Cycle Commute v WFH

The global pandemic and the lockdown which followed drastically changed the daily lives and routines of the world. For some, a regular routine is a sense of safety and comfort, the restrictions which have been put in place have had a profound effect on people's mental health, not being able to see loved ones and having the freedom to travel taken away, adapting to the conditions has been difficult for many. Commuter Nieky van Veggel was kind enough to send over how he has handled the lockdown and the compromises his family has to had make...

For those of us who commute by bike on a daily basis, not being able to do so can be hard. For many of us, cycling is not just about being green, saving money or exercise, it is also great for our mental health. Sometimes it is the only healthy way to cope with work-related stress and signs of depression. This means that not being able to ride to work can be hard. I am writing this during mental health awareness week, which seems like a fitting time to reflect on how not being able to cycle commute due to having to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting my mental health.

I normally commute 4-5 days per week, 45 km (or just under 2h) per day. My normal routine involves getting up around 06:15, have a coffee and breakfast, get changed and set off around 07:15 to be at work around 8:15 latest. I then change into non-cycling clothes, have another coffee and a snack and start work at 08:45. Depending on when I finish work, I change back into cycling gear around 16:30-17:00 and get home 45-50 min later. Quick shower followed by dinner and time with the kids and wife. Because of COVID-19, all of this is now gone. No routine, no exercise, no time to clear my mind after a stressful day at work.

The first week of UK lockdown and working from home was hard. There was no gentle change to a new routine, it quite literally was a change from all to nothing. I struggled. I lost my focus, I was grumpy (enough to even notice myself), I had little patience, and generally didn’t know what to do with myself. I had trouble switching off and kept mulling over work-related stuff for hours after finishing work, to the point where I couldn’t get to sleep or woke up multiple times during the night. I tried to go on a few rides, but I felt guilty because my wife was stuck at home with the kids, not being able to work, while I was locked up in an office unable to help. Safe to say, it wasn’t working and we had a few grumbles.

A week later, my wife and I decided I needed a new routine to prevent life from getting even worse. Finding a balance between work, home and my doctorate programme was (and still is) hard, but we settled on a schedule where I ride early in the morning (07:00) 3 days a week for an hour. This time works as it allows me to exercise before work, which helps deal with the stress. Additionally, it is also the time where me not being home affects the rest of my family least, as everyone is still waking up. I can still have breakfast and help my wife sort the little ones out before I start work at 09:00. Effectively, it is my commute to my work-from-home.

The new routine has now been in place for 5-6 weeks, and it seems to work. Don’t get me wrong, it is far from perfect, as I still really struggle with switching off after I finish work, and on the days where I don’t cycle I do struggle with stress and some episodes of low mood. My leaving to go on a ride is not always appreciated by the rest of my household, and having young kids means I have to be flexible and sometimes sacrifice a ride for them, but I feel a lot better than I did before. The weather getting better helps, as I love exploring new routes and roads, and have enjoyed some beautiful views just around the corner from where I live.

The Essex countryside offers some brilliant views, which definitely provide a boost to my mental health. A bonus of quieter roads during lockdown has also been that we have been going on weekly family rides in the weekends. My wife likes to cycle, and used to ride her mountain bike off-road to work, but did not like riding on roads, especially with the kids in tow. This has now changed. Our confidence to ride as a family has increased, and being out doing what I love, and sharing it with the people I love has been amazing.

Sharing my feel-good activity with my family during rides with the kids in tow (literally). Nobody knows when or how the pandemic is going to evolve. However, I have found a way to cope with the change, and have prevented my mental health from spinning out of control. Rides are solo or with family for now, but they are still great. They keep me healthier both physically and mentally, and that is what matters. After all, it is all about the ride!

Nieky van Veggel

Living In A Lockdown

It's a surreal, eerie and a scary time for the world. We don't want to dwell on the current situation at the moment but we're all in this together and the quicker people come together to help out each other such as being considerate and being responsible towards people and their own actions, the stronger the response will be. For those who are aware, we teach Primary and Mrs NITP teaches Secondary so at different times, we are due in our schools to look after key worker and vulnerable children as well as looking after lil' NITP too. We have been keeping a timetable (which is out tip #1!) for the wee one so we both don't get bored and stuck for things to do so we thought we would share our top tips to help those who are at home pass the time...

