#fatladattheback

[therealbraintrust-blog]

Nice ride down to #exmouth this morning with #urbundave and #ic3man82 feeling shattered now #fatladattheback #cycling (at Exmouth Beach Front)

[justgemma-t-blog]

@fatladattheback love these FLAB britches.. They just fit! Long enough, high waisted, warm, water repellent... Defo a must going in to next winter! #fatladattheback #flab #cycling #cyclingwear

[fatladattheback]

Mallorca 312

13 hours 31minutes and 1270th out of 1429 riders who finished the Mallorca 312km. Not quite the Fat Lad At The Back! It was everything you’d expect it to be. Foolishly and somewhat buoyed by a couple of beers we had joked on Friday evening that there was only 150km of climbing and then it was a straight forward 150km+ on the flat. It had to be achievable - didn’t it? It was an early 7am start, especially for those of us who hadn’t accounted for the 1 hour time difference but it was already warm enough for shorts and short sleeve, so at least kit choice was easy. Nutrition on the other hand proved to be an ongoing challenge. Food stops were rumoured to be good, so I planned on that basis. The event is superbly managed, locals are really friendly and drivers are so considerate - they even stop at roundabouts when they see bikes approaching! The food stops weren’t great and having been hypnotised off chocolate 8 years ago, choice was VERY limited for me. Hard cheese as they say, perhaps they had sampled the cheese sandwiches on offer. By the time I was at the third feed station I had been gritting my teeth so hard I could neither chew or fancy one. I’d got enough gels, bars and hydration drinks to keep me going but from about 175km I was finding it really difficult to eat or drink. Apparently there comes a point when the body stops digesting food and turns its attention to driving the muscles only. It also lets your fingers, toes and arms go numb and your brain loses its ability to think - I tried to calculate how many km I had left and how long it would take, but however many times I tried, I couldn't come up with a sensible answer. All I did know for sure was that after 150km of climbing, 6 hours on the flat doesn’t feel so flat. Despite the pain in the mountains, the views and descents are spectacular and I was a little disappointed I didn’t get over 70kph but there’s always next time! We had set off at skinny whippet pace, averaging 33.7kph for the first 22km’s and then pushed up the first category 2 climb at an average 17kph - that’s too fast for a Fat Lad. Although none of the climbs are especially steep in comparison to the Yorkshire hills I’m used to, they go on for longer than my wife, when she finds out I’ve got another cycling weekend in the diary. The advice at the start of the ride is to “get on a group” after Palma. I was on my own at half way and in a dark place and so I’m all the more indebted to a lad from Dundee Cycling club who suggested that I “jump on”. We worked together (him doing more than me) for a good few miles, sweeping up another few riders and forming a mini peloton of 8. It was an blessed relief and doubled my average speed for the time until we somehow managed to break up and I lost them. Thankfully I was overtaken by the Kinetic Velo group from Peterborough/Rutland Water who were dragging around 30 bikes at a cracking speed. I stayed in their peloton moving at 40kph+ for 50km or more. They pushed on even faster and dropped the group eventually, but their lack of selfishness for those miles was incredibly welcome - They were awesome and a fantastic group of real gentlemen. When my Garmin ran out of battery I was devastated then I realised that I’d spent much of the ride fixated on it’s screen and it was liberating to be released from it’s reluctant countdown! My biggest thanks goes to the small group of 8 cyclists from mussols.es. Although only 1 spoke some English (and I only speak Yorkshire and some English) they kept the spirits of our remaining group of 12 high with their laughter and camaraderie as well as keeping us moving at 27-33kph - a pace fast enough for a respectable and somewhat emotional finish. That’s the beauty of cycling, it’s an international language in itself and you don’t need words ito understands the pain you go through to achieve the smallest of goals. The last word as always goes to the FLAB community. The one thing that I kept thinking about in the moments when I so desperately wanted to get off, were your posts of encouragement before the ride. It really did make a huge difference to the outcome of the day - thank you so much! https://www.strava.com/

[fatladattheback]

The Clothing Dilemma

I remember my first Triathlon – I had set myself the challenge several months earlier as part of a focused effort to get fit and lose the extra stones I had been collecting since my twenties.

The training was tough and I found the swimming pretty lousy, but the most worrying part of all was my clothing dilemma.

I envied the svelte lads, clad in skin tight Lycra, transitioning with ease from pool to bike and bike to run and wondered, what on earth I was going to wear.

There’s not much choice at a 44-46” chest so after much research I had ordered a size 44"chest short and top ensemble in blue. It was the largest size I could find and I was optimistic from the photographs and the sizing chart on the website!

