My Cycling Life(so far)

thinks too much · 07-04-2013 8:33pm #1

So last November I got a bike on btw scheme. Not knowing anything about bikes or gearing systems etc I picked it based on the fact it looked nice. So with my trusty Giant Defy 4 I set about my new hobby. And I absolutely love it. So far I have done approx 1100 km and given work and family commitments I am happy with that so far. I have no problem in going distances but maintaining speeds is my big issue. I try get out at least twice a week but as stated earlier work and family take precedence. So on Saturday I headed out and set myself a challenge of doing 100 km in 4.5 hours and did it in 4 hrs and 2 mins. Well 99.2 km to be exact. Was really happy with this as was on target to do even better but last 7km was uphill and had not got it in me to push it hard at that stage. My goal is to do a few of the an post cycling events and will be signing up for tour of Sligo this week. Going to start with 100 km stages and hopefully will be on target to do the rebel tour 160 km by time that comes around.

Just as a side story. I asked someone what a4 meant in cycling races and he told me it was for those starting out. Took him at his word and did the des hanlon a few weeks ago. That was a shocker. I completed it but felt like a fool after but proud to have tried it.

Anyway I thought I would share my story with you and will throw in some updates as I go along. Thanks for taking time to read if you got this far.

GreyEagle · 08-04-2013 9:12am

That's it, you're hooked for life. Therapy for your cycling addiction available 24/7 on this forum.

t'bear · 08-04-2013 12:50pm

Well done, keep it up. As you have the milestones already targetted with the An Post cycles, do make a more granular plan (km/week etc) to help you manage your improvement. In relation to speed, if possible join a club, this will educate you considerably on group riding and your speed will also increase.

colm_gti · 08-04-2013 4:53pm

You couldn't have picked a harder race to start out with, there's dipping your toe in the water and there's diving in at the deep end....you opted to skip both of them and dive off a 10m high olympic diving board into a 5m deep diving pool! Fair play to you for trying it, instead of logging on and looking for reasons not to try a bit of racing, you just bit the bullet and went for it! Kudos to you sir

Don't let that experience put you off racing though, as t'bear said, join a club, get used to riding in a group, and give club racing a shot if you can. It really is great craic!

Keep up the good work

thinks too much · 14-04-2013 2:54pm

Not a great week on the cycling front..only managed to get out on monday and wednesday and did 33 and 75 km respectively..got sick thursday and still struggling to shake it..working nights this week also which is not helping...hoefully next week I can get the kms in and am targetting doing at least 150..

thinks too much · 20-04-2013 8:02pm

So I have upgraded my Giant Defy 5 to a Defy 2...am amazed at how much difference the Tiagre gearing gives compared to the Shimano 2300...only got out for a quick 25 km today and am very happy with it...no roll on my weeks leave next week and some serious mileage.

thinks too much · 28-04-2013 9:16pm

Well i decided to put in a big week this week and am quite pleased with my efforts..

Distance = 299 km
Time = 12 hrs 22 mins
Elevation = 2068 meters

Am averaging about 24.2 km per hour which is a good increase on my previous average times..all in all a good week on the bike and good training ahead of Tour of Sligo next week...a few spins planned for the week ahead so hope i can keep up the good work.

thinks too much · 05-05-2013 8:42pm

Good. Week on the bike. Finished it off by doing Tour of Sligo (100km) today. Had a ball. Took me 3 hrs 57 so very happy with that. Total distance for the week is 386.7 km.....Also weighed myself and have shed 12.5 kg in last 11 weeks..So all in all am extremely happy with my progress so far...Roll on next week...

thinks too much · 13-05-2013 10:22am

Not a great week by the previous few weeks standards but working 12 hour shifts and bad weather hampered me a bit...got out wednesday thursday and saturday eveening and did approx 50 km each time with about 450m average climbing in each spin so happy with that...The wind up our way is bugger..If you did the Des Hanlon you will kniow the area...Hope to do about 200 plus km this week but as I type this the wind is howling outside so think i will leave it to tomorrow morning (that and the fact i did not get in til 3 this morning) ..

Total km: 156.4 km
Time: 7:02:18
Elev Gain: 1474m
Avrage Speed: 22.3 (bloody wind and hills)

thinks too much · 20-05-2013 5:56pm

Not as good a week as I had hoped. Got ou for 3 spins which is not too bad but not getting as many kms in as i had hoped.

