your daily bicycle log

Thanks Hunt3r.

I didn't gun at >100 rpm the whole time, only when the resistance was low (running a random profile). So bursts of 1-3 minutes. I kept it over 90 tho, cause I read somewhere last night that you have to do that to improve your speed.

Like I said, I think I'm in as right a position as I can be on this bike. It's going to piss me right off if I can't get my speed up, because it's going to take crazy hours to make my distance goals (I've got a 50 mile ride on the schedule for next week), but I'll suck it up if I have to.

"Refined and fluid stroke" = even pressure all the way round the stroke?

more accurate to say that it should feel smooth, like you're pedaling circles. not jerky. assuming you have normal flexibility your knees should stay in(not splayed out from centerline of bike) your hips shouldnt ever be rocking (usually means saddle is too high), your shoulders and back should be still, your chest should be open to allow easy breathing.

i wouldn't _over_think it either, it should still feel like, y'know, riding your bike.

I get you. I can keep it feeling like circles at 90. At 100+ I'm tapping out a rhythm. Still shoulders - I can work on that.

Half the problem with the stationary bike is it *doesn't* feel like riding my bike! The handlebars are way up high, and the saddle is this fat squashy thing. It's uncomfortable. Never mind - it is convenient and I would be able to go out riding at home, what with the snow and all.

Killing my bike again in the Glasgow winter. Nearly threw my chain today on a downhill after getting caught in snow and its aftermath gave the drivechain a real drubbing yesterday.

krakow! do they still have winter in glasgow? we cancelled it over here.

How are you getting away with that? We are having a fine season of salt and brown slush on the other side of the plains.

62 degrees today. i went out for a ride in shorts and armwarmers.

come on out the warming is fine. skiing, not so much.

i moved my elbow pads out a few cm to see if i could get some better breathing. i could not believe how good it felt, i was so relaxed and i actually felt like i was getting my shoulders way narrower and my head lower. thought i was killing it.

i was significantly slower with much more effort on a calmer day. so sad.

It's nothing too drastic in terms of temperatures and snow has been rare, but the roads certainly aren't kind on bikes these few months.

Sunday is looking good for a ride outside this week, Couple of days thaw to clear the muck then 7˚C although if that forecast holds between now and then I'll be surprised.

40 degree steady drenching rain for 50 minutes. my fender has lost it's sprayguard, and i forgot my windpants, so my (shitty old) striped wool trousers are utterly soaked and covered in road grime. my soft shell finally soaked through around 30 mins.

my whole attitude is covered in road grime :(

My only chance of a ride this week was today - was hoping to get in a 35-mile fairly hilly ride. About 12 miles in I got a sudden rear wheel puncture. I was in the middle of Epping Forest so had to pull over and try and sort things out in the mud. No mobile signal. First I couldn't get the quick release undone. Eventually sorted that (knocking the whole bike over and into the road in the process), dug massive flint out of tyre, changed tube, started to pump it up with crappy mini-pump, realised tyre was sitting off the rim on both sides at one point, deflated tube again, pushed tyre down, started pumping up again.

After about 300 pumps and a minor hand injury I'd still only got it up to 50psi. Two passing cyclists stopped and offered to help - tried to use their pump instead, valve in tube somehow unscrewed and let all the air out. Got it back up again, thanked cyclists, set off, realised immediately something was still wrong: tyre freakishly high on one side and low on the other making the wheel go bomp-bomp-bomp-bomp - a bit worrying on a descent. Not sure what was wrong and afraid inner tube might explode or tyre roll off or something, so decided to ride straight home carefully. About five miles later, saddle suddenly lurches down and points towards the road - another stop needed. At this point it starts raining and it's only 2C. Eventually get home half an hour later than planned, having covered only 24 miles and spent 50 minutes standing around at various points trying to sort out mechanicals.

Argh, I hate those kinds of situations - commiserations!

god, those rides are the worst. sympathies NBS.

terrible. also, kill all crappy mini pumps (unless their only function is to back up co2)

I have done basically zero riding, and have been feeling like a lump

Argh, NBS, that sounds like no fun!

I did 23 'miles' on the exercise bike today, 65 minutes; dropped the resistance and walloped the rpm, managed to keep it over 100 for the first 15 miles. I'm pretty pleased with that.

It wasn't that bad - at least I was able to ride home. The time my chain snapped and I had to walk four miles in cycling shoes was much worse.

rode trainer, tried some position changes. figured out my tt position robs me of about 10% of power afaict (which is not unheard of, i guess). took some videos of positioning after workout and geeked out on motion capture software kinovea. i know all the angles now.

during workout i watched some documentary about going to patagonia to surf and climb on a boat with ultra beach guitar bro soundtrack. on the way, dude picks up easter island surf honey. patagonia looks nice.

