What Cycling Means to Me
Cycling for me is FUN. It enables me to challenge myself as much as I want to and to reach new levels that I never thought possible. Involvement in a club like One and All Cycling, and being part of a regular training group has given me a whole new extended family full of like minded people from all walks of life, all of whom share a love of riding bikes and the enthusiasm to ‘hit the roads’ come rain, shine, snow and ice! This extended family also provides me with a huge sense of motivation, both to improve myself but also to give something back to the sport and help others to enjoy the fantastic highs that can be experienced from an activity as simple as riding a bike.
Cycling for me is not just a hobby or a recreation, but a way of life. It teaches self discipline, challenges all my resources of determination, motivation and drive, provides welcome stress relief and gives me self confidence and self esteem to transfer into other areas of my life and hopefully to pass on to others helping them to achieve this for themselves. If I had not stumbled across cycling when I did and been encouraged and supported by those around me who knows what I would be doing today but I know for a fact it would be nowhere near as much fun as the journey I am currently undertaking. The experiences along the way, good and bad, certainly provide plenty to banter about during coffee stops or at the end of a long and exhilarating ride.
To understand why I feel so passionate about cycling I thought I would share a little of my own cycling journey…
Why I Got into Cycling
My interest in cycling stemmed from the need to find a new challenge and a new outlet for my sporting passion and drive. Having played nearly every sport under the sun during my school years (rugby, football, hockey, tennis and badminton) it was golf that first opened my eyes to the possibility of sport as a career and not just a hobby. My golfing ambitions and talents won me a university scholarship in the USA where I gained my first introduction to what life as a professional sportsperson might be like. Whilst my experience in the USA did not culminate in me turning professional it fuelled my passion and desire to continue my sporting journey.
On returning to the UK I signed up with a charity to raise money by running the London Marathon in 2007, and the following year took on the Edinburgh Marathon. While proving a real personal challenge, these experiences reinforced my belief that running, especially long distance, is not my forte! At the same time I also kept my hand in with team sports by joining a local football team, St Agnes Ladies AFC, where I spent a couple of seasons playing in the heart of midfield.
Having ‘been there and done that’ on the marathon front (I quickly realised the next Paula Radcliffe I was not!) I decided the next step was to add cycling to my repertoire and combine this with running and swimming with the aim of having a go at triathlon. However, as will become clear, the running, swimming and football very quickly became redundant as I was completely overtaken by the cycling bug. After only a couple of weeks I knew it was the only sport I wanted to concentrate my efforts, passion and enthusiasm on.
My First Group Ride – July 30th 2008
Having ridden for a while recreationally and as a means of transport to my job as a lifeguard, and having finally mastered – or at least started to get the hang of – clipless bike pedals, I decided it was time to take the plunge. As I was living in Truro at the time I e-mailed Ricci of Bike-Chain Ricci, Redruth where I had originally bought my bike, and Bike Chain Bissoe Bike Hire in the hope he could point me in the right direction of a local club, or group to ride with. His response was “9am Bissoe Sunday morning”, so off I set. Only later did I find out I was totally unprepared to ride any distance, let alone the mammoth ride in store for me.
At this stage what is the now the thriving One and All Cycling Club (280+members in 2 years), was very much in its developmental stages and after brief introductions (nerves jangling!) a small group of us (6-10) set off on our ride. 40 odd miles later, after being pushed up every hill and chastised by several more experienced riders for my lack of ‘bike nutrition’, in particular the Ribena in my drinks bottle, as well as not being able to take my hands of the bars to eat or drink anything, I had made it!
Well nearly made it… I still had the small matter of riding the 8 miles back home. However, after a much needed rest break and some great banter I was on my way pledging to return the following week, but this time far more prepared – although for some time to follow I still needed a helping push up the hills.
In the early days there were spills aplenty, including one particularly embarrassing episode at one of Truro’s busiest roundabouts. Having completely come to a stop at the junction I unclipped and proceeded to fall gracefully the other way, an unfortunate expletive spilling from my mouth, before landing in a heap on the curb in front of a couple chatting away on the pavement. My plight was greeted by much concern from the on-lookers, while I picked myself up and muttered, ‘’I’m fine thank you, it happens all the time’’, and thankfully nipped off into a timely gap in the traffic!
Why Did I Go Back?
Many times I’ve been asked this question by cyclists who remember my debut experience, or by friends and family who just thought I was crazy to even start in the first place. They reminded me of the struggles that I had just to keep up on the flat, let alone needing a helping hand along the way. The honest answer is that there’s no one reason. Firstly there was the sense of achievement from each time riding further than ever before. Then there was the challenge of learning how to corner properly and take the best lines. There was the sense of achievement from managing my first hill alone and still being in the group and very definitely the adrenaline rush and buzz from flying down the other side. But it was also the genuine passion, motivation, encouragement and friendly banter within the group and the ethos that no one should get left behind or left out.
