I must be bonkers

That I am bonkers or possibly obsessed by cycling is one possible interpretation of my behaviour. I would prefer to see it as a commitment to do something to beat the evil of blood cancers.

Down through history members of various religious movements have engaged in assorted types of self-denial and self-punishment. Self-flagellation in any form is peculiar, to say the least, but what about 'interval training' or hill repeats. In an introduction to a GCN video called 'Race Winning Intervals Indoor Cycling Session On The Passo Falzarego'  Simon Richardson describes the work out he is about to lead as, 'straight out of Matt Stevens book of pain'! Clearly, not self-flagellation but still self-inflicted pain because somehow it will do us good.

This morning I was out of the house and on my bike in the pouring rain (see the video from my helmet cam as proof). 

 My destination – Cadence Performance WattBike studio for a 40-minute interval session under the watchful eye of Rob Baldi. Why did I subject myself to Rob's instruction and undertake 10 zone 6 intervals each of one minute each with two minutes recovery in between?

The answer – to be a better hill climber; the Fred Whitton and L'Etape are not far off. Those hilly events are part of my 2018 challenge to ride 5000 miles and raise £5000 to help beat blood cancer.

Please will you sponsor me? Just go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stephenmaxted2018

You can also find me on Strava https://www.strava.com/athletes/4647248