Distance: 185 km
Time: 7:37:42
Elev Gain: 1369m
Average Speed: 24.5

Working nights this week so hopefully i can get some spins in between getting up and going in to work.

thinks too much · 27-05-2013 6:58pm

With the exception of Thursdays spin I am happy with the weeks efforts...Dis a 100 Km spin Tuesday and followed that up with Thursdays effort ..My right hip was so sore Thursday morning but all of a sudden it went away so I thought I would head out for a spin with a friend. Not one of my best ideas and after 68 km I got a puncher about 2.5 km from my buddies house. I just sat on the road and waited until he came back for me with the car. I was in so much pain after and had to get a physio appointment that evening. He worked wonders for me and I felt so good on Friday that having watched the Ras during the day I decided to go out for a shortish spin on some of the route they took. I set 4 new personal bests on 4 climbs and was thrilled. Sunday I just took a short spin in to a pals house and it rounded the week off nicely. Weather and shifts at work are against me for week coming so will try do at least 1 long one if I can....

Distance: 231.2 km
Time: 9:27:46
Elev Gain: 1750m
Avg Speed: 24.6

thinks too much · 10-06-2013 10:45pm

So i need to fill in on the last 2 weeks progress so I will try to keep it short.

Week Ending Sunday 2/06/13

A pretty dissapointing week since i managed to take some day holidays off from work and had all sorts of plans but alas I think my exploits on the bike caught up with me as I just had no energy some days and opted out of going out and when i dd I just did a few short spins..

Distance: 158.3km
Duration: 6.34.39
Elev Gain: 1612m
Average speed: 25.3

Week ending Sunday 9/06/2013

A better week by far from the previous week..cycled to work on 3 occasions which is around 40 km each way once I do a lap of the Town..some of the commutes i felt really good and average speed reflected that..since i could not do the Wicklow 200 i went out early Sunday morning and did a Solo spin of 100 km averaging 28 kmph which i was really pleased about...the phone has acted up on a few occasions and stopped recording on strava so miissinf a few km here and there over the last few weeks but nothing major...this week i will be in London for 3 days so not expecting to do big mileage but I think i will go to Castlecomer on Sunday next and see can I join up with Deenside Wheelers to see if I should join a club...I have been unsure up to now because I felt nervouse about my sppeds etc but now i am confident of doing the distances and am able to hit 25 kmph without too much pressure on my solo rides which is about 80% of my cycling with the other 20 done with a fried who is also new to cycling. Anyway the Tour De Burren in a fortnight is my next big challenge so until next week....

Distance: 366.2 km
Duration: 13.04.19
Elev gain: 2300
Av speed: 26.97 kmph

thinks too much · 17-06-2013 10:41am

A quiet week on the bike. Only one commute to work and a spin Sunday morning. Was in the UK for 3 days for a wedding so lots and lots of eating and need to get out this week and burn that off. Tour de Burren 87 km this saturday will be the highlight. Only doing the 87 as i have persuaded 2 friends to do it also and it will be their first cycling event, well that and i dont think i am ready for 160km just yet..

Distance: 151.8
Time: 5.40.48
Elev Gain: 955 m
Av Speed: 26.6 kmph

thinks too much · 23-06-2013 8:53pm

Well another week over and not a bad one overall. Was working nights Monday through to Wednesday so decided to cycle to work Tuesday night as I knew the Wife would pick me up on Wednesday morning if I was not up for the commute home. Night shift went well and headed for home wed morning decicing to try a ne route via monastrevin and athy. Got to monastrevin and feeling good headed for Kildare and then back to athy where i stopped for a 10 min break. Went out the new road towards ballitore and then on to Castledermot then carlow and finally the final stretch home of which the last 6km is a drag uphill. so a nice midweeek 100 km spin done in prepration for Tour De Burren.

So saturday and on to Clare with Ger and Seamus for the Tour De Burren. For the 2 lads it was their first ever organised cycling event so I said i would stick with them since it was my idea to rope them in to doing it. Wind and rain on journey down had one of the lads questioning our future frienship. So we take off and we are going well until first big climb and i just put head down and climb on. at top i realise the lads are not with m e and i wait. ger had a gearing prob and when he got off to check it he broke one of his cleats. But ever the trooper he ploughed on. We kept going and had a good time just enjoyig the atmosphere etc and with 15 km to go ISeamus suggested I go on and so i put a big effort in and made up some good time. Did the 87km in 3 hrs 27 and the lads were in at 4 rs which i kept telling them was very respectable for first big outing and the fact that the wind was horrendous plus the climbing involved. All in all a great day out and the coast road section was fantastic.

