Finally plucked up thhe courage to go and do a decent duration ride - something other than variations on my "local loop". Decided I fancied a ride somewhere a little flatter than my typical stuff, so headed out in a Easterly direction, towards the flatter areas around Snaith and Selby. Once you get the first 7-8 miles out of the way, it's actually a really nice flattish ride, where you can concentrate on just spinning a nice gear and getting the base mileage in - just the thing for this time of year - and indeed, when I was younger / keener / racier / thinner / all of the previous, this "lollypop" shaped ride was one of my favoured base mileage runs - though I'll admit, I would probably have put in 3 or four laps of the loop before heading back home in those days.

A quick tracklog of the ride is here - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/139317043 - and what the log doesn't tell you was that it was a very pleasant day - totally unlike the rest of this month so far, finally the wind dropped to maybe 8-10 mph (as a headwind on the last 1/3 or so of the ride) instead of the 40+ it's been since 2011. Was just warm enough to not be unpleasant - needed the full winter kit, and arrived home with a cold nose, but warm everything else, which is great in my book...

Even managed a quick snap of the bike when I stopped to retrieve a energy bar from my base layer shirt pocket (it was a SIS Go Bar - and unless you get 'em warm somehow, they're barely chewable.)



All things considered it was a great afternoon out riding, and has certainly made me feel a little more confident in getting out and riding a little longer distances.

A good start to the year, and not a week in yet:


Day 1: Club ride, 60.5 miles, 270 mins, 2279 cals burnt (HRM)
Day 2: Off walking
Day 3: Daily Commute, 34.89 miles, 160 mins, 1717 cals burnt (HRM)
Day 4: Daily commute, 41.10 miles, 177 mins, 1721 cals burnt (HRM)
Day 5: Daily commute, 35.96 miles, 160 mins, 1634 cals burnt (HRM)
Day 6: Daily commute, 41.36 miles, 177 mins, 1598 cals burnt (HRM)

YTD: 213.82 miles

My Favorite Weekend Pre-Breakfast Ride - 31 miles

7

Rode 21 miles this morning, temp gauge said MINUS 6!! Brrr!!

I have just moved so this was my first ride from the new base.

21.38 miles
1 hour 35 minutes
13.4 Average (:-( but I suppose it was MINUS 6 and quite hilly)
37.4 max speed
1469 calories burned (calculated with help of HRM)

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/36835257

Snowing quite hard now so I don't think I will be going out tomorrow somehow! :-(

Decided to relieve the week's stress with a little pedal therapy today. Mapped out a 107-mile ride and loaded it to my Garmin. I am out-of-town for the weekend, so I'm not very familiar with the roads on my route. The first 33 miles were awesome - very little traffic and gentle rollers. I ran a 17mph average up to that point. Just a nice easy ride. Shortly after that, I found out that a road I put on my route was a dirt road. Since, it is nearly impossible to ride 23's on sandy soil, I had no choice but to turn around and hit a heavy-traffic U.S. Highway for about ten miles. Along the way, I kept trying to find other routes that ran parallel to the highway, but they all turned out to be dirt roads as well.

The highway was the most harrowing portion of any ride I've ever done. Cars would pass me without giving m the three-foot clearance. At one point, some jacka$$ buzzed me about six inches from my left leg. Reactively, I flipped him off. Hs response was to slam on his brakes and throw the car in reverse. Oh *kitten*! I rode off the road and into a ditch. Before I made it all the way to the ditch, he aimed his car at me (still going backwards) and tried to hit me. After swerving to miss him I made it to the ditch and knew that he would be unable to drive into the ravine. He didn't get out, but instead he drove off hastily. Needless to say, I was nervous until I made my way off that road. I finally made it to the beach highway and enjoyed 20 miles of icing along the coast. I stopped at an old haunt for a burger (a very rare consumption of red meat for me) and an ice old beer.

