Bucket full of hellfire

The bucket list

The route map and elevation chart

As with so many of my cycling stories it started with a simple message from Richard:

"Always wanted to do this one! its only short 32miles but lots of cimb!  Available Sat/Sun or Mon mornings early start from Wxm then from Bala over to Vyrnwy and back to Bala in time for lunch. :-)"

Now my renewed love affair with cycling started with a throw away comment from Richard asking if I would like to ride Lands End to Jon O Groats for charity. He has form. I have a lot to thank him for. 

When I initially thought about the question posed by Probikekit.co.uk about my favourite ride, one of those days should probably have sprung to mind. However, as picking a day from that would be a bit like being asked "who is your favourite child?", it didn't.  

What I did think of instantly was the ride that followed the message above. 

The hellfire pass. 

The lots of climb referred to in the message primarily related to Bwlch y Groes. This is Welsh for the Pass of the Cross but the route is also known as the Hellfire Pass.   It features in the 100 greatest climbs in the UK book and was historically a key feature of the Milk race where local legend tells of riders in the early 90s powering up on the big ring. 

It is most famous for being the highest mountain pass road in Wales at 545m or just short of 2000 feet and although this is not a lot in relation to the Alpine climbs the ascent does start from around 180 meters so by UK standards this is not a bad altitude.   This is painted on the road just in case the fact is lost on you. 

In case you didn't know.

Richard referred to this ride as one on his "bucket list". If you are not familiar with the term it is a list of things that you have to do before you kick the bucket. A little bit morbid but we were going to do it so I was wondering would it live up to the expectations? It by far surpassed them.

Ride through the clouds 

Cloudy start at the lake

Starting from Bala lake in cold and cloudy conditions after the drive from Wrexham the route meandered down the side of the reservoir.   There is a cycle path that goes the entire length of the lake, and for those after a more relaxed ride a very quiet road that circles back on the other shore, which provided for a nice gentle start. 

Shortly after you reach the westerly end of the lake, instead of following the shoreline, you make a right hand turn. The road starts to ascend in front of you through the trees on what is an unremarkable country lane. 

The start of the climb

What was remarkable was as the road hit a steeper section the cloud had descended to form a mist. On your right through the trees you could see glimpses of sunlight breaking through and providing the effect of spotlights beneath.

Light at the end of the tunnel

A few more turns of the pedals and we emerged through the top of the clouds to a brilliant sunshine. Bala was not under cloud as much as a mist that blanketed the valley like freshly fallen snow and much like a plane taking off we were now looking down on this serene view. 

At Cloud level.

At the point the photo was taken, we were probably about 2/3 of the way to the top and the remainder of the climb snaked upwards ahead of us. Yet the views meant we were still smiling and just  discussing how amazing this view was. This continued all the way to the top and instead of the usual bout of competition meaning we headed off at different paces, three of us steadily progressed pretty much together chatting towards the summit. 

Approach to the summit

Nick had gone a little bit ahead as you can see in the picture. Now, picture what you expect to see at the top of a hill like this. Something like the picture below?

Not exhausted...just trying not to laugh

Hands up if you picture a Rottweiler bounding towards you at full pelt?  I bet even fewer people pictured a man running after the dog from his parked van with the familiar cry of all dog owners "he is friendly!". For the crowning glory; Who pictured the back doors of the van open with the man's partner asleep on a camp bed inside?  All of that is what greeted Nick and the rest of us shortly after.  We don't have pictures. I just couldn't figure out how to take it without adding to an already odd situation. 

This apparition aside, the views were stunning. Looking back where we had just come from the blanket of mist stretched all the way back along the valley and we were bathed in the sunshine. 

Blanket of cloud from the top

In the other direction was the descent to Lake Vrynwy which looked inviting. Being completey honest, had I not had a "moment" on a descent two days before I would probably have looked forward to it more but the thought of the steep gradient did fill me with a degree of fear. Those road signs don't help.  

Arty shot of bike point downhill

The Anti Yazz

The discussion of the potential reaction of our wives if we suggested the top of a hill in the back of a ford transit for our next holiday destination did provide a welcome distraction however. Whilst, I was brave enough to make the descent, I wasn't brave enough to suggest the holiday. 

Lake Vrynwy

First view of lake

As the road levelled out the gaps in the treas showed the beautiful Lake Vrynwy. The perfectly still water reflecting the sky and shore like a perfect mirror this symmetrical view of the world was just as  stunning as the climb. 