And so another week is over and I have passed the 300km mark and am very happy with progress so far. Next planned event is Meath heritage Tour but in between now and then I will be in France from July 11 th for 2 weeks and bike is coming too so hope to do a bit there. In the meantime I will try to get some more kms done around home here and maybe sneak in a sportive if i get permission.

Ubtil next week..

Distance: 242.9 km
Time: 9:04:56
Avg speed: 27.1
elev: 1751

thinks too much · 30-06-2013 9:49pm

As I write this my legs are still screming at me from attempting the Wicklow Peaks today. I had signed up for the 120 km but on leaving foodstop in Laragh I went up the Sally Gap and by the time I realised my mistake I just kept going so only did the 100km route. It was my first time ever cycling in Wicklow and I am happy to be just that bit too far from there to have to do it regularly. While the steepness of the hills was hard enough it was the lenght that some of the drags went on for that really took it out of me. But regardless I had a ball and enjoyed my first outing to Wicklow. Other than that I got out early twice this week for some 3 hour spins and also commuted to wotk one of the days. Good week overall and set a couple of new PR's on a few Strava segments. Average speeds were not that great but I am more concerned with getting mileage in at the moment more that anything else.

Distance: 333.9km
Time: 12:52:02
Elev Gain: 2711m
Avg Speed: 25.8

inc21 · 30-06-2013 10:00pm

Like reading your posts but maybe you can post few strava links. Just a beginner myself and I like look at strava stats.
Here is my today's ride.
http://app.strava.com/activities/63887106

thinks too much · 08-07-2013 10:52pm

Well first of all the weather is super. But I am having to try to cycle early in the morning or in the evening because I am not able for the mid day heat. A good week for me. I went out wednesday with a friend who is trying to get more cycling done and we did a 120 km spin together. A few shorter spins and a spin during my lunch break boosted my weekly mileage up to a nice level. again I am maintaining a good average speed for me but i need to up the climbing levels a bit as I am still struggling on climbs. I set a few Pb"s on a couple of segments so happy with that again.. Heading to France on Thursday for the family hols and bike is tagging along so looking foward to seeing the French countryside. Hope the phone will record my spins over there. Probably be a few weeks before I post an update so until then.

Distance: 265.6 km
Time: 9:57:08
Av Speed: 27.3
Elev gain: 1319

http://app.strava.com/activities/64454696

inc21 · 08-07-2013 11:01pm

thinks too much wrote: »

Well first of all the weather is super. But I am having to try to cycle early in the morning or in the evening because I am not able for the mid day heat. A good week for me. I went out wednesday with a friend who is trying to get more cycling done and we did a 120 km spin together. A few shorter spins and a spin during my lunch break boosted my weekly mileage up to a nice level. again I am maintaining a good average speed for me but i need to up the climbing levels a bit as I am still struggling on climbs. I set a few Pb"s on a couple of segments so happy with that again.. Heading to France on Thursday for the family hols and bike is tagging along so looking foward to seeing the French countryside. Hope the phone will record my spins over there. Probably be a few weeks before I post an update so until then.

Distance: 265.6 km
Time: 9:57:08
Av Speed: 27.3
Elev gain: 1319

http://app.strava.com/activities/64454696

Well done and thanks for the link! Wow 120k, that's impressive. My max for now is 79 but will attempt 100 soon enough.

thinks too much · 29-07-2013 2:18pm

Well The holiday in France was brilliant. As for the cycling wel thats a bit less of a success. First week there i did about 180 km but never even got on the bike in second week. I think my body was telling me to take a few days away from the bike as i could not get the motivation to go out. A bit dissapointing as I found the roads in great condition and the respect shown by the Franch drivers was something else.

So anyway we got home on saturday and I headed off to Trim yesterday to do the Meath Heritage Tour. My plan was to take it easy and just enjoy the spin. We did the first 60 ki in 2 hrs 20 min and afer thw foodstop i decided to push it a bit harder and did the last 40 k in 1 hr 23 mins.

