2024 Review - the year of first times and new ventures
Well, what a year 2024 has been! Those who have followed me for a while, and those who just popped by, may have seen my blogs from last year which were commented on by a few for being negative and attention seeking. That wasn’t the case, it was more about me being honest with myself, where I was and where I was going.
So here we are, basically a full year on and what a stepping-stone journey it has been. On and off the bike, the progress has rocketed in an upwards trajectory, but the focus here is on the bike and general life stuff - don’t want to get too personal on a blog about me…..
Through the winter of 2023/2024, I had the aim and focus to continue what I did in 2022, focusing on me, working on myself and training my arse off in the garage or in the rain. Realistically the results were never going to be as life-changing as the year before as I wasn’t starting in the over-weight state I was in before. However, the aim was to be competitive in some road bike time trials, enjoy riding the bike, and improve my endurance training.
The big goals were to be consistent through the year for TTs but peaking for the National 12 hour - which I decided to drop out of, more on that later - and doing a sub 12 Hour Mallorca 312, which was also my first time ever cycling abroad.
The stage was set, smash some early regional TTs on the road bike, before structured training turned into volume blocks and fuelling training with the help from STYRKR.
The TTs went down a storm, it was my first time doing regional events and not just the local club evening 10s was a shock to the system, getting up at 6 am and driving for 1-2 hours for a 25-minute effort somewhat reminded me of the days doing motocross growing up, but it was worth it because in my first race of the year, in Bristol, I had not only won the road bike category but was just in the top 10 overall, in the same leader board page as big names like Jake Sargent and Rob Francis from Matt Bottrill Racing. Also, it’s a great way to start my first season racing for FTP (Fulfil the potential). This was then repeated closer to home with back-to-back overall podiums at the Exeter Wheelers Four First TT, coming 3rd overall and 2nd road bike, and then the North Devon Wheelers Hilly around South Molton, with a road bike win and 2nd overall. And then it was time to prep for Mallorca.
After a solid 12 hours a week on the bike for just over 6 weeks, it was 25th April and at Cullompton Services awaiting my lift to Bristol airport. Heading out to Mallorca with the Cycle Sanctuary group made the anxiousness of my first abroad trip with the bike much easier, and meant I could focus on enjoying the trip but also scratching the itch of the infamous 312. Having spoken to friends who have done the event and knowing my endurance abilities, the ambitious aim was a sub 12 hour, which was not going to be easy. But I did have a few days to ride and explore before the big day.
Steady flight, hotel check-in and some questionable bike building later and we had time for an end-of-day 1 ride, the iconic lighthouse ride of Cap Formentor, before heading back to meet the rest of the group who arrived earlier that day. We all know the expression, “like a kid in a candy store” and this was me, my first time to Mallorca and my first time away with the bike. The smooth roads, the stunning views and the mountains with so much to offer, this was a great way to end the first day and I loved every second.
Rest, a pre-312 ride to register and some great food meant we were as set as possible for the 4 am start the next morning.
This whole event was a buzz. Spending the day at the event village the day before was incredible. All the people, bikes and shops - the entire place was full of eager cyclists and bucket listers getting their piece of Mallorca. A chilled evening and some of the best Italian food I have ever had, it was time to load the jersey, bolt-check the bike and head down for the most restless sleep I have ever had.
Those who know me will know that I am 100% the sort of person who puts more pressure on myself than anyone else can put on me. It is addictive and all-consuming. The 12-Hour counter was in my head, all I wanted was to get below that, I had prepped the best I could, months of training and, more critically, months of training the gut and body to absorb and use 120g of carbs an hour for 12 hours, with huge support from the team at STYRKR. I couldn’t do anything more than do the event and do the best I could.
Those that know the event, will know the morning struggle, on the bikes at 4 am to be sat in a queue till 7 am. We waited for a good 2-2.5 hours but finally, the charity shop jumpers were off and we were heading for the start line, which by the time we crossed it was already 48 minutes on the clock- the downside to the event is the cut off’s and timing is done from the first rider, so it was a big push from myself, joe and mark to make up as much ground as possible before the first climb at 35km in, Col De Femenia.
