After not exercising for a year and getting fat

After a year of inactivity and "carbo-loading," I'm finally back in the saddle!

My swee swee Cervelo S5 VWD! :D

The past year was a very busy one. Preparing to get married. Becoming a husband, and now, a father to a 5 month old baby! It can be a little challenging balancing (enjoyable) work, husbandly and fatherly duties, some street photography here and there, and now, cycling. 

Sample photo of my "carbo-loading," delish stuff from the office building's cafe.

I suppose street photography is the "easiest" one to find time to do, since all I usually have to do is whip out the camera or phone to snap a picture during the commute to work. Weekday mornings, nights and weekends are spent helping my (very supportive) wife with the chores and baby. So where does that leave cycling? For now, rides are done in the early hours of the morning - probably familiar with most of who ride at 5am - and then returning home before 830am to help with bathing my daughter, or cycling later at night once she is fast asleep.

My mini-me!

Was it tough cycling again after a year of not exercising? You bet! I was perspiring like a hog and panting away after the first very short 3km ride on the bike. Subsequent rides were increased to 5km, and then 10km, before a "shocker" of 55km a week later with friends. Gladly suffered the cramps in the quads and getting dropped till I couldn't even see the blinking tail lights of the riders in front. 

The 55km ride seemed to help bring my base level up, though, as I joined another group of friends a 50-ish km ride involving Mandai. Never felt better and truly enjoyed the ride and company. But before you try a "shocker" ride, seek your doctor's advice first, or listen to your own body. If you don't feel good, don't do it, taking baby steps towards better fitness is really okay. 

Definitely look forward to more time in the saddle, just gotta make full use of the little pockets of time in between! Do say hi if you see me on the road!

Le cycling kakis and moi after Mandai.

Some pointers which I think will be useful for those who are going to pick up cycling:

• Invest in a safety test approved helmet. Better to spend >$100 on a helmet than >$100,000 on a hospital bill, I say. Better a cracked helmet than a cracked skull.
• If drafting (keeping closely behind someone so that you don't need to use as much effort to pedal,) keep a safe distance of at least half a wheel behind. Do not overlap your front wheel with his rear. If you do so and the guy in front clips your wheel, you will crash. He probably won't.
• Buy and use a pair of gloves. They will help prevent fatigue from building up in your hands, and also take away some of the road buzz.
• Always follow road rules and ride defensively. Stop at red lights so as not to piss off other road users and to be known as one of the good cyclists.
• Always assume that other road users cannot see you.
• Plan your route in advance, so that you will know which turns you have to take. Doing so will help you to ride more predictably and increase your safety on the road with other road users.
• If riding at night, be sure to have front and rear blinkers on your bike. They are quite inexpensive these days, and most are able to be charged via USB.
• What tyre pressure? Unless you are a heavy cyclist, 100psi (for road bikes) is more than enough. Too much and you will have a very bumpy ride. What's the minimum pressure? About 90psi. Too little and you risk getting punctures more easily.
• Check your tyre pressure before a ride. Don't be surprised if your pressure has dropped below 80psi after a day or two.

Edit: 25th July 2014

Guess what? Two days after I wrote this, I actually had a crash (of sorts) which had me landing on the back of my head and cracking my helmet. Saved my life! So, trust me on wearing a helmet!!!

How come I crashed? Because I wasn't able to see road undulations clearly at night despite the street lights. A good stretch of Woodlands Road to Newton Circus is having construction projects. Spillage and road wear by heavy trucks = Granite stones, cement and uneven road.

Here're pics of the aftermath.

It actually cracked all the way in. Imagine if it were my skull that sustained the impact and cracked like that instead!