CHARLIE Q UA RT E R M A N

T R E K-S EG A F R E D O

We are nearing the end of another bloody rough winter. Actually, it was really nice... for me anyway. Despite all the restrictions and the lack of cafe stops, I’ve had my first winter in my new home in Annecy, in the French Alps, and it’s been fantastic. I’ve had a few too many rides that finished without feeling in the hands and feet but with surprisingly dry roads, I’ve only been forced onto Zwift once or twice and I’ve found some very enjoyable ways to mix the training up and spend time with my girlfriend and friends. We’ve been out on the cross-country skis a few times, which is just brilliant. It’s amazing how, like with the running I’ve been doing, you get so tired after just one hour of exercise.

It goes to show what happens when you get so specialised in a sport like cycling. The nice thing is that you get a real big physical benefit across the whole body, which translates well onto the bike. And at the same time you have so much fun. The next day I will be struggling to lift my leg over the saddle, but in a winter with few intervals done, I’m a fair bit stronger than I was this time last year and that’s with one less training camp in the legs at the time of writing, so this must’ve done some good.

I’m certain some of my progress is mental. The whole time I’ve been training this winter I’ve either been saying to myself, “Bloody hell it’s beautiful here,” or, “This is fun but I’m surprised I still remember how to ski.” It means that when I am doing the hard work, I still feel very fresh and the motivation is dangerously high. I say “dangerously” because the hardest thing has been calming down and taking a day off when I’m on the way back from illness or, like at the moment, getting back on the bike after a crash - both of which I rushed and caused more time off. Back me up though please: when you’re enjoying the time on the bike and feeling hopeful for your objectives, it is very easy to convince yourself that you’re feeling completely fine.

Something I’ve had on my mind a bit has been what has drawn me to live in such a cold place. People often forget that for professional cyclists, there is more to consider in choosing where to live than where one can ride without overshoes through the winter. The riding here is stunning, the people are friendly, there is the perfect mix of town life and quiet country roads and we have big and small mountains. Most importantly, it feels like real life. Being in a place that isn’t full of pro riders allows some room to breathe and not feel like you’re in a school playground. Bragging over, next time there’ll hopefully be some racing to write about!