July 2016 Bike Cycling Bicycling Challenge
Replies
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I'm in for 250 miles again!
07/02 - 13.00 miles
07/03 - 15.00 miles
07/04 - 13.00 miles
07/07 - 12.25 miles
07/09 - 15.75 miles
07/10 - 12.00 miles...81.00 miles so far
07/12 - 15.00 miles
07/13 - 12.50 miles
07/14 - 13.75 miles
07/16 - 13.75 miles...136.00 miles so far
07/19 - 14.00 miles
07/20 - 15.00 miles
07/21 - 15.00 miles
07/25 - 16.75 miles...196.75 miles so far
07/27 - 17.50 miles
07/30 - 12.25 miles
Chris2 -
Got in one more commute while up north to a ballgame on Wednesday, then did a mid-distance ride for some Indian buffet for lunch today. Experienced my 3rd flat in my last 2 rides on my Florida road bike, but at least found something embedded in the tire when I did the swap (near where the hole was in the tube), and it was a slow enough leak that I made it to a bike shop to do the work indoors, saving a CO2 cartridge in the process. Starting to regret not going for gatorskins on that bike as the premium in tire price would more than make up for my extra cash spent on tubes (as I'm currently rolling on Michelin Krylions).
7/1 - 28 miles
7/3 - 51 miles
7/5 - 52 miles
7/6 - 35 miles
7/7 - 32 miles
7/8 - 46 miles
7/9 - 50 miles
7/10 - 13 miles
7/11 - 44 miles
7/13 - 33 miles
7/14 - 17 miles
7/15 - 30 miles
7/17 - 50 miles
7/18 - 7 miles
7/19 - 39 miles
7/20 - 24 miles
7/21 - 19 miles
7/22 - 11 miles
7/23 - 51 miles
7/24 - 11 miles
7/25 - 12 miles
7/26 - 10 miles
7/27 - 11 miles
7/30 - 35 miles
Total: 711 miles
Goal: 621 miles
Done!2 -
July 1st 50 Miles -- Duration 5:45:00 (Sovicille Loop to Radicondoli)
July 7th 28 Miles -- Duration 4:00:00 (Greve Loop to Radda)
July 9th 6.66 Miles -- Duration 00:57:39
July 11th 26.7 Miles -- Duration 1:50:55
July 15th 11.5 Miles -- Duration 1:00:22
July 16th 7.5 Miles -- Duration 00:51:41
July 17th 36.3 Miles -- Duration 2:47:31
July 18th 12.0 Miles -- Duration 1:08:20
July 20th 38.7 Miles -- Duration 2:37:04
July 21st 12.5 Miles -- Duration 1:08:52
July 22nd 18.8 Miles -- Duration 1:24:21
July 23rd 8.09 Miles -- Duration 00:46:45
July 24th 23.44 Miles -- Duration 2:06:02 (MTB Race)
July 27th 13.8 Miles -- Duration 1:42:00
July 28th 5.29 Miles -- Duration 00:35:15
July 29th 12.1 Miles -- Duration 1:10:20 (MTB course pre-ride)
July Total Miles: 311.38
July Total Duration: 29:52:072 -
July 28 - 3.8 km walking (45 min) + 21 km cycling outside (65 min)
July 25 - 2.7 km walking (30 min)
July 23 - 10 min walking + 55 min running = 8 km in 65 min + 2.6 km rowing (16 min)
July 15 - 3.1 km walking (35 min) + 30 flights of stairs (24 min)
Saturday 16 July -- 164.9 km training ride.
July 13 - 3 km walking (35 min) + 15 flights of stairs (12 min) + 50 min on my bicycle on the trainer + about 10 min of core work/weightlifting
July 9 - 100 km cycling (315 minutes)Happy Canada Day from a Canadian-Australian.
Saturday 2 July -- 1186 metres (3891.076) of climbing, in 81.8 km of cycling, completed within 5.5 hours (elapsed time) and 4:35 moving time for an average speed of 17.8 km/h (moving time).
The ride included a couple Category 4 climbs with various climbs in the 13-16% grade range.
Starting temperature 12°C with a high of 14.7°C halfway through the ride. We had a headwind on the way out and tailwind on the way back, for the most part, with some odd, very chilly gusts now and then. It was mostly cloudy and looked like it was going to rain several times, but fortunately, that didn't happen. On the way back we were sure we were going to get caught in a rain squall, but it passed behind us and we just got a small blast of it.
We started the ride about 12:30 pm so, since the sun sets at about 4:45, it was pitch black by the time we finished. A little night riding practice. For some reason climbing is so much more difficult in the dark.
