Any cyclists here?

Bobvin

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As I review my prior ride, and my recent training rides, I can see to make my goal I will have to resist the strong desire to back off a little and recover when the grade lessens a bit. Keeping the foot on the throttle will be the mental challenge; I know the desire to back off a bit will be the voice that has to be ignored.
 

Bobvin

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I finished (sadly) a little short of my goal. I was hoping to make it up in less than 2 hours, ended up at 2:02:38. Still, that is about 7.5 minutes better than my last attempt 2 years ago. (to review, it was an 18 mile climb up a mountain, average grade 6.3%, max grade 10.6%) Not too many rode past me, but a few.

I noted that for the duration I was not comfortable trying to run at 90% heart rate, but a steady 85-86% had me at the edge of my lung capacity. Damn steep and unrelenting hill, starting out at about 8% grade for the first 5 miles. Not having a mountain pass nearby to use as a training ground I found it difficult to trust I could maintain a higher effort all the way to the top. Even a 40K time trial is around an hour effort, and while riding hard and fast regularly is great training, I will need to have a couple long duration climbs to find just how much I can sustain.

I will study this ride's metrics against the prior effort—if the heart rate is similar then I've become more efficient. Could also be a reason to start training with a power meter.
 

Bobvin

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Thanks Steve. Once I upload to RideWithGPS, it looks like out of the almost 100 records they have for the climb (not all from yesterday) I'll be ranked 13th. Getting in under two hours would have me in the top ten. One fellow yesterday who did the ride was up in 1:39, for a 10.9 mph average. He said he was second. I have no illusions... For a big guy (6'3", 199lbs) I'm happy I am able to climb fairly well, though still trying to improve. I know I can break that 2hr threshold.
 

RBFC

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Great job, Bob! At your level of performance, improvements come in increments. Adding to that, your dearth of training at this type of event certainly puts you in the he-man category.

Lee
 

Bobvin

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Thanks Lee. Appreciate the support. And thanks Steve for the kind words.

I just dumped my Garmin file to my computer. Seems I was just a little better than I imagined, by 2 minutes. So my time was actually 2:00:38. Glancing at the numbers on the summit, while gasping after my sprint finish, I must have misread the display. Considering I was not using my bifocal sunglasses, this is entirely possible. While still short of the goal by 38 seconds, I feel a little better about my time, and know the 2 hour goal is now within grasp—I may have to raise the bar a little.:cool:
 

asindc

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Sep 27, 2012
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Another day with the 20-23 crowd, and I rolled out with the first dozen guys. I think there were 3 groups at that pace. Well the first out were the ones who know their ability, and they had me working my ass off. There were several guys who never came to the front, but I did my share into the wind. Again there were a few times I thought "i can't sustain this pace" but held on. This is definately stretching my abilities. In most cases if I yo-yo off the back a few bike lengths, it is easy for me to do the micro-accelerations to get quickly back. With this group, riding hard at 24-26mph, it is a whole lot tougher to catch and hold a wheel. But, even later in the ride I took my turn at the front and layed it down. It is always good to represent. If not for the last 5-7 miles through residential areas with stop signs and traffic lights, our average would have been better. 50 miles, 1400' climbing, 20.2 mph average.

Bob,

Great job, Bob! I'm having a similar experience to yours this year. I joined three different groups this year with the idea of finding new routes, new riding partners, and to push myself to a higher level. One group is very large and usually breaks into 4-5 groups on our weekend ride, the second group is also large but is very specific about tailoring rides to levels (I usually do their B rides), and the third group is smaller and a bit more intense than social. My normal pace has also been 18-20, but I've been riding with the 20-24 pace riders a lot more this past 1.5 months. Actually, I find myself doing more pulls than I plan to just because I feel most comfortable at the front of any group I ride with, no matter the pace. I'm 54, so you are giving me something to shoot for!
 

mtseymour

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Dec 7, 2013
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I finished (sadly) a little short of my goal. I was hoping to make it up in less than 2 hours, ended up at 2:02:38. Still, that is about 7.5 minutes better than my last attempt 2 years ago. (to review, it was an 18 mile climb up a mountain, average grade 6.3%, max grade 10.6%) Not too many rode past me, but a few.

