YeaWhatever's cycling thread

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Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 8:35 pm

I only have a couple of minutes here for an update.

Last night, I was on the trainer for 2 hours. Kept a steady heart rate between 145 and 150 bpm. Nothing too outrageous, just needed to get the time in.

This afternoon, biked 47 miles. Very windy conditions again Evil or Very Mad

The Weather

Temp: 36 deg F.
Wind: SSE 15-20 mph with 25 mph gusts

The Numbers

From home to the 20 mile loop
Distance: 3.03 mi
Avg Speed: 18.7 mph
Top Speed 26.1 mph
Time: 0:09:43
Calories: 215
Avg Heart Rate: 148

First of 2 laps of the 20 mile loop
Distance: 19.99 mi
Avg Speed: 18.3 mph
Top Speed 26.2 mph
Time: 1:05:31
Calories: 1300
Avg Heart Rate: 156

Second of 2 laps of the 20 mile loop
Distance: 19.99 mi
Avg Speed: 17.4 mph
Top Speed 27.2 mph
Time: 1:08:57
Calories: 1232
Avg Heart Rate: 150

From the 20 mile loop to home
Distance: 2.68 mi
Avg Speed: 14.2 mph
Top Speed 20.7 mph
Time: 0:11:21
Calories: 128
Avg Heart Rate: 137

These are not all of the details. I will fill those in on Monday.

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 1:16 pm

Sunday mornings are usually a pretty good time for me to get in an excellent workout. The kids are still asleep, the traffic is non-existant, and for the most part, the winds are calmer in the early mornings.

This last Sunday, my legs were already sore from the previous three days. I must have worked harder than I thought on those days. So, this time I decided that I would try to keep a lower heart rate (not work quite as hard) but still maintain most of my speed. Now would be a good time to practice this way. In a 500 mile race, you want to conserve energy. Burning it all up in the first 100-200 miles would be suicide.

My strategy for the day was to keep the heart rate below 145 the whole time. For the most part, I was able to do this. There were occasional spikes going up the steeper hills though. But even then, it never peaked any higher than 155 bpm. Not too bad when you consider that my max heart rate is 183.

It's rather funny how much of a meteorologist you become when you are a cyclist. While the people on TV said that it was going to be raining, I could tell on the weather radar that it was the kind of rain that was going to evaporate before it hit the ground. I was totally right. Not a drop of rain landed on me the entire time.

The wind was a bit calmer too. This was largely due to the early hours of my ride. As the morning grew later though, the wind picked up to a max of about 15 mph. Not all that bad really.

One last thing... my saddle sucks! My legs, back, neck, wrists, etc... are all fine on these rides, but my backside is killing me. Time to get a new saddle. Not sure what kind yet, but we'll figure that out. There is a place that I go to that has a pressure sensitive saddle that is hooked up to some software that maps out your backside. (go ahead, start making your jokes. There is a lot of opportunity here). The idea is that once you have this information, you can better select the shape of the saddle that best fits you. We'll see.

The Weather

Temp: 36 deg. f
Winds: SSE 5-15 mph (not bad)

The Numbers

On the way to the 20 mile loop
Total distance: 2.64 mi
Total time: 0:08:06
Avg Pace: 3:04 min
Avg. speed: 19.5 mph
Max speed: 25.2 mph
Total calories: 172 cal
Avg. heart rate: 134 bpm
Max heart rate: 148 bpm
Total ascent: 53 ft
Total descent: 42 ft

Lap one of two on the 20 mile loop
Total distance: 20.00 mi
Total time: 1:06:16
Avg pace: 3:18 min
Avg speed: 18.1 mph
Max speed: 25.8 mph
Total calories: 1245 cal
Avg heart rate: 144 bpm
Max heart rate: 155 bpm
Total ascent: 414 ft
Total descent: 396 ft

Lap two of two on the 20 mile loop
Total distance: 19.99 mi
Total time: 1:08:56
Avg pace: 3:26 min
Avg speed: 17.4 mph
Max speed: 27.0 mph
Total calories: 1212 cal
Avg heart rate: 140 bpm
Max heart rate: 151 bpm
Total ascent: 468 ft
Total descent: 463 ft

Ride home from the 20 mile loop (cool down)
Total distance: 2.80 mi
Total time 0:09:55
Avg pace: 3:32 min
Avg speed: 16.9 mph
Max speed: 21.5 mph
Total calories: 141 cal
Avg heart rate: 140 bpm
Max heart rate: 151 bpm
Total ascent: 42 ft
Total descent: 87 ft

The weather today is pretty aweful. Lots of rain and some thunderstorms. Looks like I will be on the trainer this evening.