NBS, that sounds dreadful.

Had a good ride yesterday despite being off the bike last week, ill, I felt pretty good, weather never got as warm as promised.

A dry weekend, the snow we had earlier in the week has gone and the sun even came out today. Yesterday I went out and did the 33.5 mile ride that mechanical hell prevented me from doing last weekend. Today I went out again and did exactly the same ride, but on my lightweight racer instead of the horrible winter bike, partly as an experiment to see just how much difference it made. My average speed yesterday was 16mph, today it was 17.2mph. Same average heart rate, but I spent more time in zone 4 and zone 5 yesterday, so I think I have to work quite a bit harder on that bike.

I did 19 miles on the static on Tuesday, but I was sick then and I'm still sick so I'm laying off the training until the lurgy passes.

Fell off my bike in the snow on the way back from the bar last night, landed on my wallet and have a dead leg, no real harm done.

I got studs for Xmas and they are maaaaagic

Down in Dorset for the half-term break, managed three rides (25-30 miles) in the last three days, all in windy sub-zero conditions. Thursday and Friday I tried doing lengthy intervals on a three-mile lumpy triangle (three miles hard, three miles recover, etc.) in a desperate attempt to get ready for the racing season (I might be doing my first race of the year next weekend). Today I drove further west and did a very hilly ride: about 200m in the first few miles, then down a 1-in-6 hill having to slam on the brakes to overtake horse riders, then straight up another savage hill, down the other side, over a ford, and up yet another savage hill. The first 10.5 miles had 427 metres of climbing and 274 metres of descents - you don't get that in Essex. Much of that was into a headwind as well, so I was just crawling along. One more horrible climb (taking the total to about 720m in a ride of less than 28 miles) and then a mostly downhill-tailwind section where I had planned to try to set a new fastest speed, but it was snowing by this stage (though I still got over 44mph). I can't wait for it to get a bit warmer.

no ride on trainer today, i did a 56 floor "tower run" for charity. hardest 9 min effort ive ever done, i still feel sickish 3 hrs later.

other workout is shoveling driveway and walk twice today, big snow (finally).

yesterday i discovered the true state of my jockey wheels :o

lol that sounds so ominous.

my attempts at doing that 100 mile strava challenge on the weekend:

#1 - head out just after midday on saturday with plan to hit usual loop of short hills, then extend as required. take advantage of nice smooth resurfaced road on the first real climb of the day to set improbable personal best; pace slows somewhat as it dawns on me how frickin' hot it is. empty both bottles by end of mt pleasant loop, roll down to research and stop for drink, start up the hill to kangaroo ground but end up peeling off towards trail running along disused aqueduct where there's some shade. slink home. 47 miles.

#2 - spend most of morning fussing over job application, get everything wrapped up by 2.30 and decide to have another go despite relatively late start time. head north on boring straight road through suburbia for 40km, then hook right onto brilliant rollercoaster-like stretch through rolling countryside. stop for food, then take old humevale climb up to kinglake and am greeted by excellent sunset views. decide to catch next train from hurstbridge station, so drop down the mountain and hustle along darkening road, get to station only to find trains off due to track works, so hit road once more. fire the one bullet left in the chamber while getting up awful 15% steep 100m pinch, luckily that was the last hard bit for the day; have semi-altercation with dickhead in car a couple of km from home after I claim lane at red light. roll in just after 11pm. 82 miles. damnit!

so afaict this one guy did 100 miles on a .7 mile oval at like 22 mph, which is awesome and stupendously mental.

if it's the same guy and this is right, even faster than that

https://twitter.com/misterlump/status/305771310477365248/photo/1

insane. insane!!!!

haha, different guy, but that is even more sick.

The different guy that Hunt3r is referring to was on a road bike (i.e., not on a TT set-up with TT helmet/skinsuit/etc.) and also was not attacking the civilized pace line like the gentleman pictured above was until barely anyone was left (kinda of a dick move etiquette-wise, esp as the guy who called the ride!)

The different guy that Hunt3r is referring to wanted to complete the 100-mile challenge but also attend a birthday party in the afternoon so was pressed for time.

steve shasta!

nice delivery :)

nicely ridden, shasta! I was hoping for a visit in here.