For now its just about getting back into the routine and getting legs spinning again. Might try do the Tour de ilkenny this week so hope waether is not too bad.

thinks too much · 05-08-2013 9:58am

Another week down and I had not done a tap on the bike before the Tour De Kilkenny on Saturday and boy did it tell. First 50 k were ok and we were maintaining a pace around the 29 kph mark. After that the hills appeared and then the pain started. We went up woodtock and it was tough. The descent after was great but freewheeing down it did me no favours when the next hill arrived as legs were still tired from woodstock. We got round in the end and it was tough. Having looked at the map beforehand I did not think it would be too bad but I know now for next year.

So feeling bad that I had not done anything but the Tour De Kilkenny this week I decided to head out for a spin Sunday. Did 90 k and at a fairly good pace but the legs are sore this morning. Will go out for a spin later today to loosen up the legs and hopefully back to getting some decent mileage in during the week. Probably going to do the Leinster Loop in a few weeks and also going to do the Sean Kelly 100k. So for now back on the bike and rack up the miles.

Distance: 200km#
Time 7:19:05
Elevation: 1563
Avg speed: 27.6

http://app.strava.com/activities/71827484#
http://app.strava.com/activities/72167334#

thinks too much · 11-08-2013 7:05pm

One of my best weeks for a while. A couple of lunchtime spins and a few 100 k rides and I am feeling good after this week. I did not commit to doing too much climbing this week and tried to just get my average speeds up a bit. Working a fair bit this week so unsure of whether I will get a huge amount in but will be doing the Leinster Loop 90 k next week with a friend who has just got his first bike and will stick with him to encourage him along.

Distance: 312.5
Time: 10:40:12
Elevation: 1392 m
Avg Speed: 29.5

http://www.strava.com/activities/72399996
http://www.strava.com/activities/72861271
http://www.strava.com/activities/73101123
http://www.strava.com/activities/73327052
http://www.strava.com/activities/73866708

thinks too much · 20-08-2013 10:21pm

Good enough week which was finished off by doing the Leinster loop 90 km after doing the night shift at work. Got around in 3hrs 5 mins so happy considering the lack of sleep. As for the rest of the week it was mostly shorter spins and set a few personal bests on some local hills. Sean Kelly this week and I am bricking it if I am honest. have taken Monday off as i predict a lot of suffering.

Distance: 253.3
Time: 8:54:20
elev gain:1475
Av Speed: 28.8

thinks too much · 25-08-2013 10:54pm

My first 160 cycle completed today at the Sean Kelly Tour and it was both a great and diss appointing day. It was as tough as I expected it to be and unfortunately an accident at the start of the climb back up the Nire resulted in my pal and fellow boardsie Charlie P ending up with a broken arm. That really took the shine off the day and after they carted him off to hospital we just concentrated on getting back. Other than today I was only out one other day this week. As for now I intend to relax for a few days and try recover from today.

Distance: 211km
Time: 8:23:37
Elev 2878m
Av speed: 25.3

http://www.strava.com/activities/77451470
http://www.strava.com/activities/76497063

thinks too much · 04-09-2013 10:37pm

I only got out once last week managing 57 km. Just did not feel up to going out the rest of the week. Passed the 5000 km mark for the year so maybe my legs were just looking for a break. Hopefully I will do a bit this week.

thinks too much · 11-09-2013 3:38pm

Not a bad week last week. Got out 3 days and felt good. Not a whole lot of climbing but I just wanted to get some mileage in the legs again more than anything.. Rebel tour to look forward to this week so won't be doing a whole lot.

Distance: 206 km
Time: 7:33:44
Elev gain: 1029
Av speed: 27.5 km

thinks too much · 22-09-2013 4:52pm

I have been a bit lazy in posting my progress of late. No Internet at home at the moment. Anyway last week I did the Rebel tour in a time of 6 hrs and 18 mins. I found it very tough personally. It did not have the big hard climbs of Sean Kelly Tour but there were a lot more shorter steep climbs along the route that I felt I never got a chance to recover from one before another hit me again. So in total last week I did 248 km.

