The new Athlete eating plan: week 1

Just before my head injury, I planned to reduce my body fat, as a result of seeing this picture after the European championships in Spain in June. Although I am aware I am by no means ‘fat’, I felt like I looked that way standing next to two lean athletes.

It has been a tough road, let me tell you. There is so much to learn, I hardly know where to begin. I enlisted the help from Martin MacDonald, a well renowned nutritionist that came highly recommended. I was instantly ordered to:

Phil Glenister: Helmets save lives

Helmets save lives, and without them, they don't.

It actually relates to my wife’s cousin, a teacher, whom was cycling to school several years ago, without a helmet on, on the last day of summer term.

Head Injury Week 2: up and running (sort of!)

The forced go slow and new scatter brain that I seem to have developed is becoming very frustrating. I just can’t think or do as fast as I used to be able to do. Its like a need a pause button while my brain processes stuff. The number of times that I have had the ‘well?’ kind of looks from my husband – its getting quite regular.

HELMETS SAVE LIVES: BBC Look East interview

This is the interview that BBC look East put out on the 29 July. It was repeated several times during the day.

If you have not done so already, please visit my helmet appeal campaign page, and read some of the other testimonials that are on there.

Thank you, and keep safe.

Andrew Neill: Helmets Save Lives

In March 2010, I was hit by a car whilst training for a charity triathlon.

My back was broken in 2 places, amongst many other injuries.

The only part of my body not marked or injured was my head. Purely because I was wearing a helmet.

I wrote a diary of my time in hospital, purely to keep my mind active whilst being immobile. www.bhit.org (a charity that promotes the use of cycle helmets for children).

Powerbreathe Trial Week 5: small steps

After last weeks accident it has been a rather eventful week to say the least.

I spent the weekend in hospital and was discharged on sunday evening. Head injury is no fun at all, and for 3 days my head felt like a fizzy pop bottle that someone had shaken up really hard. Dizzy did not even begin to describe it! 

Melanie's narrow escape inspires helmet warning

Published in the Herald and Post, Thursday 28th July 2011

A TRIATHLETE is keen to pass on the message – wearing a cycle helmet saved her life.

Melanie Ryding, from Wellingborough, a secondary special needs teacher at Rushden

Community College, recently woke up in hospital after being involved in a cycling accident.

All Mrs Ryding can remember is she came off her bike during a routine ride through Little Harrowden when she was approaching a roundabout but beyond that everything is a blur.

She was found by a driver lying in the road but there were no witnesses and no one knows exactly what happened.

Matthew Hunt: Helmets save Lives

My accident occurred around 1130 a.m. in the 2^nd week of the Easter holidays 2011, on 18^th April 2011, 40 miles from home.  It was a training ride with my friend, Neil and we were working well, keeping (or so I thought,) a sensible distance apart. 

The weather was perfect for riding, bright, dry and minimal traffic around.  The ride was going really well and apart from Neil losing his balance at a junction while clipped in and performing the slow motion, cringe-worthy side ways fall that happens when you don’t unclip quickly enough, we were going well.  About 10 miles later, he’d had an unfortunate incident with a bee in his helmet, but had managed to stop safely before getting freed from the stinging insect.  So far, I’d been unscathed by this series of unfortunate incidents that were happening to Neil, surely nothing worse could happen today?

Tim Ellis: Helmets save lives

During the winter of 1990 I was involved in a 'hit & run' accident in Blackheath London - the bike was a right off and I, luckily suffered only minor injuries which is a miracle considering I was only wearing a baseball cap. This was my first 'wake up call' to the real dangers of cycling on the UK's roads. The driver who deliberately caused this accident was never caught despite Police efforts and I could have been dead.

Andrew Holgate: Helmets save Lives

Although I was knocked off my bike a month or two ago (see below) the helmet did not directly save me that day, however it has protected me several times over the years as I’ve been knocked off, come off on ice etc..... a helmet did directly save my dads life twice.

Melanie Ryding: Helmets save Lives

I have always cycled with a helmet on, don’t get me wrong. It was, I think, more habit than anything else. I was taught to always wear one when I started back cycling again, because Northants Tri, (and hubby) both insisted on it for safety reasons. I have to be honest, I felt like an idiot at first but you get used to it and it becomes habit.

Likewise, the fact that I have a number called ICE (in case of emergency) saved in my phone was also just habit. I learned about ICE on a first aid course I did with my triathlon club. I was told that the emergency services first responders will look for ICE in a mobile phone as a point of contact. I thought nothing more of it actually.

I didn’t give the helmet second thought till this weekend, when it saved me from at the very least, a very serious head injury. ICE enabled the emergency services to locate my next of kin easily and quickly, which enabled them also to quickly identify who I was.