And we stopped for lunch at the halfway point. I had been looking forward to that, but unfortunately they were out of many choices (busy day what with the federal election), and what we ate (paninis with lots of spinach) didn't sit well at all. I was about 1 km out of the town on the way back when I started feeling very unsettled. And then about 8 or 9 km later we started a long, long climb (one of the cat 4 climbs) and by the time I got to the top, I was not feeling at all well. Fighting to keep things down. However, I took an electrolyte tablet and a Zantac, and that eased things a bit.
The route mainly followed the coast so we had lots of beautiful views of water and green hills.
There were lots of birds around ... a large flock of black cockatoos filled a tree next to where we parked at the start of the ride and we had to dodge and weave between the pine cones they were dropping from the tree ... we were being bombed! And during the ride, I spotted herons, oyster catchers, small gulls, large Pacific gulls, a cormorant airing its wings ... and most spectacular was a massive wedge-tail eagle which took flight from a tree next to the road, and flew across, right in front of Rowan. I don't think I've ever seen them that close, but Rowan has because they come onto the property where he works. In fact, just yesterday, he rescued a young one which had flown through the net over the orchard, and then had become stuck inside.
Overall, it was a good, strenuous, training ride on a beautiful but quite hilly route.
Oh, and I wore my new winter cycling boots for the first time. They're very comfortable but I will have to do something about drafts coming in around my ankles. And ... I need to install a cleat!! I forgot all about that and so had to ride with my platform pedals the whole way!!
Elevation profile:
Machka9 wrote:Review ...
Distances include cycling + walking
March: 489.8 km (304.3 miles) = 38 hours 4 min
April: 491.94 km (305.6 miles) = 43 hours 6 min
May: 361.81 km (224.8 miles) = 35 hours 50 min
June: 569.53 km (353.9 miles) = 41 hours 53 min
July: 230.7 km (143.35 miles) = 32 hours 45 min
Aug: 211.3 km (131.3 miles) = 28 hours 8 min
Sep: 306.7 km (190.6 miles) = 35 hour 2 min
Oct: 441.82 km (274.5 miles) = 47 hours 43 min
Nov: 660.21 km (410.23 miles) = 60 hours 41 min
Dec: 499.91 km (282.8 miles) = 54 hours 56 min
Jan: 864.79 km (537.35 miles) = 65 hours 36 min
Feb: 470.53 km (292.4 miles) = 40 hours 39 min
March: 917.73 km (570.2 miles) = 66 hours 13 min
April: 417.83 km (259.6 miles) = 40 hours 23 min
May: 267.09 km (165.9 miles) = 36 hours 10 min
June 552.1 km (343 miles) = 54 hours 48 min
Well, let's see ... last July my distance and time took a nose-dive. Hopefully this year will be better than that!
July 2 - 81.8 km cycling (250 min)
July 3 - 32.1 km cycling (100 min)
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Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 113.9 km (350 min)
July Cycling Inside: 0 min
July Walking: 2.5 km (30 min)
July Stairs: 30 flights (24 min)
July Time Total: 404 min = 6 hours 44 min
July Distance Total: 116.4 km = 72.3 miles
July 12 - 4 km walking (50 min) + 15 flights of stairs (12 min)+ 45 min on my bicycle on the trainer + about 5 min of core work/weightlifting
Last week, I was battling food poisoning acquired at lunch on the 81.8 km mentioned above ... and then an unrelated allergic reaction to an antibiotic. I had all sorts of plans for great workouts last week ... and barely managed to get some walking in.
Then we went up north for a 3-day weekend and were intending to do 3 days of cycling, but the weather had different plans. It's winter here and very wet, cold, and unpredictable. But we did get one good ride in! And it was a good ride ... the fastest 100 km I've done in years!
Back on the trainer this week.
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Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 213.9 km (665 min)
July Cycling Inside: 45 min
July Walking: 34.4 km (425 min)
July Stairs: 140 flights (112 min)
July Weightlifting: 20 min
July Time Total: 1267 min = 21 hours 7 min
July Distance Total: 248.3 km = 154.3 miles
July 14 - 1 km walking (12 min) + 30 flights of stairs (24 min) + 54 min on my bicycle on the trainer + about 10 min of core work/weightlifting
Me on my trainer and my husband on rollers ... at least we're getting some sort of cycling in.
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Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 213.9 km (665 min)
July Cycling Inside: 194 min
July Walking: 38.4 km (472 min)
July Stairs: 185 flights (148 min)
July Weightlifting: 40 min
July Time Total: 1519 min = 25 hours 19 min
July Distance Total: 252.3 km = 156.8 miles
We did a 200K mid-June, and wanted to do a long ride mid-July too, so we decided to ride a century today.
Plan A took us to a location that got snow earlier this week and then flooded. We decided to do a different route.
