Mothering Sunday!
Just a quick spin before the duties of the day begin, still there was the Tour-of-Flanders to watch on TV to help maintain sanity!
Monday, 4 April 2011
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Saturday, Steady & Short
Another week of back ache of varying degrees finishing very uncomfortable by Friday afternoon.
Saturday came, the back wasn't to bad & I still wanted to ride but a shower early on shelved the idea for a while, by early afternoon it was brightening & I decided to make the move. I only wanted a short ride anyway, not wanting to overdo it but enough to get things moving & loosened up.
It was windier than I had realised but I was going out into it, back with it. I just kept it to an hour-ish & all went well. As hard as it is to take it easy & keep it short it was just enough, much more & I think I'd have felt worse for it.
Monday, 28 March 2011
Porridge Powered Pedalling:
After an easy/lazy day yesterday rounded off with a take-away curry & few beers with friends Julie & I planned a ride for today but her Hay Fever has kicked in. So after a steady start to the day, bearing in mind the clocks sprung forwards an hour overnight, we fuelled ourselves with nice bowl of porridge, fruit & a dash of honey for me.
Julies After some gentle persuasion we readied ourselves & set off on our ride. I was mindful of condition with Hay Fever & was ready to be flexible with our route & it's distance. It was clear that Julie was under parr so we chopped a section off of the front end of our ride but Julie was not comfortable & so we kept it short today & got home with just 20km in the bag. But I'm pleased Julie made the effort despite the Hay Fever & feeling under the weather.
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Spinning in the Springtime Sunshine!
Another glorious spring day & the opportunity of a late afternoon ride. Not to be missed I got myself ready for an 'easy' spin, my back hasn't been good for a while & was particularly uncomfortable Monday & yesterday so I thought I'd best take it 'easy'.
I set off 'easy' & felt fine & of course it wasn't long before I wasn't going 'easy'. By the time I got thro' my warm up zone I was full on! There was only a light breeze & it was a lovely afternoon, a chance not to be missed!
My average speed stayed high, for me, & I still felt good so I kept pushing, this was mostly the same route that I ridden with Julie on Sunday. My legs stayed good on the steady drag up from Bilstone to Little Twycross & although the average speed dropped a little my back was feeling fine. Once onto Galloes Lane I was able to push on again & pick the speed up a bit as the road falls away a little. This road runs pretty much all the way to Ashby, where the traffic built up a bit as it was the early part of the rush hour by now.
In Ashby it's a left turn & 'up' Kilwardby Street, a sharp little rise only about 500/600metres long but from a standing start. Although I was getting towards the end of the ride I was still feeling good. From that left turn I, for some reason, rode the whole climb standing up & pushing as hard as I could. I saw 172bpm on the Heart Rate Monitor, a number I haven't seen for a long while. A quick breather once over the crown & steady for a bit, stuck behind cars going slowly over the 'traffic calming' humps, & then 'back on it' for the final couple of miles back to the village, under the disused railway bridge & sharp left where I clock the end of my ride & just roll & spin for the last km home.
Before the final run in my average speed had been a little under 30kph but by the time I finished I managed to take it just over!
Because of the way my back has been of late I've decided to limit my rides to a couple of hours for a month or so in the hope that my back will recover if the rides aren't too long! This however was certainly my fastest ride so far this year & my legs and back are still feeling good. I finished the evening off with a visit to the gym for a nice relax in the Jacuzzi, this finished off the day nicely.
Sunday, 20 March 2011
First ride this year with Julie:
Julie & I had planned to ride together today as the weather forecast was still O.K. & it would be a good spin off for me after yesterdays ride. The weather played out in accordance with the forecast, not as nice as yesterday but pleasant enough.
Julie hasn't ridden since November so was respectfully apprehensive about her first ride of the year, a 30mile route without a cafe stop!
We set off a little later than planned to ride the same route as we rode together last November. We did a little add in just after Netherseal to take in a little bank, which went well & then continued thro' Coton in the Elms to a short stop/photo moment by the church at Lullington, which always looks picturesque at this time of year.
