October 2020 -

Let it go….how to minimise should tension while riding

October 23, 2020 Nicola Bike fitting, Stretching, Women cycling, Women's health, Yoga

One of the things I’m really bad at when I’m riding my road bike is relaxing my shoulders so I’m guessing there’s plenty of other women also struggle to minimise shoulder tension while riding. I hold tension in my shoulders in other activities as well, like sitting at my desk at work and driving my car so it just builds up. In fact, my shoulder muscles are hurting while I write this post, so I’ll skip to the last tip right after I finish. Let it go Consciously let go of the tension in your arms and shoulders by focusing

How do you mentally prepare for a challenging ride?

October 16, 2020 Nicola Mental health, Mindfulness, Women cycling

When I first started doing long rides, my training and preparation were almost entirely based on my physical readiness and not on the need to mentally prepare for a challenging bike ride. I’ve always understood the big role that mental preparation plays for elite athletes, but I never thought I had anything in common with them. After 12 years of cycling, I’ve done quite a few charity rides and a small amount of racing and I always get very nervous beforehand. But I’ve never known how to overcome it except to just accept that it happens and live with it.

Develop an attitude of gratitude and enjoy cycling even more

October 9, 2020 Nicola Hill climbing, Life purpose, Mental health, Mindfulness, pay it forward, Women cycling

I’m a big fan of learning ways to improve your mental wellbeing and one idea that I really like is adopting an attitude of gratitude. You might wonder what an attitude of gratitude has to do with cycling but for me, I’m so very grateful that I found road cycling 12 years ago that the two things are inseparable. I try to be grateful for all the wonderful things I have in my life but I don’t always succeed so I thought it would be helpful for me and others to reflect on the benefits of developing an attitude of

Help…how do I get my cycling mojo back?

October 2, 2020 Nicola cycling mojo, Women cycling, Women's health

It seems it’s quite easy to lose your cycling mojo, but harder to get your cycling mojo back. The word mojo always makes me think of Austin Powers, a character who makes me laugh. Although his use of the term is as you would expect – comical, it really is a serious issue when you lose it. Interestingly the word mojo originally referred to witchcraft, but like many words, it has changed over time to mean a skill that seems to come from something magical or supernatural. There’s no one answer to how to get your cycling mojo back but