Hi all, I wrote this blog in the middle of November but didn't get around to posting it here. It is still valid so here we go. Enjoy.
As we all get used to the post Covid world and the new way doing things, I have had to join the virtual world of cycling as well.
With travel restrictions in place for most of the year and thus being unable to travel to competitions, I was left (initially) not knowing how I would use my Challenged Athlete Foundation travel grant for 2020. Thankfully CAF was very resourceful and quickly adapted to the conditions of this year. After it became clear that most of the year would be impacted by the pandemic they sent us an email allowing those of us who had received travel grants to use our grants for equipment or training expenses. After months of thinking how best to use my grant (it’s not often I have funds to buy equipment or use for training expenses) I decided that I would use this amazing opportunity to buy myself a smart trainer that I would normally not be able to afford.
Upon my return to Stellenbosch in August I got in touch with our para-cycling director, O’Ryan Bruintjies, who said he would assist me by ordering a suitable trainer for me. I was very nervous to change my indoor trainer to something I did not know because often what seems to be simple and works for other people, just doesn’t work for me and I am often left disappointed. But I also knew that if a smart trainer could be successfully set up for me and I could use Zwift, it would really improve my training. In the last two or so years I have been using the Watt bike at the gym and I have really enjoyed punishing myself on it. (Because what else does one do on a Watt bike except have a hard ride). However, due to transportation issues to and from the gym I have only been able to use it once or twice a week during that time. Last year sometime I looked into the cost of buying a Watt bike so I could train on it at my house but quite soon I realized that the chances of me ever own a Watt bike were slim. With the arrival of Covid, lockdowns, and wanting to not expose myself unnecessarily I really wanted to do the majority of my training at home and thus while I had the funding getting a smart trainer seemed the smart thing to do.
While I waited for my trainer to arrive I had a few things to do. One, due to limited space in my flat I had to sell my current indoor trainer. Secondly, I had to find a suitable bike to go on my new trainer. I needed a bike with a lower middle bar so that I could get on and off the bike without assistance. I was so thankful that a friend of a friend, someone who had known me for years bought my indoor bike. He fetched it the day before my new trainer arrived. Equally as amazing was that one of my other friends had a bike with a lower middle bar that he said I could have without paying him for it. Anet, yet another friend of mine, had also given me her mountain bike in the hope that I could use it but unfortunately the frame was too big for me. She then told me to try and sell her bike and use the funds to set everything up which I ended up doing.
After waiting about two weeks for my trainer to come the big day finally arrived and O’ryan and his son came to set it up. We put the bike on the trainer and tried to set Zwift up but we had problems with the laptop where I had installed the program. We tried to install the program on my laptop that is connected to my TV so I could play the program on the bigger TV screen. Unfortunately the program was taking so long to download and install that they had to leave me with instructions on how to finish the setup. I felt a bit disappointed that they could not finish the setup and make sure everything was working properly but I had my instructions and I had worked on computers for many years so I was confident that I could get things working.
My confidence soon eroded as during the next two or three weeks I struggled nonstop with issues. The bike, my Bluetooth on my phone and my laptop just would not talk to each other. The devices wouldn't pair. Then we also found out that the bike that I had so kindly been given wasn’t suitable for the trainer. I remember two days when I spent 4 and 5 hours per day trying to get the system working so I could get my training done. One of those days I didn’t even get any aining done. Eventually JC, my mentor and friend who has been supporting my cycling for a few years, came to my house so that we could come up with a plan. At that point I was starting to regret my decision to buy the new setup. After discussing the situation for a while, JC and I decided that there was only one thing to do. We had to get a different bike as a first step. JC also suggested that while we were at it we should set the indoor bike up as close to my road trike as possible. That night he took my trainer and my road trike with him so that he could take it to a local bike shop.
I was so happy and relieved that I was no longer struggling alone and that JC had once again come beside me and helped me. I now had a different problem. With him taking my trainer and having sold my indoor bike I had nothing to train on. A few days in, my legs started to cramp and I was in some pain whether I sat or whatever I did. I had been documenting the last few weeks of struggles as I thought it important to not only share the highs with those following my journey but also the lows. I then received a message from the man who had brought my indoor bike and he offered to let me use it until I was set up on the new system. The offer really amazed & shocked me in a good way and I accepted the offer. I think I was on the bike before he got home. Almost immediately my leg spasms disappeared and my walking improved.
It was a week or ten days later when JC brought my new system home. He had once again done an amazing job. The new bike was kitted with the same gears, gear shifters, and whatever else as my road trike. When we got it all set up we adjusted the seat height to be the same as the road bike as well. I now basically had my road trike as an indoor bike! For us this was so important because it means I can now train during the week on almost the same system as my trike with which I ride on the road and also race with. With the system back I had to continue the struggle with technology to get that side on things working. It took about another week until things got easier. I am not totally happy with with the setup yet. I still need to upgrade my laptop as the Zwift program still freezes at times and the laptop by my TV is not Bluetooth enabled so I still can’t play Zwift on my TV.
Having just mentioned all the struggles and troubles I had, I want to say it has all been worth it! When I do ride on Zwift I am so enjoying it and working harder than I did before, I think. I am still discovering new routes and workouts on the program and I think I will be for some time. I am also starting to find my favourite routes, which routes suit my riding and some which challenge my limits. I am yet to join a group ride or race but as I gain confidence in my new equipment and my abilities I am sure that my first group ride or race won’t be too far into my future. The workouts that are on the Zwift program are almost exactly the same as those that the Watt bike has, so in actual fact my desire to have a Watt bike in my house has come true. I am enjoying it so much that even on my off days I have to restrain myself from getting on my bike.
It will be ill advised of me to end this blog without some thank you’s. Firstly, I want to thank the Challenged Athletes Foundation for the sports grant and for being adaptable in a very uncertain year. Then thank you to the CAF Cycling Club who gave me $100 dollars to pay my Zwift memberships for 6 months. Then to O’ryan, Jason, Peter, and Anet thank you all for the roles you’ve played to get me going on the new system. To JC who once again came in and solved most of my problems and taught me to not only be satisfied with the minimum but aim high – thank you. Finally to Janine and Carol who kept encouraging me to push on and not give up when I thought I had made a mistake, thanks.
If you are a Zwifter, I hope to see you soon and perhaps we can ride together.
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