justcycling.myfastforum.org

maffy · Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:08 pm Post subject:

two unexpected bonus short rides in shorts this week. no form of competitive cycling planned yet again for this year.

Beasley · Joined: 01 Jul 2007 Posts: 1698

SlowRower · Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 11:01 pm Post subject:

CapeRoadie · Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2012 12:31 am Post subject:

I've decided to return in earnest to training and racing this year. First goal: http://www.tourofthebattenkill.com/ I've been using a training plan developed by Hunter Allen, who wrote a nice book called Training and Racing with a Power Meter. Great book! Lots of new training exercises and drills with a lot of variety. Gaining power systematically. Losing the weight by counting calories for the first time in my life. Anyone else racing this season?
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END THE MADNESS

I dduw bo'r diolch

Same road, same rules!

Boogerd_Fan · Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2012 7:50 pm Post subject:

Bartali · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 11506 Location: Hertfordshire

CapeRoadie · Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 11:12 pm Post subject:

Should be a blast. Planning on meeting Greg Lemond. Hey Bartali, do you use a power meter? I'm finding it to be an incredible training tool.
_________________
END THE MADNESS

I dduw bo'r diolch

Same road, same rules!

SlowRower · Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 9:21 pm Post subject:

As planned, Tim and I headed out today for our first wheel-to-wheel encounter of the season. The forecast was for the hottest day of the year, so it was no surprise when we headed of at 730am in a decidely chilly, dense fog. There was no wind, though, which is always good news.

Tim was taking no chances, and had arrived armed with a new bike. His previous bike was a 105-equipped Raleigh that didn't quite fit him, and so was the new one. The new bike is as ugly as a BMC, but at least BMCs can be excused as they are Swiss and obviously contain design features the non-Swiss can't hope to understand. Ugly Raleighs are just ugly.

Mrs SR was taking no chances either. She was up early to cook my porridge, and gave me a pep talk as I left. "I've dished it out at breakfast" she said. "You've got to dish it out on the road now". Smile

Anyway, to the riding...

For the first 34k, Tim wheelsucked me for all he was worth, and was struggling on even the uncategorised climbs. I was fancying my chances, it has to be said, and half way up the first climb - Old Pool Bank - I was riding a steady tempo, and moving away, salivating at the prospect of really dishing it out on the later climbs. But then, a familiar figure pulled alongside, got out of the saddle and danced away. Oz and I had been done like a pair of kippers. The new "Sir Walter Raleigh" was no "looker" but was clearly a sharp tactician.

But then a funny thing happened. Tim pretty much ground to a halt, Oz and I sailed past and tempod to the top. And that was pretty much that. Tim's rivets had popped and he had to concede defeat, not even bothering to drop into Ilkley for the climb back up. He waited at the pub at the top, which was sadly not open, due to the still uneartly hour. Also sad was that the Lizzie Armitstead lookalike from two weeks ago was not around. Tim was looking forward to getting added to her palmares. Not quite sure what he meant by this... Smile

Revenge was strangely unsatisfying. Tim was patently a lot slower than last year, and I suspect he's bluffing in a major fashion. Or about to embark on a major training programme. Or both. Either way, there are no chickens to be counted yet. Just a lot of hills to be climbed. Smile

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Guiness · Joined: 03 Nov 2009 Posts: 887 Location: County of Kent

Well done, mate! You dished it out on the road like Mrs SR told you to do so. Great when a plan comes together.

SlowRower · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 5:37 pm Post subject:

MrsSR · Joined: 18 Jul 2011 Posts: 122

SlowRower · Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:16 pm Post subject:

Objectives for today were:

- Ride for 7 hours
- Do lots of climbing
- Find some new climbs

Results:
- 7 hrs 6 minutes; 159k
- 2700m ascent
- 4 ascents of a new climb recommended by Mrs SR. Sufficiently steep that on one corner, there was the choice between popping wheelies seated, or getting out of the saddle and spinning the back wheel.

Although this is 15k further and approx 150m more ascent in the same time than at the end of May last year, this was not one of my more enjoyable days on a bike. A cold, gusting cross-wind did me no favours and I bypassed the option of a couple of laps of the village to hit the Imperial Century in favour of dismounting and collapsing on the back lawn.

