excercise bike, as I knew I wouldn't feel comfortable out on the road in my current state. With quite a strict diet, the weight started to fall. The 1st target being 1stone of loss and then I will get the bike. Over the next 18mths I used the exercise bike and my 1st proper road bike since a child (Raleigh sport 16sp) to get my weight down to my target requirement 15st. It was hard work, but it paid off in spades. Until bang, knee pain in the damage knee, training was getting harder and the pain was getting worse. It was time for the inevitable, back to the surgeon. I won't bore you with the speed of which I got operated on ( bupa private medical). But it was a chunk of time that I was unable to train out on the road, so the exercise bike again became the saviour.
The event
The event itself was brilliantly organised by asthma uk. We travelled to Bournemouth the night before, stayed in a B&B, as I live in Wales. Get up the next morning and travelled to the 5mins down the road to the vitality stadium, with around 500 other people for the event. I was quite nervous at the start knowing for the next two days I would be riding on unknown roads, following arrows to get myself to the halfway point and 75 miles down the road. The route was quite tough, more rolling roads, than long tough climbs.
I arrived at the stop over point 6hrs after starting and with 1 feed stop along the way, there was actually two, but after a good breakfast before the start and plenty of drink and fuel onboard the bike, I didn't feel the need to stop at the 1st feed station, 20 miles into the journey. During the stop over we had a huge campsite of around 60/70 tents, showers, food block and secure storage for the bikes.
Day 2 was another day of rolling roads, a few longer climbs, but still a tough day in the saddle for a guy that 18mths prior was unfit and 19st.....
The years after the event.....
Since that event, my love for cycling grew and grew. I became a member of a club, started to do TTs, sportives, club rides and even a trip to the alps in 2017 that I documented here and was read by quite a few if you. Since that event I also learnt to build, service and create my own bikes. My current Ti bike I designed along with the supplier ciello Rosso cycles. The money I have spent and the bikes I have owned and sold as been part of the love and journey. The weight has slowly crept back on as life always seems to get in the way, along with the wet, cold winters, to which I'm not a fan of.
I'm sat here writing this as a sort of acceptance that I may have during the time of 29 to 36 slipped into an unknown state of what some would call depression. But 1 overheard conversation and the bike as helped over come that, even though I would have never at the time admitted to being depressed. Because depression in itself is hard to diagnose and shows itself in different ways.
Even though the weight overtime has crept back up to over 18st, I know that I'm now able to go out on the bike, soak up the fresh and give myself the head space required to help get rid of those demons that plague us day to day and life stresses that we all live with.
People may or may not read this, but if they do, I hope it helps some one or some one may be able to relate to some if the things I have typed and say. That was me.......I was also that guy.
Thanks for reading.
I came back to cycling around 6yrs ago, it was not just because I had put on weight or for the love of outdoors, but more bourne out of frustration. 8yrs prior to this I was still actively playing football for my local team in lower Welsh leagues and that's were the frustration begins.
While playing in a local cup match I broke my leg, nothing to worry about some may say. Few months recovery and back to it. But not for me alas, the break never heeled properly and part of the knee joint broke away, which caused quite a lot of pain while trying to run or put any sort of impact through the knee. A trip to the surgeon, a clean up of the joint were it broke and then the inevitable from the surgeon. No more running or impact on that knee young man or you'll end up back in here for a new artificial one. I was devasted, 29yrs old and now longer able to play the game I have loved since a child. Over the next few years I suppose I sunk into a depressive state, with weight gain and the hatred of having my favourite sport taken from me, out of no choice of my own. I was still able to play golf and that did help, but did nothing to alter the way I felt about the physical state I had become. Slowly I got bigger and bigger, the scales topping out at 19st. It was then at the age of 36, weighing 19st I knew I had to do something about what I had become........the couch potato, watching tv, watching sport, but still not happy I couldn't play the game I loved.
I was in work one day and over heard a discussion between two work colleagues, one of them being David James, father of Welsh Olympic athlete Becky James. It was about a cycle ride that was taking place between Bournemouth to Brighton in aid of asthma uk. Now I didn't suffer with asthma, but my nan and two uncles did and in the early years of his life my son too. That conversation I heard was enough to kick start the cycle of cycling and the return to the love of the bike. I knew the event was going to be easy, I was a big guy, not been on a bike in years, but did own an excercise bike and so the journey began. It was 18mths to the event and my challenge was to get down to 15st for the event. 2 days, 75 miles a day, leaving Bournemouth camping overnight half way and then onto Brighton in day two.
The training -
I started the training on the excercise bike, as I knew I wouldn't feel comfortable out on the road in my current state. With quite a strict diet, the weight started to fall. The 1st target being 1stone of loss and then I will get the bike. Over the next 18mths I used the exercise bike and my 1st proper road bike since a child (Raleigh sport 16sp) to get my weight down to my target requirement 15st. It was hard work, but it paid off in spades. Until bang, knee pain in the damage knee, training was getting harder and the pain was getting worse. It was time for the inevitable, back to the surgeon. I won't bore you with the speed of which I got operated on ( bupa private medical). But it was a chunk of time that I was unable to train out on the road, so the exercise bike again became the saviour.
The event
The event itself was brilliantly organised by asthma uk. We travelled to Bournemouth the night before, stayed in a B&B, as I live in Wales. Get up the next morning and travelled to the 5mins down the road to the vitality stadium, with around 500 other people for the event. I was quite nervous at the start knowing for the next two days I would be riding on unknown roads, following arrows to get myself to the halfway point and 75 miles down the road. The route was quite tough, more rolling roads, than long tough climbs.
I arrived at the stop over point 6hrs after starting and with 1 feed stop along the way, there was actually two, but after a good breakfast before the start and plenty of drink and fuel onboard the bike, I didn't feel the need to stop at the 1st feed station, 20 miles into the journey. During the stop over we had a huge campsite of around 60/70 tents, showers, food block and secure storage for the bikes.
Day 2 was another day of rolling roads, a few longer climbs, but still a tough day in the saddle for a guy that 18mths prior was unfit and 19st.....
The years after the event.....
Since that event, my love for cycling grew and grew. I became a member of a club, started to do TTs, sportives, club rides and even a trip to the alps in 2017 that I documented here and was read by quite a few if you. Since that event I also learnt to build, service and create my own bikes. My current Ti bike I designed along with the supplier ciello Rosso cycles. The money I have spent and the bikes I have owned and sold as been part of the love and journey. The weight has slowly crept back on as life always seems to get in the way, along with the wet, cold winters, to which I'm not a fan of.
I'm sat here writing this as a sort of acceptance that I may have during the time of 29 to 36 slipped into an unknown state of what some would call depression. But 1 overheard conversation and the bike as helped over come that, even though I would have never at the time admitted to being depressed. Because depression in itself is hard to diagnose and shows itself in different ways.
Even though the weight overtime has crept back up to over 18st, I know that I'm now able to go out on the bike, soak up the fresh and give myself the head space required to help get rid of those demons that plague us day to day and life stresses that we all live with.
People may or may not read this, but if they do, I hope it helps some one or some one may be able to relate to some if the things I have typed and say. That was me.......I was also that guy.
Thanks for reading.
. There’s just more of us to love 
