How do you know when you're cycling too much? - The GCN Show

Here at GCN, we simply cannot get enough of cycling. It seems obvious to say, but we just love getting out on our bikes and seeing others enjoy the beauty of two wheels as well.

Whether it be a trip from the GCN mega base in Bath along the old railway line to Bristol, or an adventure abroad, there is no journey that isn't improved by bike. But this got us thinking, is there such a thing as doing too much cycling?

It turns out that the answer, sadly, is yes.

In fact, some of our own crew have found themselves guilty of pushing the pedals a little too often for their own good.

Friend of the channel and former GCN+ extraordinaire Mark Beaumont could not physically urinate for 29 hours after he set the North Coast 500 record - which was recently broken by Matt Downie - whilst Mark's oft-partner-in-ride James 'Hank' Lowsley-Williams is no stranger to pushing his body to the limits.

Hank joins Si Richardson in the studio for this week's GCN Show and takes great pleasure in recalling his moments of triumph which have left him with swollen knees, acid reflux and even nerve damage from time to time. Of course, physical pain is one way of realising you might have pushed yourself too hard on the bike, but there are also common symptoms as a result of overtraining.

In this week's Show, Hank and Si run their finger over the signs that you might be riding your bike too much, from a high resting heart rate and chronic muscle soreness to fatigue and a loss of motivation.

We have also got a special guest in this week's GCN Show, with usual host Dan Lloyd dipping in to give an update on the weekend's races, which of course were none other than the women's and men's Tour of Flanders. As we all know, Dan famously crashed at De Ronde many moons ago and so we thought, who better to give an insight into the chaos seen on the Koppenberg at the weekend?

Elsewhere, in this week's Cycling Shorts, we have news of something even more impressive than Hank's many physical ailments, believe it or not. Gunnar Velhau packed up his entire life onto an e-cargo bike and lived as a digital nomad throughout the winter. A little more than bikepacking, we think you can coin this workpacking!

On the other end of the cycling spectrum, historic Italian manufacturer Pinarello has unveiled its new bikes for the Paris Olympics and GCN has broken the news that SD Worx-Protime and Demi Vollering will part ways at the end of the season. You can discover all that and more in this week's GCN Show!

Coming up on the channel this week*

Wednesday 3 April: How to wash your cycling kit

Thursday 4 April: Up close and personal with the cobbles: Our review of Paris-Roubaix's fabled giants

Friday 5 April: Should professional cyclists use suspension?

Saturday 6 April: How long can we hold a professional cyclist's wheel on the cobbles?

Sunday 7 April: Paris-Roubaix: Cillian Kelly takes on the Tour of Flanders

*Video schedules are subject to change

If you have liked the look of Dan and Si's t-shirts over the past few weeks, the good news is they're available now to buy over on the GCN Shop. There are loads of designs and styles to help get you fully ready for the spring racing season. Head over there or click on the rail below for more info.

Did you know? You can now listen to The GCN Show as a podcast. That means you can still get all the insight from the latest episode of the show without actually having to look at Dan and Si at all, if that's ever been an issue for you. Search for 'Global Cycling Network' on your chosen podcast provider.

For all things general news, check out this tab on the GCN website.