Cycling Thread

[newholland]

kudos for survival on the ECO SMO. ECO SLO. those brakes look like a deathtrap!

[itchyfingers]

nh - I was kinda the opposite and came from a strength training (lifting) background, this endurance stuff is completely new to me. My problem is I always go too hard in the gym and end up hurting myself. I have a personal trainer that I see weekly, but I usually stay away from legs because riding. I'll change it up. I hear you about core strength too, I need to add some planks into my stretching routine, at a minimum!

zozo - thanks for finally posting those pics of Ascension Island! Those climbs look brutal man, and that last one looked like a slogger with all that mud. Those bikes!

I finished my first week of the Trainer Road Sweet Spot Base I Plan. 5 hours 20 minutes, 98 miles, 395 TSS. Initial workouts didn't seem very challenging, but I tinkered with my FTP and had a solid workout today. The thing that's weird is my heart rate is nowhere close to where it is on normal rides outside. Even though I feel my legs getting worked, my cardio system is largely untested compared to climbing a hill at 6% for a mile. I'm hoping this is the concept of base training, and not me shorting myself on solid workouts...

[Zozobra]

Man, those brakes were beyond shocking. I had to scrub the descent down green mountain on the rear brake the whole time. I'd dare not get over 10 mph as there just wasn't the stopping power.

The last ride wasn't so bad until the end. Most of it was on road with maybe the last 5km on gravel/mud. The killer is that I was staying in georgetown on the other side of the island and that is basically at sea level. To get to NE point I'd have to climb 350m then go back down to sea level again. The ride back was a killer and I was hungover AF too as it was the last day and we'd drunk the hotel bar dry the night before.

[andvari7]

So, here's a fun bit:

My birthday is a memorable day in July. There was a cycling team in the early 90s with a similarly memorable name, whose throwback jersey was reissued several years ago. I purchased said jersey, matching bib shorts and hat, at that time. I wear the kit on or around my birthday, and at no other time. Yesterday, I received a set of the matching gloves and musette. Except that they aren't throwback gloves - they're the real thing. 1990 tech, 1990 style. I'm looking for the matching socks.

[andvari7]

I finally found a local wrencher. They're about three blocks away from me, and the shop is that mid-20s inner city store. They've sold me on the idea of more spokes (I'm what they call a Clydesdale, but since I hate being compared to the brewery staff at Anheuser-Busch, I'll accept fat), and they sell my preferred tire - Continental 4-Season - in 25 and 28mm widths. I also got to see the new Campagnolo disc brake system. Here's my take: The braking action is smoother, and the shifting is as crisp as electronic braking is going to be. I didn't get to actually ride it, but I'm in. Money no object, my next roadie is going to have that Campy gruppo.

[itchyfingers]

I finally found a local wrencher. They're about three blocks away from me, and the shop is that mid-20s inner city store. They've sold me on the idea of more spokes (I'm what they call a Clydesdale, but since I hate being compared to the brewery staff at Anheuser-Busch, I'll accept fat), and they sell my preferred tire - Continental 4-Season - in 25 and 28mm widths. I also got to see the new Campagnolo disc brake system. Here's my take: The braking action is smoother, and the shifting is as crisp as electronic braking is going to be. I didn't get to actually ride it, but I'm in. Money no object, my next roadie is going to have that Campy gruppo.

That's awesome man. I'd go with the 28s, there's actually less rolling resistance, and the wider rubber inspires more confidence. I'm definitely going disc on my next road bike too. Haven't decided on the DI2 electronic shifting though...

I've completed 6 weeks of Sweet Spot Base training, taking a few weeks off to get audited and do some travel, then hitting a Sustained Build plan when I get back this weekend. Oh, and I finally caved and upgraded my pain cave...

[newholland]

I finally found a local wrencher. They're about three blocks away from me, and the shop is that mid-20s inner city store. They've sold me on the idea of more spokes (I'm what they call a Clydesdale, but since I hate being compared to the brewery staff at Anheuser-Busch, I'll accept fat), and they sell my preferred tire - Continental 4-Season - in 25 and 28mm widths. I also got to see the new Campagnolo disc brake system. Here's my take: The braking action is smoother, and the shifting is as crisp as electronic braking is going to be. I didn't get to actually ride it, but I'm in. Money no object, my next roadie is going to have that Campy gruppo.

That's awesome man. I'd go with the 28s, there's actually less rolling resistance, and the wider rubber inspires more confidence. I'm definitely going disc on my next road bike too. Haven't decided on the DI2 electronic shifting though...

