Cycling

[RayP]

Lasted about 20 minutes for around 5km. The worst part is baking in all of my layers, and all the snow I have to go over slows me down considerably (and having to worry about ice). Wind was brutal, but luckily I just ride up and down a 1km stretch of bike path, so it's half against the wind and half the time going with it. Had just about over a foot of snow in a span of 2 days last week too so I had to skip the ride on those days. (trails weren't plowed for a couple days).


That's awesome! What kind of route are you doing? It seems that you're all adjusted to all the biking, so now you should be off to the races . This is around the pace I am able to do in the summer/spring/fall . Did you get the clipless pedals yet?

How were your hands and toes?

I'm still hitting the same path. The only time that is realistic to hit the roads around here is early on a Saturday or Sunday morning before others wake up.. Or I'd have to drive an hour out. If not, then I'm going to be stopping at stop lights every 2 seconds. Atlanta is really, really hilly so I'm still getting some decent hills in. I need to do a better job on weekends getting up earlier to get out on the road where I can get into some really challenging hills, though.

Finally ordered some shoes this week, and when I get those in will go get some pedals to go with it. Went with some Botranger shoes that fit my fat wide foot, and Shimano pedals are what I have picked out.

 

[Penguins23]

I think I've already asked you guys about bike stands, I'm still kind of iffy on that(for biking in the winter) but my gym has "spinning" bikes and I tried one of those, they are MUCH more comfortable than the regular exercise bikes they have. I feel like the exercise bikes have the peddles more in front of you while this seems more like regular biking. Only thing that sucks is that I have no idea how far I biked or anything as it's just about time. I had a pretty positive experience with it but have you guys had any experience with it? Is it a good way to stay in shape during the winter or should I buy one of those stands and put my bike on it?

 

[UnrealMachine]

I think I've already asked you guys about bike stands, I'm still kind of iffy on that(for biking in the winter) but my gym has "spinning" bikes and I tried one of those, they are MUCH more comfortable than the regular exercise bikes they have. I feel like the exercise bikes have the peddles more in front of you while this seems more like regular biking. Only thing that sucks is that I have no idea how far I biked or anything as it's just about time. I had a pretty positive experience with it but have you guys had any experience with it? Is it a good way to stay in shape during the winter or should I buy one of those stands and put my bike on it?

The comfort level of a bike can be adjusted by adjusting the 5 points of contact (hands, feet, seat). From what you describe, you need to adjust your road bike to have the seat positioned much farther back. This can be done by using a seatpost with 'setback' and also adjusting the seat through where the seatpost clamps onto the rails of the seat (re: loosen and then slide the entire seat back). You can research on how to properly fit a bike, but the tldr is to get one of the pedals in the 3 o'clock position (crank arms parallel to the floor) and with your leg that is on the pedal at the three o'clock position, hang a plum bob from the bottom of your kneecap. The string should intersect the center of the spindle on the pedal. Adjust until this occurs, and you at least then have a good starting point.

For me, I really enjoy using the indoor home trainer. To really get the most out of it though, you need to:

1. Invest in a good trainer. Some have lifetime warranties. Don't get a magnetic one. If you need convinced, go to a bike store and note the difference in feel between a magnetic trainer and fluid trainer.
2. Get your data. You need something that measures and records data. I use this, but you can find it cheaper than amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Speed-Cadence-Bike-Sensor/dp/B000BFNOT8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417714804&sr=8-2&keywords=garmin+speed+cadence+bike+sensor. As for recording, I used a Garmin 500 GPS for years, but I now use TrainerRoad.
3. Subscribe to http://www.trainerroad.com/. This is the best $10/month that I spend. They have full training plans that you train with measuring virtual power. I also use videos from http://www.thesufferfest.com/ to train to. Truly incredible workouts.

Training on a spin bike at the gym is fine. Having your own bike trainer and program at home is much better.

 

[Penguins23]

The comfort level of a bike can be adjusted by adjusting the 5 points of contact (hands, feet, seat). From what you describe, you need to adjust your road bike to have the seat positioned much farther back. This can be done by using a seatpost with 'setback' and also adjusting the seat through where the seatpost clamps onto the rails of the seat (re: loosen and then slide the entire seat back). You can research on how to properly fit a bike, but the tldr is to get one of the pedals in the 3 o'clock position (crank arms parallel to the floor) and with your leg that is on the pedal at the three o'clock position, hang a plum bob from the bottom of your kneecap. The string should intersect the center of the spindle on the pedal. Adjust until this occurs, and you at least then have a good starting point.

