Ben Rosewall, director in CBRE’s healthcare team, talks about his preparations for the ‘epic’ World’s Biggest Property Bike Ride.
To call British weather changeable is something of an understatement: you can set out in the morning in blazing sunshine and return under thunderclouds. This makes dressing for a long cycle ride somewhat challenging, as you want to strike the right balance and not end up too cold or too hot.
Key to getting around this is layering with lightweight items that can be easily taken off and stored in your jersey pockets, should you find yourself in a particularly sunny spell. One of my key items is a gilet, which means my body is kept warm but I can roll my sleeves up if needed.
Planning ahead is also very important: I’ve been cycling regularly for eight years now, but there have been several occasions when I have ended up rushing to get ready and have forgotten important items as a result, such as extra water and sports gels.
Just taking 10 minutes to get ready the night before will make all the difference, and you’ll certainly be pleased you did when you find yourself in need of refreshments mid-100 mile ride! No matter how fit you are, if you don’t fuel properly you’ll run into problems and suffer set-backs like cramps.
If you do the above, it makes cycling all the more enjoyable. I decided to pursue cycling as my main hobby because I began to find running around the same concrete streets for half an hour at a time very monotonous.
The scenery is limited to inner city parks or concrete jungles and it wasn’t enough to get me up in the morning. In London, beyond the many brilliant parks, you generally have to run quite a long way if you want to catch any glimpse of real scenery, whereas I can get to the Green Belt in 25 minutes on my bike.
Now, I cycle to and from work, which amounts to a 15 mile-a-day commute, and at the weekends I cycle anything between 100km or 100 miles.
There’s nothing like heading out when everyone else is still asleep, and getting back at 10am having already spent a few hours in the sun. It’s a great way to start the day and beats waking up with a hangover. It’s also incredibly social and I would recommend joining a club.
I’ll also be taking on the ‘epic’ 100k route at the CBRE World’s Biggest Property Bike Ride on 23 June, and I can’t wait to ride around the beautiful Surrey countryside once again.
It’s for all abilities, but I’d advise spending as much time as you can working up the miles. The more prepared you are, the more enjoyable it is, and a couple of laps of the park is as good a start as any.
To secure your place, and find out more, head to the website: http://bit.ly/1R0u9q2
Ben Rosewall, director, CBRE Specialist Markets (Healthcare)
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