Lifestyle

#1 Timetable

It might throw you back to school but it'll help you set your mind and if you take any of our further ideas, allow you to focus your time and attention. Whatever you want to use, chalk and board if you're old school or a calendar, it'll set your mind right for the day especially if you need to know where you can squeeze activities around your work from home (WFH).

#2 Diet

It's easier said than done especially when there's been no pasta, rice, chopped tomatoes etc. for a few weeks (hit the local newsagents and smaller stores for a bit of luck) but we've gone with the attitude of buy what's available not what you want. We were already trying a few vegan meals and products and it seems there's plenty of it left on the shelves and in the freezers in our local little Sainsburys. It's food at the end of the day and it's not a time to be picky, adapt and change people!

#3 Bake

Which leads us onto our following tip. If you can get the ingredients, now is the prime time to test out homemade energy bars/balls and other treats you can take with you on your rides. Get the kids involved if they're making your brain melt! Thanks to James Ferguson, we've already mastered a banana cake, we're now onto carrot cake (we've already mastered granola bars and galaxy infused brownies!).

Workout

#4 Ride Solo, Not Yolo

Government has announced during the lockdown that people are permitted to leave their homes for exercise. It seems it has split opinions with some thinking it's not worth the risk and can put pressure on the NHS at a time where it needs help, not hindrance. The other side of the coin is that cycling is relatively safe compared to other activities and with less cars on the road, theoretically less danger. We have been out for a couple of rides but we're riding solo, not yolo, you don't need to go miles away on long journeys. Keep it close to home so if you get into a spot of bother, you're closer to help or the walk home is less of a distance. It does feel though the freedom of the closed parks such as Richmond Park is experienced under a cloud so these opportunities to cycle with less traffic on the road needs to be respected and appreciated (Richmond Park is now closed to cyclists).

#5 Turbo

Apparently, sales of turbo trainers have gone up by 997% which makes finding a turbo trainer harder than loo roll! With the closures of some parks and the possibility of a more stringent lockdown if the Coronavirus situation worsens, training indoor will be the way to go. Obviously, appropriate space and home life has to be considered but if you can't squeeze an indoor trainer in a corner somewhere, maybe focus on a different principle of fitness; work on core, weights, yoga etc.

Tacx were offering a 30 day trial with their trainers whilst Zwift is probably the platform where you'll find a lot of your cycling buddies are flocking too. If you're missing that competitive edge, racing is easy to get yourself involved in. If you think you're that good, Sam Hodges is promoting a bit of e-sports at the moment with the winner taking home some pocket money. If you're looking for some more community based rides, Dirty Wknd are continuing helping out their members to keep pedalling with scheduled meet ups although we've noticed a few cheeky sprints so expect a breakaway or two!

Gaming

#6 Pro Cycling Trumps

We have mentioned these guys a few times before but it's times like these that they have really come in handy. If you're in a cycling crazy household, this will pass the time well, stock up on the packs and watch the family arguments unfold!

#7 TdF PS4

This might not be everybody's cup of tea but if you're missing your GTs, Playstation store does have TdF 2019 available and I've just checked it's heavily discounted. I believe there's also some past editions on there too, if not, ebay and Amazon will have some copies if you want to get a nostalgic! *Don't tell Mrs NITP but I just downloaded it!

#8 Social Media

Social media can be a pit of poison sometimes, we've tried to filter out the moans and have maintain a positive vibe on our feed as it is a place where a lot of people go to let off steam and find a little light-hearted fun. We've created our own virtual GT - Tour de NITP - 20 riders (Twitter users), 21 stages, 5 random groups for each stage, points awarded, winner with most points wins! No reason why you can't do the same with your followers, share the ideas around, keep people's spirits up where you can. UKCC this week held a quiz for their chat hour so there's social distractions out there in the online community if you need a break from the real world...

Design

#9 Create

It is also might be the perfect time to get creative. Whether you're part of a club or have an idea in mind for a kit design, grab a few colours and a pad and let your mind run loose. We have a few NITP kits designed out but due to economic restrictions (in other words, we don't have any money!), they stay as a pipe dream for the time being. If you're really serious, there's plenty of companies out there who would be willing to turn the dream into a reality and you soon (when we're all allowed!) could be riding in your own customised kit (Baby NITP modelling one of our snapbacks by the way!).