For me, I really enjoy using the indoor home trainer. To really get the most out of it though, you need to:

1. Invest in a good trainer. Some have lifetime warranties. Don't get a magnetic one. If you need convinced, go to a bike store and note the difference in feel between a magnetic trainer and fluid trainer.
2. Get your data. You need something that measures and records data. I use this, but you can find it cheaper than amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Speed-Cadence-Bike-Sensor/dp/B000BFNOT8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417714804&sr=8-2&keywords=garmin+speed+cadence+bike+sensor. As for recording, I used a Garmin 500 GPS for years, but I now use TrainerRoad.
3. Subscribe to http://www.trainerroad.com/. This is the best $10/month that I spend. They have full training plans that you train with measuring virtual power. I also use videos from http://www.thesufferfest.com/ to train to. Truly incredible workouts.

Training on a spin bike at the gym is fine. Having your own bike trainer and program at home is much better.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[RayP]

Pace continues to improve with each and every ride. Man I can't wait till I get some proper shoes and pedals.

 

[Nunymare]

How were your hands and toes?

I'm still hitting the same path. The only time that is realistic to hit the roads around here is early on a Saturday or Sunday morning before others wake up.. Or I'd have to drive an hour out. If not, then I'm going to be stopping at stop lights every 2 seconds. Atlanta is really, really hilly so I'm still getting some decent hills in. I need to do a better job on weekends getting up earlier to get out on the road where I can get into some really challenging hills, though.

Finally ordered some shoes this week, and when I get those in will go get some pedals to go with it. Went with some Botranger shoes that fit my fat wide foot, and Shimano pedals are what I have picked out.

Not too bad. Feet were surprisingly fine. Hands were okay as well.

What kind of roads are an hour out? May be worth it for a long ride on a weekend morning. Those are some of my best rides in the summer - out on the deserted country roads early in the morning. How challenging/what kind of hills are there in Atlanta? Edmonton has a pretty extensive ravine system and river valley so there are some killers here. There's this one path that I do quite often in the summer that has an absolutely killer brief, but steep uphill that I could only start to do when I started on my new bike. Going down it I can easily reach 60km/hr (that's the solace in those steep climbs for me - gotta go up them to come down). As I said before, it seems to be those short and steep hills that are killer for me. I go way too hard I think.

 

[UnrealMachine]

Pace continues to improve with each and every ride. Man I can't wait till I get some proper shoes and pedals.

Very strong pace you got there. Yeah, you'll definitely benefit greatly from proper shoes pedals, specifically your overall endurance.

 

[UnrealMachine]

Not too bad. Feet were surprisingly fine. Hands were okay as well.

What kind of roads are an hour out? May be worth it for a long ride on a weekend morning. Those are some of my best rides in the summer - out on the deserted country roads early in the morning. How challenging/what kind of hills are there in Atlanta? Edmonton has a pretty extensive ravine system and river valley so there are some killers here. There's this one path that I do quite often in the summer that has an absolutely killer brief, but steep uphill that I could only start to do when I started on my new bike. Going down it I can easily reach 60km/hr (that's the solace in those steep climbs for me - gotta go up them to come down). As I said before, it seems to be those short and steep hills that are killer for me. I go way too hard I think.

Pretty cool to hear about the topography up there. I only ever think of Edmonton in terms of climate and once having the 2nd best hockey player of all-time

 

[Nunymare]

Pretty cool to hear about the topography up there. I only ever think of Edmonton in terms of climate and once having the 2nd best hockey player of all-time

Climate is usually the first thing that comes to mind when describing this place for me too. Can get to -40C in the winter and to +35C in the summer.

Fairly flat in the areas surrounding Edmonton (typical prairie land with the occasional rolling hill) but it's the North Saskatchewan River valley and ravines with tributary creeks that lead to the river that gives the city most of the hills (great hiking/mountain biking trails too). I think the river valley parks system we have is the most extensive in North America - you can pretty much go from end to end of the city along trails (I've yet to do that yet however).

 

[RayP]

Very strong pace you got there. Yeah, you'll definitely benefit greatly from proper shoes pedals, specifically your overall endurance.

Thanks, it's definitely improving, that's for sure. Still need to do more squats on my own, though.

Not too bad. Feet were surprisingly fine. Hands were okay as well.

