Cycling gives us a strong sense of who we are. As cyclists, we’re lovers of freedom, speed and achievement. We enjoy working hard to push to the next level, and we share a sense of belonging in a sport with a deep history and culture. All of this is underpinned by the knowledge that our hobby helps keep us physically and mentally healthy. Being secure in our commitment to two wheels should give us the confidence to try other activities, since there are few more effective ways to stay fresh and hungry for more cycling.
There will always be times when riding your bike just isn’t feasible. Perhaps it’s icy outside, your bike is being fixed, you have an injury or you simply fancy doing something different. When a recent injury forced me off the bike for several weeks, I took out a new gym membership and it opened up a range of new options that I’d been too bike-fixated to notice.
After trying out a bunch of new sports, I headed back to cycling stronger and more resilient. The shake-up was mentally invigorating, and the strengths developed should help make me less injury-prone and more adaptable. Could adding in some alternative endeavours boost motivation, increase physical and mental flexibility, build different strengths and help you develop transferable skills? In this feature, we’ll take a look at seven different activities you could do alongside your riding – with a wide range of potential benefits on and off the bike.
Running
This story is from the February 17, 2022 edition of CYCLING WEEKLY.
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This story is from the February 17, 2022 edition of CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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