Week 4: A Pause, A Reset, and a New Target on the Horizon

 

Week X: A Pause, A Reset, and a New Target on the Horizon

The last few weeks have been… quiet. Not in a peaceful way, but in that slightly defeated way where work piles up, illness steals your energy, and the bike gathers just enough dust to make you feel guilty every time you walk past it.

I haven’t trained much — if I’m honest, I haven’t trained at all.
But life gets in the way sometimes, and that’s not a reason to quit. It’s just a reminder that this journey won’t always move in straight lines.

With the fog lifting and my energy slowly returning, I’ve found myself looking at something new: the Dolby Devil 160km gravel ride. It’s earlier than the Kielder Triple Crown, shorter (just), but still a proper challenge — the kind of ride that forces you to respect the distance and prepare properly.

Part of me wonders if entering it might be the spark I need. A mid-season milestone. A reason to stop drifting and start training again.

So next week, I’ll begin rebuilding the routine:

• A couple of steady endurance rides

• Some gentle turbo sessions

• A focus on getting my weight trending downward again

• And, hopefully, the feeling of momentum returning

I’m still carrying too much — 268lbs, morbidly obese by the cold logic of BMI charts, and definitely not built for long climbs. But I am built for stubbornness, and that counts for something.

If you’ve ridden the Dolby Devil, or if you’re a gravel rider who’s tackled other long-distance challenges, I’d love your advice.
How did you structure your training?
How did you fuel your rides?
How did you stop the hills from breaking your spirit?

Drop your thoughts, stories, or tips in the comments. I’m listening — and learning.

Right now this journey feels like starting again, again. But maybe that’s the point. Success isn’t a straight ascent; it’s a messy, winding gravel track — and I’m still on it.

Too Fat to Ride the Big Yins.

 Let's Begin - Time for an honest look at myself.

There’s a strange kind of honesty in cycling. The road never lies. Every climb, every turn, every gasp of breath reflects exactly where you are — physically and mentally.

At 268lbs and 5'11", the truth is plain enough: I’m carrying too much of myself up every hill. My BMI sits at 38, a number that feels as heavy as it sounds — morbidly obese. And yet, I’ve set myself a challenge that will demand everything I’ve got and more: the Glorious Gravel Kielder Triple Crown, a 200km off-road ride through the forests and fire roads of Northumberland.

The goal is simple to say, harder to do — finish within 12 hours.

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The Machine

If there’s one thing that makes this journey feel possible, it’s my bike. She’s a Titanium Planet X Tempest, understated but unbreakable — the sort of bike that invites long rides and quiet ambition. She rolls on Hunt Gravel 35 wheels and runs a SRAM Apex AXS XPLR groupset, smooth and efficient even when I’m anything but.

There’s something comforting about titanium. It doesn’t complain. It doesn’t flinch. It just carries on. I suppose that’s what I want for myself — a bit more of that calm resilience, that silent strength.

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The Reason

I’m 55 now. Old enough to know the difference between fantasy and purpose. But this feels like something more than just a midlife challenge. It’s a reckoning.

For years, I’ve coasted — too much comfort, too little control. But comfort can be corrosive. One day you realise your body doesn’t move like it used to, that hills feel steeper, and that your reflection tells a story you don’t quite recognise.

So this is my line in the sand — or rather, my tyre track in the mud. A commitment to reclaim health, to rediscover strength, and to see just how far a heavy man can go with a lighter heart.

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The Plan

There’s no secret formula. Just time, discipline, and a bit of stubbornness.

• Training: Around six hours a week — mostly long outdoor rides, with the odd turbo session when the Derbyshire weather closes in.
• Nutrition: A lower-carb approach , focusing on counting calories and fuelling fat adaptation rather than sugar highs.
• Movement: Gentle tai chi to protect my knees and back, and some bodyweight strength work to build resilience.

It’s slow work, but so is any worthwhile climb.

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The Vision

I can already picture it — late August 2026, rolling into Kielder after twelve hours of dirt, sweat, and determination. My legs hollowed out, lungs burning, but heart full.

I won’t be racing anyone but myself. The victory won’t be in the time, but in the transformation.

Because at some point, this stops being about cycling. It becomes about identity, agency, and the quiet defiance of saying, I’m not done yet.

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This blog will be my record of the road ahead — not just watts, miles, and kilograms, but thoughts, stumbles, and small triumphs. A diary of descent and ascent, in every sense.

And maybe, if all goes well, I’ll find that the man who started this journey — heavy, hesitant, and hopeful — will weigh a little less in every way by the time he crosses that finish line.