Plan B had us doing a Y-shaped route, starting at the bottom of the Y and going out the left side first, then the right, and back to the bottom of the Y. But mid-ride we changed our minds, and decided to do a section in the middle of the Y twice rather than the right segment. That worked out all right.
Our route started with a long climb up and over the hill into the city. Then the middle section of the route was relatively flat, by comparison. And the route ended with a long climb up and over the hill to our suburb.
It was about 12.5°C when we started, got to a high of 16.4°C, and then cooled down to 8.3°C by the end of the day ... with some particularly cold spots on the last climb and during that descent, after dark. But, for a change, it was sunny all day! In fact, it had something of a spring-like feel. It's still the middle of winter, but after all the cold and miserable weather we've had, it's nice to have a spring-like day. But it was windy ... 22-30 km/h with gusts as high as 48 km/h.
We started the ride about 8:30 am, after the 7:00-8:10 am recap of last night's live coverage of the TDF Time Trial. Priorities!
Moments after we started, I had trouble with my cassette shifters. Sometimes I couldn't shift ... the shifter would move freely but nothing would happen. Sometimes when I would try to shift into a smaller ring, both shifters (brake and shifter) would move, and nothing would happen. More frequently, I could do the shift, but the shifter wouldn't return. I decided I would just deal with it until we got into the city.
We climbed up and over into the city and stopped for a quick break before riding out the Cycleway. Shortly after we got going on the Cycleway, we stopped at a hardware store to get oil to see if that would help my shifters. It might have made some difference, but then Rowan turned one little screw, and it was all good!
For some reason, people like smashing bottles on the Cycleway Friday nights, so we had to dodge patches of broken glass here and there.
But on the bright side, there were a lot of cyclist on and near the Cycleway today. I don't know if I've ever seen so many cyclists out and about. I guess everyone decided to get out and enjoy our brief glimpse of spring! In fact, one cycled and chatted with Rowan for some distance.
We continued on to New Norfolk, across the bridge and along the rather flooded Derwent river for about 12 km before pulling a U-turn and returning to New Norfolk. I like that stretch of road along the Derwent ... it's scenic, and we could see snow covered mountains in the distance. We had lunch in New Norfolk - both of us had cauliflower and cheese pies (one of my favourites) and Rowan had a sort of custard pie with fruit for dessert while I had mud cake.
There had been a headwind all the way out to where we turned around, so going back was great! We flew along (and set several personal bests on Strava). Next thing we knew, we were back on the Cycleway and flying back to the start of the Cycleway.
We stopped there, again, and made up bottles of Ensure. Part of the training ride was to try out possible nutrition solutions for long stretches of longer rides with no services. The Ensure worked well ... tasted good and provided energy and electrolytes.
Back to the end of Cycleway, against the wind, and back to the start again, with a tailwind .... but a dying tailwind, so we weren't flying anymore.
And then it was homeward bound. Through the city, and then up and up and up. The sun set while we were making our way through the city, and so partway up, we stopped so I could take a ginger tablet. I have found that climbing in the dark makes me feel a bit sea sick with the swaying light. Ginger tablets work for other "sea sick" situations, so we thought I might try one for this ... and it seemed to work. I climbed the hill in the dark, and no sea sick feeling.
Then a quick descent into our suburb, another climb as we cycled through the suburb, and another descent to home.
Distance: 164.9km
Moving Time: 8:54:36
Total time: 10:17:33
Elevation Gain: 1,767m
July 16 - 164.9 km cycling (520 min) (see above)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Machka9/view/164-9-km-training-ride-883674
July 17 - 3.5 km walking (40 min)
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Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 378.8 km (1185 min)
July Cycling Inside: 194 min
July Walking: 45 km (547 min)
July Stairs: 215 flights (172 min)
July Weightlifting: 40 min
July Time Total: 2138 min = 35 hours 38 min
July Distance Total: 423.8 km = 263.3 miles
Sunday -- 100.1 km ride in the afternoon and evening (after dark) | 725 metres (2378.6 feet) of climbing | Total time: 6 hours 19 minutes | Moving speed: 18.9 km/h
The wind wasn't too bad and the sun came out now and then. The high for the day reached 9.5C ... and then dropped to 2.1 by the end of the ride. That was a little chilly!
This was a training ride as we're adjusting things and testing things for longer rides.- Our new reflective vests worked well.
- My new boots worked well ... until the temp dropped below 4C.
- My gloves aren't quite warm enough under 4C either.
- Our clothing layers were good.
- The chocolate Ensure provided most of our energy quite adequately.
