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Writer's pictureDannielle Watkinson

Lockdown! Choose your torture

This was actually where my training ‘started.’ I’d ridden my bike inconsistently for some months beforehand: sometimes I’d do 5 hours a week and some-times I’d do none, I just wasn’t that into it. But either way was perfectly fine because it was just something I did for exercise/frustration release, or because I needed cake. Although, in saying that, I did wangle my way onto a ‘training camp’ of James’s in January 2020 and I have to say, it was the most I’d ridden since picking up a bike! It was incredibly tough, and I was in no way, shape or form fit enough to take on what I dropped myself into, and I was also spending most days alone because I just wasn’t fit/strong enough to ride out with any of the boys, unless of course it was their ‘rest’ day.


I planned my own routes and used a Garmin 510 from the stone age, which would get me very lost, run out of battery or forget where it was. Also, I’m very inept and cannot read a GPS for the life of me, let alone one that had a worm-like line on a plain background as a route. By the end of the trip, I’d purchased a Wahoo, partly because I couldn’t cope any longer and I was really starting to enjoy riding a bike, and partly to encourage me to continue riding when I got home!


By the end of the camp, I was very unwell, and I stayed that way with chest problems for about 2 months, and it wasn’t until lockdown happened that I got back on a bike. It was handy actually: I’d moved to London because of lockdown, I was still writing my dissertation and doing online exams, while working part time (stressed to my eyeballs and beyond) and I needed a release, but the only way I could do that was on the bike because gyms were shut.


I started riding with my James in the evenings, or during the day while procrastinating. Cue James convincing me to wake up at 5am (!!!!) to go to Regent’s Park (RP) in the centre of London, and ride bikes. (He is very much a social rider/racer, so RP is like a drug!). Because of lockdown, my job had quietened down a bit so I had time to take naps while I dithered over my coursework (that’s what I told myself anyway!) after training at the crack of dawn.


I must have spent a couple of months hanging onto James’s wheel with my heart falling out of my chest and tongue dragging behind. As lockdown eased, we joined in with our (now) club (courtesy of introductions from friends). Well… James joined with our cub and one morning, I was convinced to try a session. Turned out I was actually fairly strong, which meant I could stick around - yay more bike friends! Eventually I also joined in with a women’s training session held by Coach Watto on Thursday mornings at RP (after I’d kill myself in my first session of the day) and loved it!


I learnt a lot from those sessions and I’m still learning from them now! Anyway, this went on throughout summer, I got a gravel bike and ventured off-road as well – like Bambi on mud - and at the end of summer Watto convinced me to try a race at Bovingdon.


I’d convinced my boyfriend to race so I could have a reason to go to the event without doing the race. That day was an absolute scorcher, and I was PETRIFIED, but after trying many ways to get out of it on the day, I raced. And I won 2 individual races and the overall - it was held like a track meet due to covid restrictions. And I still can’t tell you how I managed that, but it was fun! Sort of..


After that I did a track meeting – also great fun with a win, then I got injured -> recovered -> got sick again, with chest problems (all in a day’s work!) and eventually I started ‘officially’ training with Coach Watto. I needed some structure to follow (I am a liability, I know training is good for me, but still try to not do it) And here we are today, training hard (depending on your definition) and praying for summer!


Ride bikes, eat cake, be happy :)



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