#10 Blog

We have always said the world is big enough for everyone and it's how we started out. Again, there's loads of sites to start out from such as Wordpress, a blogger's favourite. If you don't know what to start, just write about why you ride or share a story of a particular ride/event/trip, there will always be someone somewhere willing to read or looking for new content so you never know where it might take you.

#11 Fantasy Cycling Team

This is more of a social media/gaming idea but you gotta' get creative and do some research for this. You could come up with some dream teams and pit them off each other on social media via a poll and let the cycling world debate over them. Something also we have designed out too is a Cyclopark complex, you could also try design your own too as a hub for your star squad. As usual, you need money to make money so unless someone has a few million to start me off, this too also stays on the genie wish list...

Media

#12 Streaming

What else you gonna' do really?! Here's our Netflix recommendations including some we still haven't seen on our list:

- Icarus: (Seen) A great documentary exposing corruption within Russia sport and their government all stemming from an amateur cyclist wanting to know what doping really does to performance.

- The Game Changers: (On Watch List) Need to be in the right frame of mind for this as it opens up the debate about diet especially veganism and how some athletes are making that transition over.

- Iron Cowboy: (Seen) Another documentary we recommend. The sole story of one ultra endurance athlete taking on 50 Ironmans in 50 states in 50 days. It's not without controversy although we think it's unwarranted, it's a must watch.

- Stop At Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story: (Seen) Watched this at the cinema and it's an eye opener of how the cycling world was sucked into one of sport's most famous lies. Whatever you think about him, I'd recommend watching it to fully get a understanding of how far his lie went and what lengths Lance went to to keep his lie going.

- Barca Dreams: (On Watchlist) Ok, it's not a cycling themed suggestion but many sports have tried to copy the philosophical approach and create the culture Barcelona have embedded in their club and many sports have failed. They have the blueprint for success but also to create well rounded sports people. We have read Barca by Graham Hunter who dives deeper into how even their academies adopt the Barca' way. One for the well rounded sports fan.

- Roll With Me: (On Watchlist) We accidentally found this one and we don't know too much about it apart from it's about a paraplegic athlete's trek across America in a wheelchair, sounds inspiring.

- Pedal The World: (Seen) If you ever wanted a preview on what it would be like to cycle around the world by bike, this does a really good job of it. It's the logistics and the change in culture and languages as Felix Starck pedals on which captivated us.

- The Least Expected Day: Inside the Movistar Team 2019: (On Watchlist) Well, this should be on every cycling fan's watchlist, a team known to pack too many GC contenders in their races, what a privilege to look into the setup and running of the Movistar team.

And just because we love a bit of Netlfix and if you're not in a sporting mood, here's our boxset recommendations:

Narcos, Narcos Mexico, The Punisher, Stranger Things, You, Ozark, Dirty Money, Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, Louis Theroux, Hannibal, Altered Carbon, Mindhunter, Black Mirror, Bodyguard, Line of Duty, The Sinner, Top of the Lake, Homeland.

#13 Reading

Too much TV is not good for you according to our Mum so a bit of reading is good for the brain. Choice of book all depends on the type of person you are, we quite like personal accounts so biographies and true stories interest us. Our pick of the bunch is another recommendation from the Armstrong era but Tyler Hamilton's book The Secret Race was an excellent read into a period of time the cycling world is trying to erase. Another figure which divides opinion but we find him fascinating to listen to and if you know his story and where he's come from, you come to understand the character a lot more. Bradley Wiggins triumph in le Tour plus his 2012 TT gold medal is covered in My Time. Our final recommendation is the only book we have read which we have shed a tear at the end. Touching the Void by Joe Simpson is harrowing, remarkable and just a sensational read. If you like your survivor stories, we can not recommend this enough!

#14 New Routes

Well, when life does return to normal (and frankly, it's the least important thing when people's health is at risk), you'll be chomping at the bit to get out riding so curb those urges by creating some fresh new routes and challenges.

Chores

#15 Tidying Up

We don't know what your pain cave looks like but we try to keep some order in there but it's hard when Mrs NITP keeps hinting at adding more things in there which are not bike related! Freshing things up will keep things organised and you never know, you might find a spare bolt or cable lying around...

#16 Kit Clear Out

Hold on, hear us out! Sort through your kit, anything you don't wear or want anymore, giveaway to a charity or donate to a local club and it'll leave space for new gear... With us now?!!

