We’ve got a habit of believing that once we’re full sized adults, our bodies just stay the same. Not the case.

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Mariel said: “Take this scenario. You buy a new bike as a beginner cyclist and you love it so much that you ride it several times a week and become very fit over the course of several months. The position you were in when you first started cycling is not going to be the same that you should be in now.”

Really? Why? Mariel explains: “You’ve become stronger and more flexible meaning that you can get more out of the bike by changing the riding position to a more aggressive one. The same goes if your level or riding stays the same but you have increased your stretching or taken up yoga practice and become much more flexible, for example.”

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Of course, it works the other way: “If you were a keen cyclist over the summer season but became a couch potato over the winter and as soon as the flowers start to bloom again you want to get back on your bike, you may need a fit to check you’re adjusted according to your fitness.”