How I became an overnight cycling sensation!

Dear BQ,

It feel like it’s been a very long time since I’ve spoken to you, so I thought I would reach out to say hi and see how you are doing with all that’s going on. As we’re all stuck inside and working from home I thought your team could laugh at my expense! haha!

So as you’re aware I am a bit of a social butterfly, so being cooped up inside has been a bit challenging. Needless to say, it’s been a bit of a struggle to not go out for dinner, drinks or just catch up with friends in general. However, I am very lucky that I do live with two of my closest friends though – so that’s a plus. We’re keeping each other sane, at this stage. 

Now that my wings are clipped and I am working from home rather than my usual 30-minute drive home to wind down, I have turned to a walk along the New Farm/ Teneriffe boardwalk.  However, I weighed up the risk vs reward and as I live with nurses, the risk outweighed the reward so I have decided to turn to an indoor bike training and joining Zwift! 

Indoor training is all great in theory, although I am a cycling noob and have little to no experience (herein lies the problem). So itching to do some exercise or something a little more productive than binge-watching something on the idiot box, I jumped on the internet to see what I could find. Needless to say, there was nothing because I am pretty sure that like myself everyone has decided to become an overnight cycling sensation. The Tour de France better watch out because the COVIDiots are on their way (when the borders open of course!). 

So here I am, Sunday afternoon a bottle of wine deep and myself and my housemates have just completed a 1000 piece puzzle, what could go wrong? I jump online once again in search of what seemed to be an endangered species, an indoor trainer and it turns out I’m in luck, I found a second-hand trainer online. A beginner trainer you ask? No, don’t be silly I bought a secondhand Taxc Flux. 

Anxiously awaiting my new (second-hand trainer) I jump online and start learning about the Tacx Flux and Zwift in preparation for my upcoming Tour de COVID. Thursday rolls around and it finally arrives and let me tell you I am raring to go because after a few GP Lama YouTube videos I am (obviously) now an expert. Funny thing is though, while I was preparing for my Tour de COVID I forgot to check if my Reid Urban XO would fit on a Direct Drive Trainer. The thing is my Flux was coming with a cassette, so what did I have to worry about? But, as I am sure you are aware, cassettes and freewheels are completely different and can’t be interchanged. 

So here I am, my Tour de COVID should’ve started by now, but I have a bike that won’t fit my trainer. What do I do, I contact Garmin Chat at 11:00pm to discuss my options, turns out my options are bleak! It’s either a new trainer or a new bike. I’ve somehow become very attached to my Tacx Flux, so it looks like I’m off to buy a new bike. Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated. 

So in the words of Shania Twain, “I’m all fired up with no where to burn” calories. 

I hope you get as much of a laugh out of this as I did living it. In times like these, it’s best to look on the bright side of life. I may be a COVIDiot, but I still have my health, a loving family and a job. 

I hope the BQ team are well. 

Warmest regards, 

Joseph x