The riders who made the most of lockdown

They may have scuppered our racing and holiday plans but lock downs have proved to bean unprecedented boon for our fitness– as Ian Green finds out

One year ago, as it became clear that the arrival of Covid-19 meant an imminent national lockdown, most of us were more concerned about our health than our fitness. Being cyclists, though, we guessed that our pedalling habit would help keep us well – and thankfully the government agreed, making provision for daily exercise. Nonetheless, it was impossible to foresee how long the lockdown would last or what impact it would have on our fitness, particularly for those of us with performance-related targets. Now, one year on, the picture is taking shape, and it’s throwing up some big surprises – for many of us, lockdown-related changes have, far from impeding our progress, actually brought about major fitness gains.

Dr Mark Elliott, associate professor in digital healthcare at the University of Warwick, has studied the effects on a sample of the UK population and found that different groups were affected in very different ways. For example, people living in rural locations were more likely to report an increase in exercise levels during lockdown than those in urban centres, while already-inactive people tended to do less than ever.

“The lockdown affected many people’s exercise routines,” says Elliott, “for example, the closure of gyms. However, many were quick to adapt to a new form of exercise, with a high proportion stating they plan to stick with this new routine.”

Among cyclists, we know that the lockdown spurred many of us to get out and ride more. Strava has reported that, across the world,

1.8 times more outdoor bike rides were uploaded from April to June 2020 than in the same period in 2019. Women led the way: British