On Sunday 23rd August, Simon, Matt and I completed the Malvern Mad Hatter Sportive!
The Cycling Weekly Malvern Mad Hatter Cycling Sportive is over 72 miles and although in cycling terms this isn’t a monster challenge, what makes this event special is the route. The sportive takes you through the three counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire with the Malvern Ridgeway never out of your sight.
This is something we’d never done before but as a team we were focused to complete it together.
During this route you’ll come up against the challenging Malvern hill, which is a long but gradual climb. This is a real effort and a lot of people don’t make it to the top. But your efforts are rewarded with perfect views of the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains of Wales.
The sportive is organised by UK Cycling Events who run hundreds of events throughout the yearly calendar and they do a very good job!
Early start…
We set off at around 6.30am on Sunday morning as it took us about an hour to arrive at The 3 Counties Showground in Worcestershire where we registered and got our numbers and timing chips.
I was fully prepared with nutrition but some bars and gels were provided so hats-off to the organisers for that. 72 miles is a pretty long way and without good nutrition and I urge you to think about what you eat and drink prior and during any challenge like this.
We kicked off at about 8.30am…
Ok, so the weather had not been great all week and we were checking out the weather updates everyday leading up to the event.
The early signs were not good but as we got closer to the day it looked like we would be dry with the chances of catching some rain late on, so not bad at all…
…well this forecast was wrong… very wrong!
The last 30 odd miles was achieved in a downfall of torrential rain! It did clear up nearer the end but by then the roads were full of puddles and it wasn’t a great environment for slick cycling tyres!
But this was a challenge and I guess if you’re going to do a challenge then you’ve got to do it the tough way.
The positive news is that at least it was dry for the monstrous 900 foot hill. This was the highlight of the ride for all the wrong reasons. It is a real challenge and it really splits the men from the boys. It’s a long, steady climb that just refuses to go away. Not everyone was successful at reaching the top in one go; many carrying on walking up with their bike alongside them.
This was not the case for us though…
You might not think that a big hill is not such a great obstacle for myself as I train constantly and although not a cyclist I’m a personal trainer… so I’m pretty fit, right?! But this moment has to go to Simon who, at 53, (and who only started doing something about his health a few years ago) managed all this and more.
This was the one challenge he wanted to conquer. It was that good – it needed a post-hill pose!
It’s fair to say that you can’t just decide to do a challenge like this but that’s not to say you can’t – anyone can!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…
If you want something and you have a big enough why, then with the right support and guidance you can achieve anything!
All three of us decided to take up some training for this event as all three of us are fairly new to cycling so this was very important.
Just like when people want to lose weight or do activities like the Wolf Run, I have a programme that can help you get better in a shorter period of time.
It’s not all about the training though: dietary requirements are also very important here with it being an endurance event and my typical nutritional advice changes for this. Cycling is great but it is not a way to lose fat! Long story and this blog isn’t about that…
If you’re going to be exercising for hours upon end then we need to flip typical nutrition on its head. This is all about sports performance so we need to fuel and recover differently from a typical weight-loss program.
If this inspires you or it’s been something to add to your bucket list then I completely recommend it. The big shiny medal we received after it was well worth it…
I’m here to help you up that hill…
Inspired to take up a cycling challenge? You’ll need some help to get going, so here’s what I’ve learnt and a little tick list for you too.
- If you are a beginner then you’ll need a bike! Now I’m good on a bike but I’m not an expert with the technical side of things. So I get help with this – it’s not my skill. Get yourself to a bike shop and they’ll size you up and they might even get you a good deal.
- Don’t make it complicated at first… if you’re new then you’ll just want to get some miles in the bag. The more advanced stuff to make you quicker can come after that – now that is my bag! I don’t have much time to go out for hours on a bike so I have a plan that can make you stronger, quicker and more comfortable on a bike in a short period of time.
- If you are a fair weather rider then you can get yourself down the gym (providing they have spin bikes) to get some miles under your belt. Even joining a spin class has some benefit. Cadence training is important. I’ll explain that if you want an advanced cycling training programme.
- Cycling isn’t great for fat-loss so get yourself a good nutrition routine and consider weight training to shift the odd few pounds. Trust me: up those hills that lightweight bike don’t mean shit if you’re super heavy!
At the end of the day – If you enjoy cycling then carry on doing it. I always make sure people enjoy their workouts here at Phil Sims Personal Training and I’d love you to as well. Cycling is a great exercise for your body as it’s low impact and better for joints over sports like squash or running.
Inspired?
If you want to get into cycling, get better or even train for a serious event like this, then give me a shout. I’m always keen to work with people on a mission who have a target or challenge to smash but I’m equally happy to work with you for simple improvement for leisure cycling, too.
Whatever your challenge… just keep going. One day you’ll reach that summit. If you stop you’ll never get there.