July 24 - 100.1 km cycling (315 min)
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Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 478.9 km (1500 min)
July Cycling Inside: 194 min
July Walking: 75.2 km (877 min)
July Stairs: 235 flights (188 min)
July Weightlifting: 80 min
July Rowing: 2.6 km (16 min)
July Time Total: 2855 min = 47 hours 35 min
July Distance Total: 556.7 km = 345.9 miles
July 26 - 5.3 km walking (65 min) + 5 flights of stairs (4 min) + weightlifting (20 min) + 30 minutes on my bicycle on the trainer
July 27 - 4 km walking (50 min) + 5 flights of stairs (4 min)
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Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 478.9 km (1500 min)
July Cycling Inside: 224 min
July Walking: 87.2 km (1022 min)
July Stairs: 245 flights (196 min)
July Weightlifting: 100 min
July Rowing: 2.6 km (16 min)
July Time Total: 3058 min = 50 hours 58 min
July Distance Total: 568.7 km = 353.4 miles
____________________________________________
Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 499.9 km (1565 min)
July Cycling Inside: 224 min
July Walking: 91 km (1067 min)
July Stairs: 245 flights (196 min)
July Weightlifting: 100 min
July Rowing: 2.6 km (16 min)
July Time Total: 3168 min = 52 hours 48 min
July Distance Total: 593.5 km = 368.8 miles
Saturday we cycled 100.2 km on Bruny Island. We drove out to Kettering, caught an early ferry and spent the day on the island.
First we cycled out to Adventure Bay, and we stopped along the way for a few photos. In Adventure Bay we had an excellent lunch ... panini sandwiches and a large slice of carrot cake. Then we cycled to Alonnah, and on our way, we stopped and bought some fudge. And then we cycled back to the ferry again.
The day was fairly relaxed with a goal of covering 100 km without stress, and testing a few things.
One of the things I was testing was my new helmet. My previous helmet just hasn't been quite right, especially with a thick headband under it. It was either strangling me or blocking my vision and I was finishing rides with a really stiff neck and shoulders. Today I rode with my new helmet, and it was good! Hardly noticed it was there and my neck and shoulders feel normal.
Rowan was testing narrower handlebars, which seemed to pass the test.
I was testing a raised saddle height because it seems I've done something to my right knee which might be related to my new boots. Raising the saddle height does seem to be better, but it might need to come up a little bit more.
And we were testing Bushells Coffee and Chicory Essence. We mixed up a bottle with Ensure and a decent amount of Bushells Coffee and Chicory Essence which contains 66 mg of caffeine for every 20 ml (2 tablespoons). Well ... it tasted good and I (who drank most of it) felt awake and energetic by the end of the ride!
It was about 10°C on the ferry going over ... and cooled to about 8°C at one point along the way out. But it did warm again to near 10°C in the middle of the ride. With the bright sunshine, which made a rare and welcome appearance, it felt quite a bit warmer than that. Toward the end of the day, it dropped to about 6°C ... and that's when my feet started getting cold again. I need to solve that problem soon!
Overall, it was a really good ride ... first one in this recent batch of training where I've felt really comfortable on the bicycle, like I could keep riding.
Distance: 100.2 km
Elevation: 1154 metres (3786 feet)
Moving Time: 5:38:49
Elapsed Time: 7:16:34
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/albums/72157668975966700
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7/1 18.01
7/2 20.28
7/3 36.20
7/5 20.08
7/9 17.95
7/10 41.82
7/12 13.26
7/17 11.76
7/18 23.84
7/19 5.42
7/20 21.42
7/21 31.62
7/22 18.26
7/23 10.35
7/25 16.99
7/26 11.04
7/27 20.09
7/29 11.16
7/30 26.13
7/31 42.06
MTD: 417.56
Jan: 49.93
Feb: 177.8
Mar: 279.94
Apr: 198.79
May: 110.02
June: 238.86
July: 417.56
Total: 1472.900 -
4/7 13.4 AWE Burghfield
5/7 13.7 Aldermaston
7/7 11 outdoor Burghfield village
8/7 7.8 Amphitheatre , red lion hill
9/7 15.1 Newbury via canal
12/7 7.8 indoor
13/7 13.8 Burghfield church
16/7 8.7 St Mary Sulhamstead
17/7 10.2 Indoor
101.5 so far -
19/7 12.1 Tadley
20/7 11.7 indoor
26/7 12.9 Duke of Wellington Estate
27/7 11.1 indoor
31/7 5 indoor
Ah well, because of a number of trips away I didn't make my 180 goal this month. August is full of trips and work trips away as well; not sure if I'll be in the saddle much at all. I'm going to try and do at least 10 decent outdoor rides next month. Everyone's totals are amazing. @Machka9, what is that dear little animal behind the spokes on your photo?
