The issue that got me started on this health kick and incidental weight loss which spurred on my return to bike riding was a blood test last year that revealed a rather high blood cholesterol level. My GP was happy for me to attempt to control this high cholesterol with some dietary changes rather than a statin prescription and for the first time (I have had high cholesterol readings in the past) I was more serious and took this on as a challenge. As with many others, turning 40 has been a significant turning point for me in terms of my attitude to my health. In December last year my cholesterol levels were:

• Cholesterol – 6.6mmol/L (255mg/dL)
• Triglycerides – 1.2mmol/L (106mg/dL)
• HDL Chol. – 1.5mmol/L (58mg/dL)
• LDL Chol. – 4.5mmol/L (174mg/dL)

After 6 months of a mostly whole food plant based diet my levels lowered to the following:

• Cholesterol – 4mmol/L (155mg/dL)
• Triglycerides – 0.7mmol/L (62mg/dL)
• HDL Chol. – 1.2mmol/L (46mg/dL)
• LDL Chol. – 2.5mmol/L (97mg/dL)

My GP was impressed with the results but he made the assumption that I was eating nothing but spinach and that my lifestyle change was unsustainable. Some other people made a similar assumption, stating that “it won’t last” and “you’ll get sick of it and will want to eat ‘real food’ again soon”. Its early days yet but I really enjoy being able to eat large volumes of food, I’m loving the food I’m eating and I now don’t miss cheese. I was vegetarian to begin with and I’ve never liked milk so for me it wasn’t much of a change. The focus is on avoiding heavily processed food. Put simply – I’m enjoying the change very much.

Bike Racing

Whilst I have had success with weight loss, lowering my cholesterol, improving my sleep and generally feeling much better I am yet to achieve noticeable improvements in my performance on the bike. I still have bad days and bad weeks where I get very little training done, eat poorly, drink too much alcohol and get very little sleep. One week recently my lower back pain returned and it got me thinking about seeing a physio and podiatrist for a posture review and to get an orthotics upgrade. I’m far too embarrassed to mention when I got my last pair of orthotics. Anyway, I’m finding it very difficult to fit in regular training and I’m also learning more about various training techniques which makes me realise even more that I’m time poor. Zone 2/base training, weight training, skills work on the mountain bike….. the list seems endless.

Kinchina XCO

Despite the setbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic I have been fortunate and motivated enough to turn up to all 3 winter XCO events this season and although this is not my favourite style of racing it has been an enjoyable challenge. In hindsight the first round at Anstey Hill was not overly challenging technically. The second round at Eagle Mountain was quite a bit more of a challenge with the very rocky terrain and the steep switchback descent. The third and final round at KInchina was totally different with very sandy terrain, rock garden sections and a very long climb up a grassy fire trail. The Kinchina race was the first with my new 1×12 drivetrain. As soon as the image of my new XTR rear derailleur bouncing off a rock entered my head I couldn’t shake it and I was a bit apprehensive. Thankfully this will wear off after a while. At this stage I have still not developed a training plan which I think was reflected in my average result at Kinchina. As much as I wanted to I just couldn’t get my arse off the seat! I still have a long way to go before I can be genuinely competitive.