When I was asked by my editor if I was interested in creating a three-part mini-series on how I was going to use indoor cycling to make this winter my best ever on the bike, I had to admit the timing seemed convenient.
In the last year, I’ve experienced a couple of fairly big life changes. The first of these was starting a new job at Cyclingnews. The second came a few months after that when I proudly became a father for the first time in January.
Cycling has been a huge part of my life for about twenty years. I joined my local cycling club at age twelve after a week-long summer camp at the local track, and that was it. Hooked forever. I’ve been the young racer eagerly filling out his training diary in the winter, dreaming of battling for wins in the coming season. I’ve raced muddy cyclocross races, done off-season circuit training and met club mates in the dark through the winter months for a club run or training ride to get the miles in.
As I’ve gotten older, like countless other generations of amateur cyclists, I’ve fitted my cycling in around work. Winter riding has meant commuting by bike on dark mornings to get the miles in, perhaps doing a mid-week evening club ride and then meeting up with the local bash early on a Saturday morning. I’ve done my fair share of grim turbo trainer sessions as well over the years when the weather has been bad. But needless to say, smart trainer technology improvements and Zwift and other indoor training apps have transformed indoor training into the fun, interactive cycling experience it is today, which can really help a winter of cycling.
In the spirit of this series, as a time-crunched and often tired new dad, Zwift has kindly loaned me its Zwift Hub One smart trainer and new single-speed cassette for a few months and I plan to use it alongside Zwift to try and make this my best winter ever on the bike.
I’ll be keeping you updated on what I’m doing in my series instalments and have got a range of riding ideas cooked up, both indoor and outdoor.
A new baby and new riding challenges
Becoming a dad has meant I simply don’t have as much time to ride my bike at the moment as I have in years gone by. Granted, my job does provide riding opportunities which is great, but becoming a parent is a big life change and trying to find time to train and ride needs a lot more planning than it did…
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