To this day it is the encouragement and banter when things are going well, but also the support and motivation when the legs aren’t functioning or the results are not going my way that continue to spur me on. It is this ethos contributes greatly to the continued growth in membership of One and All Cycling at all levels.
To use a golfing analogy, after a good round you can’t wait to play again as there’s always a shot here or there that you could have played better. Conversely after a bad round you still go back as those good rounds remind you how much better you can be. It’s the same with training and racing a bike. After a good training session or race you finish thinking there is more to come to take things to another level. On the bad days, or during tough training sessions, the memory of past success and personal achievement gives you the drive to work harder, to climb faster, to ride faster on the flat, to ride more cleverly or perhaps simply to give your body a break, a bit of time for recovery, so you can come back better than ever before.
The Next Steps
Having not been put off by my early cycling experiences the next step was simply to ride more and more. My thoughts soon turned to competition and road racing in particular. With this in mind I took the plunge and started to ride with the ‘race guys’ twice a week as well doing my own individual rides. Again this was another sharp learning curve as it quickly became evident that whilst the banter and camaraderie of the group were stronger than ever, these guys certainly didn’t mess about. Once again it was back to needing helpful pushes up the hills. But this just made me more determined that one day, just one day, I would be first to the top – on my own!!
These weekly training rides are now the staple of my training week and a wonderful environment for anyone with racing ambitions to learn from the great wealth of experience of the other riders. And yes, every now and again I put in the effort to push the pace a little just to remind the guys I’m there, and to reinforce to myself that I have what it takes. Whilst these efforts may be short lived I hope they make the guys hurt just a little – not that I’m sure they would admit it!
Coaching Progression
Reading the above you may be wondering how I managed to have so much free time to ride my bike. The answer is that I was a student, studying first for a Foundation Degree (FdSc) in Sports Coaching and Therapy and then a BSc (1st class) in Sports Coaching and Performance. During the course of my studies I gained my Level 1 Football Association Coaching Badge and, as my passion for cycling grew, I completed the Cycling Level 2 Coaching Course, the Level 2 Road and Time Trial Coaching Certificate. I am currently part way through the Level 3 Road and Time Trial Coaching Certificate, currently the highest certification possible to achieve as a club coach.
Why Coach Cycling?
I was very fortunate in that during the early days of my cycling career I learnt a huge amount about bike riding in a very short space of time. Not only did this give me the encouragement and drive to carry on my personal training, it also gave me the desire to be a part of the bigger picture and give back to the sport by using the skills and experience I had gained both from my involvement in other sport and from my academic studies. This reflects the One and All Cycling Club ethos and vision. Whatever level people come into the club at, they are helped to progress, but then in turn should give back to those following in the process. This serves to remind everyone not only how far they have come personally, but also gives them the opportunity to help someone else along on their cycling journey.
Having gained the confidence in myself and my own ability as a rider it seemed only natural to get involved and help in the development of the club as that early group of 6-8 riders grew to 20, 30, 40. Now it is not uncommon, even on the worst of winter days, to see 60+ riders turn up for the Sunday morning One and All Cycling, each rider being placed in a group best suited to his or her current ability and fitness level.
The Growth of One and All
As One and All grew, largely through the hard work of several key members and Ricci’s indefatigable passion for cycling at all levels, so too did the youth membership. Having completed my qualifications and with a bit more cycling specific experience under my belt it seemed the perfect opportunity for me to continue my development as a coach by coaching the youth section, thereby leading to my appointment as junior coach on the club committee. This involvement has helped me establish a strong relationship with the British Cycling Regional Talent Team coaches and given me access to coaching sessions as well as the opportunity to nominate our own youth riders to attend these sessions.
It quickly became clear that for the club to develop further it was necessary to secure a closed circuit facility to enable us to continue our program of coaching and education and with some very shrewd negotiation this ambition was achieved through partnership with Carnon Contracting based at Wheal Jane. This facility has become a god send for our club coaches as it means we have a closed environment where we can really focus on specific skills, not only with youth riders but with the club membership as a whole This improves group riding skills which can then be transferred to cycling on the open road.
My commitment to coaching at a club level was recognised when I received the 2009 Volunteer Club Coach award for the SW Region at the British Cycling Gala Dinner. It was a great thrill to receive my award from Victoria Pendleton, current Sprint Queen of the BC Track Cycling Team. In summer 2010 I was also lucky enough to be team manager and coach for the SW Youth Team at the UK School Games and Inter-Regional Track championships. I say lucky as although this was seriously hard work it was a privilege to work with the committed group of young riders who formed the first SW team to compete in the events for 10 years. These youth riders again reminded me of the courage and determination it takes to step up against older, stronger, more experienced riders and commit 100% to ones’ own and the team’s efforts, holding their heads high and pledging to come back wiser and stronger to compete in future events.