I've completed 6 weeks of Sweet Spot Base training, taking a few weeks off to get audited and do some travel, then hitting a Sustained Build plan when I get back this weekend. Oh, and I finally caved and upgraded my pain cave...

holy cow. that's a serious trainer rig itch!

yagh.. i'm way too long off the bike. rode 30 miles with a brewery in the middle during a warm snap about a month ago. that was awesome.. but the 2 mile climb to the endpoint was an ass whipper.. at least i had liquid carbs..

can't wait for a little weather turn.. we had huge ass windstorm this weekend.. so no riding for me..

[CrunchBerries]

Just took the bike out today after a winter that seemed to stretch on forever.

The main difference between my last ride last year and today's ride: I have been weight training since January. My training program is focused on form and focus, using a benchmark of 12-15 reps for the first sets.

Anyways, I took the bike out today for a spin and WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Starting from a high gear was a non-issue, and taking uphills is MUCH smoother. Acceleration requires much less effort. Now I just need to put some miles in to work the slow twich muscles.

[BroSlinger]

My wife got me a burley kid trailer for Christmas. Pretty stoked to take henry out riding.

[itchyfingers]

Nice, dudes!

I'm averaging about 150 miles a week right now between road rides and trainer rides. Currently in the middle of my 8 week Sustained Power Build training plan. My legs are shot, but I just keep dumping fatigue on them. 2 weeks til my first big race of the year, the Belgian Waffle Ride. Doing the Wafer version, which is "only" 80 miles of on and off road torture, 8k feet of climbing. I won't be in prime fitness, but hoping to at least finish faster than I did last year. Also doing the MS150 ride in Colorado in June, 150 miles to Fort Collins and back to Denver broken up over a weekend. I will be in prime shape for that one, minus the lack of O2 up there.

Here's my BWR bike, all tuned up and ready to roll. I went with some Continental Cyclocross tires 700x35. They have knobbies on the outside so I can have some traction on the singletrack sections, and a pattern down the middle that doesn't get too grippy on city streets. Last year I had slicks, and wont make that mistake again, lol.

[newholland]

Nice, dudes!

I'm averaging about 150 miles a week right now between road rides and trainer rides. Currently in the middle of my 8 week Sustained Power Build training plan. My legs are shot, but I just keep dumping fatigue on them. 2 weeks til my first big race of the year, the Belgian Waffle Ride. Doing the Wafer version, which is "only" 80 miles of on and off road torture, 8k feet of climbing. I won't be in prime fitness, but hoping to at least finish faster than I did last year. Also doing the MS150 ride in Colorado in June, 150 miles to Fort Collins and back to Denver broken up over a weekend. I will be in prime shape for that one, minus the lack of O2 up there.

Here's my BWR bike, all tuned up and ready to roll. I went with some Continental Cyclocross tires 700x35. They have knobbies on the outside so I can have some traction on the singletrack sections, and a pattern down the middle that doesn't get too grippy on city streets. Last year I had slicks, and wont make that mistake again, lol.

yeah man! that's a bike i can get behind, for sure. wish i had a road bike right now that could handle 35's- best i got is 28's with fenders. i swear sometime soon i'm gonna build up a rando bike with 44's AND fenders..

[itchyfingers]

Took part in my second Belgian Waffle Ride on Sunday. I did the “Wafer” course, which was 73.5 miles, the full Waffle route being an additional 60 miles of road (133 miles total) that I wanted no part of. 10 hours on a bike doesn’t sound the least bit fun to me.

It’s billed as the most unique cycling event in the country, and I’d say it lives up to its moniker. It’s designed to mimic the famous single-day Belgian stage races, but since we have a severe lack of cobblestones in San Diego County, they account for it by sending us offroad on fire roads, country roads, hiking trails, sandy paths, gravel trails, singletrack, stream crossings, rock gardens, you name it!

I did the ride last year and knew I had NO business being out there. I went out too fast, cramped up before mile 20 (of 66), didn’t feed properly, and had to walk my bike over significant sections of the course. Have you ever had a cramp that goes from the arch of your foot all the way to your armpit? I did, two of them at the same time – try pedaling through that! At the end of the ride I swore I’d never do it again. Around the holidays, I’d apparently forgotten all about the pain and signed up for this year’s race.

