Kevin MacArthur 1^st Kup from South Queensferry TKD cycles a section of the Tour de France for charity

7.00am, July 20^th 2009. I am lined up on a start line with 9500 other cyclists ready to try a stage of the Tour de France. Ahead of me are 105 miles and 4000 metres of climbing. The finish line is at the top of Mount Ventoux, mythical amongst cyclists as one of the most difficult mountain climbs………….

Elevation of the route from 120m above sea level to 1912m above sea level over 105 miles approx.

…..At a Christmas party in December 2007 I was discussing the Tour de France with a friend as our family had gone to watch it during a holiday to France during the Summer.

It turned out he was a keen cyclist and told me there was an event you could take part in every year called L’Etape du Tour (A Stage of the Tour) and asked me if I wanted to do it. It seemed an exciting challenge so I thought why not. As a non cyclist I said I wouldn’t be able to get fit enough in time for the event in 2008 so let’s make it 2009. So began a life changing event.

I did not start Tae Kwon Do until I was 32. Previously I had played rugby at a good level and weighed just under 17 stone. I had to stop rugby mainly due to knee injuries and took up TKD to stay fit and hopefully lose some weight. 17 stone isn’t great for knees to be carrying around when there is no reason to. A year later I was around 15 ½ stone and feeling fit and had found the new challenge that TKD offers through the grading system. What had begun as a means of staying fit was now a goal to reach a black belt.

Once I started looking into what I needed to do for the Etape I realised things would have to change. Rugby and TKD are both have explosive dynamic kinds of muscle requirements. Long distance cycling was going to require more endurance trained muscles. Also 15 ½ is far too much weight to carry up mountains on a bike.

I began training in February 2008 and worked to increase my ability for time on the bike. This started by only being 30 mins but quickly got to 2 hours. To complete the Etape was going to require somewhere between 8-10 hours depending on how well my training went. I was also starting to loose some weight (cyclists become obsessed with this)!

Once you start doing over a 2 hour ride then you have to begin to pay more attention to nutrition and liquid intake. A 5% drop in fluid causes a 20% drop in performance. So make sure you have water with you when training!

When you exercise the first fuel your body burns is carbohydrate which is very fast burning and gets used quickly, hence why people eat pasta before events to do “carbo loading”. To do endurance events you need to teach your body to burn fat. This is a slower burning fuel and your body (even skinny people) has plenty to provide.

To get the fluids and food required back into your body you obviously need to eat and drink but you have to be able to get it in fast enough and not cause any discomfort (during the Etape I used 9000 calories, about 4 times the males recommended daily allowance). This is done with energy bars and also drinks that contain carbohydrate and are designed to get into your system faster.

I now apply this back to TKD. If you spend a day at a tournament doing multiple events then you are continually burning off carbohydrate and dehydrating and don’t know when to eat. I now take energy drinks that can be drunk throughout the course of the day to supplement smaller food items. You can therefore remain topped up with energy and fluids for your next event without having a stomach full of rolls, crisp and fizzy juice.

So 2008 was taken up with learning a lot; training methods, food science, cycling efficiency, etc. By the end of the year I was capable of riding 100 miles though slowly and with difficulty.

2009 meant getting focus into the training. The intensity had to be right and detail had to go into the training schedule to make sure the right weaknesses were being targeted. From January 1^st 2009 through to July 20^th I had a daily training program that included all sessions and rest days broken down into specific blocks to work on…..

So hence I ended up on the start line for the Etape.

It is an amazing thing to take part in. All the roads are closed just like for the Pro riders and each village and town people are out lining the streets cheering you on. For the first 90 miles it was reasonably easy and the training had paid off.

The last 15 miles though were a different matter. It is 24km to get up Mt Ventoux and it is a steep hill all the way with no flat sections. It was also 35^oC. Conditions like that can’t be found in Scotland. This is where the mental preparation kicks in. There were times when I had to stop on the bike, my legs were cramping and my brain is saying no more, but as the saying goes “A black belt is a white belt who doesn’t give up” so I eventually made it to the finish.

Struggling near the top of Ventoux

I finished in 8hrs 29mins in 4138 place. Roughly 2000 people didn’t finish. I now weigh just under 12 ½ stone and cycle 50 miles for a quick weekend run. Between myself and my training partner we raised just over £2500 for Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland.

Doing the Etape was the hardest thing I have ever done both physically and mentally, but I was very well prepared. In September I will be doing my back belt pre test with the aim of getting my black belt in March 2010. I know there is no reason to fail it. I also know that preparation and training will be the key to passing. Turning up at class and doing a couple of sessions a week is not preparing. The work outside of class is what will make the difference.

A full report of the day and all my training is on the web site at www.amateuretape.com