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 3:12 pm

Having read and followed along the bike training adventures of YW and SP, I was inspired to go out and buy a basic 18-speed bicycle last week (one on sale and wouldn't hurt my budget).

I just wanted something simple to bike back and forth to work - and on my first foray I was expecting a lot of muscle aches and cramps. However, the only part that ended up aching was my rear end! Laughing

Seems the saddle on my bike was designed by the Marquis de Sade - and it is not making this venture very enjoyable, to say the least! I would appreciate any suggestions for fixing the saddle (short of high-tech mapping of my butt - some biometrics are better left unknown Laughing

)

I am hoping there is a simple and cost-effective solution for padding the bike seat as opposed to padding my built-in seat (pass the Twinkies) since the latter solution would defeat the entire purpose of this venture! Wink

Thanks for the inspiration - and keep on biking!

Cheers.

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:33 pm

I don't know how any seat would be comfortable and this is why I have not bought one yet. Confused

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:41 pm

I know for certain that there are saddles out there that are ok. I guess it's just like a pair of shoes, they need to fit for them to be comfortable. Again, I plan on going to a place that will, ah... measure me. But I suppose that there are other ways. I have seen some places that have a trainer set in the store and they will let you try different saddles right there in the store. My problem with that is that you don't really know if a saddle fits until you have been in it for a long time.

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:09 pm

I had on my old bike I had a nice spring loaded gel exercycle seat and was that ever comfy

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:12 am

Kid issues cut my workout short tonight. I only had about an hour so I did a very high resistance hill workout.

Max heart rate: 181 bpm
Avg heart rate: 158 bpm

The weather is supposed to be good enough to ride outside tomorrow.

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:52 am

After saying I am not worthy of this thread here I am again. But seriously after spending 4.5 hours yesterday and 7.75 hours on a narrow saddle riding on thin 120 P.S.I tires today I have something to say about sore rears. You need clean shorts and undershorts every time you ride. Bag balm is not bad, and has a mild anesthetic but really was meant for animals not people. I have a single use bag of nipple cream under my seat at all times. Its like a creamy version of bag balm for when I forget the good stuff. Here's an image of what some people call butt butter.

Edit: Good on you canajun. Post up some shots of it. Get yourself some riding shorts. The ones with the built in padding. If you feel weird about wearing them, put running pants or shorts over them. You will be amazed at the difference. Once your saddle time increases, start lubing up before you ride.

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:47 am

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:27 pm

Today's commute to work
Strong NNW winds. Not a big deal though because they were largely from my left side as opposed to right in my face. Seemed to hit most of the red lights but still managed a respectable 17.4 mph average speed.

The Weather

Temp: 38 deg F.
Wind: NNW 10-15 mph

The Numbers
Total Distance: 10.82 mi
Total Time: 0:37:15
Avg Pace 3:26 min
Avg Speed: 17.4 mph
Max Speed: 28.5 mph
Total Calories: 658 cal
Avg Heart Rate: 152 bpm
Max Heart Rate: 168 bpm
Total Ascent: 376 ft
Total Decent: 484 ft

@Connie

This is what I use. Never get saddle sores with this.

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:40 pm

^^Thank goodness for the Body Glide. Laughing

SP needs some too. Very Happy

Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:46 pm

Yesterday's 37 mile ride home from work
There was a strong NNW wind today that made my trip North through my 20 mile loop quite difficult and slow. Plus, the cross wind seemed to really slow me down a bit just prior to my turn North.

This time, I has a much lighter backpack on than I did the last time I took this route home. But even so, toward the end of the ride, I was feeling it again.

The ride up the long hill to the 20 mile loop was much improved over the last time I did it. Average speed up the hill was 1.5 mph faster than last time.

Overall, my time improved by about 10 minutes.