This week I never went near the bike until Friday due to a combination of giving myself time to get over the rebel tour and the wind down our way kept putting me off until Friday evening when I did a spin into Carlow putting up 48km. Today I did a charity cycle for Beam in bagelstown. I did 97 k in 3hrs 17 mins averaging 31.1 km ph so happy with that especially since with 33 k to my rear gear cable snapped leaving me with only one gear at the back and alternating between top and bottom ring on front. I could have waited for the mechanic but I did not fancy sitting on the side of the road for 30 mins.

So that's it for this week.will bring the bike in for a few repairs tomorrow and hopefully have it back by Wednesday.

thinks too much · 29-09-2013 9:29pm

A very easy week to report. Absolutely nothing done this week as I have had a bad dose and even now with all the anti biotics etc its not looking too good for next week either. Hopefully I can shift it soon. So until then.....

thinks too much · 06-10-2013 1:33pm

unfortunately this week is the same as last week. I am really after struggling with this dose. Maybe it is my body telling me it needs a break but I am really missing not being able to go out for a spin. I am hoping to get out Tomorrow(Monday) weather permitting and take it from there. I will be doing the Castlecomer 100 in a couple of weeks. When I started cycling properly in February I told the wife that i was hoping that come October I would be able to complete the Castlecomer 100. How things have changed for me since then.

I am going to have to start working on a serious training plan soon as with my planned HometoRome(link Below) cycle next June I will need to get a lot of miles done between now and then. I did not really think the idea through as to the enormity of the task when i signed up but when you enlist you must soldier so time to pull the finger out.

So for now ots a case of getting back on the sassle and hpefully I will see some of you at the Castlecomer 100 in 2 weeks time and if i spot your board jerseys I will be sure to Say hello.

link: www.facebook.com/hometoromecycle

thinks too much · 13-10-2013 9:37pm

Back with a bit of a bang this week. Got out 3 days and managed a total of 285 km for the week and averaged 27.3 kmph. Very happy overall as it was a tough old slog as i am still not 100% and really felt that on any hills i did. On Friday I got a 100 km spin in and it felt like 300 km. Even though i averaged 25kmph over the 100 k it felt like a pure struggle. So when I set off this morning to do the Sean Kelly Tour Of Midlands I was not feeling the most confident. But once out there i soon got into it until we hit the first big climb The Cut. Met Dirkvoodoo and after a quick chat he left me behind. I found the road on this climb to be completely dead and it just felt like a slog The Wolftrap was not much better for me but the decent made up for that. Got into a very fast group after leaving the food stop and at one point i looked at the speed o and we were traveling at 50kmph along the main road. I stayed with this group for a bit but that pace was too much and dropped back to link up with next group which were traveling at a more sensible speed. overall i averaged 30kmph over the 115 km and am very happy with that.Looking forward to Castlecomer next weekend so until then happy cycling.

thinks too much · 20-10-2013 9:44pm

This week i got 4 spins in covering a total of 333 km. the average speed over the week was 27.9 kmph and i am happy with that. Today I did the Castlecomer 100 and i was really looking forward to this. When I started cycling last November I had set my goal as Been able to do the Castlecomer 100 2013. At the time I thought to complete a 100 km cycle would take a huge super human effort. Now only a year later I would do a 100 km as a training spin. So I decided to cycle the 15 km from home to castlecomer this morning and felt good. On the rise out of comer one of the group got a puncture and I stopped for him only for him to puncture again less than 700 meters later. So I tried to chase down some sort of a group but then came across 2 more of the boys on the side of the road ending a puncture. once again i stopped and once we got going the 3 of us worked hard to get back to some of the groups but alas we were too far back and bar a few tail enders we rode the route alone. we managed a moving time of 3.35 and considering the head wind i think that is acceptable enough. With the extra 30 km i did to and from home my cycling time for today was 4.41. Working nights this week so depending on how they go I will try get a few spins in.

thinks too much · 27-10-2013 11:07pm

You really have to love this time of year. You have all the elements for not wanting to go out cycling yet we still go out in it no matter what the weather. I got out 3 times this week. Twice on my own and each time managed 100 km and in good time too in my own opinion. And then to top it all off on Saturday i went out at lunchtime with a couple of work buddies and it was raining when we started and that was grand. However it was only the beginning and after about 20 k of our spin in the cold and wind and rain the heavens decided to really test us and what i can only describe as a monsoon came down on us. As we rode as hard as we could the rain was coming down on us and even started to bounce back up at us from the ground it was coming down that hard.By the time we got back to work we were about 3 stone heavier with the water that was soaked into our clothing. Pure madness but worth it. I think you need a spin like that to remind yourself on other not so bad days not to be such a wimp and get out on the bike. overall i managed 229 km for the week at an average speed of 29.1. admittedly i am not doing a huge amount of climbing but am happy just keeping the legs spinning. So regardless of weather I will be out this week and keeping those wheels turning.