I noted that for the duration I was not comfortable trying to run at 90% heart rate, but a steady 85-86% had me at the edge of my lung capacity. Damn steep and unrelenting hill, starting out at about 8% grade for the first 5 miles. Not having a mountain pass nearby to use as a training ground I found it difficult to trust I could maintain a higher effort all the way to the top. Even a 40K time trial is around an hour effort, and while riding hard and fast regularly is great training, I will need to have a couple long duration climbs to find just how much I can sustain.

I will study this ride's metrics against the prior effort—if the heart rate is similar then I've become more efficient. Could also be a reason to start training with a power meter.

Great time!

I'm training for the Mt Baker climb in a few weeks. It's an easier climb but quite scenic.

I find that a power meter is more effective training tool than heart rate monitor. You can add a power meter to your bike or use an indoor trainer with PowerTap hub (eg. Cyclops Phantom).
 

Bobvin

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Our bike tour in September was in the San Juan Islands. Of course, we caught several days of rain in one of the drier summers. The day scheduled for the ride up Mt. Constitution was cold, wet, and generally snotty. I was ready to forgo the climb and stay warm and dry until one other hearty soul decided to go for it. I gave him a 40 minute head start then caught him before the summit. (thanks to our travelling mate Leslie for sharing this pic)

image.jpeg
 
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Bobvin

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  • Rule #9//If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.


    Fair-weather riding is a luxury reserved for Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards. Those who ride in foul weather – be it cold, wet, or inordinately hot – are members of a special club of riders who, on the morning of a big ride, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile to spread across their face. This is a rider who loves the work.
 

andromedaaudio

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Jan 23, 2011
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Yeah man , i am big into sports again lately , my favourite is iceskating , the bike is a Be one , (dutch ) ceramic bearings , S ram red group , the iceskates are also the best and dutch :p:D no kidding they are made of cangaroo leather , thin strong for perfect fit


20160122_192600[1] by andromeda61, on Flickr
 

treitz3

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Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
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The tube lair in beautiful Rock Hill, SC
Hello andromedaaudio and good afternoon to you. That's a very nice bike sir! I am guessing around 18 to 18.5 lbs?

I like the seat as well. I have one like that but it has a bit of gel on the top to further protect the "jewels".

Tom
 

andromedaaudio

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Jan 23, 2011
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Thank you , yes its very light, iirc around 7 kg (6,8), still stiff and steers fantastic .
Hope to get to france maybe this year to do some mountaincycling
 

treitz3

Super Moderator
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Dec 25, 2011
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The tube lair in beautiful Rock Hill, SC
Wow, that's light! That must be a pleasure to ride. Are the tires at 130psi or higher?

Tom
 

andromedaaudio

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The tyres are schwalbe durano , ( kevlarreenforced ) i dont like flat tyres :p 85/ 145 psi , 6-10 bar.
I ride at around 8 bar , don t want to feel the bumps to much
 

wgscott

Member
Sep 1, 2011
131
0
16
CA (USA)






Info.
 

Gregadd

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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I was at the bike shop
Disc brakes will be legal this year at the Tour de France. The frames are so light the weight penalty is negligible.
 

treitz3

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
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The tube lair in beautiful Rock Hill, SC
All one *really* needs would be a front disc brake. Save the weight of the back brake for speed. This is of course IMO/IME. Once one is in need of extreme braking, the back brake is useless anyway due to the back end lifting up off of the ground.

Tom
 

wgscott

Member
Sep 1, 2011
131
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CA (USA)
I wanted the discs before they were trendy. Three years ago I broke my ankle and the recovery has been long and slow, and I developed an acute allergy to pain and an accompanying fear of falling, so here in the Santa Crud mountains, I rely pretty heavily on them. At the time, I had to get Di2 to get them, but I have to say it is really quite nice. The bike (apart from the carbon fork) is steel, and was built in my zip code.

Really, the main point of hydraulic discs is the modulation more than the braking power per se.

I'm not a weight weenie or speed freak. I currently have 40 mm tires on it pumped up to about 45 psi, and in the third photo you can see I swapped out the eye-candy-ass-hatchet for a Brooks.
 

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