The Weather

Temp: 42 deg F
Wind: NNW 10-15 (difficult)

The Numbers
Ride up the hill to the 20 mile loop
Total Distance: 12.32 mi (Actually 14. The GPS took longer than normal to find the satellites)
Total time: 0:47:24
Avg pace: 3:50 min
Avg speed: 15.6 mph
Max speed: 27.5 mph
Total calories: 775 cal
Avg heart rate: 153 bpm
Max heart rate: 167
Total ascent: 576 ft
Total descent: 392 ft

The 20 mile loop
Total distance: 19.99 mi
Total time: 1:09:22
Avg pace: 3:28 min
Avg speed: 17.3 mph
Max speed: 28.0 mph
Total calories: 1157 cal
Avg heart rate: 147 bpm
Max heart rate: 162 bpm
Total ascent: 363 ft
Total descent: 347 ft

The ride home
Total distance: 2.84 mi
Total time: 0:09:03
Avg pace: 3:11 min
Avg speed: 18.8 mph
Max speed: 26.5 mph
Total calories: 165 cal
Avg heart rate: 147 bpm
Max heart rate: 156 bpm
Total ascent: 68 ft
Total descent: 104 ft

Today's Commute to Work
I took it easy on the way to work today. In the last 6 days, I have gone about 200 miles on the road, and another 5+ hours on the trainer. I am tired. We'll push things a bit on the way back home tonight.

The Weather

Temp: 24 deg F.
Wind: calm

The Numbers
Total Distance: 10.82 mi
Total Time: 0:39:23
Avg Pace 3:26 min
Avg Speed: 17.2 mph
Max Speed: 28.5 mph
Total Calories: 642 cal
Avg Heart Rate: 148 bpm
Max Heart Rate: 163 bpm
Total Ascent: 376 ft
Total Decent: 484 ft

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

Nice going YW, it's good to watch all the stats from a proper athlete in progress Thumbs up

Do you ever do track riding on a velodrome?

Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 3:07 pm

No. I have never tried it. Would like to though. That looks like a lot of fun.

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:33 pm

Yesterdays commute home from work

Kid related issues kept me from my extended 37 mile ride home. Instead, I took the 11 mile route directly home. It is almost all uphill. Unfortunately, I hit just about all of the red lights. I had to come to a complete stop 13 times in just 11 miles.

The Weather

Temp: 48 deg. F
Wind: SSW 5-10 mph (not bad)

The Numbers
Total Distance: 10.50 mi
Total time: 0:42:29 (includes all 13 stops)
Avg Pace: 4:02 min
Avg Speed: 14.8 mph
Max Speed: 25.5 mph
Total calories: 645 cal
Avg Heart Rate: 155 bpm
Max Heart Rate: 172 bpm
Total Ascent: 565 ft
Total Descent: 388 ft
Max Grade: 11%

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:14 pm

Just finished my lunch-time workout.

30 minutes of leg weights
Leg press - 200 pounds - 20 reps
Leg press - 212.5 - 20 reps
Leg press - 225 pounds - 20 reps
Leg press - 237.5 pounds - 20 reps
Leg press - 250 pounds - 15 reps
Leg press - 262.5 pounds - 10 reps
Leg press - 275 pounds - 8 reps
Leg press - 287.5 pounds - 4 reps + 8 reps @ 225 + 5 reps @ 175
Leg press - 287.5 pounds - 4 reps + 4 reps @ 225 + 3 reps @ 175

30 Minutes of Stationary bike
5 min - low resistance @ 110+ rpm
25 min - max resistance @ 55+ rpm out of the saddle
5 min - low resistance @ 110+ rpm

Resting heart rate prior to workout: 58 bpm
Maximum heart rate during workout: 176 bpm
Resting heart rate 20 minutes after workout: 59 bpm

Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:40 pm

Today will be my day off. Well, at least a day off for my legs. I will lift weights and swim today. Tomorrow and Sunday, the weather is supposed to be warm (60 deg), so I plan on a long ride for each day.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:12 pm

Saturday, April 5

Holy crap! Wind gusts as high as 40 mph. Not cool since they were from the west, which today, is the direction I seemed to spend the most time going. But, since I was on a loop, that means at some point, the wind will be at my back. And when it was, my goodness, I flew.

Today, my goal was to make sure that my second and third laps on my 20 mile loop were at the same speed as my first lap. For the most part, they were all identical. I was happy about that.

The weather, aside from the wind, was glorious for cycling. The temperature was nearly 70 degrees. Perfect for hard work.

I rode a total of 67 miles today.

