By Amy Hudson
In less than two weeks time I will be setting off to try and break a world record along with my husband for the fastest couple to cycle around the world, an 18,000 mile ride. The training has been intense and the amount of planning required for such a massive ride even more so. Over the past year the process of preparing for this ride has taught me a lot, one of the main things is that progress is more important then perfection. In fact I’d say that for me, seeking perfection can hinder progress.
A perfectionist accepting that perfection doesn’t exist
I’ve always been a perfectionist, I tend to put pressure on myself to be the best I possibly can be and for as long as I can remember this has been the case. In school I had to get A*s and at University I had to get a First, this innate sense of pressure has always come from within myself rather than from anyone around me. Planning such a big challenge, cycling around the world, I soon realised that perfectionism will both help and hinder the process. Thinking about every possible risk that could occur and being detailed in researching route options means that we are as well prepared as we can be. However, all cyclists probably know that when we set off on a bike ride, we never really know how the ride is going to turn out because there are so many variables that are out of our control: the weather, mechanicals, traffic, meaning we can’t leave home expecting a perfect ride. What even is a perfect ride?
With cycling around the world this is exacerbated by the fact we will be going through different countries, getting flights, relying on people to help us out with bike boxes at airports, the list goes on. So if I started the ride thinking “we have to stick exactly to the plan on my spreadsheet” we would be setting ourselves up to fail. Instead we are starting with the mindset of “we will take each day as it comes and be flexible” allowing ourselves the freedom to ride based on how we feel, going further when we feel strong but allowing ourselves to do a shorter day if we are overtired. This hopefully means we have more chance of breaking the record, rather than burning ourselves out by trying to stick to a perfect plan. “Every pedal takes us forwards” is what we will say to ourselves to keep going when we are finding it hard or going slow. Reducing the pressure on being perfect and instead aiming for consistency in our riding is how we think we will be the most successful. Of course we will still be keeping a close eye on timings and making sure that we are aiming for the goal of 150-180 days!
As well as in the planning, in my training I’ve realised that aiming to be perfect left me feeling deflated and lacking in self-belief. I had some really hard interval sessions where by the end of the session I could no longer hit the power, I used to come away thinking “you’re rubbish”, “there’s not way you will be able to cycle around the world”. But the key thing is that I didn’t give up, the weekly sessions kept being put in my plan and I would go on the turbo thinking “there’s no way I will be able to do this” and for a good few weeks the same thing kept happening. But I never missed a session, I stayed consistent, I spoke to my coach about having some rest time and a few easier weeks. Letting my coach know that I was struggling was a massive thing for me as before I would have seen that as a failure, but I now know that aiming to complete every session perfectly is unrealistic. In fact I think my coach was setting my sessions hard to purposely challenge me and my mental determination! It could be argued again that there is no such thing as perfection in training – if we are hitting the power easily every session then yes you might be doing it perfectly but are you progressing? The most progress for me came from not being perfect. By having some extra rest and noticing that I was tired, I came back to training a lot stronger and refreshed. I learnt about the importance of rest and recovery.
Four months later and although the sessions are hard, I am now able to hit the power (unless I’m tired!). I processed through staying consistent not through being perfect. I continued to show up when it was hard. I took on the moto of trying my best instead of pressuring myself to be perfect, through being kinder to myself the sessions became a lot more fun.
Experiencing joy on the bike
Although I’m about to take on a big ride that has taken a lot of training and planning, which may seem unreachable for a lot of cyclists, ultimately it all stems from my love for cycling. I never in a million years expected I would be embarking on a challenge like this! The experience of being outdoors and the sense of freedom that it gives me is why I spend as much time as I can out on my bike. You don’t need to be the fastest rider or ride the most miles, it doesn’t always need to be a comparison, if you’re out and enjoying cycling, then in my eyes your winning! There will be days where we feel strong and fast, I have to admit getting a personal record up a climb or hitting a certain speed on a ride gives me a buzz. But there will also be days where we feel tired and just want to spin our legs slowly to a cafe. Maybe you have no interest at all in speed or how many miles you’ve done. We are all different in how we enjoy riding, which is why when we think about the perfect ride, people don’t give the same answer. However you ride, as long as you enjoy it that’s the most important thing.
My perfect ride
Although it may not exist….this would be my perfect ride:
A summer-time hilly 200km ride with my husband Kyle, warm weather and blue sky, a cafe stop where they do a really nice chai latte and flapjack, where we can sit outside and enjoy it without being in a rush. Ideally a nice tailwind on the second half of the ride, I always prefer to start with a headwind and finish with a tailwind. Of course a tailwind all day is even better, however I do like a bit of a challenge so wouldn’t mind a bit of headwind! No mechanical issues or punctures, no potholes or drivers that overtake us too close and no getting hangry from accidentally under-fuelling! Sun all day and just enjoying being outdoors all day on my bike. That would be my perfect ride.
What would yours be?