Your ride today.... (part 1)

[Cletus Van Damme]

Thanks. I think I needed a dose of reality and I got it today! I haven't even had the final blood test results from my consultant yet and I was already starting to think about metric and imperial centuries ...

I have 10-speed Chorus on the Cannondale and I already have the biggest possible cassette (13-29) but I am not fit enough to do much on the 39/29 bottom gear. I'd have to switch to a compact chainset which would be too expensive a change when it would (hopefully) only be needed for a few months. When I got the bike, I used to be okay on 15% climbs and be able to grunt my way up the steeper stuff.

The trouble round here is that the only roads that are easy on the Cannondale are the busy valley A-roads. The quieter, more scenic roads are littered with 10%-25% climbs.

The Basso isn't a bad bike and it has a tiny 26/28 bottom gear which will get me up anything I need to climb while I am building my fitness level back up.

I think I will take the GPS off the bike for now. It was looking at the readout that did for me today. I noticed that I was going about 10% faster than the previous time up the climb, and decided to see how far I could push myself. Answer: not far!

The gears sound pretty hard on that Cannondale you must of been pretty fit before your illness, much fitter than I have ever been.The Basso sounds great, my Secteur is 28/28. Yes dicthing the GPS might be a good idea, or not looking at it in so much detail Good luck with it anyway Colin, you are certainly heading in the right direction

 

[ColinJ]

The gears sound pretty hard on that Cannondale you must of been pretty fit before your illness, much fitter than I have ever been.The Basso sounds great, my Secteur is 28/28.

It's been quite a while since I was much of a climber on 39/29! I bought the Cannondale about 10 years ago when I weighed 12-and-a-bit stone, but I was 16 st 9 lbs before I got ill, and I really needed all those low Basso gears!

I'm back down to just under 14 stone now so I should have fixed my weight problem by the end of this year, and hopefully I will be healthy enough to get my fitness back too. I'll just have to do it gradually and not be so impatient.

 

[coffeejo]

Thanks. I think I needed a dose of reality and I got it today!

You know we've all been telling you to take it easy?

 

[ComedyPilot]

Lovely ride out yesterday. Bimbling along to buy fish food for Mrs CP, and just about got to town (13 miles) when I was flagged down by 2 ladies on tourers c/w Ortliebs front and rear. They are Columbian, and were riding the UK coast, but got to Bridlington and got an invite to work/stay with a friend renovating a cottage inland, so were making their way to York. They were following the Way Of The Roses, but didn't have a route map, and didn't know where they were heading. I offered to ride with them a short way, and ended up riding Driffield to Pocklington with them.

Really nice to ride with others and chat about touring.

 

[BSRU]

First metric century for me today, since I started commuting to work a few years ago, first chance I have had the spare time to spend so long away from the family.

A total of 106.81km(66 miles and 648 yards) completed in just over 4 hours with 1,325metres of elevation gain(4,347ft in old money), overall 12.5m per km.
Basically plotted a 25km loop nearby and did it three times, most of the climbing was in that loop including a cat 4 climb, so about 75km with about 1,100 metres of elevation gain( about 14.7m per km).
Finished feeling good and pleased with myself, now for a cup of tea, some cake and a warm bath(it was blinking freezing).

 

[john59]

I took a look at the forecast, and it wasn’t great, 24km winds with light rain in the afternoon. So I was out by 7.38am to do my Chester loop. Cooler than yesterday and the wind was quite blustery.
71km covered.

http://app.strava.com/activities/56536715

Blacon.

NCN Route 5


John

 

[BSRU]

First metric century for me today, since I started commuting to work a few years ago, first chance I have had the spare time to spend so long away from the family.

A total of 106.81km(66 miles and 648 yards) completed in just over 4 hours with 1,325metres of elevation gain(4,347ft in old money), overall 12.5m per km.
Basically plotted a 25km loop nearby and did it three times, most of the climbing was in that loop including a cat 4 climb, so about 75km with about 1,100 metres of elevation gain( about 14.7m per km).
Finished feeling good and pleased with myself, now for a cup of tea, some cake and a warm bath(it was blinking freezing).

Just checked my 25km loop times.
1st loop 1hr 5min
2nd loop 0hr 59min
3rd loop 0hr 55min

 

[ColinJ]

You know we've all been telling you to take it easy?

Er, yes, but I thought I was within my safe operating limits!

I was making an effort, but I wasn't gasping for breath, and my heart was probably doing 155 bpm, not 180. If I had got to the top of the hill at the speed I was doing, I would have only averaged about 7.5 - 8.0 mph. It may be the longest hill in England, but it only averages 3.3%.

I have a slightly sore throat today, which is something that I did not have when I got ill last year, so perhaps I just have a mild bug of some sort?

Anyway ... lesson learned - more gentle exercise required!

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Pretended it was a work day and got up as normal, but instead of jumping on the hybrid and going to work I jumped on the road bike and did 50 miles in the sun, just had a bath, now having a brew and going to watch England make a hash of the cricket

 

[potsy]

@ColinJ Ever thought of moving to Cheshire?

Took advantage of a dry day and did a 25 mile ride through Tatton with @400bhp
Back before the inevitable Bank Holiday Monday rain arrives

 

[ColinJ]

@ColinJ Ever thought of moving to Cheshire?

Took advantage of a dry day and did a 25 mile ride through Tatton with @400bhp
Back before the inevitable Bank Holiday Monday rain arrives

TBH, even before I got ill, there were days when I fancied just doing some nice steady flat miles but as you well know, that isn't possible round here! Ideally, I would live somewhere with spectacular hills and mountains in one direction, and gentle rolling countryside in the other direction so I would have the choice of what type of ride to do.

Cheshire rides are great but it is too much hassle and expense for me to get out there with my bike.

I will wait a week or two to make sure that I am okay, then I will take my bike by train to Garforth and do a flat ride in the Vale of York. It is an hour via Leeds and only costs £6.40 return.

 

[ColinJ]

Be careful....there's all that temptation from Vernon's pie shops out that way

Since I gave up my meat eating habit 30 years ago, the temptation to eat pies has been much reduced!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

same loop as yesterday...bit windier and cooler...bank holiday numpties out in force along the coast...chain slipping everywhere...new cassette and chain so confussed...met a group of riders from Kingston wheelers at ford on their way to Bognor for lunch and back...too quick for me though

 

[derrick]

Same ride as yesterday, but took a wrong turn on the way back, added a couple of miles onto the ride made it a 32 miler, Debi really enjoyed the ride nice quiet country roads.This is where we ended up a lovely coffee and cheesecake.
http://www.shenleypark.co.uk/
I need to carry a camera.

 

[john59]

Same ride as yesterday, but took a wrong turn on the way back, added a couple of miles onto the ride made it a 32 miler, Debi really enjoyed the ride nice quiet country roads.This is where we ended up a lovely coffee and cheesecake.
http://www.shenleypark.co.uk/
I need to carry a camera.

Or a phone with a camera.
John