Even if you are a seasoned cyclist, you’ll find cycling up hills when you’re pregnant much more difficult than previously. Mostly, this is due to your baby taking up the space your lungs use to expand in, making it harder to breath. Also, you have 40% more blood pumping around your body, not to mention extra kilos to move too. For me this meant avoiding steep hills or even get off to walk and push the bike if necessary. Listen to your body and take it easy. As my doctor said to me, focus more endurance rather than sprinting.

An alternate to cycling on the road is cycling on a ‘trainer’ or exercycle indoors. This removes the risk of a fall and is comfortable whatever the weather. Whether you are riding on the road or inside, your physical capacity remains limited. On the trainer that means downgrading your routines and taking it easy. I had my carbon road bike set up on the trainer however it wasn’t long before reaching the handlebars was impossible. To overcome this you can try raising the front wheel of your bike, or do as I did in the end, simply forget the handlebars and changing gears, and ride with the wall for support.

Getting started with a new turbo trainer