Spin Spin Spin

Did a good ride on Saturday including a timed effort up Box Hill as part of this years Club Box Hill Challenge.  The Start Line is at the Foot of Zig Zag Road and the finish is at the entrance to the National Trust Cafe/Shop.

My time was an appalling 10:40, (in comparison to other members).  I have never timed myself up Box Hill before so it is a score to improve on!

Chatting at the top over a drink and snack with the others, It was politely pointed out that I was grinding.  This is a technical term, essentially not turning the pedals enough.  I need to improve my cadence (Pedal revolutions), climbing Box yesterday I averaged about 70 rpm, apparently it would be easier if I were to 'spin' at 80 or 90 rpm.

The faster you can spin a light gear the less overall effort/energy will be required to maintain the same speed one could achieve 'grinding' away at 60 or 70 rpm.  The Science is that the higher cadence will be more aerobically efficient thus using oxygen to help provide the necessary energy.....well something to that effect anyway.

So how am I going to go about this?  For the next few weeks I am going to use only the smaller front chain ring of the bike and focus on generating my speed by more pedalling.  Initially I should see a drop in performance/speed as I get used to riding at a higher cadence, but then (I hope) get back to where it was before.

Another Brighton Run

What a fantastic weekend to go out for a bike ride?!

I rode down to Brighton this weekend with 7 others from the Kingston Wheelers.  We met up at the usual Laithwaites Car park on Saturday morning.  It was bloody cold, with little patches of ice around and I was starting to regret the fingerless gloves.

We rolled out around 9:15, as I had 'organised' the route I took the lead ish and we headed through Oxshott and Leatherhead.  I can't beleive I took a wrong turn in Leatherhead!  I never have been one for my sense of direction.  Thankfully there were a couple of Garmin cycle sat navs amongst us so we were soon on the right route.

The Route wound down around the edge of Gatwick, through Haywards Heath and over the Beacon before finally hitting the sea front.  I'm pleased to say that I made it up the beacon on pedal power alone.  The false crests are so deceptive, you think your almost there and then there's still further to go.

A large portion of fish and chips at the Regent Cafe was the reward before heading back on the train.  3 of our group cycled home but my legs just wouldn't have survived.

Hill Training

Out of my challenge of 3750 miles I have now ridden 1650 miles, 46% and I hope to hit the halfway point by the end of March.

I have now built up my endurance and speed, I now need to really focus on my hill climbing ability as this is what I will be doing most of come July.

This morning I rode out to White Down, a steep climb the other side of Cobham.

I repeated the climb 3 times, here's the video.

Only 1 climb in the film and 1 descent, around 8mins up and 1min down!

Next week weather permitting some club members and I will ride down to Brighton.

The Challenge

I have been gearing up my fundraising for this challenge as the Etape approaches faster than an Alpine descent.  I wanted to reiterate why I am doing this challenge and why I have chosen to raise funds for the Alzheimer's Society.

The Alzheimer's Society Kit

The Challenge

This challenge is born out of a renewed obsession with cycling and wanting to support The Alzheimer’s Society.
For those that know and those that don’t my Mum has Alzheimer’s. 
I haven't yet found words to adequately describe my experiences of this disease.  However through sadness, anger and laughing at moments when I probably shouldn’t, I have been able to rely on information and support of the Alzheimer’s Society.

To find out more about the fantastic work that the society does please have a look at their web site  www.alzheimers.org.uk/

Now for the moment of madness and my Alzheimer’s cycle challenge.

My goal is to enter and complete the Etape du Tour 2011.  The Etape du Tour allows amateur riders to tackle a stage of the Tour De France under tournament conditions, usually in the mountains of the Alps or Pyrenees.  The Etape takes place in July and the riders get to ride the route a couple of days before the pro's arrive.
I have read quite a bit about this event and a little bit of training is well advised.... between 2000 and 3000 miles!!   A little bit more reading and I find that the longest ever Tour De France was competed in 1926 over a distance of 5,745km (3,570m). 

The culmination of this will be one day in July at the Etape du Tour 2011.

My  target is to raise a minimum of £5,745, £1 for every kilometre of the 1926 Tour.   I would be grateful for any donation you are able to make to the Alzheimer’s Society on behalf of this challenge.

An interesting news article

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1361597/Dementia-cases-soar-million-2021.html

A Morning in Hell !

I entered Hell of the Ashdown for the weekend and as promised here is the post event report.

Alas it is a sorry report.
Crossing the start mat at approx 9:07 am, not even 100 metres down the road and my saddle slips and is uncomfortable pointing skywards.  A quick curse and out with the tool kit.  Levelled off, tightended up and on the road again, my fellow starters in the 9:07 bunch already well ahead.

I challenge myself to reel them in, the flat turns downhill and I start to pick up my group (a fundamental of cycling physics, when the road goes down, its got to go up again!).  It went up and I lost the group again and was passed by a few other riders.  Nevertheless I stuck at my pace and made it to the top.
A few more expletives as I feel the saddle shifting again but I shifted my weight forwards and tackled the next climb... A few more miles down the road and I could feel my hips tipping back.  Off the bike again and reset the saddle. Almost immediately the saddle slips again and my full blue vocab fills the air. 

The ideal position is to be rocked forward at the hips rather than an overstretched back, the more the saddle tipped my hips back the more my back took the strain and more I cursed under my breath.

Eventually after about 12 miles I realised it was a lost cause and I could ride the remaining 56 miles getting increasingly more cheesed off.
So I turned round and made my way back to the start, very broken spirited.

The only plus point I can take away from my morning in Hell was that I maintained a good rythm on the hills and more than made up my time on decents. It shows that I have made some large gains in ability since starting this challenge.

Commuting

I have joined the legions of cycling commuters on the morning roads!

Now first things first I am and probably always will be a fair weather commuter, I can't see the point in getting all soggy on the way to the office, even if there are shower facilities.

Last Monday morning,  I took the Mountain bike to the roads of Surrey and pedalled down to Guildford.  It was heavy going but I made better time than I expected.  Homeward bound was heavier still.

Attempting the ride on the Steel Chariot I beat my mountain bike time by 31 minutes (just an observation, no racing involved, its better to get to the office in one peice.) 
I have a short vid of my commute:

I am sure this commuter story will blossom into a rant about pot holes and careless motorists!