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July 1st 50 Miles -- Duration 5:45:00 (Sovicille Loop to Radicondoli)
July 7th 28 Miles -- Duration 4:00:00 (Greve Loop to Radda)
July 9th 6.66 Miles -- Duration 00:57:39
July 11th 26.7 Miles -- Duration 1:50:55
July 15th 11.5 Miles -- Duration 1:00:22
July 16th 7.5 Miles -- Duration 00:51:41
July 17th 36.3 Miles -- Duration 2:47:31
July 18th 12.0 Miles -- Duration 1:08:20
July 20th 38.7 Miles -- Duration 2:37:04
July 21st 12.5 Miles -- Duration 1:08:52
July 22nd 18.8 Miles -- Duration 1:24:21
July 23rd 8.09 Miles -- Duration 00:46:45
July 24th 23.44 Miles -- Duration 2:06:02 (MTB Race)
July 27th 13.8 Miles -- Duration 1:42:00
July 28th 5.29 Miles -- Duration 00:35:15
July 30th 12.1 Miles -- Duration 1:10:20 (MTB course pre-ride)
July 31st 71.1 Miles -- Duration 4:51:19
July Total Miles: 382.48
July Total Duration: 34:43:26
And that's a wrap for July!0 -
I'm in for 250 miles again!
07/02 - 13.00 miles
07/03 - 15.00 miles
07/04 - 13.00 miles
07/07 - 12.25 miles
07/09 - 15.75 miles
07/10 - 12.00 miles...81.00 miles so far
07/12 - 15.00 miles
07/13 - 12.50 miles
07/14 - 13.75 miles
07/16 - 13.75 miles...136.00 miles so far
07/19 - 14.00 miles
07/20 - 15.00 miles
07/21 - 15.00 miles
07/25 - 16.75 miles...196.75 miles so far
07/27 - 17.50 miles
07/30 - 12.25 miles
07/31 - 16.00 miles...242.50
Chris0 -
Congrads to everyone who made their numbers, valiantly tried, or added lots of valuable discussion, insights, and photos to the thread.
The August challenge is now up at:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10436619/august-2016-biking-cycling-bicycling-challenge/p1?new=1
Feel free to set some goals and get out and ride!2 -
_nikkiwolf_ wrote: »@sijomial Thanks for the comment on the cadence! Yes, I'll keep working on it, even though it will probably take me quite a while to get used to it, and stop feeling tempted to switch to a higher gear. Except for the way to work in the morning - that's uphill enough that I wind up in the lowest gear sooner or later anyway.
Sorry for the super-slow/late reply. I'm usually in the 80-100 range for my real rides and definitely recognize the value of efficiently spinning. Still, there have been oddly built professional riders (see Jan Ullrich w. his massive thighs and 65rpm cadences) where it hasn't made as much sense, and others (Froome/Armstrong) who regularly are well above 100rpm.
For me, I've been a longtime heart rate:speed data guy, and noticed I'll get the most speed at 130bpm at about 70rpm, but I can sustain the same speed without building up too much muscle fatigue at 135bpm at about 85rpm. Still, now that I have power data, I'll definitely revisit that story, as it is may give me a more precise answer.1 -
Saturday we cycled 100.2 km on Bruny Island. We drove out to Kettering, caught an early ferry and spent the day on the island.
July 28 - 3.8 km walking (45 min) + 21 km cycling outside (65 min)
July 25 - 2.7 km walking (30 min)
July 23 - 10 min walking + 55 min running = 8 km in 65 min + 2.6 km rowing (16 min)
Sunday -- 100.1 km ride in the afternoon and evening (after dark) | 725 metres (2378.6 feet) of climbing | Total time: 6 hours 19 minutes | Moving speed: 18.9 km/h
July 15 - 3.1 km walking (35 min) + 30 flights of stairs (24 min)
Saturday 16 July -- 164.9 km training ride.
July 13 - 3 km walking (35 min) + 15 flights of stairs (12 min) + 50 min on my bicycle on the trainer + about 10 min of core work/weightlifting
July 9 - 100 km cycling (315 minutes)Happy Canada Day from a Canadian-Australian.
Saturday 2 July -- 1186 metres (3891.076) of climbing, in 81.8 km of cycling, completed within 5.5 hours (elapsed time) and 4:35 moving time for an average speed of 17.8 km/h (moving time).
The ride included a couple Category 4 climbs with various climbs in the 13-16% grade range.
Starting temperature 12°C with a high of 14.7°C halfway through the ride. We had a headwind on the way out and tailwind on the way back, for the most part, with some odd, very chilly gusts now and then. It was mostly cloudy and looked like it was going to rain several times, but fortunately, that didn't happen. On the way back we were sure we were going to get caught in a rain squall, but it passed behind us and we just got a small blast of it.
We started the ride about 12:30 pm so, since the sun sets at about 4:45, it was pitch black by the time we finished. A little night riding practice. For some reason climbing is so much more difficult in the dark.