What actually happened? Here’s my story;

10 Important things about life

We often forget the simple things in life. My accident this week reminded me of some things that we usually just take for granted:

1) Life is FAR too short to be sad.
2) It IS good to be alive, don't ever forget that.
3) Be grateful for every day that you have, every day that you have the choice to do whatever you want to do.
4) Don't take training for granted you never know when it may be taken away from you.
5) Family and Friends are precious, you don't realise how much so till you need them, don't forget that.
6) Remember there is always someone else that is more worse off than you. Be thankful you have what you have.
7) There is no time in this life for self pity.
8) Things in life are sent to try us, it's how you deal with them that makes you stronger.
9) You can do ANYTHING you want to do, if you want it badly enough.
10) Life is what you make of it, so what are you waiting for?

Melanie Ryding



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Triathlete saved by bicycle helmet

Published on Friday 22 July 2011


A sportswoman who was thrown from her bicycle in an accident says her safety helmet may have saved her life.

Great Britain triathlete and teacher Melanie Ryding suffered severe concussion and cannot remember what happened after coming off her bike during a routine ride through Little Harrowden.

Head injury: 1 week on

Flashbacks…

The light flashes on: I am in the back of an ambulance: There’s a person outside the open door, I cant make out who, and bustle all around, noises, people, its all confusing. The light is not on long enough for me to work out what is happening. Blackness again.

A curtained cubicle. I am lying flat on my back. I sense someone to my left. I can’t make out who it is. A man is talking about having to cut off my top. Blackness again.

A donut shaped machine: there is a whirring noise, I can see the machinery moving above me. A voice tells me that I must remain very still. I feel terrified. Then blackness.

Powerbreathe trial week 4: a difficult week

This week started really well. I think the progress on POWERbreathe is good, and I am securely on level 4 now. BUT – the mind progress is less! I still carry the inhaler to the track, and I did another tough session with coach on Tuesday, chest hurt but I wasn’t wheezing. I think I took the inhaler through habit rather than necessity, and on the final sprint rep, didn’t take it at all, breathing was fine, chest was fine, I was fine, and heart rate was lower than to be expected.
All in all, it seems progress is still being made, and I need to get used to not relying on that inhaler as much!

However, the POWERbreathe use was halted on Saturday, when something mysterious happened when I was out cycling. I cannot remember a thing about the incident, but I was found in the middle of the road unconscious, by a passing motorist. I woke up in hospital and was admitted for observation. A shock to say the least.

Powerbreathe trial: week 3 - back to tough training!

This was the start of the hard work training again. After a week of recovery post European champs, it was right back to tough hard fast training. I had my first track session in about 8 weeks with my run coach this week on Monday.

I forgot my asthma inhaler in the rush to get there in time. This made coach nervous but it would be a perfect chance to see if the Powerbreathe was making any difference. I ran a hard tough track sprint session, almost to the point of feeling unwell. It was very tough on the lungs, and although I got the pain in my chest that usually comes before wheezing, I didnt get any wheezing. When I checked my data I was working right at the top end of my heart rate zone 5, the maximum heart rate zone.

Nutrition: its all upside down!!

Following a photo that was taken of me with other athletes in Pontevedra while at the European championships, I suddenly realised that my coach Steve Casson had a point when he said I could probably improve my power to weight ratio. So I went in search of a nutritionist.

I was recommended Martin MacDonald, by more than one person on twitter including Becky White, a nutritionist and fitness professional who i know quite well. I decided to give him a go.

Training with heart rate Zones

Someone recently asked me if I could explain what the benefits of heart rate training was, so I thought I would try and explain, from my own personal viewpoint.

First what are the heart rate zones?

Zone 1: Energy efficient / recovery zone: the easiest workouts, used for recovery after harder workouts, or long slow runs / rides

What can metabolic assessments do for you?

I always knew metabolic assessments as ‘VO2 Max tests’. The first time I came across them was while on holiday in Austria quite a number of years ago. At that time, I knew very little about what it could tell me. As an obsessive for numbers, I hooked on the Vo2Max number, and pretty much ignored the rest of the information. Yes, it told me heart raze zones, but so what!?

Powerbreathe trial week 2

I went to the European championships this week. I did take the POWERbreathe with me, and hoped to be able to continue fitting in my 30 breaths twice a day, but knew it may be a logistical challenge. I did manage at least one of them per day.

Powerbreathe Trial; Week 1

Powerbreathe model: powerbreathe plus: fitness

Activity level: high – I am a Great Britain Age Group triathlete and train twice a day, usually around 10-12 hours per week (plus the day job!)

I was interested to take part in this trial because I am asthmatic. I have been for around 15 years. Nowadays it causes me little trouble and I do not take any regular steroids, however I mostly notice chest pain and breathing trouble when I am training hard, and that is when I need my blue inhaler.