The Weather

Temp: 67
Wind: sustained 20+ mph with gusts up to 40 mph

The numbers
To the 20 mile loop
Total distance: 3.21 mi
Total time: 0:12:31 min
Avg pace: 3:53 min
Avg speed: 15.4 mph
Max speed: 20.9 mph
Total calories: 173 cal
Avg heart rate: 140 bpm
Max heart rate: 155 bpm
Total Ascent: 146 ft
Total Descent: 141 ft

Lap 1 of 3 of the 20 mile loop
Total distance: 20.00 mi
Total time: 1:04:59 min
Avg pace: 3:14 min
Avg speed: 18.5 mph
Max speed: 33.8 mph
Total calories: 1253 cal
Avg heart rate: 149 bpm
Max heart rate: 165 bpm
Total Ascent: 576 ft
Total Descent: 556 ft

Lap 2 of 3 of the 20 mile loop
Total distance: 20.02 mi
Total time: 1:05:17 min
Avg pace: 3:15 min
Avg speed: 18.4 mph
Max speed: 35.2 mph
Total calories: 1241 cal
Avg heart rate: 150 bpm
Max heart rate: 172 bpm
Total Ascent: 341 ft
Total Descent: 329 ft

Lap 3 of 3 of the 20 mile loop
Total distance: 20.01 mi
Total time: 1:05:03 min
Avg pace: 3:14 min
Avg speed: 18.4 mph
Max speed: 34.8 mph
Total calories: 1253 cal
Avg heart rate: 151 bpm
Max heart rate: 171 bpm
Total Ascent: 345 ft
Total Descent: 324 ft

The ride home
Total distance: 2.68 mi
Total time: 0:06:45 min
Avg pace: 2:31 min
Avg speed: 23.8 mph
Max speed: 35.4 mph
Total calories: 168 cal
Avg heart rate: 158 bpm
Max heart rate: 163 bpm
Total Ascent: 51 ft
Total Descent: 89 ft

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:40 pm

Sunday, April 6

Today was another glorious day as far as the weather was concerned. The winds were not quite as insane as the day before.

Instead of my normal 20 mile loop and instead of riding alone, I rode with a friend of mine, a female, top professional triathlete. This girl is unreal. She only weighs 120 pounds but has massive power output. The cycling leg of her races is where she always dominates. In many of her races, her average speed is at 26 mph. That is excellent for a top guy.

Her husband is a good friend of mine. We have known each other for years. He has a PhD is human physiology and is an expert in nutrition. He is his wife's coach. He is also a dominant cyclist. He has agreed to go with me to my race and be my support crew! This is awesome news.

The race is going to take 3 things. The first is excellent conditioning. I have every confidence that I will have that base covered by the time that race rolls along. The second thing that it will take is mental strength. I have read that of all of the cyclists that have done races of this length (500 miles), the vast majority of them say that it was their minds that they found themselves struggling with, not their bodies. I cannot say for sure what will be going through my mind 300+ miles into the race but I can say this for sure... I have not put in all this time and effort just to go and quit half way through the race. I am more determined to place in this race than I have been determined to do anything else that I have ever done. The final thing that I will need to do well in this race is a sound nutrition plan. With my friend being my support crew, this one is a slam dunk. So far, everything is really looking up. I am getting more excited for this race with every passing day.

The ride today was fast, as you would expect. Not only did I not want to let a woman humilate me too badly, but I wanted to challenge myself on what turned out to be a very difficult, hilly route. The maximum grade that we climbed was an astonishing 22% grade.

My riding partner is also an expert on race nutrution. She pointed out several times to me along the way that I was way under prepared with enough fluids to handle the route that we were on. I only had a single 20 ounce bottle of Gatorage for the ride. She had three, plus packed a whole pile of gels, bars, and other food into her jersey. Hmm, I guess I like to travel light? Anyhow, as I found out, my average wattage started to decline about 30 miles into the ride. She was certain that it would have stayed the same had I been eating and drinking as much as she was along the way. This was great advise and I will make sure to get an extra behind-the-seat cage to hold an additional two bottles.

In all, I went 52, very fast, very hard miles.