And we stopped for lunch at the halfway point. I had been looking forward to that, but unfortunately they were out of many choices (busy day what with the federal election), and what we ate (paninis with lots of spinach) didn't sit well at all. I was about 1 km out of the town on the way back when I started feeling very unsettled. And then about 8 or 9 km later we started a long, long climb (one of the cat 4 climbs) and by the time I got to the top, I was not feeling at all well. Fighting to keep things down. However, I took an electrolyte tablet and a Zantac, and that eased things a bit.
The route mainly followed the coast so we had lots of beautiful views of water and green hills.
There were lots of birds around ... a large flock of black cockatoos filled a tree next to where we parked at the start of the ride and we had to dodge and weave between the pine cones they were dropping from the tree ... we were being bombed! And during the ride, I spotted herons, oyster catchers, small gulls, large Pacific gulls, a cormorant airing its wings ... and most spectacular was a massive wedge-tail eagle which took flight from a tree next to the road, and flew across, right in front of Rowan. I don't think I've ever seen them that close, but Rowan has because they come onto the property where he works. In fact, just yesterday, he rescued a young one which had flown through the net over the orchard, and then had become stuck inside.
Overall, it was a good, strenuous, training ride on a beautiful but quite hilly route.
Oh, and I wore my new winter cycling boots for the first time. They're very comfortable but I will have to do something about drafts coming in around my ankles. And ... I need to install a cleat!! I forgot all about that and so had to ride with my platform pedals the whole way!!Elevation profile:Machka9 wrote:Review ...
Distances include cycling + walking
March: 489.8 km (304.3 miles) = 38 hours 4 min
April: 491.94 km (305.6 miles) = 43 hours 6 min
May: 361.81 km (224.8 miles) = 35 hours 50 min
June: 569.53 km (353.9 miles) = 41 hours 53 min
July: 230.7 km (143.35 miles) = 32 hours 45 min
Aug: 211.3 km (131.3 miles) = 28 hours 8 min
Sep: 306.7 km (190.6 miles) = 35 hour 2 min
Oct: 441.82 km (274.5 miles) = 47 hours 43 min
Nov: 660.21 km (410.23 miles) = 60 hours 41 min
Dec: 499.91 km (282.8 miles) = 54 hours 56 min
Jan: 864.79 km (537.35 miles) = 65 hours 36 min
Feb: 470.53 km (292.4 miles) = 40 hours 39 min
March: 917.73 km (570.2 miles) = 66 hours 13 min
April: 417.83 km (259.6 miles) = 40 hours 23 min
May: 267.09 km (165.9 miles) = 36 hours 10 min
June 552.1 km (343 miles) = 54 hours 48 min
Well, let's see ... last July my distance and time took a nose-dive. Hopefully this year will be better than that!
July 2 - 81.8 km cycling (250 min)
July 3 - 32.1 km cycling (100 min)
____________________________________________
Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 113.9 km (350 min)
July Cycling Inside: 0 min
July Walking: 2.5 km (30 min)
July Stairs: 30 flights (24 min)
July Time Total: 404 min = 6 hours 44 min
July Distance Total: 116.4 km = 72.3 miles
July 12 - 4 km walking (50 min) + 15 flights of stairs (12 min)+ 45 min on my bicycle on the trainer + about 5 min of core work/weightlifting
Last week, I was battling food poisoning acquired at lunch on the 81.8 km mentioned above ... and then an unrelated allergic reaction to an antibiotic. I had all sorts of plans for great workouts last week ... and barely managed to get some walking in.
Then we went up north for a 3-day weekend and were intending to do 3 days of cycling, but the weather had different plans. It's winter here and very wet, cold, and unpredictable. But we did get one good ride in! And it was a good ride ... the fastest 100 km I've done in years!
Back on the trainer this week.
____________________________________________
Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 213.9 km (665 min)
July Cycling Inside: 45 min
July Walking: 34.4 km (425 min)
July Stairs: 140 flights (112 min)
July Weightlifting: 20 min
July Time Total: 1267 min = 21 hours 7 min
July Distance Total: 248.3 km = 154.3 miles
July 14 - 1 km walking (12 min) + 30 flights of stairs (24 min) + 54 min on my bicycle on the trainer + about 10 min of core work/weightlifting
Me on my trainer and my husband on rollers ... at least we're getting some sort of cycling in.
____________________________________________
Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 213.9 km (665 min)
July Cycling Inside: 194 min
July Walking: 38.4 km (472 min)
July Stairs: 185 flights (148 min)
July Weightlifting: 40 min
July Time Total: 1519 min = 25 hours 19 min
July Distance Total: 252.3 km = 156.8 miles
We did a 200K mid-June, and wanted to do a long ride mid-July too, so we decided to ride a century today.
Plan A took us to a location that got snow earlier this week and then flooded. We decided to do a different route.
