Cycling and Me: A History

I've been into cycling for the majority of my adult life. But casually. The various bikes I've owned have been largely used as transportation as well as exercise. Instead of taking the car when I needed to go to the shop, I'd take the bike instead. I might cycle a few times per week, but only over short distances.

When lockdown hit in 2020 and I had less to do, I started buying more DVDs and videogames. Which had an unexpected and pleasant side-effect of making me healthier. I'd check the CEX website for some film or game I wanted, find which local store had it, then ride there to buy it. So my cycling distances extended. I went from five-mile rides to 12 and 15. The longest was 20.

But none were even close to the 43 miles I'm now training for. And most had at least a 30-minute break halfway through (when I'd arrive at the shop). I arrive home exhausted from a lot of rides, often cycling some of the last few minutes with my eyes closed (kids: don't do this). Recently, as a test, I did 15 miles with only a brief break midway, and all I wanted to do afterwards was lie on the floor.

I think I'm in pretty good shape. I regularly lift weights, do cardio and mobility work. My diet is mostly healthy. But I'm clearly in no way good at cycling any sort of distance. So the idea of doubling the mileage of my longest ever ride is a bit scary. But in six months I'm going to go for it anyway. It begins!