The Weather

Temp: 62 deg. F
Wind: NNW 5-15 mph

The Numbers
Total Distance: 52.50 mi
Total Time: 3:01:36
Avg Pace: 3:27 min
Avg Speed: 17.3 mph
Max Speed: 32.1 mph
Total calories: 3186 cal
Avg heart rate: 148 bpm
Max heart rate: 171 bpm
Total AscentL 2045 ft
Total Decent: 2068 ft
Maximum Grade: 22% ouch

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:49 pm

Monday, April 7

I was not sure if I would have a whole lot of energy today for my relatively short, 11 mile ride to work given the hard 115+ miles that I had ridden over the weekend. I was as fast as ever.

The Weather

Temp: 48 deg. F
Winds: calm

The Number
Total distance: 10.58 mi
Total time: 0:32:37 min
Avg pace: 3:04 min
Avg speed: 19.5 mph
Max speed: 37.2 mph
Total calories: 605 cal
Avg heart rate: 143 bpm
Max heart rate: 165 bpm
Total Ascent: 276 ft
Total Descent: 431 ft

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 3:27 pm

Sounds like a really great training ride yesterday - and excellent that you have training AND ride support of that kind.

I'm doing a bit of training myself (nowhere near as focused as yours), so it's very interesting to see your approach. Do you plan on any mega-distance rides before the event itself? From what I understand that can be crucial to the mental side of things.

My own training is mainly intended to get me back up to speed (for mountain touring later this summer) after recovering from a minor but prolonged illness. Biggest challenge for me is to push it - my short commute is about 15 miles a day, and I try to do one 50-60 miler a week, but hardly ever at more than a speedy casual rate. Mainly related to riding in urban environments where constant vigilance is a necessity (I was so jealous of your "hitting about all the red lights" which included 13 stops in 11 miles -- my 7.5 mile commute includes 51 traffic signals). Stationery training just isn't the same.

I had to cut short my ride yesterday -- freak weather and our first snow of the year! After a mild, snow-less winter. It would have been fine if it were just me (I used to winter commute in Chicago) but my fellow road users were out of control, even though there was just an inch or two that was melting as quickly as it landed.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 3:56 pm

firehouse5 wrote:

Do you plan on any mega-distance rides before the event itself? From what I understand that can be crucial to the mental side of things.

I am planning on at least 3 double century rides prior to the race. Ideally, I will do a sun-up 'til sun-down ride in there as well but I will wait until the days are longer for that.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 4:26 pm

Quote:

Ideally, I will do a sun-up 'til sun-down ride in there as well...

I've heard of those. I call them "centuries" Razz

ok maybe I'm not that slow.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 5:34 pm

Well done. I was never more than an amateur just riding to and from work each day. Just to offer some encouragement, my father was 56 when he got a job 32 miles away from where we lived. It was the bad days of the early 80's recession and we didnt have a car. Neither were there any buses. He bought himself a second hand Ralleigh Racer out of the paper for �10 and proceeded to ride to and from work each day, a round trip of 64 miles / 5 days a week.

As for maximum heart beats. I was told in the army that anything under 150 wasnt worth getting out of bed for, it doesnt do a damned thing...but then they were sadists.

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:24 pm

Monday, April 7
The ride home was massively difficult and slow. I was once again faced with a sustained 20+ mph head wind. This, in combination with the traffic lights and going uphill most of the way made for a very slow 14.0 mph average speed.

The Weather

Temp: 48 deg F
Wind: W 20-25 mph Evil or Very Mad

The Numbers
Total Distance: 10.53 mi
Total Time: 45:01
Avg Pace: 4:18 min
Avg Speed: 14.0 mph
Max Speed: 22.8 mph
Total Calories: 561 cal
Avg Heart Rate: 144 bpm
Max Heart Rate: 162 bpm
Total Ascent: 563 ft
Total Descent: 472 ft

Tuesday, April 8
A migraine headache kept me down all day. I did not leave my bed.

Wednesday, April 9
Feeling much better today. Headache gone. The ride to work was nothing special. The weather has cooled off again and it is quite damp. It rained like crazy all day yesterday and last night.

The Weather

Temp: 42 deg. F
Wind: calm

The Numbers
Total Distance: 10.80 mi
Total Time: 33:01
Avg Pace: 3:03 min
Avg Speed: 19.6 mph
Max Speed: 32.9 mph
Total Calories: 631 cal
Avg Heart Rate: 142 bpm
Max Heart Rate: 164 bpm
Total Ascent: 333 ft
Total Descent: 469 ft

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