After I finished my ride along the coast, I turned north and made my way back to the hotel, but not until i found a Cold Stone Creamery for a nice waffle cone full of chocolate ice cream. I had to cut the ride short to 94.5 miles due to the onset of rain and the reduced visibility. All in all, it was a good ride. I don't really care for riding solo, but I made it through.

Decided to relieve the week's stress with a little pedal therapy today. Mapped out a 107-mile ride and loaded it to my Garmin. I am out-of-town for the weekend, so I'm not very familiar with the roads on my route. The first 33 miles were awesome - very little traffic and gentle rollers. I ran a 17mph average up to that point. Just a nice easy ride. Shortly after that, I found out that a road I put on my route was a dirt road. Since, it is nearly impossible to ride 23's on sandy soil, I had no choice but to turn around and hit a heavy-traffic U.S. Highway for about ten miles. Along the way, I kept trying to find other routes that ran parallel to the highway, but they all turned out to be dirt roads as well.

The highway was the most harrowing portion of any ride I've ever done. Cars would pass me without giving m the three-foot clearance. At one point, some jacka$$ buzzed me about six inches from my left leg. Reactively, I flipped him off. Hs response was to slam on his brakes and throw the car in reverse. Oh *kitten*! I rode off the road and into a ditch. Before I made it all the way to the ditch, he aimed his car at me (still going backwards) and tried to hit me. After swerving to miss him I made it to the ditch and knew that he would be unable to drive into the ravine. He didn't get out, but instead he drove off hastily. Needless to say, I was nervous until I made my way off that road. I finally made it to the beach highway and enjoyed 20 miles of icing along the coast. I stopped at an old haunt for a burger (a very rare consumption of red meat for me) and an ice old beer.

After I finished my ride along the coast, I turned north and made my way back to the hotel, but not until i found a Cold Stone Creamery for a nice waffle cone full of chocolate ice cream. I had to cut the ride short to 94.5 miles due to the onset of rain and the reduced visibility. All in all, it was a good ride. I don't really care for riding solo, but I made it through.

Great ride - looking forward to getting back into the 100s when the milder weather decides to turn up!

My ride today....

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/152994604

Just getting started with cycling on my Trek 7.2FX WSD.

I had two fantastic rides, 66 miles in total this weekend. The weather was absolutely beautiful on both days. On Sunday I just let the bike go wherever it wanted to go. At one point I had to ask a lady where I was lol :laugh:

The routes were both rolling, total climb 800m, average pace 13.4 mph. Nothing massive but thoroughly enjoyable. It gave me loads of time to take in the beautiful spring weather, take in the smell of freshly mown grass, passing people sat in the beer gardens of the pubs, people out walking dogs / cats whatever.

It was brilliant. However, I didn't take quite enough snacks and I drank all my juice a couple of miles from home. Lesson learned but it didn't hamper my spiritis in anyway whatsoever.

Hopefully the weather will be just as nice next weekend for the AFA Sportive from Huddersfield xx