Plan B had us doing a Y-shaped route, starting at the bottom of the Y and going out the left side first, then the right, and back to the bottom of the Y. But mid-ride we changed our minds, and decided to do a section in the middle of the Y twice rather than the right segment. That worked out all right.
Our route started with a long climb up and over the hill into the city. Then the middle section of the route was relatively flat, by comparison. And the route ended with a long climb up and over the hill to our suburb.
It was about 12.5°C when we started, got to a high of 16.4°C, and then cooled down to 8.3°C by the end of the day ... with some particularly cold spots on the last climb and during that descent, after dark. But, for a change, it was sunny all day! In fact, it had something of a spring-like feel. It's still the middle of winter, but after all the cold and miserable weather we've had, it's nice to have a spring-like day. But it was windy ... 22-30 km/h with gusts as high as 48 km/h.
We started the ride about 8:30 am, after the 7:00-8:10 am recap of last night's live coverage of the TDF Time Trial. Priorities!
Moments after we started, I had trouble with my cassette shifters. Sometimes I couldn't shift ... the shifter would move freely but nothing would happen. Sometimes when I would try to shift into a smaller ring, both shifters (brake and shifter) would move, and nothing would happen. More frequently, I could do the shift, but the shifter wouldn't return. I decided I would just deal with it until we got into the city.
We climbed up and over into the city and stopped for a quick break before riding out the Cycleway. Shortly after we got going on the Cycleway, we stopped at a hardware store to get oil to see if that would help my shifters. It might have made some difference, but then Rowan turned one little screw, and it was all good!
For some reason, people like smashing bottles on the Cycleway Friday nights, so we had to dodge patches of broken glass here and there. But on the bright side, there were a lot of cyclist on and near the Cycleway today. I don't know if I've ever seen so many cyclists out and about. I guess everyone decided to get out and enjoy our brief glimpse of spring! In fact, one cycled and chatted with Rowan for some distance.
We continued on to New Norfolk, across the bridge and along the rather flooded Derwent river for about 12 km before pulling a U-turn and returning to New Norfolk. I like that stretch of road along the Derwent ... it's scenic, and we could see snow covered mountains in the distance. We had lunch in New Norfolk - both of us had cauliflower and cheese pies (one of my favourites) and Rowan had a sort of custard pie with fruit for dessert while I had mud cake.
There had been a headwind all the way out to where we turned around, so going back was great! We flew along (and set several personal bests on Strava). Next thing we knew, we were back on the Cycleway and flying back to the start of the Cycleway.
We stopped there, again, and made up bottles of Ensure. Part of the training ride was to try out possible nutrition solutions for long stretches of longer rides with no services. The Ensure worked well ... tasted good and provided energy and electrolytes.
Back to the end of Cycleway, against the wind, and back to the start again, with a tailwind .... but a dying tailwind, so we weren't flying anymore.
And then it was homeward bound. Through the city, and then up and up and up. The sun set while we were making our way through the city, and so partway up, we stopped so I could take a ginger tablet. I have found that climbing in the dark makes me feel a bit sea sick with the swaying light. Ginger tablets work for other "sea sick" situations, so we thought I might try one for this ... and it seemed to work. I climbed the hill in the dark, and no sea sick feeling.
Then a quick descent into our suburb, another climb as we cycled through the suburb, and another descent to home.
Distance: 164.9km
Moving Time: 8:54:36
Total time: 10:17:33
Elevation Gain: 1,767m
July 16 - 164.9 km cycling (520 min) (see above)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Machka9/view/164-9-km-training-ride-883674
July 17 - 3.5 km walking (40 min)
____________________________________________
Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 378.8 km (1185 min)
July Cycling Inside: 194 min
July Walking: 45 km (547 min)
July Stairs: 215 flights (172 min)
July Weightlifting: 40 min
July Time Total: 2138 min = 35 hours 38 min
July Distance Total: 423.8 km = 263.3 miles
The wind wasn't too bad and the sun came out now and then. The high for the day reached 9.5C ... and then dropped to 2.1 by the end of the ride. That was a little chilly!
This was a training ride as we're adjusting things and testing things for longer rides.- Our new reflective vests worked well.
- My new boots worked well ... until the temp dropped below 4C.
- My gloves aren't quite warm enough under 4C either.
- Our clothing layers were good.
- The chocolate Ensure provided most of our energy quite adequately.
