A question that I often get is "who do you get to do your massages?". My answer – "no one". I haven’t had a massage in over 5 years. I always figured that I didn’t train hard enough to really need it. I also thought that I couldn’t afford it on a regular basis. As it turns out neither of those things are true. Lately I’ve been finding myself asking everybody else who their massage therapist is and looking for recommendations. I’ve tried massage therapists in the past who weren’t familiar with cyclists and really didn’t do a good job. If you’re going to pay the money, you should see someone who has worked with cyclists before and preferably who is a cyclist. A rare combination to find.
As it turns out I’m fortunate to know a fellow cyclist named Andy Naylor. He’s back after a few years in Europe being a soigneur for the British U23 National Team and has a Massage Therapy practice in Melbourne. Andy was able to fit me in today and showed me what I was missing in my training regime. It was extremely interesting chatting with Andy while he worked as he’s massaged top PROs such as Mark Cavendish, Matthew Wilson, Jeremy Hunt and Matt Lloyd to name a few. He’s also been a top level cyclist and still rides every day, so he knows exactly how to asses common cycling injuries and treat them through massage. He found knots and imbalances in my legs that I never knew existed! He knows exactly what type of massage to give to improve your cycling.
There’s lots to know about massage if you want to get your moneys worth. Who to see, when to get it, when not to get it, what type to get, where you need it, what to expect in terms of how your body will react, etc. I roped Andy into writing some CYCLING TIPS to give us the scoop on massage for cyclists that I’m looking forward to reading.
Andy currently has space to take a few new clients. Give him a call sooner rather than later or you won’t get in. He can be reached at naylor@hotmail.com or at 0430 204 707 and is located in Brighton (Melbourne).
If anyone else has recommendations for massage therapists in your area of the world feel free to post the details in the comments section. Not everyone is as fortunate to live in Melbourne!