I had the AFA Sportive yesterday, 60 miles in the beautiful North York Moors. Now for anyone who knows the area, the Moors may be beautiful but they are barren, dark, cold, nearly always windy, high up and in the open. You need an absolutely special day to make cycling there good.
Anyway, we were up at 6am (on a Sunday!!!!) getting ready. The bikes were already disassembled and in the car, kit was out ready for wearing, all we really had to do was eat and drive. easier said than done when you're a nervous wreck. I ate half a bowl of cereal, managed to chuck a banana down my throat before setting off. We arrived in Malton an hour before set off, the OH likes to be early), it was cool and a wee bit breezy but a good day for cycling.
There were only about 200 riders in all, most looked like they'd been riding for years, unlike me. I was scared stiff lol. Anyway I was in the first set off, I knew I'd be near the back when I finished so made the best of it. Anyways we set off, I seemed to calm down really quickly. We turned up near Castle Howard, the weather was good and there was plenty of good team spirit though it didn't take long for the team to dwindle to just me. The rolling roads were in pretty bad repair and had to dodge quite a few potholes but I just embrassed the day and pedalled along. I got a bit of a surprise when I hit Green Hill, a Cat 4 climb. At 17% it certainly made the legs work but to the top I pootled, the next to hit was the approach to Blakey Bank (Ridge). A steep climb before hiting the main road. What a nightmare. The clouds came down and the sun disappeared and all you could see for mile after mile was barren landscape scarred by burnt heather. The wind was gusting and freezing, at one point I couldn't even feel my toes, it was that chilly. I pedalled and pedalled and pedalled for what seemed like hours. Then the first reprieve, the one and only food stop, with hardly any food!!! They'd underestimated what 200 hungry cyclists can get through. It's a good job I had a few supplies in my pocket though I did manage to get a juice refil, then off again into the deep and dark moorland. A lovely right turn set us to the road to Rosedale. All downhill for ages and what bliss, with the exception that the roads were in a bad way. But I did really enjoy this part, whoop, whooping all the way like a big kid lol. Once in Rosedale the sun came out and it was stunning until you saw the sign that said 1:3 hill. I have never, ever seen a road like it. The ride to the bottom of the climb was hard enough but the Chimney is something else. I walked and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I watched grown men falling off their bikes, I'm obviously not as daft as them. As soon as I was able I was back on the bike, just in time for a picture moment, and boy was I smiling. After another whooping hill descent we were back in the Vale of York. And just when you thought it was all over we were faced with another Cat 4 climb, Amotherby Hill. By this time I was tired and the legs were wilting, I was hungry and chilly and needed to be home. There is a lovely feeling when you finally realise that you are near to the end and from somewhere deep down you get this sudden run of energy and I whizzed past a stationary police car and down the road to the end point.

All in all I had a great day, I was cold, I was hungry, the wind burned my face, my legs were hurting but I was smiling. 60 miles is a fair distance regardless of your abilities and it's the furthest for me this year. It was also my hardest ride this year but if you asked me at the end would I do it again, the answer would be a resounding yes. They just need to work on the food stop. Mind you I did get a crusty sandwic=h and half a scone and a medal when I finished. It was great and I'm still smiling.:laugh:

Good for you!!! It takes us going outside our comfort zone to see what we're really made of. Way to stick to your guns and to have enough sense to accept that you're not ready for some things, yet. Keep it up and you'll be killing that century marker soon enough!

Now, if only I had a carbon framed road bike, I'd get that average speed up......

I think someone once said "It's not about the bike"... And while Carbon might be nice (in another 5 stone or so in my case) there's nothing wrong with Ti, Steel or Ally.

Nidderdale Sportive today. Was advertised as 60 miles with 1200m of climbing, turned out to be 65.56 miles and 1870m of climbing.
The day started at 5 degrees and pea soup fog. Not ideal conditions to cycle in so we kitted up for cold weather. 10 miles in and the fog cleared the sun shine and temps hit 21degrees. Totally sweating buckets at the top of the first climb, Lofthouses. Nasty in parts, despicable in others!! The day didn't get any better, there are no flats areas in the Dales, you're either ascending or descending. Fastest time 35/6mph, avg 11mph, as you can see I can go down hills at a fare rate of knots. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the climbs. I really need to get some kahonas, and sharpish.
Avg HR 137 which means that I wasn't trying. Legs ache but heart and lungs weren't put to much use. Got a silver medal but feel quite a fraud at the minute. I thought the ride was hard but my body didn't!!!!
Need to practice more hills and get the heart rate up.
Glad I got another ride in the bag but not overly happy at my performance.:frown:

Gouthwaite Res is beautiful, we were round that area yesterday and Masham, Coverdale, Kettlewell, Grassington etc. Went down Park Rash, what an experience that was lol. They must be the tighest switchbacks ever lol. Definitely easier going down than going up.
My HR does go down really quickly, as soon as I hit the summitI'm fine. I know I don't try hard enough though, especially on the hills and only doing hill repeats is going to make it easier. Any tips??? :drinker:

Yesterday's profile.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/161504480 :sad: