Paracycling | Classification Day!

As posted originally on ZacRogers.co.uk...

On March 24th 2024, I went to British Cycling and was classified as a C5 Paracyclist due to having talipes (more colloquially known as Clubfoot) on my left foot.

My journey in cycling is not abnormal, but I couldn't ride until I was 15 due to lacking the power/flexibility in my left foot. But once I started, I got pretty good. I could do around 320w for an hour at just under 80kg at 16-17, not outstanding but not bad for someone who just enjoyed riding. Below are my all-time power numbers (and my numbers since I got back into cycling).

 This was on top of rowing (at school), where I have rowed on the Thames, Olympic Stadium (Eton) and Nottingham (for those that don't know, that is where the National Champs are held). I was fairly good without, again, taking it too seriously. 

But when I decided to take training to the next level, I injured my knee and haven't done much exercise since 2017, mainly due to the mental side of struggling with my foot. In 2023, I decided that I should probably do something about it and went to see a Biomechanist and surgeon, hoping for some good news, and while there wasn't any bad news, it wasn't good either. Essentially, my foot is my foot and there isn't anything they can do - I need to get fit.

So I started cycling again and reflected on what my rowing coach told me when I stopped rowing, which was about the Paralympics. So I reached out to a few people I knew and was invited to British Cycling's Para Classification Day in Manchester (a few hours from my home in Cambridge). For me, the session was testing my flexibility and power in my left foot, something that I do every time I go see a new doctor/physio, etc., so it wasn't too bad - always painful but worth it. 

In the end, I was told I was classified as C5 due to power reasons (which wasn't too surprising, but I was happy to hear that my (lack of) flexibility doesn't impact my cycling directly. 

So, where does that leave me now? From the screenshot above, you can see that my numbers are up there for sprinting (which is a bit of a shock, but I'll take it). My 30second to 2min power is close to my PB, but I think that's the difference between doing a 2min "Hill" Climb and not riding vs doing it mid-ride.

My 5min power record is 360w was set during a 8minute effort, but I think I know I could have done 400w for 5minutes. It will haunt me until I reach that mark, but it's a good fun goal to have.

The current numbers are with me weighing just under 85kg, which is something that needs to drop closer to the 75-80kg of my peak fitness days. I'm doing to ensure that I drop the weight sustainably with the assumption that no super unhealthy eating plus increased exercise routine (2-3 times a week riding + PT) will do the job.

Technique-wise, I'm okay, but it's certainly a weakness, part of starting cycling late. My hope is that by getting my track accreditation and using rollers that I can improve my bike handling skills as well as generally racing in a group. 

Race Programme & Events! 

Now for the fun part, which is where my blogs will revolve around... there is a National Paracycling Road Series which is listed here (Blog / Calendar). As well as the potential for a National Track series during the winter (something that I'll aim to have my track accreditation for). I've also been invited to the Paracycling Pathway Development Centre for Road Racing programme this year, for which I'm honoured to get an invitation. These take place on several Sundays across the year.

As of the March 29th, this is my current schedule:

• Track Taster (Lee Valley Velodrome, Sunday March 31st)

• British Cycling Pathway Development Centre Para-cycling Road #1 (Leicester, Sunday April 7th)

• ParaCycling National Series Crit Round 1 (Harvey Hadden, Saturday April 20th)

•  ParaCycling National Series TT Round 1 (Seagrave, Sunday 21th April)

• British Cycling Pathway Development Centre Para-cycling Road #2 (Leicester, Sunday May 5th)

• ParaCycling National Series Crit Round 2 (Bath, Saturday May 11th)

• ParaCycling National Championships / National Series Round 3 Crit (Wyke in Yorkshire, Saturday June 1st)

• ParaCycling National Championships / National Series Round 3 TT (Wyke in Yorkshire, Sunday June 2nd)

• ParaCycling National Series Crit Round 4 (Middlesborough, Saturday July 20th)

•  ParaCycling National Series TT Round 4 (Middlesborough, Sunday 21th July)

• British Cycling Pathway Development Centre Para-cycling Road #5 (Leicester, Sunday August 4th)

• ParaCycling National Series Crit Round 5 (Ermington in Devon, Saturday September 21st)

•  ParaCycling National Series TT Round 5 (Ermington in Devon, Sunday September 22nd)

• ParaCycling National Series Crit Round 6 (York, Saturday September 28th)

•  ParaCycling National Series TT Round 6 (York, Sunday September 28th)

• British Cycling Pathway Development Centre Para-cycling Road #6 (Leicester, Sunday 6th October)

• Berkhamstead Hill Climb (Berkhamstead, Sunday October 20th)

• National Hill Climb Championship (Corbridge in Northumberland, Sunday October 27th)

As you can see, there are a lot of things going on, and that's not including getting my track accreditation and other events that I will likely do. 

Where do I see my expectations for the year? It's a loaded question but I'm aware that in year of getting fit, I am unlikely to be fit enough to outride anyone and my technique isn't good enough to drop people that way either. There will be few people who do as much recon as me, but the hope is that the knowledge I build from that will be used to keep up. The expectations are more based on fitness; I would like to have an FTP of over 300w and a W/KG of that FTP of over 4w/kg. I would also like to have the track accreditation, be able to ride rollers and feel confident riding as close to the front as I physically can.

Hope you join me on my journey! I'll finish off each posting by putting my FTP and my W/KG as I continue the fitness journey.

FTP: 240-250w (2.9w/kg - 3.03w/kg).