He lives!

nasty, Shasty

I did my first race of the season on Saturday at Hog Hill. It was very cold (about 2C) so I had full winter gear on. I hadn't done a road race since June and I haven't really been able to train / get many miles in - this was pretty obvious from the start. I managed to cling on for 20 minutes then got dropped, took it very easy for 10 minutes to recover, waited to get lapped then did another 15 mins in the bunch, then called it a day. We'll call it a training ride. picture

Hmmmmm. I seem to have messed up that link: http://www.davehaywardphotos.com/Cycling/2013/Redbridge-Circuit-Races/28273498_hcmWgV#!i=2392205643&k=QKrKR5P&lb=1&s=A

I took my new bike out for the first time today. One lap of Richmond park and my neck seized up, but I managed a decent speed and didn't fall off. Mostly I just wanted to get the feel of it and practice riding with cleats. It was a lot of fun after all those boring gym rides! Same again tomorrow.

stripped down commuter bike to frame (left only headset cups), cleaned it, regreased and reinstalled bb, new chainring, new shift lever (dear jtek, if you can't afford to include a barrel adjuster with your overpriced $80 barend shifter, i think you're doing something wrong), new cables, new brake pads, new (used) handlebar, new tape, new rear rear cog, new rear cassette joint, clean and reinstall fenders and rack. then next day, get inline barrel adjuster, scrounge 4mm ferules, cut just-installed shift cable, and reinstall. fucking bike. i love you.

that bike gets a lot of miles, and NO regular maintenance, so i shouldn't bitch too hard. also, i found a wrench who knows how to overhaul the nexus 8 igh, so soon, it will get its ~15k tuneup.

last weekend i rode with behind a 16-year-old cat 2. he peeled off before we hit the climbs. set several PRs, then on the way back bonked harder than i ever have. nearly passed out on the bridge. not sure if it was the effort or downing a brownie the first half of the ride and then nothing the second half.

Puncheur sportive today - average temperature less than 1C. A very hard slog, but I finally got gold standard (by mere seconds following a desperate sprint at the top of Ditchling Beacon).

first time back on bike for four months after crashed to avoid getting knocked off and broke collar bone and tip of radius at elbow. neither still fully healed, but I cba'd any more. a cold and sleety - and slightly wobbly - 12 miles was more than enough, thanks.

that sounds grim

well i won't be going up ditchling beacon any time soon, but was v pleased to be back on my bike. had a biggish operation on my right side a few years ago, and almost the entire right side of my torso has seized up.

Sunday morning did the LA marathon crash race - people on bikes race the marathon course while the streets are mostly closed, but before the race (about 4:30am.) Rolling start, with two miles before the actual race start (although it's first to the finish line, so.) Racers with bibs in front, folks on beach cruisers with boom boxes in back. The three of us originally planned to take it chill, so we started right between those two groups. We got excited and started cutting through the crazy swarm, keeping an eye on each other while we evaded hazards like a dude downhilling at 28mph on rollerblades and fixies skid-braking. Once we hit the first straightaway and saw everyone working solo we started licking our lips. We did steady rotations eating people up. At one point we had eight people hanging onto us, all very polite about letting us back in when we pulled off. Hadn't looked at the course map since we hadn't planned on racing so the final turn / straightaway took us by surprise. Done. Time for McDonalds.

The most fun I've had on my bike I think. Thinking about starting racing now.

marathon routes seem perfect for bike racing (or at least what I think would be the funnest bike racing). short, linear (no laps, no forcing crazy corners into the route), and in the city (probably).

crits make for good, high-speed spectating, but the bar for entry seems high---at least with regards to confidence/experience in a peloton. but a 26mi dash on open roads (open enough for a lol hueg marathon) seems like it would encourage exactly what you describe: flurries of breakaways with small teams not exactly in contention with each other. mixed abilities/cats in the field and there's enough chaos to prevent a boring self-aware peloton. and a short course w/drafting could see some neat battles between TTists and sprinters. climbers would be SOL but who cares. and if its in a city, you automatically get casual jerks (j/k) to show up and give it a shot. i know ppl that would/could never compete in most standard road races (stage, TT, crit or otherwise), but would murder in a 26mi all-out gun. not surprisingly, these people also do well in alley-cats, which are basically 20-30mi sprints anyway.

cf mass-start nordic ski races. these are alarmingly popular in the upper midwest, with tens of thousands of people, of all abilities, just showing up in random towns in mn and wi and skiing really hard. the only cycling equivalents that i can think of are all unsanctioned: alley cats, things like the wolf pack hustle, and gravel races. one-day short- or middle-distance rides that anyone can do.

like, i've always assumed that one of the reasons that road racing in the US wasn't that popular was because, done in a trad euro way, it required closing 100+ mi of road a day, for too long, and at inconvenient times. so we have tight little crits, that shut down a few blocks or maybe a small-ish town for less time. and yet any half-decent urban area will kill 26mi of street (easy to come by, in the city) for an event that takes the average male ~5hr. the avg person does not need that much time to ride a bike that far.

lonely guy thinkin baout bike racing