My hopes were dashed when it arrived and I held up the tiny clothes against my 6’3” body. Shameless hilarity ensued from my wife and children, as I wriggled into the shorts, which un-stretched, were no wider than one of my thighs. Once on, they left nothing to the imagination and the extra inches from my waistline bulged over the waistband like a cake overflowing its baking tin.

The top was even worse and I was hot, sweating and flustered by the time I had got it on. The hemline refused to stay put and rolled its self up to my lower ribs, exposing two decades of over indulgence and denial. My cleavage on the other hand had been so effectively enhanced by the shrink wrapped Lycra, I was now an enviable D cup and even my wife had to concede, it was impressive!

This was serious! The Triathlon was challenge enough, without having to undertake it dressed like an extra from the Rocky Horror Show. I needed a fat lad tri suit and if I needed one, that meant other fat lads needed one too. It needed to be generously cut with proper sized arm and leg holes, as well as practical and technical and it needed to have a long zip at the front so that you didn’t have to be Harry Houdini to get in and out of it.    

The Fat Lad At The Back Try Tri suit is all that and more. There are few more ridiculous outfits available to a sporting fat lad than a triathlon suit, but all things told, I think ours is a very flattering piece of kit. Designed especially for Fat Lads, it’s available in black, which we have found to be a particularly Fat Lad friendly colour. The Try Suit has been tested by me and other Fat Lads in the pool, on the road and on the bike, with some great feedback and some unconfirmed reports that it may actually make you go faster – Either way, it won’t leave you looking like a badly packed sausage and that can only be a good thing for all concerned.

Made in Italy from a superb lightweight, fast drying Italian technical fabric it has a slim, fast drying compression pad, handy back pockets for gels and snacks and a silicone hem to stop it riding up, plus the nice long zip at the front.

RICHARD BYE Co-Founder and Lad In Charge. 

[fatladattheback]

The Importance of The Right Trousers! Especially if you're a 23 stone Fat Lad on a bike!

by Richard Bye - Fat Lad in Charge

It's hard to believe that something as simple as cycle clothing can have such a positive effect on your enjoyment of cycling. It wasn't until we launched Fat Lad At The Back, that I truly began to understand the benefits of technical fabrics and features, before that, I had made do with a MTB shirt and some baggy bike shorts - It was such a palaver finding gear in my size!

But what if you weighed 20+ stone and had a 60" waist?

We were inspired to create our Spare Tyre range, when we met Geoff. He weighed 23 stone and had already shed an incredible 15 stone from cycling. Here Geoff tells us what a difference being in the right gear has made to him. 

"I've been getting some miles in now that I'm a fully dressed "Fat Lad", oh boy, what a difference it makes.  I now ride further, faster and longer in such comfort.  My first ride wearing my Fat Lad gear was 20 miles further than my previous best, it was a lovely sunny warmer day, but so comfortable, even riding harder and burning those calories up, the days of dripping wet through cotton T Shirts and boil in the bag rain coats are now a thing of the past.

Fat Lad At The Back Cycling Gear for the true Fat Lads has transformed my cycling, not only does it afford great personal comfort it's designed and shaped specifically for the bigger cyclist, the garments are superbly made from high quality, technical materials that perform superbly.  The fit is absolutely spot on, friends and family all comment on how good it looks. The black colour renowned for its ability to disguise some of the "Spare Tyre" qualifications, works very well, I've had several favourable comments to support this.  As a Fat Lad on a bike I would often receive unwanted comments even abuse from the less informed members of the public, this was sometimes restricting when and where I could ride, but now I just ride when and where I like, creating smiles and often pleasant comments as I go.

Fat Lad At The Back, you made a promise to do everything possible to provide quality cycle clothing for a proper Fat Lad. I know and appreciate that you took on a difficult task, but true to your word you have worked relentlessly to fulfil that promise and you have excelled in every aspect of design, comfort and understanding, to produce the perfect solution "Fat Lad At The Back Spare Tyre" range, well done and thank you so much."

The Spare Tyre Range is available in size 54 - 58" Chest and 58 - 62" Waist

http://fatladattheback.com/product-category/spare-tyre-range/

Spare Tyre Super Roubaix Bib Shorts £89.99  

Spare Tyre Short Sleeve Jersey £59.99

[fatladattheback]

Joining The Bulge

I was looking for something recently on our Facebook page and as I flicked through all the photos and the comments from FLAB’s I couldn’t help but feel a great sense of pride.

It struck me what a brilliant, extremely funny, diverse bunch of people make up the FLAB bulge and how that variety and sense of ‘team’ so perfectly epitomises what I had hoped for the brand.