thinks too much · 06-11-2013 2:52pm

Last Friday I had the official launch for my home to Rome cycle next summer. And so after just under a year of having a bike and nearly 7000km done i am now focused on getting as much miles in the kegs as i can between now and June next. Last week i managed 233 km at about 28 kmph average, 4 spins in all and i got very wet in the process. There must be a sadist in me because on 2 of those spins it was raining heavily when i started out. But onwards we will soldier and I am looking to try and do a minimum of 200km a week between now and the end of January and after that will be increasing the weekly total monthly up to June. But for now I will just sit here and wait for a break in the rain today as I am being a bit of a wimp...

thinks too much · 10-11-2013 11:57pm

The change in the temperature was really noticeable this week. My poor old toes are struggling to adjust to the cold. Got out 5 days this week managing 257 km in total and averaging 27.3 kmph. Happy with this as its getting harder to fit in the spins with the weather and the shorter days. Today on my lunch break i just did a short 13 k spin to loosen the legs as I am planning on going out in the morning to do around 80 k if the weather lets me. Again I hope to do 200 + this week coming if I can. For now its time to start wrapping up and keeping the feet warm.

duffyshuffle · 17-11-2013 12:54pm

thinks too much wrote: »

The change in the temperature was really noticeable this week. My poor old toes are struggling to adjust to the cold. Got out 5 days this week managing 257 km in total and averaging 27.3 kmph. Happy with this as its getting harder to fit in the spins with the weather and the shorter days. Today on my lunch break i just did a short 13 k spin to loosen the legs as I am planning on going out in the morning to do around 80 k if the weather lets me. Again I hope to do 200 + this week coming if I can. For now its time to start wrapping up and keeping the feet warm.

Do you have overshoes?
Do you have good lights to cycle in the evening instead of trying to squeeze it in during the day?

thinks too much · 17-11-2013 3:16pm

duffyshuffle wrote: »

Do you have overshoes?
Do you have good lights to cycle in the evening instead of trying to squeeze it in during the day?

I do have overshoes alright and they are a big help. I have actually considered getting good lights and maybe heading to Town in the evening to do some cycling because you would not cycle around where we live at night unless u had a death wish as its all narrow country roads.

thinks too much · 18-11-2013 6:37pm

Another good week last week. 318 km averaging 28.4kmph. Got out 4 days and it was mild enough for most of them. Went to Clare for the weekend with the missus but she banned me from bringing the bike which was a pity because there are some super roads down there for cycling. So instead I ate like a King and now have to try and plan on how to lose those extra lbs gained. Plan on going Mountain biking in Ballyhoura on Wednesday so that should be fun but rest of week is going to be quiet on the bike due to work but we will see what happens.

thinks too much · 24-11-2013 11:09pm

Very quiet week compared to last few weeks but we all need a little rest at some stage. Got out 3 times on road at lunchtimes during work and managed 67.3 km for the week. On Wednesday I went to Ballyhoura for a spot of mountain biking for the first time and had a ball. Took a tumble while going along the boardwalk but luckily the bog gave my face a soft landing. Nest week I am aiming to try and get in 150 km at least but with work and home commitments even that might be a push but we will see.

thinks too much · 02-12-2013 6:10pm

Myself and a few friends had planned another trip to Ballyhoura for Wednesday last so I decided to take it easy on Monday and Tuesday. So off we head and another great day was had. This time we did the white route and after the 35 km we were shattered but happy. I never would have thought that it would take so much physical toll on us but it did. Bike was battered after it also.

So on Thursday with my muscles aching another day was gone and then Friday was out as i was working nights Thursday and Saturday should also have been a no go as i was after nights also.

However being a great lad I decided after 2 hours rest Saturday morning to go out for a spin. I had my route all thought out and away I went.After 50 k i found myself in Portlaoise and stopped for a sandwich. Average speed at that stage was 24.7 and I am thinking I will make it up as i was cycling into a headwind and various other excuses.

