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OPINION

Starting from Scratch

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Stu Kerton needs a goal and he thinks he's found one - 3 days, 330 miles

I had a routine - I got up, rode to work, sat at a desk then rode home. Thirty-five miles a day, nine thousand, five hundred miles a year with weekend jaunts included then all of a sudden it stopped. It’s amazing how quickly you can lose your fitness, especially after all of those years of spinning the pedals and now it’s time to earn it back. I’ve got a goal and everything.

For years, alongside reviewing products for road.cc I had a day job as a Draughtsman and 3D Designer for an engineering company. I hated it mind (the company not the job) but I loved the commute, I had up to two hours a day, guilt free on the bike. Come rain or shine, snow, fog, whatever the weather was doing I jumped on the bike and off I went.

Then the chance came to jump ship and focus more on the road.cc stuff, a simple decision to make. After all it meant more time to ride my bike right?

Well, not quite. Yeah I may work from home now and be surrounded by brand new bikes and cycling goodies on a daily basis but part of the package is looking after three young kids and their constant needs while the missus goes off to work. The eldest is at school but the other two spend their days bickering and squabbling over various toys and TV programs while I’m trying to work, tidy the house, cook etc.

Hours seem to disappear and my Strava timeline is beginning to look rather bleak but the worse thing is I feel really unfit, even the three mile a day walk for the school run isn’t helping.

Smashing it in gillingham

After years as a competitive time triallist I’m finding myself without a goal and I think that’s the issue, I’ve never been the type of person who just goes for a ride, I need to ‘train’.

So, what do you do?

Well, enter a three day sportive for starters, three hundred and thirty miles overall with about two thousand meters a day of climbing – the Tour of Wessex. I’ve ridden the event on and off for years, the odd day here and there while only completing the full three days once. I walked Dunkery Beacon that day though which still pisses me off to this day!

Could I complete it with my current level of fitness? Well I'm not sure as I’m in a bit of a weird place at the moment, I’ve got the power (an FTP test a few weeks back revealed 303 watts) but I’ve not got the ability to put it out for any decent amount of time plus a steady consumption of Stella Artois means I’ve added a stone in weight – not ideal for climbing 25% ascents in the West Country over a bank holiday weekend.

The Plan.......

Well hit the hills basically. Pair that with a sensible nutrition plan and hopefully over the next few months I should return myself to my former glory ready to not just complete the Tour of Wessex but actually enjoy it.

I’ll keep you posted on how things are going.

   

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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8 comments

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Stu Kerton | 7 years ago
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Thanks for reading guys yes

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Jimnm replied to Stu Kerton | 7 years ago
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Stu Kerton wrote:

Thanks for reading guys yes

Keep up the good work Stu,

I have next to no hills where I live, my test is headwinds of 18 mph today. It's easier doing hills I reckon. It's nearly always windy here in Blackpool  3 tough today! 

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kitkat | 7 years ago
1 like

Like yourself Stu - my cycling aspirations have been dashed upon the rocks of family and home working!

While seemingly a blessing, home working can be a struggle of motivation mixed with family chaos exploding as you fight your bike out the door and once out on the ride there's the nagging sense of time & responsibility to interrupt your intervals

My care free century rides with like minded individuals have been replaced with a hastily grabbed hour. I will be following your posts with interest  1

 

 

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D Edwards replied to kitkat | 7 years ago
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kitkat wrote:

Like yourself Stu - my cycling aspirations have been dashed upon the rocks of family and home working!

While seemingly a blessing, home working can be a struggle of motivation mixed with family chaos exploding as you fight your bike out the door and once out on the ride there's the nagging sense of time & responsibility to interrupt your intervals

My care free century rides with like minded individuals have been replaced with a hastily grabbed hour. I will be following your posts with interest  1

 

 

Well said kitkat, you've put into words my situation exactly.

I too will be following Stu's article with interest.

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kitkat replied to D Edwards | 7 years ago
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D Edwards wrote:

Well said kitkat, you've put into words my situation exactly.

I too will be following Stu's article with interest.

We should form a self-help group

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peted76 | 8 years ago
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Nice one Stu, I feel your pain, my training plan has gone to pot over the past month, need to focus, reasses and get in gear.. thankfully lighter nights herald some weekly communting miles for me.... soon.. ish... 

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Freddy56 | 8 years ago
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Give you a chance to focus on the available spins. I have limited time now s plan each spin with a smile and relish saddle time more. Junk miles are lost.  Enjoy the build up

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iUpham | 8 years ago
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Good luck! I'm looking to sort my cycling out too. Oddly I seem to be the reverse to you... I have the fitness but have lost all the power. Just waiting for that right dose of motivation  1

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