Our recent Autumn Winter photoshoot couldn’t have embodied this any more and I am thoroughly “chuffed” with the photographs. Admittedly being mates with Simon Wilkinson, who is arguably one of the country’s finest sports photographers does help you get some really great shots, but as well as that, I think you can also see the genuine pleasure and pride on the faces of our ‘models’. 

The models are a perfect representation of our customers, because they are our customers and they span a broad cross section of size, experience and ability, from Skinny Rob who’s a super fit, competitive athlete and probably weighs less than our dog, to the beautiful and ever glamorous Justine; the face of Fat Lass and our plus size model, who’s relatively new to cycling and still only ever carries cash and a lipstick in her cycle jersey pocket!

The camaraderie and encouragement between the riders, the general sense of pride in wearing the FLAB badge and of being part of something great, not to mention the constant laughter and good humored banter, made for a fantastic day. 

I know that some people feel the need to question the appropriateness of slimmer FLABS and I admit to feeling a bit disappointed because I feel like they have missed what we are all about. It has to be said that Fat Lad At The Back isn’t an outsize brand. It’s a sports brand, which does sportswear in all sizes because people of all sizes do sport.

The brand was originally created for lads like me - Mr Averages, with a 44" chest and a 38" waist who couldn’t find anything to wear. It quickly became apparent that there were other cyclists out there who were bigger and they needed something to wear too, so we introduced larger sizes into the range. Then we met a lad called Geoff, he was 23 stone and our largest jersey didn’t go anywhere near him. His story really touched and inspired us, so we designed the Spare Tyre range, a bespoke collection tailored for Geoff and all the other lads like him. In no time, the lasses were saying "what about us?" so we began work on our women's range and what we have become, is a brand for all people.

Whilst the models in our photo-shoot may not share a body mass index, they do share the FLAB ethos, which celebrates everyone and anyone who’s having fun on their bike and encourages others to join them. 

Sportswear brands don’t usually acknowledge the achievements of ‘average people’, but we and the FLAB Community do and our social media is full of photo’s of FLABs, of every shape and size, achieving all sorts of fantastic things and that’s what makes it such a great place to be.

To put it simply, when you put on a Fat Lad At The Back jersey you're part of the bulge and that means whoever or whatever you are, you just got an extra 10,000 friends.

We are the Fat Lads At The Back - Join us and be proud.

[fatladattheback]

[fatladattheback]

I'll Always Be A Fat Lad - Richard Bye Founder of FLAB

I have struggled with my waistline most of my adult life.  Some might say it's genetic and certainly, you'll find it hard to find any skinny people amongst my parents & family, unless they married in - oh how I've cursed my parents and their ‘heavy bones’.

My wife says I have an unhealthy attitude to food and she's right (plus she'll be reading this and I know where my sausage sandwiches are buttered). I definitely share the same obsession with dinner time as our Labrador, Barker. I also have a penchant for the finer things in life and I simply can't resist a freshly baked pork pie.

My battle started in my early 20's when work and eating McDonalds occupied my day. It was a gentle frolick to begin, but it soon turned into a wrestle. My jean size went from a sporty lads 34" to a 36" then to a 38" and finally to a 40". I tried to get a grip and embarked upon some weird diets:  I drank milkshakes and ate beetroot and eggs, I played a bit of squash, did a couple of MTB rides a week and I lost a couple of inches, but never for long.

I started road biking about 10 years ago - I cut quite a dash in my MTB gear, amongst the skinny whippets - but I found that one or two decent rides a week at least helped me maintain my middle at an acceptable 38”.

The road biking was hard - as soon as the road kicked up, I fell off the pack - I was the fat lad at the back.

It wasn't until I hit 40 and had my midlife crisis that I joined the gym and they measured my body fat.  Then I realised the truth. Vanity sizing had lured me into a false sense of security and the size 38" jeans I was squeezing into actually measured 42". I realised that the longer I left it, the harder it would be, it was time to man up. I halved my alcohol consumption and started eating smaller balanced meals. I realised I liked salad. I started training hard, circuits, cycling, swimming, running. I got some events in the diary so I had something to work towards - a Tough Mudder, a couple of sprint distance triathlons and some challenging sportives.

The weight fell off - within a couple of months I had lost 5 inches and was actually a 37" waist. My chins shrank, I was looking great and was buying new shirts in size L but I still couldn't find quality cyclewear to fit me.

It’s a couple of years on now and a couple of inches have crept onto the waistline - I’m still fighting my flab and I’ll always be a fat lad at the back but at least I’ve got the cyclewear sorted and I'm pleased with how my cycling’s and overall fitness is coming along - It's a battle, but I’m focused and determined. If only I could employ that same determination and just a little bit of self control at meal times!