April 2018 Biking Cycling Bicycling Bike/ Bicycle/Unicycle/Tricycle Challenge!

Machka9
Machka9 Posts: 24,831 Member
If you are new to posting on this thread, or if you are new to cycling, We welcome you! If you are returning from a previous thread, We welcome you, too.

This thread is for anyone who rides a bicycle ... or unicycle, tricycle, tandem, etc.

Do you bike to work? Do you pull your children to the park? So you ride weekends? Do you spin, at home or the gym? Do you race crits, ironman, or centuries? Or, are you just starting out and remembering how much fun you had biking when you were a kid? However you choose to push your pedal, you are welcome on this thread.

There's no set challenge across participants - this is a mixed-ability / mixed-experience / everyone welcome group. Just pick your own target that you want to achieve this month, post that when you join the thread, and post updates throughout the month as you're working towards your target.

Let's get going in April!
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Replies

  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited April 2018
    Long FTP test this morning on Zwift. 50Km all in.

    Aiming for about 100 Km per week cycling, although I've got a double marathon at the end of the month, so may need to adjust.
  • trichardson012
    trichardson012 Posts: 2 Member
    I'm in! Shooting for 200 miles this month. Lots of spinning, and hopefully some trail riding to make it all happen.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    Zwift again this morning, I've been a bit under the weather this week, suggesting I wasn't good on Monday for the FTP test.

    Used the First Century training plan this morning, so 1:50 of zone 2, at 150Watts. 45Km in Zwift, 60Km according to my Garmin.

  • jlklem
    jlklem Posts: 259 Member
    So my goal is 800 hours this year which is around 2:10 per day.

    Last month I hit 74 hours

    So far for April I am at 16 hours 9 minutes....but I got one more ride today. So 54 more hours for April 65-70 total

    Been doing a lot of Zwift racing....they are brutal. I never do structured intervals as there is no clear research on what is best...hard is hard...racing is a powerful motivator to get everything out of me for the workout.

    John
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Main focus this month is preparing for a 92 mile charity ride in May in aid of the cancer hospital that has cared for my father-in-law through 3 bouts of cancer in 3 years. (I may be tempted to do the extra 8 miles....)

    I've transitioned from lots of short rides indoors to fewer but longer rides outdoors now Spring seems to have finally sprung. Two 50 mile training rides this week and it's been more of a struggle than expected to get up to the pace I want to ride at but it's coming slowly. Now looking to increase the distance but keep the pace.

    Also had my first puncture of the year which set off a charming string of events. Couldn't get the tyre to seat properly on the rim at the side of the road after fixing the tube so had to limp home.
    Sorted it out and decided to ditch my rain jacket as the weather had brightened up and set off again.
    Of course the weather turned and became cold, windy and poured down.
    Set some angry segment PRs racing for home....

    119 miles for the week.
  • jlklem
    jlklem Posts: 259 Member
    We are currently in an endless winter, worst spring in 10 years, snow, cold, windy, it was 5 on my commute Friday.

    Fully indoors

    John
  • tristramtrent
    tristramtrent Posts: 257 Member
    Also indoors for now, although I recently had my first city bike ride abroad in Belgium, in the beautiful city of Ghent where cyclists are treated very well indeed! The bike was different from my usual Giant mountainbike, it was a Dutch bike very well sprung and upright, heavy and yet it felt like floating along on a cloud. I felt very high off the ground and a bit nervous of a spill, it being a long way down. Great to see a city where cycling is the norm, given priority and a go-to form of transport for all ages.
  • jlklem
    jlklem Posts: 259 Member
    Been doing a lot of racing on Zwift. It’s been some of the best training I have ever done. That saying a lot since I have been riding and racing for 15 years. Makes 40-120 minutes on the trainer fly by...seriously you don’t even look at time, you are just trying to stay with the guys around you, I did a race last night, I did ok, but the 5 guys who all beat me were pros....category 1 and semi pro level (actually one was a cheater with a power estimator...I checked his history and they is no way he could ride 5.1 watts per kilo for 40 minutes...no way based on his real rides outside).

    I would never get to ride with people like that and last night I did. I can sometimes make it to the end, sometimes....last night after having to ride endless 4.5 watts per kilo with tons of 8-10 watts per kilo surges they dropped my like a stone. Held on for 6th...not to shabby considering 600 plus started.

    To be honest is more fun than my local roads. I know blasphemy.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Been a busy cycling week for me with 161 miles overall including one 60 miler. Now feeling like my training is more on track. 280 miles for the month so far.

    The sun (and my legs) have finally put in an appearance. My local roads are now full of shiny clean bikes having just come out of hibernation while my bike looks like I've been through a ploughed field. Time to give the bike some TLC.
  • jlklem
    jlklem Posts: 259 Member
    We got a foot of snow....
  • Ardael
    Ardael Posts: 245 Member
    Hi I'll join too !

    My goal is to do one long session a week, one interval session, a TT, and 2 days of whatever comes up.

    Today I did the Women's National Series League in Cork, first race of the season for me and first race since the start of my weight loss.

