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Back on my bike after 20 years

Ian McAdam is doing a charity bike ride from London to Paris in September 2011 to raise money for MNDA. He will be blogging regularly over the coming months to keep us updated on his training and ride progress. Here he tells us what inspired him to get back on a bike and take up this extraordinary challenge....

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As a youth I cycled almost everywhere, as we all did 30 years ago! However, as with most people, once you get your first motorbike and then car your bike lies unloved and is eventually forgotten.

Spool forward to my 40th year in 2009 and I, like a lot of people, not as fit as I once was, considerably larger than I once was too. I have 2 small children and a busy career and such things had taken over. It was only upon seeing pictures of myself at my 40th birthday bash that I realised things had to change. I had tried gyms etc over the years but never enjoyed the atmosphere and lack of fresh air involved and, like many people, my attendance fizzled out.

I had taken a lot of pleasure from motorcycling around Shropshire and the surrounding areas and after looking at Cycle Shrewsbury thought, why not take something I used to do a lot of and what is on my doorstep and improve my health and fitness?

I took good advice from Dave Mellor and within a week was on my first ride, a massive 4 miles which felt like 400 at the time! However, as the bug took hold I was out 2 or 3 nights per week even through the winter with some longer rides at the weekend. Within a matter of 3 months I was regularly covering a total of 50 miles per week and as I spent more time in the saddle I saw more of the county and began to notice a real change in my size and fitness, as well as meeting quite a few interesting people dotted around the highways and byways, a community not dissimilar to motorcyclists all of whom were quick to encourage and advise where needed.

By the summer of 2010 I was completely hooked, as were my wife and 2 girls who on various seats and tagalongs began to accompany me on shorter rides.

As someone who likes a challenge I set myself a target of losing 50lb from my 40th to my 41st birthdays with the reward of a nice new road bike and on 27 August, a year to the day, I collected my new Specialized Allez from Dave Mellor’s. This has enabled me to up my mileage even more and also use the facilities at Sundorne Sports Village as well as roping in a few friends to join me, we now regularly trundle around the county en mass and hate to miss our Sunday morning jaunt.

I then decided that in order to push on I needed another target and, having read about the London to Paris challenge, I thought that would be a good thing to aim for as well as an interesting way to raise some money for charity. The charity was a very simple decision to make as my father passed away after fighting Motor Neurone disease some 20 years ago this year and we as a family were helped greatly both emotionally and financially by the wonderful people at the MNDA, who continue to help other families through the inevitable destruction this disease creates.

So, some 18 months after throwing my leg over a bike, I am now healthier, happier, thinner and about to embark on a personal challenge some 20 years in gestation, which without the input of Cycle Shrewsbury and its affiliates may never have been considered. I hope that I can write a blog which people will be interested in reading!

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Check back soon to read Ian's next blog about his charity ride.

You can sponsor him here.