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Katie’s Uphill Battle - Getting Started

February 11, 2025

To kick start Katie’s cycling training blog for the Etape Caledonia she fills us in on a few things that happened before her training really got started…

Pre Week 1

So I’m all signed up, I’m raring to go with an acceptable base fitness level due to my normal commute and fairly regular running. My plan is to up my training over the Christmas period and into January.

The night before Christmas I was travelling up to Yorkshire with my sisters – one false move outside the Junction 14 Holiday Inn and I was sprawled on the floor, hot tea burning my hand and a knee rapidly becoming the size of a football! Dammit. I was forced to sit around eating cake and drinking wine all Christmas long, not a massive hardship but neither was it the cracking start to training I was hoping for.

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Look out for more blog entries from Katie coming soon:

Katie’s Uphill Battle – Week 9 – searching for hills in London, yoga for cyclists and finding ourselves 1 man down

Katie’s Uphill Battle – Week 8 – clocks, bras, doubles and a VERY long ride

Katie’s Uphill Battle – Week 7 – White Week

Katie’s Uphill Battle – Week 6 – Back in the old routine

Katie’s Uphill Battle – Week 5 – officially back in the saddle!

Katie’s Uphill Battle – Week 4 – on the mend…

Katie’s Uphill Battle – Week 3 – disaster strikes!

Katie’s Uphill Battle – Week 2 – a world of pain…

Katie’s Uphill Battle – Week 1

Katie’s Uphill Battle – Getting Started

Katie’s Uphill Battle – Training Plan Etape Caledonia

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The Bike

In my time out I knew there were a few things that I had to sort out if I was truly going to achieve this goal. Number one was the issue of my bike. As an urban bike junkie I have been happily getting around on a sort of slightly adjusted hybrid bike.

It has flashy wheels (eight spokes, not actually flashing although that would be cool), chopped handlebars, it’s white and red and looks pretty cool. However, you can’t do the Etape Caledonia looking like a wannabe courier so I knew the time had come for change…

I had noticed a new little cycle shop just near where I work, it advertised second hand bikes and coffee, a nice combination I thought, and there are always lots of interesting looking two wheel steeds outside so I popped in for a chat one day. The guys in the shop could not have been nicer, more helpful or less condescending. (I have issues with arrogant bike shop assistants, having encountered too many of them over the years – you work in a shop, that doesn’t give you the right to be condescending - get over yourself!)

After many lengthy discussions, trial runs and much comedy Lawrence from Full City Cycles (74 Leather Lane, London) part exchanged my old bike for an amazing second hand Principia rs6 Pro (see pic).

The whole process of changing over to a road bike is really exciting and I know I’m in good hands with these guys. At the moment its got my old brakes and gear set on it but as soon as I’m a bit richer I’ll be upgrading firstly my brakes which are apparently slightly hazardous and secondly my gears.

At the moment I have the Shimano Tiagra group set which is not a good match for my lovely new Principia so I’ll be moving up to the Shimano 105s as soon as I can. The guys have said they can source some for me which is fantastic as new these are not cheap.

So, thanks to the Full City boys I am now kitted up with a flashy new bike and ready to go, just as soon as my knee pipes down.

Right Round Baby Right Round….

Once the knee returned to its normal size I loosened off the cobwebs with a few laps of my local park. After weeks of rest it was great to be out and active again. I cycled four laps grinning inanely at any other park inhabitant unlucky enough to catch my eye!

You spin me

Spending extensive amounts of time in a darkened room listening to bad music while being shouted at by some aggressive protein addict as I furiously peddle nowhere is not something that has ever appealed to me.

Spinning always seemed utterly ridiculous but I was assured by my most competent cycling acquaintance that if I want to get in shape for the Etape the best way was going to be to combine long weekend rides with spin sessions during the week. The dark mornings and nights of winter mean getting out on the bike during the week isn’t really an option. I don’t have a turbo trainer and nor do I want one (it’s just taking it a little bit too far for me) so I set about researching spin classes.

After loads of searching I found the perfect spot – The Pedal Studio www.pedalstudio.co.uk is cycle specific so no crazy push-ups half way through your training session. Other benefits are that there is no joining fee so you simply pay for the sessions you complete. The other options I found were as part of a gym so this either meant large joining fees and monthly subscriptions or strange combination classes that although good for general fitness aren’t quite what I need.

My friend Chris is training for an Ironman this year, she is super fit already and makes my measly efforts to complete the Etape Caledonia look like a walk in the park. In spin though you take your own pace so she was keen to come along with me. She lives in East London too so we can make the rather epic journey to Putney in South London and back together.

I did a couple of classes as a test run and am now utterly converted. Spinning is great! How could I have been so wrong for so long. A couple of training sessions down there every week is going to form a considerable part of my mid-week training. I haven’t totally locked in on my actual training schedule yet, its all a bit fluid right now but with 14 weeks still to go I’ve got time. Note to self though – must do this soon.

Riding out of Town

When I had told the guys at Full City about my plans to take part in the Etape they invited me to come along on a training ride at the end of January – slightly nerve wracking as I’ve not really been on any serious long rides before but I was really keen to give this a go. Plus my initial team for the Etape was dwindling fast so making a few new cycle buddies seemed like a very good idea.

On the day of the ride I woke up at 6am to a picturesque blanket of snow. I had a brief moment of clarity as I considered what on earth was I doing getting up at 6am, on a Saturday and heading off to the middle of nowhere to meet up with some people I hardly know for a ride I am definitely not fit enough to do. But, nothing ventured nothing gained so I pulled on my random collection of begged and borrowed semi-cycling attire and headed off into the darkness.

The plan was to get to Sevenoaks via train then meet at the pub a few miles away before completing the Devil’s Detour route - click here to see the route - which is a sort of sub-division of the Hell of Ashdown, (www.HELL.gb.com) its hilly in that area but I tried not to dwell too much on that as I thought I’d cross that bridge / hill when I came to it.

The first challenge of the day came earlier than expected as I slightly misinterpreted the scale on my map and ended up cycling casually down the A21, nice. Slightly lost with lorries hooning past me at 80 mph the time was fast approaching 9am, the agreed departure time. I realised I was going to have to do something drastic in order to get back on track.

So, one of the many high/lowlights of the day was dashing down the banks of the A21 bike in hand, to be greeted by a bemused runner jugging through the b-road underpass (thank you random stranger for helping me out of the hawthorn bushes).

My detour paid off and I made it to the meeting point just in the nick of time (by which point I was actually quite knackered already.) Shortly later I managed to fall off my bike on the first hill, and later developed an inability to change my own gears.

But, I had a fantastic day, we saw some beautiful scenery, ate lots of flapjacks and a great lunch in the Woodman pub after 25 miles in three hours was over. The guys I was riding with were incredibly patient with my feeble efforts and even invited me to come back next time. If this isn’t motivation to get fitter for next time I don’t know what is.

Katie Gormley, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine

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