Anthony Walker is a fellow Englishman who got in touch with me early in 2020 to discuss an Everesting attempt on the slopes of the iconic Verbier mountain. With only 4 months or so to go before the scheduled date of his attempt, and considering he was coming straight off a ski season in his adopted Switzerland (where he founded Kudos Cycling) and had not touched a bike indoor or out for months – we had our work cut out for us!
Anthony put in some great shifts though and besides being very committed to the task at hand, he has a sense of do-or-die that I recognise in myself. That being said, there are times when even the strongest wills amongst us need some support and encouragement, to negate the second-guessing that can creep in, and to give a gentle push to keep the wheels aligned.
That’s a part of the job of coaching that can’t be learnt, and it’s one I enjoy the most.
Over to Anthony!
Everesting Challenge 2020
Everesting in 2020 was my cycling challenge. I needed a focus and a goal to train for in 2020. I usually just go out and pedal my bike without really knowing what or how I should be doing to improve my strength, endurance and stamina, as well as my mindset. Obviously all of these were very important attributes when attempting an Everesting Challenge!
About CrankPunk
I wanted to improve as a cyclist, improve my knowledge of training and techniques. I had never had a cycling coach so I did some research and I found CrankPunk and read Lee’s AboutaPunk bio. Straight away I knew Lee would be my ideal coach.
Professional Without Being Pro
Lee’s cycling experience and knowledge proved invaluable and he created a fun and varied training program which suited my lifestyle and time constraints. He analyzed my training and explained in simple terms where my strengths and weaknesses were which we worked on improving together. As much as numbers are important, Lee advised me not to get distracted solely by the numbers and it worked a treat. Going on feeling, understanding my body, when to push and when not to, was inspiring and I felt free of the shackles I had previously been bound to where I was looking at data and numbers in too much detail.
Training
One of my biggest weaknesses is my head! Being able to speak to Lee once a week about where I felt mentally and also being able to message him whilst I was doubting myself, was one of the biggest aspects that went towards me enjoying my training and ultimately really enjoying the event itself. I made huge improvements to my overall fitness, mindset and cycling knowledge.
I can’t recommend Lee and CrankPunk highly enough. He is an awesome coach, knowledgeable, funny and empathetic.
Cheers,
Anthony
Owner of Kudos Cycling, Switzerland
