Just a regular cyclist.  For now.

Posted by Matt Moran on Apr 15, 2011

I’m Matt and I’ve just joined the Wattbike team to help communicate with both existing Wattbike users and those who are considering owning a Wattbike. I’ll be the man to answer your questions on Facebook and Twitter, posting up regular articles and videos here on the Blog to help you make the most of your Wattbike experience and highlighting where Wattbike is helping both elite athletes and ‘regular cyclists’ like me to train smarter.

I call myself a ‘regular cyclist’, a guy that rides for pleasure, shows more than a passing interest in the latest gear and has spent many a ride dreaming of raising both arms in victory on the Champs-Élysées. My own love of cycling stretches back to when I saw Stephen Roche ascending La Plagne at the 1987 Tour de France to that famous commentary from Phil Liggett. The following Christmas, aged 11, I received my first racing bike, a Dawes Milk Race, and I’ve been hooked on cycling ever since.

Racing and club rides aren’t for me but I do enjoy taking part in sportives and I’ve been heading over to France to watch Le Tour on the roadside for nearly 10 years. Yes, I’ve ridden many of the famous climbs including Mont Ventoux, Alpe d’Huez, Tourmalet and Galibier, but if I’m honest it’s been a struggle and I weep when I compare my times to the pro’s.

So, how do I think the Wattbike can help a ‘regular cyclist’ like me? Well, I’m looking for improvements to my pedalling efficiency (something I can feel is not right), to build up my endurance (I always suffer 60 miles into any ride) and increase my power output (wouldn’t it be great to climb more quickly and comfortably). The kind of things every cyclist would like to achieve but might not be able to, in my case due to time constraints and a lack of structure to my cycling

I’m looking forward to engaging with you, the Wattbike community, here on the Blog, on Facebook and on Twitter – so please do Like/Follow us now to stay informed. I really want to hear about your own Wattbike experiences and the things you’ve achieved through training on the Wattbike, whether it be completing a sportive, excelling in an Ironman, winning a 10km race, achieving weight loss or coming back to fitness through rehab.

I’ll be starting my own Wattbike programme very soon so there’ll be times when I just want to share my data, moments when I’ll need some advice and on occasions nothing more than some simple encouragement. I’m hoping you’ll share your experiences too.

The Wattbike arrives today. Still a ‘regular cyclist’. For now.

Matt Moran