I have to say the weather in February has been atrocious. In case you missed it.
Living in Wrexham which is some 200 feet above sea level and with no significant river to speak of, the floods that sadly affected so many were fortunately not really an issue here. If Wrexham looks like it is about to flood, I strongly suspect we will all have far more serious issues.
However, that, combined with work and has limited the time spent out on the bike in the last month. This has had one blessing though in that I have found Sufferfest.
IWBMATTBYT
For those who don't know, Sufferfest is a relatively small company from Australia that brings an Antipodean approach to indoor cycling videos. It's logo above stands for "I Will Beat My Ass Today To Kick Yours Tomorrow" and appealing to your competitive streak is a key part of this training. Instead of watching an instructor and other people on a spin bike you get the privilege of seeing the World Tour superstars on your screen. Can you beat Wiggins to the top of the next hill is the encouragement to push yourself just that bit harder than you probably would left to your own devices. And it works. Brilliantly.
The sense of humour in the videos keeps you entertained as well as the good music and the video encouragements. The Tour of Sufferlandria leaders jersey being a straight jacket for instance. The videos are available on either downloads or I phone app and cover a variety of workout from aerobic, strength to sprints and for those occasions where going out is just not practical this variety is a welcome change.
SUFFERFEST WEBSITE
My personal favourites are A Very Dark Place - 4 mins at full tilt with four minutes rest...and repeat... and then It Seemed Like a Good Idea At The Time where you make three 20 minute and one 8 minute climbing efforts. How hard you go is up to you, but I have found roughly my "threshold" pace (the maximum pace I can keep for an hour) and matching this throughout the efforts results in a workout so intense that my cycling kit is drier in the washing machine. Sufferlandrian holy water according to their twitter feed.
It has to be said I have done spin classes and one in particular has similar workouts to those included here. That group ethos is motivational but if that's not possible, Sufferfest will certainly help improve your fitness. The main thing I have noticed is previously my cadence was always around 75-80 Rpm on the flat whereas now I feel as if I am not really spinning unless I am at 90 (the base cadence in most of the videos) and this is resulting in general increase in pace as I am not changing down gears on the road just spinning faster.
Pedaling flat out to stand still
For the first time in a while we managed to get out last week on a quick early morning spin. The first thing that became obvious was the strength of the wind. The thought of climbing up into the hills and increasing the 25 Mph gusting to over 40 Mph winds did not appeal to either Nick or me and see we opted for the flatter route into Chester and back.
The elusive tailwind was found and proved to be a big advantage rolling down to Holt as we were averaged nearly 29 Mph whilst chatting comfortably. Very high for us amateurs. We then proceeded along the road into Chester and saw the devastation that the storms in the week had been causing. Trees were down, the flood waters were very high in Farndon and there were fences that had fallen over (including mine!). It was a sobering reminder of just how much damage Mother Nature can do.
Heading out on the Dee path next to the river the wind was horrendous. With just Nick for company, we couldn't shelter from the wind. Riding along at 90 rpm, 165 bpm and around 10mph was a touch frustrating as the lack of movement compared to the effort was obvious. The cyclist going in the other direction seemed to be having a far easier time of things ! :-)
In spirit of riding along a new road, this time it was Queensferry high street. Not exactly the type of road I had in mind, but it did take me back to childhood again. I used to buy my goalkeeper gloves from Queensferry Sports, where my Dad knew the owner I mostly remember for being on Blind Date!
At the end of this short trip down memory lane, we turned back towards home through Hawarden. This road I had been on before, but only in the opposite direction. The smallish climb here is actually quite steep towards the end which surprised me and was a good workout into the wind.
There was also a further sign of debris that I was not expecting. I have often wondered how you end up with single shoes in the middle of the M1 but I was equally curios as to how the bra had found itself into the middle of the road on this small hill. The mind boggles.
The morning after the night before
As we are riding the Jodrell Bank Classic in two weeks, Saturday seemed like a good morning to go out and do some reasonable hills in the spirit of training. Friday night however, saw Wales play France at rugby and some parents from my son's team heading out to a local pub for a meal and to watch the game.
