How cycling changed my life...
Thomas Moore, 36, hit 26st when he decided that taking to two wheels could turn his life around…
THEN 26ST 9LB MARCH 2018 NOW 19ST 6LB
HOW WAS LIFE BEFORE THE BIKE?
“Over the last 10 to 12 years I started a family and built a career in construction management, which kept me busy but not active. My wife worked unsociable shifts at the hospital. We had very little time to cook proper meals, which lead to a ‘fast food’ kind of life with quick-to-cook processed food.”
WHAT DID YOU DO TO LOSE WEIGHT?
“I sought help from the NHS dieticians. They put me on a low-calorie liquid diet of 4 pints (2.5 l) of milk for eight weeks. After that I ate only clean, healthy and weighed foods – never exceeding 1200 calories a day.”
HOW DID CYCLING HELP YOU SHED POUNDS?
“As the numbers on the scales tumbled, my energy levels soared and I decided to dust off my old Specialized Secteur and hit the fenland flat roads. In order to help me stay sane on the roads I set up my own cycling club, Whittlesey Cycling Group, so I could ride with local like-minded people. I also decided to do an event that would help me focus, so I entered the 2018 London Prudential 100.”
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO KEEP CYCLING?
“I was given one-to-one training and advice from Daniel Reed who owns Peterborough Cycling Hub shop. Dan taught me how to ride correctly as well as helping me to work on strengthening my core, concentrating on smooth pedalling and focusing more on cadence average, rather than moving speed. By doing this I found it much easier to go bigger distances and for longer, too.”
WHAT ARE YOUR CYCLING ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE?
“Once I had confirmation of the 100-mile ride place I set about seeking advice on the best way to training for it. The furthest I had ever done ever was the 2015 London to Brighton, which was 53 miles and I walked some of that as I was too unfit to complete it. Since then I’ve done the Pru 100 (2018) and the Tour of Cambridgeshire 2019. I’m targeting London to Paris and possibly LEJOG. However, the greatest achievement for me has been the change in weight, size and lifestyle.”
AS MY ENERGY LEVELS SOARED I DUSTED OFF MY SPECIALIZED SECTEUR AND HIT THE FENLAND ROADS