#17 Wishlist

Which leads us to our final tip and it's a dangerous one so hide your bank cards somewhere! Shop around online for some new kit, deals or just look at porn... I mean bike porn, bike porn! Delete the history after just in case!

Hope all these tips help but do remember also to spend the time with family if you can even if it's through a video call or a message here and there, keep in touch with people and keep spirits up where you can. Be safe and healthy.

notinthepeloton

Wet Wet Wet

I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes.... and also down my back and all over my face! The rain. It's more of a foe than a friend in the cycling world, some of us just crack on straight through it whereas the rest will despise it as much as getting a mechanical! Our recent rides have all been in the rain and it was in these moments we thought to ourselves that riding in wet weather is a completely different skill set and preparation so we thought we would share our own words of advice on managing riding when the sky lets loose...

Should I?

Well that's the first major question you should answer. If it's commute to work or getting somewhere important, you need to be prepared (we will come to that). Unless it's snow/ice, we will ride into work and attempt to dry ourselves off when we get there. Getting home is not too much of a problem because you're going home to a warm shower and fresh clothes and ultimately, you're not working to deadlines, you're working towards dinner and Netflix!

If it's a training ride, is it worth the risk? Wet weather brings an increase in chance of sketchy roads, riding across grit and grime, big puddles to roll through. That's where the pull of a turbo comes in handy, it might not be everyone's cuppa but it's safer, you're dry (unless you sweat as much as we do!) and you're at home. So do weigh up the risks before hand.

Deciding the Route

Ok, so you've decided it's worth getting out there but some roads will evidently be better than others in terms of muck. On our recent ride to Pagham and back, we were hit by really heavy rain on both days. On a sunny day, the routes we had created would of been a joy, hardly any traffic and road surfaces weren't too bad. But the rain changed the whole complexity of our rides. Puddles covered potholes and patches in the road, small pieces of wood and stone covered the roads, the chances of punctures are increased drastically. Changing a flat on the side of a country lane in the middle of nowhere with your hands soaking wet and freezing is a situation you want to avoid.

You might think stick to busy roads then. In our experience, drivers become as risky in wet weather and you're constantly battling for road position to avoid puddles and if the driver behind doesn't understand this, then it'll likely to end up in a close pass scenario... We sent ourselves up Bury Hill which take you near Arundel Castle. We knew it was an A road but what we didn't realise was it was a fast paced steep dual carriageway hill climb with a rough surface with a roadkill (often a pheasant) every 50m. Hated it especially as the climb had a couple of bends and drivers are passing at 50mph+. In hindsight and for the future, I'll be finding another way of getting over the South Downs. On the other side of this coin though and a few miles before this rough segment, I found myself on some very leafy and wet back roads, some flooded. I hadn't seen anyone for miles so if something was to happen here, it would of been a very very long trudge back to civilisation...

Recon

You may argue and I'm with you that an attraction of cycling is being adventurous and riding into the unknown but there's a line where it turns from an adventure into a bit of a death trap. Don't want to put people off cycling in the rain but everything changes in terms of approaching descents and corners. We were constantly on our brakes but that was a lot down to the type of bike we were riding (again, we will come to equipment!). Knowing your roads helps but you can't foresee hazards and changes in road conditions so being cautious is a sensible approach to apply.

Even having a look through google maps, street view or just asking around social media for routes to take or roads to avoid, someone might point out a road you have included in your ride is prone to flooding or becomes really grimey in wet weather. A few back roads in the South Downs area really had our swear box being filled up with every pedal stroke!

On that note, it's also wise to have some bail out points or be aware of major towns so if you do get stuck with a mechanical or have had enough of it altogether, you have a back up plan with hopefully a bike shop, a warm cafe and a train station if it came to it. Even if you think you know the area you're in, you can be led into a false pretence with just how far places are from each other. We opted to take a back road away from Godalming and bypass the main roads of Guildford. We were on a very unfamiliar single track road for about 20 minutes which included a tough little climb so reconnaissance shouldn't be ignored.

Equipment

For all those who apply the n+1 rule, we're assuming that +1 is your Winter/Summer bike so for days where the weather has turned, you know which bike to take out. We don't technically have a Winter bike but our now old Specialized Tarmac takes most of the beating. We use it for commutes mostly and zwifting leaving our Planet X EC130 (a shorter nickname would of helped!) for the more pleasant occasions. We did however want to give the PX a send off for 2019 so decided to take it for the journey down to the coast and back. We have been warned that carbon brakes are not so good in the wet and we found that out quite quickly. A short but steep rough descent before we hit Cranleigh woke us up to the limits of carbon brakes, we were slowing down but we were never stopping! From that moment onward for the next 120 miles, it was a cautious approach to every downhill section we came across.

