Just finished watching Fabian Cancellara pull, stretch, then snap the rest of the field on the cobbled climbs of the Tour of Flanders and I got motivated to do something ‘cycling’. I’m too bagged after my morning ride with John in the mountains, so I’ll sit, with my compressed legs up, and whip off my monthly report.
Finally, the kilometers are starting to climb up to what I had imaged they should be this year, and I’ve found myself riding actually outdoors (it’s that place you can see through the window on your trainer, Canadians…if there’s no snowdrift to obstruct the view). First some numbers:
This month I’ve accomplished the following:
- 27 Training Sessions
- 56:17 hours on the bike
- 1485 km
More good news (and probably directly related to the increased km) is that I am down to 66.5 kg now, which I think brings me even under my weight last year when I did the two Etapes. Shoko has started commenting on my ‘skinny arms’ – this can only be a positive sign.
It hasn’t all been champagne wishes and caviar dreams though this month. You remember my Sidis? Well, I’ve been trying everything to make them stop cutting into my ankle and I’ve finally given up. I Bought some new shoes (Mavic Zxelliums) a couple of days ago and am experiencing the same problem (but less so). It’s an evolving story, so I won’t bore you with the details…till I decide to write a blog article about it, of course.
Finalement, sorely lacking from this post for many months has been photos that I haven’t extracted from the Internet, so here are a few that I’ve snapped from my phone in the last few weeks around home.
The Vicious Cycle 
Hi Gerry, I thought I was doing well with my 20 rides (3 of them outdoors) but had to miss the last few days due to relaxation and wine in Paris. Weather in the whole of northern hemisphere has been crap and I had to break my double digit rule last weekend (must be 10C for me to cycle outside). I think it was only 3C. I think I’m like most of the population with this weather. Enough already. Warm up will ya!!
That double-digit rule sounds reasonable to me, but even here I would break it once in a while. Can’t imagine what it’s like in Switzerland in winter. I haven’t done many more outdoor rides than you, I think. The majority are still on the trainer. As soon as spring hits I’m sure you’ll make up for it all, not to mention the climbing advantage you have up there. Bonne Route!
Over 1400 km for the month? Very nice. I managed about 650 km this month, my only excuse being that 80% of it was indoors on the trainer. I am finally out and about commuting to work on the fixie, and I completed my first road ride of the season (60 km) yesterday with a mate. God it was good to be outside again! Keep going Gerry….brilliant start to your season!
It’s a good excuse, James. My advice is to loosen the tension on your trainer, so your miles get ‘stretched’ more 😉 I agree with you about the niceness of riding outside, which is another reason to suffer on the trainer all winter, I guess. It makes us appreciated the road that much more.
I managed 480km this month (but it was all outdoors with the temperature often at 2 or 3 degrees) and my weight remains stubbornly at 80kg so I would have got quite depressed by reading your post if you hadn’t added those glorious pictures to cheer me up.
You seem to be doing very well. Look after yourself and your knees in particular.
Yes, the knee has acted up a few times this month, mostly on hard, long sessions on the trainer (it’s the constant pressure). Thanks for the reminder.
I think there should be a ‘hard-ass’ calculation for actual distances travelled, so, say, 10 degrees and above a km=a km, but as the temperature goes down ‘bonuses’ are given, e.g. 6 degrees would be 1 km x 1.2 bonus = 1.2 km. With my system you’d be closing in on my mileage I’m sure.
I like your system a lot.
good going
how many of the 27 sessions /hours were on the road?
No many. They’re all on Strava, I think.
Thanks for the photos, I love them! For some inexplicable reason I totally enjoy looking at your photos and thinking about places I wish I was!!!
Just back to a cold and snowy New England after a week in a most beautiful, but cold, snow flurries even, city north of you. So I have no complaints. But also no cycling.
I fear that by the time I can get on a bike outside my feet will no longer know which way to push.
I’ll try and take more photos. I know I’ve been slacking recently.
And..you were in Europe? Do tell!
Good month Gerry. Always love the pictures from the South. I’m still looking forward to the first ride outdoors.
Thanks, Rob. Good luck with that outdoor ride. When do you think it’ll be?
Hi Gerry. I got am invite for an outdoor ride on Saturday which was a nice afternoon at about 12 degrees with a cold Northwest wind. Their ride was at 8 am which is zero degrees at that time of day with black ice spots in the shade and beyond my motivation for an outdoor ride. I choose to do a 3 hour indoor LSD ride instead. Oh how I love my LSD’s Indoors.
Cheers
Pierre
It’s better to stay inside when you do LSD.