July 24 - 100.1 km cycling (315 min)
____________________________________________
Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 478.9 km (1500 min)
July Cycling Inside: 194 min
July Walking: 75.2 km (877 min)
July Stairs: 235 flights (188 min)
July Weightlifting: 80 min
July Rowing: 2.6 km (16 min)
July Time Total: 2855 min = 47 hours 35 min
July Distance Total: 556.7 km = 345.9 miles
July 26 - 5.3 km walking (65 min) + 5 flights of stairs (4 min) + weightlifting (20 min) + 30 minutes on my bicycle on the trainer
July 27 - 4 km walking (50 min) + 5 flights of stairs (4 min)
____________________________________________
Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 478.9 km (1500 min)
July Cycling Inside: 224 min
July Walking: 87.2 km (1022 min)
July Stairs: 245 flights (196 min)
July Weightlifting: 100 min
July Rowing: 2.6 km (16 min)
July Time Total: 3058 min = 50 hours 58 min
July Distance Total: 568.7 km = 353.4 miles
____________________________________________
Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 499.9 km (1565 min)
July Cycling Inside: 224 min
July Walking: 91 km (1067 min)
July Stairs: 245 flights (196 min)
July Weightlifting: 100 min
July Rowing: 2.6 km (16 min)
July Time Total: 3168 min = 52 hours 48 min
July Distance Total: 593.5 km = 368.8 miles
First we cycled out to Adventure Bay, and we stopped along the way for a few photos. In Adventure Bay we had an excellent lunch ... panini sandwiches and a large slice of carrot cake. Then we cycled to Alonnah, and on our way, we stopped and bought some fudge. And then we cycled back to the ferry again.
The day was fairly relaxed with a goal of covering 100 km without stress, and testing a few things.
One of the things I was testing was my new helmet. My previous helmet just hasn't been quite right, especially with a thick headband under it. It was either strangling me or blocking my vision and I was finishing rides with a really stiff neck and shoulders. Today I rode with my new helmet, and it was good! Hardly noticed it was there and my neck and shoulders feel normal.
Rowan was testing narrower handlebars, which seemed to pass the test.
I was testing a raised saddle height because it seems I've done something to my right knee which might be related to my new boots. Raising the saddle height does seem to be better, but it might need to come up a little bit more.
And we were testing Bushells Coffee and Chicory Essence. We mixed up a bottle with Ensure and a decent amount of Bushells Coffee and Chicory Essence which contains 66 mg of caffeine for every 20 ml (2 tablespoons). Well ... it tasted good and I (who drank most of it) felt awake and energetic by the end of the ride!
It was about 10°C on the ferry going over ... and cooled to about 8°C at one point along the way out. But it did warm again to near 10°C in the middle of the ride. With the bright sunshine, which made a rare and welcome appearance, it felt quite a bit warmer than that. Toward the end of the day, it dropped to about 6°C ... and that's when my feet started getting cold again. I need to solve that problem soon!
Overall, it was a really good ride ... first one in this recent batch of training where I've felt really comfortable on the bicycle, like I could keep riding.
Distance: 100.2 km
Elevation: 1154 metres (3786 feet)
Moving Time: 5:38:49
Elapsed Time: 7:16:34
July 30 - 100.2 km cycling (375 min)
July 31 - 10.3 km cycling (30 min)
____________________________________________
Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 610.4 km (1970 min)
July Cycling Inside: 224 min
July Walking: 96 km (1127 min)
July Stairs: 255 flights (204 min)
July Weightlifting: 100 min
July Rowing: 2.6 km (16 min)
July Time Total: 3641 min = 60 hours 41 min
July Distance Total: 709 km = 440.5 miles
0 -
Lol, maybe then the slow cadence is fine for me, judging by many failed attempts at finding jeans that fit over my thighs without being way to loose around the waist, maybe I have oddly massive thighs as well_nikkiwolf_ wrote: »@sijomial Thanks for the comment on the cadence! Yes, I'll keep working on it, even though it will probably take me quite a while to get used to it, and stop feeling tempted to switch to a higher gear. Except for the way to work in the morning - that's uphill enough that I wind up in the lowest gear sooner or later anyway.
Sorry for the super-slow/late reply. I'm usually in the 80-100 range for my real rides and definitely recognize the value of efficiently spinning. Still, there have been oddly built professional riders (see Jan Ullrich w. his massive thighs and 65rpm cadences) where it hasn't made as much sense, and others (Froome/Armstrong) who regularly are well above 100rpm.
For me, I've been a longtime heart rate:speed data guy, and noticed I'll get the most speed at 130bpm at about 70rpm, but I can sustain the same speed without building up too much muscle fatigue at 135bpm at about 85rpm. Still, now that I have power data, I'll definitely revisit that story, as it is may give me a more precise answer.
I'll have to move the cadence sensor from the crossbike to the road bike - I mostly road that since I bought it two weeks ago, and it feels like I have a higher cadence on that, but I didn't really check yet...
Thanks for the hint to look at heart rate as well. Next week, I will try to take my running watch (optical HRM) on a bike ride with me, and see if I can somehow combine that with the cadence data.0
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