A few things I did differently this time around that ended up making this a super fun day…

I trained like a mofo. This isn’t a ride where you can just hop off the couch. I got a Wahoo Kickr and have been waking up at 5:00am for months of structured training using the TrainerRoad software. I am the fittest I’ve ever been, even despite some ill-timed work travel. I am about 10 lbs lighter than last year.

I got a MTN bike. I contemplated using it for the BWR, and the full suspension would be great in the dirt, but with all the road to cover, it just isn’t the right tool for the job. However, what the MTN did for me was to improve my offroad technique; centering my weight over the bottom bracket, row and anti-row arm movements, picking better lines, flowing through sections, and inspiring overall confidence in sketchy situations.

I rode the same bike, my trusty ole aluminum Trek Crossrip Elite. People ride everything from road bikes to mountain bikes to fixies to elipticals, but I’d guess that the carbon gravel bike was the most popular choice (if you have >$5000 to spend). Once you’re out on the course this is where you hope you made the right call on your bike setup choice. With 30 miles of pavement (60 for Wafflers) and 40 miles of dirt there is a fine line of concessions to be made. There were a few guys on MTN, and they probably loved the dirt sections, but I passed a ton of MTN guys on the road – just too heavy with improper gearing.

I changed the setup on the Trek. Last year I rode 700x28 street slicks, which were plenty fast on tarmac, but were absolutely terrible in the singletrack, sand, and gravel. I had trouble keeping traction with the slicks, but the cross tires I chose for this year (Continental XC 700x35) were supple and confidence inspiring. I was slower than my road bike on the streets, but not by much. I also went with a new cassette in the back that has a 32 tooth ring, bigger than the 28 I was equipped with in 2017. It definitely helped, but in the last 15 miles, I was wishing I’d stepped up to a 34.

I was hoping to average 15mph on-road and 10mph off-road which would put me in the finish chute at around 6 hours - about a 30 minute improvement over my 2017 time. I maintained about 220 watts for the day, paced myself well, ate pretty good, used the aid stations, flowed through the dirt sections, hid from headwinds in groups of riders, coasted descents, and really tried to use every ounce of momentum I generated with no wasted efforts. Had a few solid pulls where I got some props from other riders, but tried not to be the workhorse.

I wrecked on a dirt section, my only crash of the day – I had the choice of falling into a ravine or taking a concrete wall to the chest. I opted for the latter and busted up my left hand pretty good, but it was better than the alternative! I also flatted in a rock garden and did a NASCAR-esque replacement to get back in the game. My buddy and I were in a fair amount of pain by the end – about 40 minutes of climbing 6-22% inclines before finally descending to the finish at Lost Abbey Brewery.

My official time was 5 hours 49 minutes 27 seconds - about 45 minutes faster than last year. I didn't really worry about anyone else's performance, but I finished 207/435. So stoked! Finisher beers tasted great after my self-imposed 6-week alcohol ban. My wife said I looked much better at the end of this one, and I could feel it too. Mild cramping that night, took a couple rest days and I’m already back on my training program for my next race.

TL/DR: Cool story bro, I was in a punishing bike ride on Sunday and actually had fun.

Belgian Waffles for every rider, it was about 50 degrees before the start...


Probably about 30 miles of this washboard.


Highway patrol escorts along most stretches we shared with cars.


Eatin dust while climbing.


Pick your line.


These pussies could have kept their feet dry if they rode through the creek like I did.


Or they could have taken a bath like this poor sap...


If coffee is for closers, beers are for finishers.


Proof I am not built like your average cyclist...

[newholland]

BAD ASS itch. that looks like a freakin awesome day. congrats on survival.. i totally want to do that ride- and have friends in SD i could stay with.. but i sho don't have the bike for it just yet.

we did a ride here in frederick county for a few solid years called the grand fondue-- which was primarily gravel and farm roads and upwards of 12000 feet of climbing over 100 miles. absolute ass kicker of a ride-- but not nearly as washboardy-- though in some places pretty close it was a long day on the bike, but super beautiful, and probably not nearly as many fast-types doin' it.

[newholland]

DOH.. meantime, birthday coming up-- ordered me a set of tan sidewall panaracer gravel king 28's for my rando bike. aw yeah. haven't ridden a set of file treads since i was rockin' tubulars in the mid 80's. so. freakin'. stoked.

[RIFF]

Very cool you guys...
I used to ride & I loved it.
But..
A. I took a spill & raked myself up pretty good.
B. Some fuckhead broke into my yard & stole my Specialized.
C. I had a dipshit neighbor who every time he saw me on a bike, was always wanting me to go with him on some ride.

