No Excuses

It was a beautiful day, there was no excuse not to go out on bike and I was keen to get another few miles training in. 36 miles, a decent 1,913 ft of climbs which I managed although to say I managed them with ease would be a stretch to far. Soon I will have to try these climbs with 20kg of kit loaded onto the bike but that’s for another day. I started out slightly wobbly and slow, not feeling the full benefit of my Parkinson’s medication but fortunately, an extra dose helped and within the 45 minutes or so, I was enjoying the ride.

I am intrigued to see how Cleeve Hill which I cycled from the Winchcombe side today compares with some of the climbs we will be doing in America. Here are a few Cleeve Hill from Winchcombe statistics as a baseline. Some comparisons to follow later.

Distance: 2.1 miles (3.4km)

Elevation Gain: 449 ft (137m)

Average Gradient: 4.0%

Steepest Gradient: 9.2%

As you can see from today’s route profile below, Cleeve Hill was on the homeward stretch of the ride. I was tired and it felt more challenging than I recall from times in the past but I was reassured that it was still manageable. I am reminded of the time we cycled Cleeve Hill 14 times in one day for the Raid Alpine challenge. There is absolutely no chance of my being able to do this today!

Parkinson’s Points

There is a huge difference when cycling in terms of my balance, posture, reaction times, energy, stamina and confidence when my Parkinson’s medication is working well (‘on’ time) and when it doesn’t work so well (‘off’ time). I am meticulous about taking my medication on time. Everyone I know with Parkinson’s is. If only this was all that was necessary to maintain a steady, consistent ‘on’ time but the effectiveness of Parkinson’s medication has a completely unpredictable, erratic side to it which at times escapes any control we might try to impose.

Hormones, stress levels, tiredness, what and when we eat in relation to the time we take our medication, and extremes of temperature are just a few examples of things that are known to impact our ‘on’ and ‘off’ time. To some degree we might be able to control some of these things, some of the time. However, one of the most challenging aspects of living with Parkinson’s is the staggering difference between being ‘on’ or ‘off’ and its unpredictable nature despite doing all that we can to maintain control..

Perhaps, ‘on’ and ‘off’ in relation to cycling is best portrayed by the following short video clips. You can instantly tell whether I am ‘on’ or ‘off’ simply by my posture and the effort and concentration involved in balancing and pedalling.