Heading into the event, we had the talk….not that talk! But a riding plan, it was me and Joe doing the full 312 route, the rest doing the 225. We had decided it was sensible to use each other and stick together but if it split, we did our own rides. I am a person who loves the numbers, zone 3-4 on the climb and zone 2-3 on the flats - simple!
I had a few teething issues, with a mixture of the waxed chain bedding in, a worn cassette and some poor shifting choices by me, meaning once or twice I found dropping the chain - this later was found out to be an issue with the front mech which 3 months later was replaced by SRAM. Joe was great, easing up so we could stick together, and this is where tension grew later on in the event.
Through the first feed zone and some climbing later, Joe wasn’t there. We weren’t pushing on, but we had just descended the Puig major so assumed he had dropped off on the descent, or caught up in traffic as I found myself in clean air after the feed zone. After about an hour of sticking to my riding plan, Joe snuck up on me, turned out he had dropped a bottle and by the time he could shout we were split. Guilty is one word for how I felt, especially after he was with me with the chain issues, but also the feeling of confusion as I just stuck to the same numbers I was from the get-go and followed the plan. I few heated words from him and we had a tense 20-30km of not really talking much……before we stopped at the feed zone and hugged it out. Think pressure of the ride and just everything hit all at once. But were all good, and was stoked to cheer him through the finish, with all the salt he had managed to collect throughout the day.
We got to a section of steep and twisty climbs heading back from Andratx, and this was the breaking point, Joe gave me to nod to go if we split again. Being from an endurance background, and Joe being a crit racer and a good one at that, it was great to be together at around 200km still. And I am sure the sweatiest man in the world will agree, but he needed to stop at the feed zone on the top of the climbs to get some sodium and energy back into the system, whereas I had planned to not stop much at all, in fact, I had finished the ride with 14 minutes of total time stopped. I wasn’t alone though, which was a huge worry of mine, I had tagged in with two men from Hamburg, Jhan and Felix. Felix later stopped for a puncture and told us to continue, so we did. In fact, we went as a 2-up for the next 90km till the 300km mark, a rapid final water top-up, with thanks from DT from the Cycle Sanctuary who happened to be at the last zone where all the routes met, done my bottles for me and within 2 minutes we were back on the road. Jhan had family on the road so he grabbed a bottle at a railway crossing whilst we sped past and then we met a group of Brits and the 10 of us railed it back to L’Alcudia for the finish.
10 hours 14 Minutes of riding later and the line was crossed. Sub-12-hour was done, sub-11-hour was done, and I was shattered and over the moon. The girls in the group were at the finish waiting for us, and I was actually the 2nd Cycle Sanctuary rider back out of all the routes. Without the support from DT, Joe and the other riders I met along the route, I am not sure it would have been that quick. To cross the line was not only a relief but also the support from organisers, friends and complete strangers was nothing I had witnessed at an event like that before, it was different from the national hill climb last year, which was one section of road, this was the whole of Mallorca.
The days following the recovery day - and yes we did ride the day after, a nice relaxing 80km - was full of enjoying the island and doing the usual bits of Sa Calobra, filming some content, mostly down the Steve F, and taking in the sunshine, views and food before we headed back, what a trip it was!
Team Cycle Sanctuary
No rest for the wicked and 10 days after returning from Mallorca it was a weekend trip to the Lake District, for a nice holiday……nope, it was time to tackle the UK’s mega-challenging Fred Whitton Challenge. Unlike Mallorca, the target for this was finish, enjoy it and don’t stop or put a foot down on the 33% gradients of Hardknott Pass. They may seem doable, but recovery from Mallorca was not the best and most of the team got sick on return, with a few COVID cases. So wasn’t sure how it was going to go, but 7 hours later and with no stopping on the climbs, it was done, it was a tough one that I am glad to have ticked off.
With those two big rides, it was time to get back to the TT training and hit the local scene with a similar form from before Mallorca, and to be honest, it wasn’t what I wanted, the numbers were there and on paper it was going well, taking regular wins at the local club 10 overall, but on the road bike, was great, and doing my fastest 10 mile TT with a 21:36 was something to be proud of, but to be honest behind the scenes things were tough. I was racing off Mallorca form, training was basically non-existent and was just ridding and the competitive side of it was taking its toll.