So away from Portlaoise and towards Monastrevin and then Athy. I am feeling really sluggish at this stage and cannot get any speed and the legs are screaming at me. I start to think about calling herself to pick me up but resist the temptation. The killer was that as I was heading through Athy it starts to dawn on me that its relatively flat ground that I have been on and the hills up to home have to be taken on yet. But persist I did and I eventually got home. 107 k averaging 25 kmph. I slept like the dead on Saturday night and did not even look at the bike on Sunday.

So the lesson learned is that I am not superman and I need to get proper sleep before taking on a 100k cycle. Going to do a few shorter spins this week all going well but with the temperatures set to drop later in the week time out on the road may be limited

thinks too much · 15-12-2013 11:44pm

The last 2 weeks have been an absolute disaster and to be honest I have no excuses. Monday and Tuesday of last week i got 2 50 odd km spins in and I thought I had a great base to work from for that week but then nothing since. I wish I could just blame the weather but I have cycled in far worse during the year.

I just cannot get motivated to get on the bike at the moment. Every time I think about it I come up with some excuse. Is anyone else feeling this way. I am working a fair bit this week and if I don't at least get out during lunch break on a few of those days it is not looking too good for this week either. Maybe I have overdone it. I keep reminding myself that its only my first year of cycling and we all need a rest etc. But If I am going to complete my Home to Rome cycle next June I cannot afford to get lazy and should at least be getting out for a few spins each week at a minimum at this time of the year.

Well I will just have to man up and stop making excuses from now on. Hopefully next week I will have some better figures to report.

Colonialboy · 16-12-2013 11:37am

I think your pushing yourself too hard.
It seems you only took up the bike last Novemeber. Did you have a good level of fitness beforehand?
Maybe you went too hard through the summer and into the autumn and winter and now you have no recovery, long term fatigue.
In one of your posts you mention 100k in 4 hrs plus recently, that in my opinion is too long spent in saddle for such a short distance, there was little benfit to you, only adds to long term fatigue.
You also say you aim todo 100k in each session or something like that.
Admirable but not advisable for everyone, more is no good all the time.

It sounds like your coming off the bike at the end of your session in bits, which is not good over a long period.
I think you should shorten your cycles, increase the intensity a bit if you want. Add some resting blocks to your training, 3 weeks medium-hard, 1 week easy. You need to build up your base slower, over 2 years maybe.

Just some thoughts, take it or leave it, its hard to give feedback based on posts. good luck.

thinks too much · 17-12-2013 12:59am

Colonialboy wrote: »

I think your pushing yourself too hard.
It seems you only took up the bike last Novemeber. Did you have a good level of fitness beforehand?
Maybe you went too hard through the summer and into the autumn and winter and now you have no recovery, long term fatigue.
In one of your posts you mention 100k in 4 hrs plus recently, that in my opinion is too long spent in saddle for such a short distance, there was little benfit to you, only adds to long term fatigue.
You also say you aim todo 100k in each session or something like that.
Admirable but not advisable for everyone, more is no good all the time.

It sounds like your coming off the bike at the end of your session in bits, which is not good over a long period.
I think you should shorten your cycles, increase the intensity a bit if you want. Add some resting blocks to your training, 3 weeks medium-hard, 1 week easy. You need to build up your base slower, over 2 years maybe.

Just some thoughts, take it or leave it, its hard to give feedback based on posts. good luck.

Definitely feel that I am Fatigued alright and I felt really good during the summer and its really been the last 2 months that I have started to struggle. I know that I am not doing enough planning ahead in my training. I just tend to go out and decide as I go what route to take etc with no defined plan of action on what I am trying to achieve. I have joined a cycling club that has started up in Work(60 members) and hope that some of the experienced guys will help out in bringing me on a bit. I am also going to start looking into nutrition etc as I know I am not eating and drinking properly on spins. Also After spin recovery needs to be addressed.

But I do love cycling and fitness wise etc it has improved my health etc tremendously since I took it up. So Hopefully now I will be able to move forward and improve.

pprendeville · 17-12-2013 11:50am

thinks too much wrote: »

The last 2 weeks have been an absolute disaster and to be honest I have no excuses. Monday and Tuesday of last week i got 2 50 odd km spins in and I thought I had a great base to work from for that week but then nothing since. I wish I could just blame the weather but I have cycled in far worse during the year.