    WEEK III :
    15/04 : 71.5km - 2h47 ( outside )
  • jlklem
    jlklem Posts: 259 Member
    Ardael wrote: »
    Hi I'll join too !

    My goal is to do one long session a week, one interval session, a TT, and 2 days of whatever comes up.

    Today I did the Women's National Series League in Cork, first race of the season for me and first race since the start of my weight loss.

    WEEK III :
    15/04 : 71.5km - 2h47 ( outside )

    Where is Cork? How did it go?
  • jlklem
    jlklem Posts: 259 Member
    I did 3:10 yesterday on the trainer, did a 75 minute race...got dropped but finished 5 out of 600 plus. Did another race today. Managed 2nd out of 90 plus. I am at 35 hours for the month so far. Volume is hard when you are stuck on the trainer.

    John
  • Ardael
    Ardael Posts: 245 Member
    Cork is in Ireland where I live.
    I was last but I finished. Which for me was the goal since it was a race with the pro riders, all categories mixed.

    Today I did my TT. There was a howling wind so I didn't do a great time.

    WEEK III :
    15/04 : 71.5km - 2h47 ( outside )
    16/04 : REST
    17/04 : 11.5km - 26min ( warm up )
    16km - 33min ( outside )

  • jlklem
    jlklem Posts: 259 Member
    Ardael wrote: »
    Cork is in Ireland where I live.
    I was last but I finished. Which for me was the goal since it was a race with the pro riders, all categories mixed.

    Today I did my TT. There was a howling wind so I didn't do a great time.

    WEEK III :
    15/04 : 71.5km - 2h47 ( outside )
    16/04 : REST
    17/04 : 11.5km - 26min ( warm up )
    16km - 33min ( outside )

    Are you on Strava, I alway like to follow poeople in other parts of the world. My little world in Wisconsin is all I really see. And windy TTs are the worse, more mentally challenging than anything else.

    John
  • Rincewind_1965
    Rincewind_1965 Posts: 639 Member
    edited April 2018
    Northern Germany, hard to find hills here, but we have wind, lots of wind ...

    April:
    02/04: 71,25 Km; 02:32:45; avg. 28,0 km/h; 415 heightmtrs
    04/04: 68,8 Km; 02:23:40; avg. 28,7 km/h; 528 heightmtrs
    10/04: 68,7 Km; 02:31:10; avg. 27,2 km/h; 490 heightmtrs
    12/04: 47,3 Km; 01:45:00; avg. 27,1 km/h; 310 heightmtrs
    15/04: 71,95 Km 02:31:00; avg. 28,6 Km/h; 465 heightmtrs
    17/04: 74,9 Km; 02:43:10; avg. 27,5 Km/h; 468 heightmtrs

    Currently:
    Distance: 403 Km
    Time: 17 hrs 16 min.

    To be continued
  • jlklem
    jlklem Posts: 259 Member
    Finish another Zwift race....7th place. If you know anything about wattage...it took a 4.8 watts per kilo effort for 21 minutes to get dropped! Zwift has some strong people.

    Probably around 45 hours for the month.

    John
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,831 Member
    Thursday -- 2.5 km run along the beach

    Saturday -- 3.2 km run along the beach

    Plus lots of walking ... 30.6 km on foot this past week.

    Sunday -- First ride since my husband's accident. I wish my husband could have been with me, and for that reason plus the fact that I haven't ridden in a month, it was a difficult ride. But it was a beautiful day, so I psyched myself up and headed out.

    Distance: 13.63 km (8.5 miles)
    Elevation: 208 m (682.4 feet)
    Moving Time: 47:01
    Elapsed Time: 49:28
    Speed: Avg: 17.4 km/h | Max: 39.2 km/h
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Last ride of a high volume (meaning high volume for me of course!) training week with 192 miles in total and it was my long ride day today. 72.5 miles.
    Felt quite strong and managed to bag a Strava top ten placing for one segment which is the icing on the cake. I'm trying to persuade my neck and back to let me adopt a slightly more aero riding position so spending as much time as possible on the drops - not feeling too uncomfortable right now so seem to be adapting. I'm about as aero as a shed right now...

    Three weeks to go to my big charity ride and feels like my training is on course - next week I'm planning on doing a load of hill work as that's my weakness.
  • jlklem
    jlklem Posts: 259 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    Thursday -- 2.5 km run along the beach

    Saturday -- 3.2 km run along the beach

    Plus lots of walking ... 30.6 km on foot this past week.

    Sunday -- First ride since my husband's accident. I wish my husband could have been with me, and for that reason plus the fact that I haven't ridden in a month, it was a difficult ride. But it was a beautiful day, so I psyched myself up and headed out.

    Distance: 13.63 km (8.5 miles)
    Elevation: 208 m (682.4 feet)
    Moving Time: 47:01
    Elapsed Time: 49:28
    Speed: Avg: 17.4 km/h | Max: 39.2 km/h

    What happened to your husband? Is he mending well, I hope?

    J