This is where a shoutout to Tristian from Exeter Wheelers and Lloyd Copp from Okehampton needs to go out, because for me, I was down and out, I was doing the local 10s to retain my road bike lead in the series and my podium overall and I had stopped with the CTT events completely after the S4/10. Mixing up between Exeter Wheelers and Wellington Wheelers club nights was a good way to get weekly TSS and all-out efforts but I think I just tried to sustain the peak form for too long and it took its toll mentally, and unlike before, I knew when to stop or ease off, but if it wasn’t for these two legends I would have lost all motivation to even attend, and now they are two people I have ridden with more and more and without numbers on our backs and look forward to 2025 journeys with them.
So a regular few months of racing on a Wednesday and Thursday alternating weeks, and the training still hadn’t come back into play like it should have, and this along with some mental fatigue from the year in general, is what led to pulling out of the National 12 Hour TT. Gutted, but instead I took some time off the bike with my partner and we went to Nice for a great week of sun, sun, sun and sun….. walking, great food and great company were just what I needed to reset and just have some quality time together, once we got past the stress of the hire car issues at Nice airport. No pressures of training, worrying about what to eat and not to eat, just a proper holiday with no bikes.
Ice cream at 11 pm...... must be a holiday.
With time to reset, naturally, the training eased back in, with new motivation and some exciting 2025 goals to aim for. But it wasn’t all training and bikes, uni started again in October so I was getting set for that, and that drive to achieve the career change I so desperately want right now, is what led me to do extra during my uni break. I spent the time during my uni break developing AKCCoaching, my coaching brand. This was a post-uni target, but after some research and drive from good friends and my bike fitter and also business supporter Jon at CORE Bike Fit, I worked hard to get my accreditation from Training Peaks and other bits and bobs, and on the 8th August I went live and the business was born.
Not just coaching, but also event prep and support, testing packages with an exciting new addition to that department later in the year, but also the ability to work with Jon on-bike fit. I have been so lucky to meet and work with Jon and be a client, this also allows me to have a base for my coaching as I want to break the ‘online coach’ feel and that is why I can test and have consultations and reviews with a cuppa and a chat in person in the studio. It is more than business with a trip to the worst bike show I have ever been to in Birmingham - I won’t mention the name, but if you have me on socials you’ll know - but also with our YouTube podcast, work plans and many more to come, and a trip to rouleur live in November. So 2 months in, I have 3 clients and have done a testing protocol and things are taking shape, even better STYRKR allowed me to be a stockist so we have all the tasty goodies in stock too, so if you are reading this and if it is something you may be interested in then take a look at my site: www.akccoaching.com or pop me a message on the socials @akc.coaching.
And that brings us to now. Basically the end of the year, other than starting the winter training again. I have one final hill climb with Wellington Wheelers at the end of October and that means no national hill climb for me this year, which I am still unsure if I am gutted about or relived.
As I mentioned 2025 is now the target, with a 10,000m Everesting in Exeter raising money for Cure Leukaemia on behalf of a good friend and fellow Cycle Sanctuary member James Kelly, who is doing Tour21 next year for the charity, that is every stage of next years Tour De France route, 5 days ahead of the pros. I will also be seeing him out there but only for one day as I will be taking on the Etape Du Tour, and hoping for an iconic queen stage when it is announced at the end of October. That is the target for next year, with a potential end-of-year cycling holiday with Simon at Velo performance and some TT action - but keeping it to the club 10s - so I can have big focus on expanding the business and growing it a bit more.
It is really incredible how quickly the year goes, and it only feels like yesterday I did the 24-hour ride for the Exeter Leukaemia fund and the Everesting world record attempt, but that is so last year!
If you made it this far, then wow that is a surprise! But thank you to all those who have supported me, riding with me, helped with the business and filmed content out on rides. Those I met at the canyon cycling festival for welcoming me as a solo traveller, and everyone behind the scenes - you know who you are. A big thanks to Cycle Sanctuary and Joe especially for making the dream of cycling and racing abroad a reality - even if it did get a bit heated at one point. It has been a cracking year and yet again I am so proud of another year of development. Here is to next year.
Aidan
