You're a few hours into a long ride or trainer session when you start to notice something you'd rather not. Things have gone numb 'down there'. Maybe you stand on the pedals a bit, shift around and the feeling starts to come back. But if it keeps happening, you might be dealing with cyclist syndrome.

I trip over the rowing machine in my office just about every day. At the moment, it's sporting a backpack, hoodie and my distressed burgundy baseball cap. It requires no setup – just have a seat, grab the handle, and it's go time. Somehow, I still tend to favour my indoor trainer, even though it takes a bit longer to get ready to ride.

You've felt it before, haven't you? You had a bad week, a rough day at work and you really didn't feel like going on that ride. But afterwards, you were so glad you did. Your head is quieter, your soul is at peace and you feel better than you have in days.

I thought running would make me fitter. So I laced up my sneaks, hopped on the treadmill, and took off. This should be easy – I'm a cyclist in good shape, right? Wrong. My heart rate soared, I was more winded than I've ever been in my life, and the shin splints had me hobbling for days.

You rode long, or maybe you rode hard. You glide back into the parking lot and then you swing your leg over the saddle to dismount your bike. And it hurts. You feel a familiar twinge in your low back, an aching in your hips. You peruse your buddy's Strava and notice something odd… he's been secretly doing Pilates on his non-bike days. Now you're wondering if you should do Pilates, too.

When I took my very first FTP test on an indoor trainer, I had no idea what to expect. I just knew it was going to start easy and get *very, very hard fast*. So I chugged some water, blasted my favorite playlist, pointed a high-powered fan straight at my face, and pedaled until my legs turned to jelly. My reward? A whopping 78 watts.

“How do I get thighs like that?” I asked my cycling friend, referring to a woman on Instagram with amazingly thick, sculpted thighs. Her answer both amused and disappointed me: “Heavier squats,” she laughed. “Much heavier squats.” I was hoping she would say just keep cycling.

You don't need fancy gear, perfect clothes, big muscles or an expensive bike. All you need is a bike and a helmet, and boom – you're a cyclist.

Cycling isn't supposed to hurt. Yet for many riders, discomfort creeps in sooner or later. Maybe it's a nagging knee on climbs, tingling fingers halfway through a ride, or a sore back that lingers long after you've unclipped. Sometimes it builds quietly over weeks. Other times, it happens all at once in a split-second crash.