The second half of the ride was "enhanced" by using some untested SIS powders in my refilled bottles. Imagine overly milky coffee mixed with the smell of vomit and your halfway towards just how vile this stuff tasted. I checked the "use by" date, which is some time in 2013, so I can only conclude that the stuff really is designed to taste that bad. Suffice to say, the last two sachets will not be in my Marmotte luggage, though I'm too much of a tight-wad to chuck them out, so I'll keep them for when I've run out of any alternative or to deploy as rat poison.
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You don't like cheese? Not even Wensleydale?

MrsSR · Joined: 18 Jul 2011 Posts: 122

I discovered a new 'cycling danger' on Ilkley Moor today. There was a sheep that clearly didn't like the cut of my jib and had not one but multiple goes at knocking me off. It was on a walled part of the road and he kept zig-zagging across the road using the walls like the banking at the velodrome.

I was wearing the 'team' Wallace and Gromit jersey so maybe he thought I was trying to round him up to go in the knit-o-matic. Confused

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Cracking toast, Gromit!

SlowRower · Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 7:53 pm Post subject:

Close shave on Thursday. I went out for a spin with Mrs SR, pitting Stan and his chunky winter tyres against the sleek Ruby and her even sleeker rider.

To cut a long story short, I had to cane myself all the way round to maintain honour and nearly got beaten to the top of the only climb of note, narrowly edging past a few revs from the top with my heart rate higher than it's been on a bike for years. Shocked

Today's club run was simpler. Back on Oz, now kitted out with lighter wheels and summer tyres, it was 90 minutes of the chain gang, with a bit of a struggle towards the end, but for the first time since last Autumn, I didn't get dropped before the final sprint. Max heart rate in the sprint was less than when duelling with Mrs SR. I guess this highlights where my priorities really lie... Smile

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You don't like cheese? Not even Wensleydale?

Nolte · Joined: 15 Oct 2006 Posts: 4818 Location: irlande

fiddles, a slow ride even by my standards today. did 40km in 2 hours 28. 11 minutes slower than last week and 14 minutes slower than 2 weeks ago.
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Boogerd_Fan · Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 2:23 pm Post subject:

great weekend for me - totally ignored the weather forecast and crunched out 170km, 2100m ascended in 3 riders over 50km.... in single figure temperatures.. brrrr

...perhaps i should've heeded the forecast slightly.. as the ride yesterday was cut short thanks to it starting snowing Very Happy

unheard of in BA in April.

a 6km hill time trial awaits on 1st May... i'm totally not ready to compete, but i figured a top 50 (out of cca 200) is a good aim, and reasonable to my ability based on the times from last year. Today was a recon of the course in the Maly Karpaty... not my type of climb - due to the wild fluctuations in gradient it will be super difficult to get into a rhythm. However - the 200m @ 17% after just 2km should sort out the men from the boys... then it progressively kicks up and up in bursts over 10% but with 500m-1km @ 1% in between.

I'm ridiculously slow on the steep bits in the granny gears... but i was thinking to make it up by sprinting in between. More intervals planned this week to check which tactic would give me a better time. On the day it'll be a proper affair with supporters and kites every km. Looking forwards Smile

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Has the new Boogie arrived??

SlowRower · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:56 am Post subject:

Boogie - Good luck with the hill climb. Don't get carried away with the supporters and kites! I hate climbs with wildly variable gradients, as you know that a flattish bit where you can "spin" is simply rewarded with a near vertical pitch shortly afterwards. The right gear always seems to be between any of the ones you've got!

I had another session duelling with Tim yesterday. He was on yet another new bike - a larger version of the one he'd been on two weeks ago. The new bike was still ugly, and thankfully still behind me at all the crucial points. Smile

Tim is improving steadily, though, after disrupted training over the winter, and I'm sure that by the Marmotte, our relative performance levels will be much different to how they are now. We're doing a Sportive next weekend, and I intend to "fill my boots" if the opportunuity presents itself.
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You don't like cheese? Not even Wensleydale?

Bartali · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 11506 Location: Hertfordshire

Boogie - What's your forecast for for the climb? Sub 30 minutes?

SR - which sportive are you tackling?
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OGGI CI DAREMO UNA BOTTA - F.COPPI

SlowRower · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:23 pm Post subject:

Guiness · Joined: 03 Nov 2009 Posts: 887 Location: County of Kent

Good luck SR. Peak 100 is a classic. I think I mentioned the Mow Cop last year? Coming down off Mow Cop is probably scarier than going up!

Boogie - good luck with your climb. Hats off to you for getting out on your bike in such horrid weather.