Another positive from the 2010 season was the gradual increase in number of female racers taking part at local and regional level to the point where I decided to take the plunge and organise the SW Women’s Race Team who competed in several of the National Team series events in the SW colours. The addition to the membership of One and All of several new female riders who are keen to go away and race, as well as the ever growing and improving men’s section, indicate the beginning of big things to come for the club!
To this day I continue to coach riders at all levels and really get a huge sense of satisfaction from helping anyone along on their cycling journey and giving them whatever support and advice they may need along the way.
These experiences, along with my commitment to continue the development of cycling in Cornwall and the SW, fuel my desire to continue my journey as a coach and my own professional development in order to keep up to date and give the best coaching advice possible.
My First Race
Whilst juggling my studies and coaching commitments I was also training hard to achieve the racing ambitions which had originally started my cycling journey. Having quickly realised that road racing was the way forward, although time trials did and still do feature in my schedule, it was full steam ahead and in typical fashion, finding the deep end to jump in!
My first race was the Mid-Devon CC Springtime Pursuit a format where riders are set off at different intervals with the idea being that by the last lap everyone has all come together and the winner comes from a sprint to the line. To say this was an eye opening experience would be an understatement. With no specific women’s race, we (3 of us), were set off slightly ahead of the junior races at the head of the field. Just about managing to clip in first time, off I went repeating the advice in my head “When the bunch come round sit in on the back.” OK, that sounded simple enough, ‘’I can do that I thought.’’ However, reality was a whole different thing as ‘whoooosh’, the juniors flew past. ‘‘Not to worry I thought, just get in the bunch who a lap and a half later flew past’’. After a brief second of blissful slip streaming they too left me straggling far far behind.
From then on in it was an individual time trial battle with myself against the milometer which was certainly not clocking up fast enough. After what felt like an eternity the last lap was upon me with only the finishing climb to conquer – and what a climb it is for a newbie racer! Then across the line with only the finishing judge left and pedal back to the race HQ where most of the other riders were already changed and ready for the presentations. Hand number back in and get licence back whilst muttering the fatal words, “Yes, I’ll be back next week.” And thus a racing – well competing – cyclist was born. Little more than 6 months after getting on a bike I had my first race in the bag and, whilst it was a huge learning curve there certainly was there was no way this challenge could be turned down!
Racing Continues
Not one to shy away from a challenge, or as some may say foolhardy, my forays into the racing world continued with local criterium races at Portreath and hour long regional races at Ilton. However, there was a big world of proper distance road races out there and so it was on to the Women’s National Team Series. Initially with another local rider to show me the ropes and later taking the trips up-country alone, this involved bunking overnight with family or in B&Bs before heading on to race, change and hit the motorway again for the long drive back home and Monday morning Uni classes.
These races were great. With fields of 60-80 riders on open road circuits over distances of 40-50 miles – what more could you ask for? I was quickly to discover that hilly circuits were my cup of tea and learned right from the start that positioning in the group is essential, but easier said than done. Over the course of the Women’s Series I managed a variety of different results, even bagging a top 20 finish which after less than a year on the bike I was pretty chuffed with. Having dabbled for half a season and experienced this whole new racing world I ended the season wanting more and knowing that the gap between me and the top was achievable, yet still a long way off.
On to the 2010 season. With lots and lots of winter miles in my legs the season started off fairly well with a couple of good early results. However, with training focused on what we like to call ‘the bigger picture’ this made the racing hard work and I perhaps did not achieve the results I might have liked following my initial forays into the racing scene. The season did however have a high point – winning the SW Ladies Road Race Title and receiving a British Cycling medal for this, as well as winning enough points in races to gain my 2nd category licence finishing the 2010 ranked 4th place in the UK of all 2nd category riders. This ‘just’ leaves me category 1 and then Elite to conquer…
Establishing F1 Coaching
As a self confessed sport-a-holic, having finished my University studies and with the novelty of working 50 hour weeks as a waitress at the golf club whilst trying to fit in coaching and training quickly wearing off, I realised it was time for a change. For a long time I had been thinking about how I could combine my passion for sport with my practical and academic qualifications to help others experience the enjoyment, fun and challenge of physical activity.
As an athlete I would class myself as someone who has always had to work hard to get anywhere, never being as naturally talented or gifted as some of my team members or opponents, but benefitting from passion and determination and, most importantly, the drive to get the most out of myself.
It is this attitude that I bring to the fore with F1 coaching as I really believe that my experience and skills can help anyone to achieve their ambitions and beyond. Whilst I am very realistic and appreciate that sometimes it may take time to achieve, I also believe that it is in this journey that you learn the most about yourself and that you should have a whole lot of fun along the way!
Whatever your ambition or goal F1 coaching looks forward to helping you along the way as “life should have NO LIMITS!”