So who has added 2 and 2?
My wife's encouragement when the alarm went off that "you have organised it so you have to go...even if you only make it to the end of the road" was wise and as I prepped the bike to go out the end of the road looked like a good prediction as to how far I would get. I have never been so pleased to hear my tyre pop as that gave me an extra 10 minutes changing the tyre before I had to actually go out.
Out on the road, with the cold air and the familiar turning of the pedals all cobwebs were blown away very quickly and I was really enjoying it as we made the familiar climb up past Bersham. Obviously there were not going to be any heroic times but it was great fun to be out.
Nant-Y-Garth pass
The Nant-Y-Garth pass is a great road to ride down although I can imagine it is better in the summer when the thought of "is that shadow Ice or not?" is not playing on your mind. This road twists and turns like a toboggan run down the valley to Ruthin tracking a small river on the left hand side and the gradient away from you encourages the bike to speed up at every opportunity. Fortunately the river encourages prudent application of the brakes as well. At least the first time you do it anyway.
Clwyd Gate
Heading out of Ruthin towards Mold is the climb to the Clwyd Gate hotel. Featured in the UKs top 100 cycling climbs, this 200m ascent over 2 miles averages around 6% however the first part of the climb has some hairpin bends where the gradient is far steeper before levelling out to a more consistent slope. If riding it, I suspect the way of posting a really good time is to go for it after the second hairpin having left plenty in reserve. I was pleased to just aim at 10mph on my Garmin and keep it there for as long as possible throughout the entire climb.
Keeping Ruthin on your right hand side, the view out over this part of Wales became more and more stunning until you reach the second car layby on your right hand side. Now, had I stopped there the view would have been glorious however there is an old adage that I follow when it comes to climbs; if you can still see tarmac above you...keep going. So I duly did. All the way past the hotel as well until the road started dipping. Safe in the knowledge this meant I had topped the hill I then turn around and waited at the hotel where sadly the view was not quite as nice as that corner. Next time. There will be a next time.
Descending back into Mold and along the main road to home meant I arrived at home just in time for an afternoon watching the rugby. Quietly.
Living in Wrexham which is some 200 feet above sea level and with no significant river to speak of, the floods that sadly affected so many were fortunately not really an issue here. If Wrexham looks like it is about to flood, I strongly suspect we will all have far more serious issues.
However, that, combined with work and has limited the time spent out on the bike in the last month. This has had one blessing though in that I have found Sufferfest.
IWBMATTBYT
For those who don't know, Sufferfest is a relatively small company from Australia that brings an Antipodean approach to indoor cycling videos. It's logo above stands for "I Will Beat My Ass Today To Kick Yours Tomorrow" and appealing to your competitive streak is a key part of this training. Instead of watching an instructor and other people on a spin bike you get the privilege of seeing the World Tour superstars on your screen. Can you beat Wiggins to the top of the next hill is the encouragement to push yourself just that bit harder than you probably would left to your own devices. And it works. Brilliantly.
The sense of humour in the videos keeps you entertained as well as the good music and the video encouragements. The Tour of Sufferlandria leaders jersey being a straight jacket for instance. The videos are available on either downloads or I phone app and cover a variety of workout from aerobic, strength to sprints and for those occasions where going out is just not practical this variety is a welcome change.
SUFFERFEST WEBSITE
My personal favourites are A Very Dark Place - 4 mins at full tilt with four minutes rest...and repeat... and then It Seemed Like a Good Idea At The Time where you make three 20 minute and one 8 minute climbing efforts. How hard you go is up to you, but I have found roughly my "threshold" pace (the maximum pace I can keep for an hour) and matching this throughout the efforts results in a workout so intense that my cycling kit is drier in the washing machine. Sufferlandrian holy water according to their twitter feed.
It has to be said I have done spin classes and one in particular has similar workouts to those included here. That group ethos is motivational but if that's not possible, Sufferfest will certainly help improve your fitness. The main thing I have noticed is previously my cadence was always around 75-80 Rpm on the flat whereas now I feel as if I am not really spinning unless I am at 90 (the base cadence in most of the videos) and this is resulting in general increase in pace as I am not changing down gears on the road just spinning faster.