Clothing is an area you can get it very wrong. We are on the side that there is no such thing as bad weather but as bad clothing, you gotta' be prepared for the weather you're riding in, too cold or too warm and you can really do some internal damage in terms of becoming ill. Heatstroke is something we suffer from easily in the summer and that's all down to hydration for us and the amount of fluids we lose whilst cycling. In the Winter, we are susceptible to throat infections or sinus problems so we regularly wear a neckie to protect ourselves. We decided not to wear a jacket (might sound crazy but hear us out!) all the rain jackets that we own or have worn have done nothing to stop us getting soaked so we stick a base layer on under a long sleeve jersey. We wouldn't advise this to others, just a personal preference for us until we find a jacket which does what it's supposed to do and won't cost a fortune either! We find wet weather clothing tricky and it's probably down to our body fat. Not a shame to say we are a bit top heavy but we feel this helps maintain our core body temperature so it's our fingers and toes we need to look after.

Mitts and gloves are tricky because if it's mild, you can get away with mitts like we did one our ride to the coast. But you really want to invest in water proof gloves with decent thermal lining. Overshoes. We have had loads and the honest truth, when it comes to protecting from the rain, most of them are s***! A few drops of rain you're fine, anything heavier than that, you better have spare socks handy! If you want to go water proof, than we've been suggested brands like Velotoze who uses latex rubber to keep your feet dry. Well, the feedback that we've heard that the downside to that is that your feet overheat and are soaked with sweat so it's either cold rain or warm sweat to deal with!

Skill Set

We've ridden in most weather conditions from snow blizzards to blazing sun to warm rain to gusty winds but it was on the ride to Pagham and back that it hit home how riding in the rain is requires a completely different skill set. You can't ride how you would in the dry, you can't be that naive otherwise you're going to find yourself on the deck with either or both you and your bike damaged so here's what we would suggest:

- Be wary of patches of wet leaves and grime. High probability that you will lose traction and it's game over. Be cautious and look ahead to the road surfaces so you can adjust your riding line accordingly. If you do find yourself braking on a patch of wet leaves or mud, be confident whilst trying to not lock up the wheel, you want to maintain friction, not lose it otherwise you might as be ice skating!

- Try not to ride through puddles no matter how childish you are! It's a puddle for a reason, there's depth to that water and who knows what's under it. Even if you know the road really well, it's not worth the risk, all you need is to hit a stone and it's game...

- This leads onto road position especially for descents. Take the primary, I even hold out my hand beforehand to indicate to the driver behind to stay back, you just hope they understand why you're doing what you're doing. You do need confidence and a bit of stubbornness with this strategy I feel, even taking primary in the dry, some drivers will still see you as in their way and won't be considerate. My advice and your bail out is to pull over somewhere safe and let the traffic pass, we have a family now and gone are the days of remonstrating with every driver that doesn't take care around us. Don't get us wrong, we will call them out if its vexed us that much but if they're an idiot behind the wheel, what will they be like when they get out of the car? The use of cameras in these incidents are your best way to pursue a bit of justice.

- If you come across a climb, look for the 'driving line', the tracks in the road made by other vehicles. The grit and grime will be pushed to the side and that's where you would usually find yourself but do you want to risk changing a flat in the pouring rain?

- Be wary of any paint on the roads and oil spills for that matter. Our only real major coming off was when we rolled over the painted lines on a zebra crossing in biblical conditions, front wheel went under from us and we slid straight into the curb and into a puddle. It wasn't even at speed but these moments do make you better prepared for next time (hopefully there won't be a next time!). Try not turn the bike when crossing paint or oil, there's only gonna' be one winner here...

These are just our own personal bits of advice, there will obviously be some who will offer different approaches or disagree altogether but I practice what I preach because as much as I want to enjoy the bike, I also want to get home in one piece. If you prepare for wet weather riding in the right way, it can be as enjoyable as a sunny day's ride (honest!). But I thought the final section of this blog would be down to you. If you have a suggestion whether it be a must have piece of clothing or your own riding advice, do let us know and we will be happy to add it on and credit to you back, after all, sharing is caring!

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