Chris Opie

Let's try this again 😅

5 months ago | [YT] | 7

Chris Opie

An early start for some uphill fun.

5 months ago | [YT] | 5

Chris Opie

Had some fun this morning!!

5 months ago | [YT] | 4

Chris Opie

For as long as I can remember cycling has been my passion.

I have been fortunate enough to have made a career enjoying life on two wheels, at times spending every waking minute thinking about every aspect of riding a bike.

Last year I was given the opportunity to coach the young riders at our local cycling club, Wheal Velocity and I think it's fair to say I discovered a new way to enjoy cycling.

By sharing what I know with others.

After 27 years of dissecting and analysing every last detail of riding a bike I want to share my knowledge and experience in a way that benefits other cyclists and people that want to pursue sport and fitness.

If you know of anyone looking to do that, please share the following link with them.

www.chrisopie.net/

8 months ago | [YT] | 43

Chris Opie

Happy New Year everyone!! And happy new bike day.

I've been looking forward to today since last August when after a short test ride together with @ampedcycles we sat down and ordered this Trek Madone SLR 9 Gen 8.

I'd had a sneak peak before Christmas, but now with the longer seatpost and the 130mm stem/370mm bars it is ready to be ridden. But I don't want to get it dirty yet 😅

The full spec is completely as standard aside from the bar and stem which are longer and narrower. I bravely opted for the golden flake colour, known as Era White. I'll have to work hard to keep it clean... But I thought it was nice to have something a bit different and it's a nice nod to the @guinnessworldrecords

Looking forward to updating after it's first rides!!



#cycling
#newbikeday
#physicalfitnessformentalhealth

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11 months ago | [YT] | 163

Chris Opie

What an incredible experience on these machines.

A huge thank you to everyone involved @pennyfarthingclub for welcoming me to your @guinnessworldrecords extravaganza. An event that lasted 3 days and included 12 new Guinness World Records.

If you have never tried riding a Penny Farthing you really should. They may well be terrifying to start with, exhilarating at their best and physically incredibly demanding when you really want to push the pedals.

But to experience the feeling is to relive a time gone by. To experience innovation from a bygone era and to spread joy to everyone that sees them.

I don't know how to choose one highlight from the weekend. The fastest 1km record was 90 seconds of excruciating agony, met with sweet satisfaction when I achieved my goal of 1:30.

But to see the look on the faces of every pedestrian as we rode 20kms across London, through parks, past land marks and into the Olympic park is something greater than just personal achievement. It's spreading happiness and sharing an experience that would otherwise have been confined to history.

I always believed when racing that a team success was more enjoyable than my own, so to be a part of 2 World Records with 50+ and 140 people is extra special. It required so many to escape their comfort zone and push themselves to achieve something unique.

Thank you @neillaughton for inviting me and introducing me to these incredible machines. To continue to experience unforgettable moments on two wheels is a gift to treasure forever.

If you ever have the opportunity to try a Penny Farthing, please do!
#pennyfarthing #cycling #physicalfitnessformentalhealth

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1 year ago | [YT] | 94

Chris Opie

Hi everyone...

I recently spoke with ‪@DuchyCycleCoaching‬ about the hardest times of my life and the impact it had on myself and those around me.

I hope someone out there finds it helpful to listen to and understand no matter how hard things are, there is always a way forward.

1 year ago | [YT] | 36

Chris Opie

A huge thank you to @wheal_velocity for inviting me to coach on Thursday evening.

A cold but calm evening analysing their brilliant closed road circuit ahead of the weekends racing. With just enough riding to stay warm and put the evenings coaching into practice.

We were back at the circuit for some serious proud parent moments as our 12 year old recently decided he would like to try road riding as more of a focus than the MTB he has been doing.

We had no idea what to expect from him but I was genuinely impressed to watch him push hard and pace himself well for 4th place.

It's so good to see so many enthusiastic young people enjoying an activity that has brought me many thousands of hours if happiness over the years.

Although it looks like @opieboscyclingandrunning
Has now lost her bike 🤣🤣

Being back at a youth race always brings up some special memories from my first races in 1998, and it is so encouraging to see just how popular cycling is now for younger riders in Cornwall.

It is also so good to see so many familiar and friendly faces in the local cycling community.

It was an inspiration and I can't wait to be back on my bike and riding with you all soon.

#cycling #physicalfitnessformentalhealth #roadcycling #cornwall

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1 year ago | [YT] | 51

Chris Opie

If I could rewind 20 years, the single biggest change I would make would be to my nutrition & fuelling and body weight.

It has never been easier to fuel sufficiently and to understand just how much we need before, during and after training. But it wasn't always this way.

Following the correct advice was always a minefield as a young athlete that was desperate and impressionable, too often it was too easy to follow the advice that seemed to fit with goals that were not aligned with performance but more a desire to reach low bodyweight.

When I first raced as an amateur in France in 2006 I was told I needed to lose weight. Despite having reasonable results in my first races.

In January I arrived weighing 70kgs as an explosive 18 year old.

By the May I was starving myself, eating just one bowl of soup each evening and a rice cracker before training. The less I ate, the less I performed, the more I lost.

I weighed 63.5kgs and had absolutely zero energy.

The next year I suffered with Glandular Fever, likely as a consequence of a severely depleted immune system.

It took a long time to recover fully and it wasn't really until 2011 that I felt back towards the same level that I had been previously.

When I raced at my best I was 75 kgs. But there was always a focus on low fuelled training and aiming to be lighter than is natural.

I'm now around 81-83 kgs after a winter focussed on strength training and I can still beat my own personal KOM times. On the whole i feel stronger, more resilient and have a much more balanced approach to food, diet, nutrition. I have a much more naturally regulated approach to food than ever.

I think it's easy to be overly focused with what we think matters, rather than experimenting with what might work. Sometimes we need to step back and take an overall look at things without any emotional attachments.

If I could rewind the clock I would 100% focus on fuelling every ride, recovering after each session and eating enough during training.

There is so much good information out there now, it's almost impossible to make mistakes.

Power is everything, especially in sport.

#cycling #physicalfitnessformentalhealth #fuelledbyscience

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1 year ago | [YT] | 184

Chris Opie

Hi everyone, I hope you're having a great 2024 so far.

I wanted to share this with you. A video we enjoyed making in between the rain showers recently ☔

I'll be back on this channel soon, too. Lots going on, as I'm sure we all have.

Looking forward to returning!

Chris

1 year ago | [YT] | 4