Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
Rode with the local cycling club again. Very hilly route. Slow average but very challenging and a great workout. Got very cold waiting at the tops of all the climbs for the slower members of the group but still immensely enjoyable. Most climbing I've done locally but felt really comfortable.
On another note I now only need something like 24 miles to make 3000 for the year...
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
I've pretty much given up for winter. Just looking for a decent turbo trainer to try and carry on getting some miles in.
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
funkyg
I've pretty much given up for winter. Just looking for a decent turbo trainer to try and carry on getting some miles in.
Halfords had some on offer after last Christmas, worth keeping an eye on mate.
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
I get a really good workout on a turbo trainer but I don't enjoy it at all. I'm thinking of trying rollers as they are a lot more like cycling on the road but hard to learn. Being out on the real road will always be my first love tho.
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
I haven't been out for over a month due to work or weather. I don't mind cold as I can layer up but when it's pissing down or blowing a gale I can't be arsed.
I've got my eye on one of the Tacx trainers, just waiting/hoping for a deal online. I know it's not the same but it's better than nothing.
As for boredom I'll just get some tunes blasting in the garage.
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
I'm not worried whatever the weather. It's purely spare time that's stopping me at the moment. I work nights, look after my daughter until 2pm each day, sleep until 7, get up for some family time then back to bed for a couple of hours.
Cycling has very sadly been relegated to a weekend pursuit, and more often than not Sunday only. :-(
I have tried music and movies whilst on the turbo trainer. To be honest I still get bored. The workout is tremendous and very beneficial but when I do have time for it I tend not to bother purely because it's dull.
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
Have a few rides to report today.
I needed 32 miles to take me over 3000 miles for 2014. I did 34 miles on Boxing Day.
My next ride wasn't until the third and my Garmin messed up so I had to use strava as a back up.
https://www.strava.com/activities/236212325
This was a night ride on unlit roads and was massive fun. I even hit some PBs on some of the climbs !
The next ride was the next day and was the sunday outing with Kingsway Cycling Club
Nice hill right in the middle and another great sociable ride. Waiting in the cold for the slower members to reach the top of the climbs is uncomfortable but it's still lovely riding with other people.
The last ride to report is a good one for me. The most challenging hill that's within about 10 miles of my house is Frocester Hill. Most people don't attempt it and many that do don't get up it.I had avoided it like the plague for over a year but it was time to at least have a go.
It doesn't look that much when you say it's 9% average gradient for 1.4 miles but it's all up with no respite at all and around each bend it seems to go up again. I thought I was going to have to stop once about 400 yards from the top but I managed to keep the pedals turning and made it up in one go. Absolutely delighted !
If anyone's interested, here's the segment on Veloviewer
http://veloviewer.com/segments/667813/athlete/2631290
and Strava
https://www.strava.com/activities/24...ysis/1167/1637
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
Haven't updated this for a while,work and home have been mental but here goes...
Friday 16th Jan, a nice but steady run starting with a cat 3 then running out flat for the rest of the route.
Sunday 18th January was a very icy ride with the local cycling club. 3 fallers on the ice and a pretty slow ride.
20th Jan, A rare run for me and smashed my pb for 5km
Friday that week,me and a couple of the local cycling club decided to do the 100km loop via the Severn Bridge. Third time I've done this route but this was by far the slowest. One of the guys had bitten off more than he could chew and we had to nurse him back to Gloucester for the last 35 miles or so.
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
Sunday 1st Feb was another Kingsway Cycling Club Run. I went out with the fast group (I'm one of the fastest of the slow group and one of the slowest of the fast group so I'm always switching between the two) and found this really hard work.
We rode to and then up Littledean Hill, a right tough little climb. I overheated half way up and kept trying to find my jacket's zip to undo it a bit but kept managing to grab my helmet catch instead. Managed to keep going but this was a slog and a half.
My next two rides were Sunday and Monday, 8th and 9th of Feb. I went out on my own to do a couple of flat routes because I was feeling a bit rubbish and wanted to try shaking it off.
I failed on the first one and got home feeling shit but the second was great.
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
Next up was Sunday 15th February and a failure for me. I failed to get up a hill in one go for the first time in ages. The hill in question is on Cranham and locally known as 'The Wall' because you turn the corner and it looks like a wall of tarmac in front of you. I got up this initial steep bit fine but after that you're blowing out of your arse, turn another corner and it goes up again. not as steep but you're already shattered and I had to put my foot down.
I learned afterwards that I was only about 100 yards from the top. If I had known, I would have done it. Next time, I'll have it !
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
Wednesday last week I will still feeling a bit rubbish. Some sort of cold or chest infection was affecting my breathing indoorrs but outdoors I felt fine so I went for a ride to try and clear my lungs.
A real tale of two rides this one was. Went out and did a hill at the start and it really took it out of me (a cat 3 on Strava) and it took me until about 15 miles to recover but recover I did and the second half on the homeward leg was really enjoyable and relatively quick.
Well worth the pain of the first half.
I actually recorded a video of the cat 3 if anyone wants to see it - and overlaid all my gps/sensor data. Not my fastest time up that hill but not bad. Sound is a bit kak because of wind and a creaking gear cable right next to the camera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9a5QQWOp4I
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
One of my main goals for this year is to try and get my 5k run time under 25 minutes.
I'm still a way off at the moment but not going bad since i started doing 5k in 42 mins and I'm now hovering around 30
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
2 very scary moments on this ride, firstly I was hit hard by a van wing mirror on the a38 which left a bruise on my back and upper arm. Really shook me up for a while but I kept going.
Then, half way around my ride I got cut up badly and almost ended up underneath the wheels of an arctic lorry. I recognised the markings and went straight around the roundabout and to his yard. Got hold of the transport manager who went and got the driver. He apologised and said he thought he had more room than he did. You can see on my route where I went all the way around the roundabout then the little blip when I went up the slip road into their yard.
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
another 5km run today. Much more comfortable than the one last Friday and I paced it perfectly for my current ability. Very pleased with this run, I hit 5km at about 27 and a half minutes.
Re: Maltloaf's Cycling Journal
Good stuff Malty. You're doing well.