Cancer survivor to rider comeback sensation: smashing new records & getting PBs.
Improved an incredible 66 watts from 174w to 240w in just 18 months.
Increase from 2.46 to 3.59w/kg. An increase of 46% in less than 18 months.
Completed first 100 miles in July 2019 in a time of 7h47m.
Within 1 season had progressed from riding at an average of 12mph to 15 mph.
Before Njinga
Before I met Njinga, I’d started taking on the London Triathlons. My first two races, 2016 and 2017, were much the same as one another: I thought the most challenging component would be the open-water swim, so this is where I focused all my training.
The cycling component? Easy. What’s difficult about riding a bike?
Both years I proved myself wrong: any time I gained in the swim, I lost in the cycle, so by the time I got around to the run (my strongest area of fitness, being a runner already), I was nowhere in the field.
I decided to enter Ride London 2018 to challenge myself to improve my cycling. But how was I going to train for it? Though I wouldn’t say I was a beginner cyclist, I was obviously missing what more experienced cyclists had under wraps. What were these things, how would I learn them and how was I going to go from struggling to complete 20 miles in the London Triathlon cycle component to smashing 100 miles in Ride London?
Enter Njinga
Njinga had been on my radar for a while, having driven past their Hampton Wick cycle lab countless times. I approached them thinking they might help me prepare for the big race. And while they helped me do just that, the events that took place from the first day I stepped foot into the Njinga lab over the next 18 months and until the present day have been beyond my wildest dreams and expectations, made all the more difficult by a devastating cancer diagnosis.
Matt with his medal after completing a London Triathlon.
Matt made our FTP Improver leaderboard with a incredible 30w increase in his FTP Score.
Matt taking part in a remote Njinga class at home on his indoor trainer.
It was during this time that I also joined the Njinga Collective, the not-for-profit cycling club that meets up every Saturday during cycle season (most members – though not all – take part in Njinga’s indoor training sessions, too).
What I liked most about the Njinga Collective was that the groups are based on average speed and have a ‘no drop’ rule: the Peloton will wait for you if you drop off the back.
Matt taking part in Ride London after training with Njinga to prepare him for the 100 mile sportive.
Matt after completing a Njinga Collective ride.
Matt out on a cycle and enjoying his riding.
I joined the slowest group – ‘Mbizi’ (which means ‘Zebra’ in Chichewa, the Malawian language from which Njinga gets its name) at 12 - 13 mph. The biggest benefit of the Collective was that I was able to improve my riding craft: from bike checks to hand signals to nutrition. Who’d have thought there was so much to riding in a Peloton? And was there anything Njinga didn’t offer that was going to help me prepare for and surpass my goal of 100 miles for Ride London?
The answer is no: Njinga equipped me with everything I could have ever possibly needed and more.
All the training and preparation I had done with Togo and the Njinga team – before and after my cancer diagnosis and treatment – got me through Ride London’s 100 miles, and I am incredibly proud of the fact that I was able to raise over £1200 for Prostate Cancer UK. Not only did these things happen in my first season of riding, but I also improved my FTP score by 41 watts and increased my average riding speed by 3 mph (moving me from the Njinga Collective’s Mbizi to Mkango – ‘lion’ in Chichewa). Not forgetting the fact that through all of this, I beat prostate cancer.
Today, I am cancer-free and I have never been healthier or fitter.
These results, aspirations, and goals (past, present and future) are all down to the training, motivation, encouragement, and friendships I have found at Njinga. I couldn’t have done it without you guys. Thank you.`
Matt completing the running leg of a London Triathlon.
Matt completing the cycling leg of a London Triathlon.
Matt having just completing the swimming leg of a London Triathlon.