Fitness 2013

[PDH]

I love passing the lycra crowd.  Jean shorts, t-shirt, not even clip pedals yet...some take offense and try to race me.  I just stay with my own speed.  The really good ones I never see again, the others race ahead then slowly come back.

[mongers]

I love passing the lycra crowd.  Jean shorts, t-shirt, not even clip pedals yet...some take offense and try to race me.  I just stay with my own speed.  The really good ones I never see again, the others race ahead then slowly come back.

+1. 

[Caliga]

Just earned my purple belt.

[PDH]

I did a bit over 40 miles today:

Out 10 miles
Up a 2.5 mile climb, then back to the bottom
Up the climb again,
back about 6 miles then turn around and ride to the base of the climb
turn and ride home.

It was tough, but enough water and a clif bar along the way helped.  My goal in 2 weeks is a 55 mile round trip.

[mongers]

I did a bit over 40 miles today:

Out 10 miles
Up a 2.5 mile climb, then back to the bottom
Up the climb again,
back about 6 miles then turn around and ride to the base of the climb
turn and ride home.

It was tough, but enough water and a clif bar along the way helped.  My goal in 2 weeks is a 55 mile round trip.

Excellent.   


Though I feel I'm going in the other direction, need to do some longer trips out, maybe when it's cooled down a lot. 

[PDH]

Did the same route today as I need to get my legs into longer distance shape.  It was harder today.

I had some guy pass me toward the end on a short uphill, he was in lycra but instead of the Tour sponsor jersey (Cofidis et al) shirt he had a local amateur shirt.  He was good and blew me out of the water.  Still, I had 37 miles under my belt by then, so I was ok with it.

[mongers]

Did the same route today as I need to get my legs into longer distance shape.  It was harder today.

I had some guy pass me toward the end on a short uphill, he was in lycra but instead of the Tour sponsor jersey (Cofidis et al) shirt he had a local amateur shirt.  He was good and blew me out of the water.  Still, I had 37 miles under my belt by then, so I was ok with it.

Sounds good.   


I like the idea of a local shirt, in contrast to the roadies you see with a national or world champion white strip, that crack me, unless of course they actually were Mark Cavendish et al. 

edit:
today's route was one I've done a few times and was thinking as I was going around, it really helps 'learning' the route, getting to know what's coming and where to put that extra effort to keep up the pace and the momentum when going over the hills.
I can see it would be a big advance to run a race you've thoroughly reconnoitred before.

[mongers]

So my post- Tour de France fitness experiment finished today; the ideal was to go out every evening on my flat-bard hybrid and try and do a small amount of cycling that would mirror some of the TdF stages ie one day a flat stage, the next a time trial, the third a 'mountain' stage and so on.

On the whole it worked out well, I didn't manage it on 3 days simple because I've had a lot of family stuff going on/visitors and couldn't manage to get out for even half an hour on those days.

The other main issue was the ongoing lack of mountains here, the nearest ones,the Black Mountains, are like 125 miles away and in another country, so I had to make to with using the hillier bits of the forest and downs.   

All told I did a little over 700 km in 21 'stages' taking me a bit under 28 hours.

A bonus of the idea was it got me thinking about using different routes and roads to get about on. The next thing to do is work out some proper longer routes, which don't start at my door step, the whole getting in and out of town can be problematic, naturally slowing you down and messing with the times/speed.  So when I next try it I'll have ones that start clear of the town and it's junctions or start further a field and I get there by a leisurely warm up ride.


I think I'll have another go at this in the spring before the TdF starts, maybe by that time I'll be using a road bike ?

[PDH]

Next Summer I want to ride over the Snowy Range Mountains.  They only go up to about 10500 feet from 7500 feet.  Care to join me?

[mongers]

Next Summer I want to ride over the Snowy Range Mountains.  They only go up to about 10500 feet from 7500 feet.  Care to join me?

You Do want to kill me. 

That sound kinda cool, the sort of trip the photos want at all do justice to the experience. 

Have to give it a miss this coming years as I'm planning on catching a fair bit of the TdF in summer 14, oddly without a bike to hand.   

[PDH]

So I was 10 miles outside of town today and the back wheel began to go flat.  I made another 2 miles before it was done.  Luckily, my pump was broken too, so I started to walk.  As I was around a bend in the mountain, there was no cell coverage for the next half hour of walking - but then I phoned a friend for a lift.

The good news: every bike rider stopped to ask if I was ok, even the hot girl in the tight shorts and the bikini top.

The bad news: every single car zoomed by, even the pickup trucks, the truck with a flatbed trailer, and the car that pulled out 100 yards behind me with a bikerack on the back. 

At least the world is still in balance.

[Ed Anger]

I am at 178 pounds, 2 shy of the doctor ordered weight of 180. The last 3 pounds are Twinkie pounds, as I have been slamming those down my face hole.

[mongers]

So I was 10 miles outside of town today and the back wheel began to go flat.  I made another 2 miles before it was done.  Luckily, my pump was broken too, so I started to walk.  As I was around a bend in the mountain, there was no cell coverage for the next half hour of walking - but then I phoned a friend for a lift.

The good news: every bike rider stopped to ask if I was ok, even the hot girl in the tight shorts and the bikini top.

The bad news: every single car zoomed by, even the pickup trucks, the truck with a flatbed trailer, and the car that pulled out 100 yards behind me with a bikerack on the back. 

At least the world is still in balance.

CCR would approve.

The version of that I get around here are fine young fillies, on horse back that is; carefully passed a couple on some large skittish hunters going up a hill a few days ago and purely by chance passed them again an hour later in a nearby bit of the forest. 

Nice looking, pleasant to chat with, fit young horsewomen. 

[Fireblade]

I'm down to 210 from 246lbs. Or, 95kg from 111kg.

[katmai]

Is Anger bitching about having to gain weight ?!??