I just cannot get motivated to get on the bike at the moment. Every time I think about it I come up with some excuse. Is anyone else feeling this way. I am working a fair bit this week and if I don't at least get out during lunch break on a few of those days it is not looking too good for this week either. Maybe I have overdone it. I keep reminding myself that its only my first year of cycling and we all need a rest etc. But If I am going to complete my Home to Rome cycle next June I cannot afford to get lazy and should at least be getting out for a few spins each week at a minimum at this time of the year.

Well I will just have to man up and stop making excuses from now on. Hopefully next week I will have some better figures to report.

Get yourself a training program or sit down and make one up yourself. The Cyclists Training Bible is good for this but there is a lot of info in it and it can overload you a bit (at least it did for me initially).

I am just starting a 12 week program and am feeling renewed again after having slackened off a bit although I probably needed a break from the bike tbh. Have all my sessions planned ow for the next 3 months so all I need to do is hop on the bike, suffer a bit and not think too much.

For your feet, if you're still feeling the effects of the cold despite the overshoes, wrap some tin foil around tops of your toes. Does wonders repelling Jack Frost.

paulgalway · 19-12-2013 1:46am

pprendeville wrote: »

I am just starting a 12 week program .

Is it a program you made yourself? Any Links?

Need something to motivate me during the next few months during the bad weather.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

pprendeville · 19-12-2013 5:11am

paulgalway wrote: »

Is it a program you made yourself? Any Links?

Need something to motivate me during the next few months during the bad weather.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I was contemplating making a training plan for myself using The Cyclists Training Bible but for some reason I know I probably wouldn't stick to something I made for myself or 1/2 way through I'd end up changing the workouts (happened last year with my own plan but it was good to gauge with other training plans, I will apply the same principles however later in the year as TCTB - planning backwards from my main priority races).

So a bit of Googling led me to the training4cyclists website. I downloaded the 12 week winter training plan from there for a small fee of course. His main claim to fame is less is more. I'm only an A3 and tend to agree with his reasoning. Longest race I did last year was 120km in RAS Clar and I think Joe Friel said you plan around things like this. So if your maximum race length is 120km then training spins of 100km will suffice or thereabouts. Similarly, racing terrain plays its part. Most races in Ireland are rolling terrain with very few long climbs so better to focus your training on short bursts of speed and VO2 max.

Last year I got a 12 week training plan (April-Jun) with DigDeep Coaching and it worked really well for me. I need structure to keep myself motivated. This year I know what I need to be more competitive and base plan fits the bill perfectly. Found myself going a bit flat a few weeks ago so this has renewed my enthusiasm.

thinks too much · 02-01-2014 9:24pm

I have not been on the bike for a few weeks now but as usual have a load of excuses but I wont even get into that. Its now 2014 and there is a lot of Turkey to be burned off and no excuses are acceptable from here on in.

I have mentioned in a few posts during the year about my planned Home to Rome cycle next June. The plan now is to get as much cycling in as possible but in a more structured way than I have been doing up to now. Diet is going to be a very important as I don't always eat properly in general let alone when out on the bike. I put a lot of this down to the fact that i work shifts and do a lots of night shifts which really messes up the metabolism. But from now on I will be eating in a more structured way and planning my food intake for my spins in advance.

I will be trying to plan my weeks in advance and try as best as I can to stick to those plans. As part of my Home to Rome cycle I will also be fundraising and have a few events planned and the fundraising is actually more daunting to me than the actual cycle. I am a stubborn fecker so I am confident I will last the 2 weeks of the cycle but Raising as much money as possible for the charity is the main aim and so that's where I feel a lot of my energy is going to be spent for the next 6 months.

as for My Cycling Life So Far. Well i have done just short of 8200km in 2013. I genuinely never believed that i would take to the bike in the way that I have. I have had so many great times during the year that its hard to pick out any favorite moment. I have been very lucky in that I have avoided any big injuries or falls so far and long may it continue.

And for 2014 a whole new chapter begins with the Home to Rome cycle in June the bug aim. But also I will be hoping to complete the Wicklow 200 and the Mick Byrne Randomee along the way.

And that's it folks. my first year on the bike done and dusted. Thanks to all of you who have followed me along this journey and Roll on 2014 and happy and safe cycling to you all.

My Cycling Life(so far)

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