- Lullington Church
From the Church we rolled on thro' to Clifton Campville & then up the steady drag to cross the A453 at No Mans Heath. Once over the cross roads there's a nice downhill section that Julie loves to exploit on the way into Austry. From Austry we had planned to head over to Warton but I'd suggested a detour to this route when Julie had a few more miles in her legs to take in the harder route up to Orton on the Hill. Julie felt good & asked to take that detour today, it's a stiff little bank ramping up to at least 12%. No probs for me but Julie had 2 attempts but still had walk some of the way. Whilst I waited at the top another couple came along & so we all had a little chat, which made a nice break.
Onwards back down into Warton before turning to Grendon, Pinwall & thro' Sheepy Magna before turning into Watery Lane to get over to the A444 where a dog leg right/left takes us thro' to Bilstone & the long steady drag up to Little Twycross. At the top we join the B4116 & stick with it 'till the back of Measham. This is another of Julies favourite bits where we normally ride close in line, TT style, yours truly on the front & trying to make myself as big as poss. This section has a slight fall so inevitably leads to a slight incline! By now Julie is starting to tire but has done good! We leave this road & head across the bottom of Measham & head on to Acresford to make the final turn for home & the drag up to the village.
Untitled from Ray Mortlock on Vimeo.
Once over the top we're there, just a little roll on & we're home. Julie is tired but comfortable after todays ride & has done really well, 35miles for her first ride. Brilliant!
Saturday, 19 March 2011
Sunny Saturday Solo:
The weather forecast for this weekend had been promising, possibly the best weekend of the year so far. So I planned a good long ride, yesterday I dusted down my best bike, (Look 595), lubed the chain, put some air in the tyres & gave it a check over ready for it's first airing of the year.
It was a clear night & there was a light frost first thing so I didn't rush out of the door too early as I was planning to ride with reduced clothing. I set of just after 9.00am & headed out for a big Easterly loop, flat out & hilly back. The plan was to ride fasted again in an attempt to burn fat! I had at least a litre of water & a couple of espresso before I set of & another bottle during the first 2hrs before a quick stop for more water in Long Clawson. Once I'd stopped I had a banana & started on the energy drinks.
Another 10mins & I was on the first climb of the day, Harby Hill. I'm not climbing too well yet but plodded over the top & made the right turn at the top, into the breeze & heading back towards home taking in some more hills. This section to my next water stop in Barrow upon Soar is open & exposed to the wind but I maintained a reasonable pace. After the water stop it's time to start preparing myself for the climbing to come of Beacon Hill, a climb of local notoriety included in many a rider training routes.
Once over the top there's some respite for a while, so time to get some more food in, before another good climb past St Bernards Abbey back towards Coalville. From here it's on thro' Whitwick before heading over towards Melbourne for the climb up Robinsons Hill, this climb may not be too long but after 120km it can hurt & it's been used in the Tour of Britain a couple of times! Onwards thro' Ticknall & one last climb on the way back to Ashby. Straight thro' past the golf course & around the back of Measham before turning back into the wind & then up the hill from Acresford to home.
On todays ride I was using some new kit, a new pair of gloves that I got from Cycle Shack where I been attending a series of talks on nutrition by Barry Murray of OptmumNutrition4Sport.
- New Gloves & Shades
The Zero rh+ gloves are great, really comfortable & very grippy, they feel like quality kit!
I also picked up a new pair of Rudy Project Rydon sunglasses in the sale at a local bike shop recently, not my first pair of these glasses but these are photochromatic & as before are so comfortable, 5hrs today & no irritation or discomfort, awesome!
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Tuesday Blast:
Having missed my regular spinning class yesterday evening as a result of an intensive cleaning session with my bike after Sundays ride I was grateful to finish work early enough to get out on the bike late this afternoon.
It was overcast but nice & dry under rubber, a pleasant change from Sunday, oh & a lot flatter.
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