What kind of roads are an hour out? May be worth it for a long ride on a weekend morning. Those are some of my best rides in the summer - out on the deserted country roads early in the morning. How challenging/what kind of hills are there in Atlanta? Edmonton has a pretty extensive ravine system and river valley so there are some killers here. There's this one path that I do quite often in the summer that has an absolutely killer brief, but steep uphill that I could only start to do when I started on my new bike. Going down it I can easily reach 60km/hr (that's the solace in those steep climbs for me - gotta go up them to come down). As I said before, it seems to be those short and steep hills that are killer for me. I go way too hard I think.

Figured your feet would have fallen off, surprised they were fine.

Very smooth roads, with little traffic, and more hills that the current path I go to these days. Atlanta in general has a ton of hills, they're generally unavoidable. The only reason the path I go to is a bit flatter in comparison, is because they transformed an old inactive railroad bed into this path.

And I know, I need to get out there... I've just been lazy, and going out and drinking way too much the night prior to make it out early on one of those mornings. I've got a guy who is going to start meeting me out there, or so we discussed, so I'll then definitely start making it out to those roads.

 

[Nunymare]

Figured your feet would have fallen off, surprised they were fine.

Very smooth roads, with little traffic, and more hills that the current path I go to these days. Atlanta in general has a ton of hills, they're generally unavoidable. The only reason the path I go to is a bit flatter in comparison, is because they transformed an old inactive railroad bed into this path.

And I know, I need to get out there... I've just been lazy, and going out and drinking way too much the night prior to make it out early on one of those mornings. I've got a guy who is going to start meeting me out there, or so we discussed, so I'll then definitely start making it out to those roads.

Haha, I was surprised too. Last year my feet would seem to freeze in much higher temps. Thankfully it's only in the single digit minuses here for the upcoming weeks. I'm starting to miss summer riding already and can't wait for the snow to melt, but I suspect I'll have to wait until April . I usually confine myself to my neighbourhood bike path during the winter.... no way in hell I trust drivers out on the roads in the winter (bad enough in the summer..).

 

[RayP]

Haha, I was surprised too. Last year my feet would seem to freeze in much higher temps. Thankfully it's only in the single digit minuses here for the upcoming weeks. I'm starting to miss summer riding already and can't wait for the snow to melt, but I suspect I'll have to wait until April . I usually confine myself to my neighbourhood bike path during the winter.... no way in hell I trust drivers out on the roads in the winter (bad enough in the summer..).

Yeah, I'm missing the summer weather too. It was beautiful all last week, but this week is going to be nothing but 30s and 40s with a lot of wind, but at least it will be dry. Really wanted to get a ride in today, especially after all the crap I ate and drank over the weekend... but just don't have the time.

 

[RayP]

Man, those layers really make a difference and slow you down. Today was my first ride in a few days, so legs were fresh and was feeling good... But last week it was beautiful out and all I needed was shorts and a tee. This morning it was frigid out and I needed multiples of everything, and my pace was a full mile an hour + slower.

 

[UnrealMachine]

Man, those layers really make a difference and slow you down. Today was my first ride in a few days, so legs were fresh and was feeling good... But last week it was beautiful out and all I needed was shorts and a tee. This morning it was frigid out and I needed multiples of everything, and my pace was a full mile an hour + slower.

Not surprising at all. Sometimes it's breathing the cold air that makes the most negative difference to me. Either way, your skin needs to be constantly regulating your body temperature through respiration so anything that interferes with that will affect you to some degree.

 

[Nunymare]

Man, those layers really make a difference and slow you down. Today was my first ride in a few days, so legs were fresh and was feeling good... But last week it was beautiful out and all I needed was shorts and a tee. This morning it was frigid out and I needed multiples of everything, and my pace was a full mile an hour + slower.

My winter pace is a 10km/hr drop from my summer pace. I can't go too hard on the frigid days, the cold air sometimes hurts my lungs..

I really can't wait until I can go out in shorts and my cycling jersey again.

 

[RayP]

Not surprising at all. Sometimes it's breathing the cold air that makes the most negative difference to me. Either way, your skin needs to be constantly regulating your body temperature through respiration so anything that interferes with that will affect you to some degree.

Yeah, true, hadn't considered that since that hasn't hit me as hard as when it does running in frigid temps.

My winter pace is a 10km/hr drop from my summer pace. I can't go too hard on the frigid days, the cold air sometimes hurts my lungs..

I really can't wait until I can go out in shorts and my cycling jersey again.