So all that, & some other shit just had me in a fuckit sort of mood. Anyhow, I recently have been sick of being a slob & thought Id get back at it.

[Harry_Manback]

TL/DR: Cool story bro, I was in a punishing bike ride on Sunday and actually had fun.

That is really impressive man, nice work!!

[itchyfingers]

Thanks hommies!

NH - that grand fondue sounds like a beast of a ride! Also, post a pic of those tires when they come in, they sound sweet! Are they clinchers or are you going to run tubeless?

Riff - you guys have some great roads for cycling out in your neck of the woods, I hope you get back into it.

[newholland]

here's a stock image anyhoo.

spoda be fine riders, and a hell of a lot more supple than my current ruffy tuffies, but just as tough.. and a shitton lighter!

[itchyfingers]

I'd been training pretty hard for the MS150 in Colorado for about 8 weeks, and finally rode it last weekend. I went into it thinking it was a race, but in actuality it turned out to be more like an organized ride, at a blisteringly slow pace. Catered lunches, long breaks at rest stops, people who hadn't been on a bike in decades, casual cruising thru the countryside - complete opposite of the other rides I've done. Had to remind myself it wasn't the Tour de CO, but an organized ride to put an end to MS.

I went out a week early to acclimate to the elevation, got about 80 miles in leading up to the event. My father-in-law invited me to be on his team, so I planned to ride with him the whole weekend. Average speed with my buddies at home is around 18 mph, but riding with my FIL is more like 13 mph.

We were slated to do the 82 mile route on day 1, and could decide at a fork in the road if we wanted to do the century. I pretty much hung behind him all day on day 1. I had plenty of gas to do the century, but it didn't look like he did, and we still had to consider the long ride back to Denver the next day. Stayed the night at the CSU dorms, which brought back lots of college memories. Back on the road by 7:00am the next day.

Day 2 was going to be 78 miles. I spent most of that second day looking for my FIL; I dropped him on a big hill early in the route, but never saw him ride past after I stopped to wait for him. So I waited at least 20 minutes before realizing he must be in front of me. Had a blast weaving up through the field and finally caught him, just in time for a rest stop to use the bathroom, which he didn't stop at. So I chased him down again. Those two sustained sprints were my favorite part of the weekend! Following lunch, a massive lightning storm moved in off the Rockies and they ended up rerouting us to get us under cover quicker. Still did about 72 miles that day.

Did over 150 miles for the weekend, over 14 hours on the bike, and put in over 200 miles for the week, one of my biggest weeks ever. It was a beautiful ride on both days; farmlands, the Rockies, the flatirons, rivers and streams, mountain towns, reservoirs, etc. In retrospect I was way overtrained and overprepared, but I felt great both days and it's carried over back at sea level with some solid rides this week. If you haven't checked it out, look into the app "Relive". It combines your Strava ride data with pics you take and makes these cool little animations...

Check out MS150 Day 1 on Relive!
https://www.relive.cc/view/1657586509

Check out MS150 Day 2 on Relive!
https://www.relive.cc/view/1660046526

[SuperFlyinMonke]

Nicely done. I'll check your ride out on Strava for the segments.

[andvari7]

And the birthday ensemble will be complete, just as soon as the socks ship from the UK.

[The-kid]

This thread looks dope.

Just using an old Raleigh 1990 competition. pretty light for steel.

20 pounds

[newholland]

NICE itch- sounds like your pop in law's a badass! not that yer being a schlub either, man.

headed out here in a few for a 40 miler with a buddy despite it being 7:30 am and already nearing 80 :P but i've been outa the saddle with this gnarly cold too long this season and FUCK that. so i'm goin!

[The-kid]

Took part in my second Belgian Waffle Ride on Sunday. I did the “Wafer” course, which was 73.5 miles, the full Waffle route being an additional 60 miles of road (133 miles total) that I wanted no part of. 10 hours on a bike doesn’t sound the least bit fun to me.

It’s billed as the most unique cycling event in the country, and I’d say it lives up to its moniker. It’s designed to mimic the famous single-day Belgian stage races, but since we have a severe lack of cobblestones in San Diego County, they account for it by sending us offroad on fire roads, country roads, hiking trails, sandy paths, gravel trails, singletrack, stream crossings, rock gardens, you name it!

