justcycling.myfastforum.org

SlowRower · Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:48 am Post subject:

Highs and lows this week.

Highs
1 hour on the turbo, beating previous best by 0.01km!

Fastest time for months for my 10k run over the golf course.

Lows
8 mile run on Saturday, where I misjudged the temperature and the wind direction and had a cold headwind for the final 4 miles. Sad

30k bike ride on Sunday. Garmin packed up after 6 miles, so had no idea of elapsed time. Speedo went on the blink after 12 miles. Legs packed up after 18 miles. At least there was no wind, for the first time this year. Smile

Bike is booked in for a new front fork next week. If I'm feeling brave, I'll upgrade to something light and carbon and hope the Good Lady doesn't notice. Something solid and steel-like beckons, as she's very scary in respect of wasting money on bike parts. (Unless it's on her bike Smile

)

_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

Bartali · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 7730 Location: Hertfordshire

This is what you need SR http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nuke-Proof-...2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

SlowRower · Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 1:11 pm Post subject:

Blimey - I was just about to enter my bid when I read the bit about being disc-only brake compatible. How much do you use front brake, I wonder? I suppose the descent from ADH would provide plenty of opportunity to find out!

810g for a fork sounds much more tempting than training harder.
_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

SlowRower · Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:45 am Post subject:

3 turbo sessions, 1 road session and 1 running session this week.

Aborted a 24k TT on the turbo with 1k to go 'cos it was just too painful, then had the nosebleed session the next day. The session of hill intervals after this was light relief in comparison. Final turbo session today on my geriatric road bike, as my slightly less geriatric MTB is in the shop getting a rigid fork fitted. No speedo on the road bike. If there's a harder session to do mentally than just tracking a target heart heart rate on a turbo then I don't want to do it.

Tweaked knee ligaments mowing the lawn in the dark on Sunday Sad

Nothing serious now though.
_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

berck · Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:24 pm Post subject:

And I hope it doesn't turn into anything serious either.

SlowRower · Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:16 pm Post subject:

berck · Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 5:10 pm Post subject:

You're welcome. If I was to give you any advice, it would be this...

Don't mow the lawn in the dark again. Wink

SlowRower · Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 4:55 pm Post subject:

No lawnmowing injuries this week, thankfully! Just as well as cycling opportunities have been limited, so I've been running a lot.

Two cycling sessions...

One on the turbo, watching the Cyclops training video that came with my now exploded Cyclop turbo 12 years ago. Vast sums of money were spent hiring the great and the good of North American cycling in the mid 90s to be filmed doing a turbo session. It's 45 minutes of crap music, appalling hairstyles and sprints. Good fun, but I suspect it would get a bit boring after a while. One of the pros on show was a very youthful looking Tyler Hamilton in his Montgomery days. He was tucked away right at the back and didn't say much, although he had by far the worst hair.

The other session was on the road with / against my ADH rival, who'd come over for the weekend for some beers and "gentle" cycling. I attacked from the off, and dropped him on the foothills of a nearby railway bridge. He then claimed to have been off the bike injured for a few weeks, so we cycled home gently and got p*ssed, but not before taking on the challenge of getting 4 kids aged 4 to 6 to sleep in the same bedroom. Now that was definitely hors categorie...
_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

Bartali · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 7730 Location: Hertfordshire

Keep at it SR - sounds like you have him beat!

Spoo · Joined: 24 Sep 2008 Posts: 286 Location: Oxford

SlowRower · Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 10:29 am Post subject:

Mr B - Early season form is notoriously unreliable as a guide for the main events. He might have been bluffing after a morning of hill intervals and fly up ADH in 50 minutes. Sad

In his shoes, I'd have mentioned the injury before we set off - excuses given in advance are far more credible IMHO. Smile

Spoo - They are indeed the Devil's work. At least mine is very quiet, so I can watch the telly whilst dancing with the Devil.
_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

Bartali · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 7730 Location: Hertfordshire

How long until the big race SR?

SlowRower · Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 8:29 pm Post subject:

A smidge over 3 months. Excitement levels amongst the rest of the family are rising rapidly, and might soon reach insomnia curing levels... Smile

_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

Bartali · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 7730 Location: Hertfordshire

I'll give you a road report in about two months ... and a time to shoot for!! Wink

SlowRower · Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 11:08 am Post subject:

Can you paint "Allez Slowrower" on the road for me, please? Smile

_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

smarauder68 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 4157 Location: San Antonio, TX

Bartali, can you give us some perspective on the Alpe D'Huez?

We know that the best in the world can get to the top in about 30 minutes from the base. What's your best time and how much time would it take someone like me on a mountain bike whose never trained seriously?

Bartali · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 7730 Location: Hertfordshire

Okay ...

Back in 1987 (when I was as light as a feather) it took me just over an hour. Back then I was 22, but not a super quick racer (cat 3) and could do a 25 mile ITT in just over an hour. That said, I was light, brought up in the peak district and thrived in the mountains. The last two times I climbed it (2006 and 2008) were at the tail end of a long day in the Alps and haveing already done 165km over the Coix de Fer, Telegraphe and Galibier I don't think my times were too meaningful - well I hope not because they would have been around 1.45 (including drink stops).

I think you are about the same age as me - probably a bit bigger, but equally you may be stronger. If you are reasonably fit - albeit not in training - I reckon you could grind it out on a mountain bike in about 1.20 - 1.30? Hard to say really.

If you are in Europe these days it is well worth a go just for the experience!

smarauder68 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 4157 Location: San Antonio, TX

Bartali · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 7730 Location: Hertfordshire

Keep at it Scott. I would like to think that if I rode it fresh I would be around 55 mins. We'll see in July! Wink

SlowRower · Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 10:43 pm Post subject:

Tough week...

20 mile recovery ride in gale

1 hour turbo, missing PB by 0.02km. I know Mr Shifter doesn't approve of turbo PBs, but this was a godawful struggle for the last 55 minutes and good for the soul. Smile

20 mile tempo ride in the lashing rain. Surprisingly good fun.

8 mile run with a fierce hangover.

40k TT in 1:13:24. 2 laps of a 20k loop, involving 16 right angle bends in total. Possibly not the fastest course in the world. Mountain bike with slicks and aerobars looks odd (and weighs a ton) but goes well enough once up to speed. Harsh ride, with Aluminum frame and rigid forks.

_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.