Same. Although today I should be able to manage in just shorts, but going to need a jacket or some other upper layers. I just hope it's not windy.

 

[Rocko604]

So without really giving it any thought, I signed up for a 40km trail ride in May. Haven't done any serious riding in well over 10 years, so this will be interesting. Luckily my in-laws are serious cyclists so they'll be helping me train.

 

[UnrealMachine]

So without really giving it any thought, I signed up for a 40km trail ride in May. Haven't done any serious riding in well over 10 years, so this will be interesting. Luckily my in-laws are serious cyclists so they'll be helping me train.

What is the course like? Flat? Hills? You should be fine with some proper training. The biggest adjustment will simply be getting used to being in the saddle that long. Your butt might hurt for a bit when you start out, but you'll get used to it quick enough. Good luck.

 

[Rocko604]

What is the course like? Flat? Hills? You should be fine with some proper training. The biggest adjustment will simply be getting used to being in the saddle that long. Your butt might hurt for a bit when you start out, but you'll get used to it quick enough. Good luck.

Thanks. The course is a flat trail. Ive actually ran quite a bit on different parts of the route, hardly any inclines. Yeah getting the butt saddle ready will be the hardest part. Everyone else is doing the 100km road course, so I won't complain too much.

 

[RayP]

Got a solid 40 miles in yesterday, but soooo many delays. Guy I was riding with had a bolt snap off his shoe, so that took 2 minutes out of our time, then he had to take a phone call for another minute or two, and then had to stop to take a piss. Twice.

With that said, and all of that counting against our time, still managed to finish the 40 miles with a 16.6mph per mile pace, which isn't too shabby if you ask me. Not only that, but it was so ****ing windy yesterday. The first 20 miles were straight into a headwind, and man did that suck.

 

[Nunymare]

Got a solid 40 miles in yesterday, but soooo many delays. Guy I was riding with had a bolt snap off his shoe, so that took 2 minutes out of our time, then he had to take a phone call for another minute or two, and then had to stop to take a piss. Twice.

With that said, and all of that counting against our time, still managed to finish the 40 miles with a 16.6mph per mile pace, which isn't too shabby if you ask me. Not only that, but it was so ****ing windy yesterday. The first 20 miles were straight into a headwind, and man did that suck.

How bad was the wind? Did you at least have it to your back for a while? That'd a pretty good pace.

 

[RayP]

How bad was the wind? Did you at least have it to your back for a while? That'd a pretty good pace.

I don't know exacts on the wind, because it funnels into the path and is always worse than what any website would say the gusts are at.


It sure didn't feel like it was giving us a boost on the way back, but more importantly, it didn't feel like it was crushing us in the face on the way back in which was more than good enough for us.

 

[UnrealMachine]

The precipitation is finally slowing down so I'll be able to get in some mtb rides this weekend. Crazy that I haven't been on the trails in over 6 weeks, but I still got a lot of riding in from trainer work and race related stuff.

I'm focusing on sprinting right now. Setting some (very) ambitious goals for the end of next year. Going to try to hit middle-of-pack Cat2 standards that border on the bottom end of Cat1. Looking to achieve:

5s - 16.7 W/kg
1min - 8.5 W/kg
5min - 4.89 W/kg
20min - 4.24 W/kg (this will be the hardest for me)

 

[Nunymare]

I don't know exacts on the wind, because it funnels into the path and is always worse than what any website would say the gusts are at.


It sure didn't feel like it was giving us a boost on the way back, but more importantly, it didn't feel like it was crushing us in the face on the way back in which was more than good enough for us.

Did your pedals/shoes come in yet?

Meanwhile over here it's been above average temperature wise over the past few weeks, and I'm just starting to get back on roads with my bike. The pathway I go on is like a skating rink though with all the snow melting and freezing. Roads are at least clear, but usually when that happens people start driving like freaking idiots again. Something about suburban neighbourhoods and ******* drivers.

 

[RayP]

Did your pedals/shoes come in yet?

Meanwhile over here it's been above average temperature wise over the past few weeks, and I'm just starting to get back on roads with my bike. The pathway I go on is like a skating rink though with all the snow melting and freezing. Roads are at least clear, but usually when that happens people start driving like freaking idiots again. Something about suburban neighbourhoods and ******* drivers.

No, on backorder. Should get them late next week, I think.

Just cranked out 50 miles at a 3:20 per mile pace.

Sounds like a nightmare trying to stay on your bike this time of year by you.