Am I fit enough and a good enough cyclist for the Arch to Arc?

Written by Andy Thomas | 23 September 2010

I get asked this question time and time again as people ponder whether to sign up or not. For the most part everyone sees a London to Paris bike ride such as the Arch to Arc as a worthwhile thing to do, however the perception is that you have to be some sort of superhuman Tour de France rider.

Nothing could be further from the truth. If you check out the FAQ section there are a couple of articles that talk about how fit you have to be and what kind of bike you will need.

To encourage others to join up you only need ask about the group of people who did it this year. Yes, of course we had a couple of Lance Amstrong types but for the most part the group consisted of people you can categorise as casual cyclists, and some that hadn't cycled for over 20 years.

Be assured that the Arch to Arc London to Paris ride is not a race, it's about having fun and enjoying the experience.

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Trevor makes this comment

Thursday, 23 September 2010

I can vouch for that! I was one of the "casual cyclists" who did last year's ride. For many years the most I cycled was about a mile and a half to work and back, and had never done any distance riding (apart from the London to Brighton ride, once only, about 18 years previously).

A few months before Arch to Arc I started to get myself out on longer rides, and built up - slowly - to doing 20-30 mile rides a couple of times a week. And one about three weeks before the event I did a 65 miler. And that was enough training.

There's no way I'd consider myself super-fit. In fact, I'd barely claim "fit" as an adjective for myself. But Arch to Arc was a delight, and I loved every minute. Well, apart from some of the hills.

Just do it!
Trevor makes this comment

Thursday, 23 September 2010

Oh, and another thing: in case you're thinking you need a fancy lightweight road bike, let me put you right about that. I did it on my very heavy 20-year-old steel-framed mountain bike. The oldest and heaviest bike in the group by some margin but it got me to Paris in one piece without struggling to keep up.
Jane makes this comment

Friday, 24 September 2010

Although I've done a few endurance event in other disciplines, I too had never cycled much up until 6 weeks before the Arch to Arc when I then cycled 3 or 4 times per week to get my mileage from 0 to 70! Now the event has passed, it has given me a love of cycling that I now want to continue with. It may do the same for you