Kneesy does it!
Olympic ace joins hordes swapping running for cycling to save their aching joints
LIKE many runners, Andy Baddeley was plagued by a mysterious and exasperating knee pain. It forced him to hang up his running shoes while he tried to recover – but eventually hastened the end of his career.
‘It was a stabbing pain that started after the 2012 London Olympics,’ says Andy, 35, who was once British No1 in the 1500 metres.
The injury stemmed from hamstring trouble. ‘Despite my best efforts to start training again, including surgery two years ago, things just continued to get worse and worse,’ he explains.
Earlier this year, he was forced to concede his career as a professional athlete was over.
‘It was too painful to carry on. I also had no power in that leg any more and had totally fallen out of love with running.’
But what does an elite athlete do once they give up the sport that’s dominated their life?
Andy did what thousands of other injured runners have been doing in their droves. He turned to cycling – increasingly being recognised as a more body-friendly way to exercise.
Research has shown that for every 1,000 hours you run, you’re likely to sustain 11 injuries compared to just six if you cycle for the same amount of time. And overall, about 50 per cent of runners will suffer an injury every year.
Indeed, research by Appalachian State University in the United States showed that longdistance runners experienced more muscle damage, soreness and inflammation than cyclists after a period of intense workouts.
The researchers concluded that runners should include cycling as part of their training, and people taking up exercise should choose cycling over running to avoid injury.
Add in Britain’s recent success in the Tour de France and at last year’s Rio Olympics, and it’s no wonder the number of people taking to the saddle is soaring. British Cycling announced last year it now has 125,000 members – an increase of 75,000 since 2012. There are now more than 2,200 clubs for enthusiasts in the UK, double the number in 2008, and we rode a staggering 3.5billion miles last year – up 23 per cent in a decade. Halfords’ cycling expert Carla Treece says: ‘We’ve noticed an increased trend of women taking it up for pleasure and to stay fit and healthy – having been inspired to get on their bikes by the likes of Olympic star Victoria Pendleton. ‘But cycling really is for everyone – whatever your level of fitness, and whether you’re old or young.’ Today, Andy wishes cycling is something he’d learned to enjoy sooner. He says: ‘I do wonder had I swapped one or two runs a week for cycling instead, whether I might have been able to enjoy a longer running career. I’d always just seen it as something to do while injured to stay fit.’ Meanwhile he had started Performance Team, a training camp business for athletes of all abilities, bringing on board a collection of doctors, physiotherapists and athletes. One of those was cyclist Emma Pooley, who took silver in the Beijing Olympics. And she recommended Andy take to the saddle.
He says: ‘I was a bit sceptical at first. I was slightly intimidated by the amount of gear I thought I’d need, and that it would be expensive. But I already had a bike and a helmet, which was the main thing.’
So the man who once ran 100 miles a week dug out his mountain bike. ‘It was liberating to have a new challenge. I think it’s the lack of impact that makes the biggest difference,’ he says. ‘When you run, a lot of impact goes through your joints – three times your body weight with every step. When you’re doing 80 to 100 footsteps a minute, that’s a lot.
‘Cycling takes away that impact. After a run, sometimes I’d feel a bit beaten up but when I get off the bike, I feel invigorated.’
Sam Singh, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at London Bridge Hospital, said: ‘I’ve seen running habits peak and I think people taking up running is tailing off now. At the same time, interest in cycling has picked up substantially.
‘I believe cycling is a lot easier on the joints – it really doesn’t give you much pain. When you run, you can easily load your hips, knees and forefoot incorrectly. It’s hard on the knees. Tendon and spinal injuries are also a risk.’ As for Andy, cycling has given him the exploring bug. ‘One thing I really like is the distances you can travel and the variety of things you can see compared to running.’