HOW CYCLING CHANGED MY LIFE... Fifty-two-year-old on how cycling helped him go from binging on chocolate to craving ultra-triathlons

Graham Smedley

Getting back on the bike turned me into an ultratriathlete...

Heaviest: 16st, 40-inch waist. Now: 11st 9oz, 32-inch waist. Body fat: 9.8% I currently train on my turbo six times a week, and I’ll soon be starting my Ironman training plan. This year my training has focused more on cycling than ever. I decided that I wanted to compete, rather than just complete, so I’ve signed up with TrainerRoad and have been following its power-based plans. That has led to a 45 per cent increase in my FTP, and I’m setting new personal bests all the time – not bad for age 52.”

WHAT ELSE HELPED YOU SHED THE POUNDS?

“I now eat clean – I use supplements from

and tailor my calorie intake to my training load. At my peak I was doing 22 hours a week – 14 and a half of which was on the turbo – so needed to ensure I had adequate recovery to be ready to train again the following day.”

WHAT HAS CYCLING HELPED YOU ACHIEVE?

“Aside from a whole new way of life? I’ve finished nine ultramarathon runs (five of them 100-milers) and three ultratriathlons, including bike legs of 224, 336 and 560 miles respectively. This year I’m training for two ultratriathlons with 336- and 224-mile bike legs. I find the endurance world compelling, exciting and motivating; my resting heart rate is at its lowest ever and I have muscles on my legs I’ve never seen before and didn’t know existed. I am feeling so positive about the effects of proper training, nutrition and recovery that I can’t wait for my next big event – the Enduroman Triple in June.”