Top tips for a great Pedal for Scotland

We come in all shapes and sizes
One of the main reasons that I wanted to do Pedal for Scotland (and why I was possibly appointed as a Pedal for Scotland ambassador) and it is motivation behind almost everything I do. To show that shape, size, age and ability (lack of it in my case) are not barriers to taking part in sport and having fun.

It's ok if things don't go to plan
With a long distance triathlon my ultimate goal I saw the 93 mile Big Belter as a challenging milestone. However, as weeks of saying: “I’ll up my miles this week” passed without any upping happening, I started to worry.

 And then, my life got flipped-turned upside down (although I didn’t become the prince of a town called Bel Air).

 Long story short, I dropped out of the Big Belter and saddled up for the 45 mile Classic Challenge with my pals Paula (fellow ambassador) and Gerry.

 And it turned out to be my best day of 2017.

Get some mileage in before the big day
Other than a 21 mile cycle with my Pearl Izumi Champion team, my training rides were restricted to three mile commutes to work with the odd 10 mile detour through Glasgow’s parks. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this approach, the setup of the Pedal for Scotland Classic Challenge is such that it is actually accessible to anyone with a bike and a reasonable level of fitness.

Take it all in
As we crossed there was a palpable sense of achievement and the joy was written on my face. This was my longest ever ride and I felt that I could cycle the whole route back.

Think about booking event transport
Two minutes later, I was thankful that my euphoria and misplaced enthusiasm were tempered by the pre event decision to book the bus back to Glasgow. Possibly the best £20 I have ever spent. 

Stephen blogs at www.howmanymiles.co.uk

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