Today I went on a bike ride.
As you can see, I rode my fastest ever on almost every Strava segment.
To highlight one, my previous best on Sanderstead Hill was 11:00. Today was 7:56 and I wasn’t anywhere near full effort.
What was the difference? Simple. I decided to accept a little support. At 100kg and 190cm tall I am somewhat heavy these days for a cyclist, so I just bought an electric gravel bike.
Of course I still peddle, but wow the motor helps!
It also gives me freedom to ride longer, ride steeper hills, and so also allow myself to ride around the very hilly area where I live with sone element of randomness, knowing that if I turn a corner and see a brutal uphill section, I can turn on the top level boost and ride up it.
I got a great deal on a new bike that has been in the E-Bike shop for over two years. I asked them why it had not sold for such a long time.
It seems the market for these bikes is men who are regular road cyclists but who could now use a little help due to age or in recovering from injury or illness. The thing is, they tend to let their ego get in the way. Apparently a cyclist in their mid 70s recently told the store manager “I’m too young for am e-bike”.
Well, I can tell you already that adding a motor adds so many dimensions.
So much more is possible when we allow ourselves to be supported, including newfound levels of joy!
Oh, and I also give so many thanks to my riding buddy Sam, who is so much fitter than me and has always supported me on rides. Today was a massive effort for him to keep up with the only motors he had being the muscles in his legs!