Yoga: Cycling and Suppleness

Colin Freestone runs cultural bicycle tours to Indonesia specializing in Sulawesi for Bike Friday owners.
Check out his tour under Friday Friendly Tour Companies

I LOVE cycling but I think that by itself, it is not enough for all round fitness. In fact, it is pretty disastrous for suppleness and flexibility. I'm always surprised at the lack of stretching that cyclists seem to do. At the 2005 Desert camp (which I enjoyed immensely) I did what I think most people did, that is, not much! Afterwards, when I resumed my Kung Fu sword training (which incorporates Yogic type exercises) I was appalled both at how uncoordinated I had become, and how much flexibility I'd lost in the week. It took me about a fortnight to get back to 'normal'.

I vowed to not repeat that type of cycle-only regime. In my recent trip to Indonesia, at every stop during the day, and before going to bed, I did some limited stretching and every 2-3 days did a full-on stretch session. At the end of the 16 day ride my suppleness had not suffered and so I was able to enjoy the benefits of the cycling without loss of facility in other areas. Moral: When in doubt, stretch!