I did the ride last year and knew I had NO business being out there. I went out too fast, cramped up before mile 20 (of 66), didn’t feed properly, and had to walk my bike over significant sections of the course. Have you ever had a cramp that goes from the arch of your foot all the way to your armpit? I did, two of them at the same time – try pedaling through that! At the end of the ride I swore I’d never do it again. Around the holidays, I’d apparently forgotten all about the pain and signed up for this year’s race.

A few things I did differently this time around that ended up making this a super fun day…

I trained like a mofo. This isn’t a ride where you can just hop off the couch. I got a Wahoo Kickr and have been waking up at 5:00am for months of structured training using the TrainerRoad software. I am the fittest I’ve ever been, even despite some ill-timed work travel. I am about 10 lbs lighter than last year.

I got a MTN bike. I contemplated using it for the BWR, and the full suspension would be great in the dirt, but with all the road to cover, it just isn’t the right tool for the job. However, what the MTN did for me was to improve my offroad technique; centering my weight over the bottom bracket, row and anti-row arm movements, picking better lines, flowing through sections, and inspiring overall confidence in sketchy situations.

I rode the same bike, my trusty ole aluminum Trek Crossrip Elite. People ride everything from road bikes to mountain bikes to fixies to elipticals, but I’d guess that the carbon gravel bike was the most popular choice (if you have >$5000 to spend). Once you’re out on the course this is where you hope you made the right call on your bike setup choice. With 30 miles of pavement (60 for Wafflers) and 40 miles of dirt there is a fine line of concessions to be made. There were a few guys on MTN, and they probably loved the dirt sections, but I passed a ton of MTN guys on the road – just too heavy with improper gearing.

I changed the setup on the Trek. Last year I rode 700x28 street slicks, which were plenty fast on tarmac, but were absolutely terrible in the singletrack, sand, and gravel. I had trouble keeping traction with the slicks, but the cross tires I chose for this year (Continental XC 700x35) were supple and confidence inspiring. I was slower than my road bike on the streets, but not by much. I also went with a new cassette in the back that has a 32 tooth ring, bigger than the 28 I was equipped with in 2017. It definitely helped, but in the last 15 miles, I was wishing I’d stepped up to a 34.

I was hoping to average 15mph on-road and 10mph off-road which would put me in the finish chute at around 6 hours - about a 30 minute improvement over my 2017 time. I maintained about 220 watts for the day, paced myself well, ate pretty good, used the aid stations, flowed through the dirt sections, hid from headwinds in groups of riders, coasted descents, and really tried to use every ounce of momentum I generated with no wasted efforts. Had a few solid pulls where I got some props from other riders, but tried not to be the workhorse.

I wrecked on a dirt section, my only crash of the day – I had the choice of falling into a ravine or taking a concrete wall to the chest. I opted for the latter and busted up my left hand pretty good, but it was better than the alternative! I also flatted in a rock garden and did a NASCAR-esque replacement to get back in the game. My buddy and I were in a fair amount of pain by the end – about 40 minutes of climbing 6-22% inclines before finally descending to the finish at Lost Abbey Brewery.

My official time was 5 hours 49 minutes 27 seconds - about 45 minutes faster than last year. I didn't really worry about anyone else's performance, but I finished 207/435. So stoked! Finisher beers tasted great after my self-imposed 6-week alcohol ban. My wife said I looked much better at the end of this one, and I could feel it too. Mild cramping that night, took a couple rest days and I’m already back on my training program for my next race.

TL/DR: Cool story bro, I was in a punishing bike ride on Sunday and actually had fun.

Belgian Waffles for every rider, it was about 50 degrees before the start...


Probably about 30 miles of this washboard.


Highway patrol escorts along most stretches we shared with cars.


Eatin dust while climbing.


Pick your line.


These pussies could have kept their feet dry if they rode through the creek like I did.


Or they could have taken a bath like this poor sap...


If coffee is for closers, beers are for finishers.


Proof I am not built like your average cyclist...

Damn bro, need to put in one of these one day.

Most I did was 80 miles at Mount Glendora and Corona Area.....but this makes that look like a walk in Central Park.


Hella Props!!!

[andvari7]

Today was my first ride in ages, and I am not in good shape. That said, I rode through, didn't bonk out, and although I'm fighting a bout of nausea, I'm otherwise feeling better for it. I discovered that the trail is closed at the worst possible time in the ride, but it forced me to add miles. Oh, well.

And the socks are coming from Italy, not the UK. Still haven't received my order yet.