Pedaling flat out to stand still
For the first time in a while we managed to get out last week on a quick early morning spin. The first thing that became obvious was the strength of the wind. The thought of climbing up into the hills and increasing the 25 Mph gusting to over 40 Mph winds did not appeal to either Nick or me and see we opted for the flatter route into Chester and back.
The elusive tailwind was found and proved to be a big advantage rolling down to Holt as we were averaged nearly 29 Mph whilst chatting comfortably. Very high for us amateurs. We then proceeded along the road into Chester and saw the devastation that the storms in the week had been causing. Trees were down, the flood waters were very high in Farndon and there were fences that had fallen over (including mine!). It was a sobering reminder of just how much damage Mother Nature can do.
Heading out on the Dee path next to the river the wind was horrendous. With just Nick for company, we couldn't shelter from the wind. Riding along at 90 rpm, 165 bpm and around 10mph was a touch frustrating as the lack of movement compared to the effort was obvious. The cyclist going in the other direction seemed to be having a far easier time of things ! :-)
In spirit of riding along a new road, this time it was Queensferry high street. Not exactly the type of road I had in mind, but it did take me back to childhood again. I used to buy my goalkeeper gloves from Queensferry Sports, where my Dad knew the owner I mostly remember for being on Blind Date!
At the end of this short trip down memory lane, we turned back towards home through Hawarden. This road I had been on before, but only in the opposite direction. The smallish climb here is actually quite steep towards the end which surprised me and was a good workout into the wind.
There was also a further sign of debris that I was not expecting. I have often wondered how you end up with single shoes in the middle of the M1 but I was equally curios as to how the bra had found itself into the middle of the road on this small hill. The mind boggles.
As we are riding the Jodrell Bank Classic in two weeks, Saturday seemed like a good morning to go out and do some reasonable hills in the spirit of training. Friday night however, saw Wales play France at rugby and some parents from my son's team heading out to a local pub for a meal and to watch the game.
So who has added 2 and 2?
My wife's encouragement when the alarm went off that "you have organised it so you have to go...even if you only make it to the end of the road" was wise and as I prepped the bike to go out the end of the road looked like a good prediction as to how far I would get. I have never been so pleased to hear my tyre pop as that gave me an extra 10 minutes changing the tyre before I had to actually go out.
Out on the road, with the cold air and the familiar turning of the pedals all cobwebs were blown away very quickly and I was really enjoying it as we made the familiar climb up past Bersham. Obviously there were not going to be any heroic times but it was great fun to be out.
Nant-Y-Garth pass
The Nant-Y-Garth pass is a great road to ride down although I can imagine it is better in the summer when the thought of "is that shadow Ice or not?" is not playing on your mind. This road twists and turns like a toboggan run down the valley to Ruthin tracking a small river on the left hand side and the gradient away from you encourages the bike to speed up at every opportunity. Fortunately the river encourages prudent application of the brakes as well. At least the first time you do it anyway.
Clwyd Gate
Heading out of Ruthin towards Mold is the climb to the Clwyd Gate hotel. Featured in the UKs top 100 cycling climbs, this 200m ascent over 2 miles averages around 6% however the first part of the climb has some hairpin bends where the gradient is far steeper before levelling out to a more consistent slope. If riding it, I suspect the way of posting a really good time is to go for it after the second hairpin having left plenty in reserve. I was pleased to just aim at 10mph on my Garmin and keep it there for as long as possible throughout the entire climb.
Keeping Ruthin on your right hand side, the view out over this part of Wales became more and more stunning until you reach the second car layby on your right hand side. Now, had I stopped there the view would have been glorious however there is an old adage that I follow when it comes to climbs; if you can still see tarmac above you...keep going. So I duly did. All the way past the hotel as well until the road started dipping. Safe in the knowledge this meant I had topped the hill I then turn around and waited at the hotel where sadly the view was not quite as nice as that corner. Next time. There will be a next time.
Descending back into Mold and along the main road to home meant I arrived at home just in time for an afternoon watching the rugby. Quietly.
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