Flat lake path

We rode slowly around the flat road that circles the lake at a reasonable pace in the now blazing sunshine. All the time plotting to come back to stay in the local hotel and use this road for the inaugural MMVT time trial.   The compelxity being we planned to do this at Christmas so ice and bike handling may be more of a deciding factor than strength but we don't do anything normally. 

BoB.  Bike on Bridge

We stopped on the damn that crosses the lake for a quick drink before heading back to Bala. The panoramic view below showing the lake on one side and the drop away to the river on the right hand side. More beautiful scenery and all within 20 miles of our start point. 

Lake Vrynwy Panorama

Having circumnavigated the lake we then took a different route back towards Bala which involved a climb not as long as Bwlch y Groes but steeper in gradient. As I pulled over to let an oncoming car pass, I heard the unmistakable hiss of mytyre popping. 

The mirror like water

As I normally climb ok I suggested that the others went on and I could catch them up. Fortunately, Nick came back just as I realised I had not just popped the tube but ripped my tyre. He had a typical pump as opposed to my CO2 cannister so I was able to deflate the tube again. Had he not come back, I would have been really stuck, not only without a  tyre but also no way to re-inflate the tube. 

"You stay with him"..."no you stay".  Nick came back when he chose paper to Richard's scissors

So how did we escape?  Why am I not still trapped on the Welsh hillside?  

interestingly, there is a link to the royal family in the answer to the question.  I was not rescued by a locally based royal family member in a Sea King helicopter but the Queen played a part...well her image anyway.  A far more experienced cycling friend of mind had said he always carried a £10 with him because the paper was surprisingly strong. He suggested you could fold the note within the tyre and it would hold the tube inside long enough for you to get home. Remembering this conversation, that is exactly what I did. It worked brilliantly as well and came with the added advantage that I couldn't pay for breakfast as my money was inside my front wheel. Bonus!

I can see the pub from here..just not Nick

It did mean I was even more cautious on descents where the tyres would be under pressure. This was a shame with roads like the one above to ride down.  Maybe we can go back this August?  Nick quickly became the dot in the distance as he reached escape velocity and tucked his barber shop sign wrapped frame into as small a shape as possible. 

Bala awaited at the end of the valley and we made great time there with minimal effort. There was one short sharp hill just towards the end that caught us all in the wrong gear.  We tried to out muscle each other by pushing the pedals as hard as we could instead of changing gear. 

Just about winning the ensuing battle with inertia, we then made the final roll down to the town where we parked the bikes and tucked into the aforementioned lunch. Well breakfast really but it was pushing lunch time. 

The spoils of victory

By the time we got back to the lake the scene was an idyllic summers day as opposed the autumnal weather we had departed in.  It was also fair to say that my general mindset had also changed during the ride in a similar way. I had a far more sunny disposition than when we arrived. Three hours in the company of friends and a reminder of how stunning the Welsh and British countryside actually is can do that to you. 

Back to the start

If you have ridden this route and enjoyed this as it brought back memories of the day then I will be pleased. 

If you have not done the route above then I strongly recommend you plan a day or weekend in the summer to take the time as my pictures do not do the scenery justice.

Just ride

In case it is not clear, my reason for this being my favourite ride was the purity of it.  

This was not a ride for training purposes.  There was not a set time limit to make the route in.  It was not a ride where I was aiming for a strava segment (obviously I did record it on my Garmin and Strava because otherwise it didn't happen!).  It was not a ride where I was constantly staring at a heart rate monitor to try and stay within a particular zone.  Yes, there was a sense of achievement in making it to the top of Bwlch y Groes but the time taken was irrelevant.  In fact the views were so breathtaking with the cloud below that a fast time was impossible. 

This was a ride to spend time with friends, Mike, Nick and Richard.  A chance to take in some views that simply have to be seen.  To experience the freedom only a bicycle can bring.  It was almost like a step back in time to being a child where a trip 300 metres along the road with friends was a voyage of discovery filled with awe. 

What started off as a trip to tick an item off a friend's bucket list actually ended up as something I ticked off my own list and I am thrilled I was there for the ride.    

Rain, Rain...go away...

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.

Do cycling socks matter?

Christmas stockings

As a male approaching the big "four o", I have increasingly found the run up to Christmas a bit of a challenge. I came to a belief a whole ago that men over thirty should be excluded from the present list regardless of their naughty or nice behavior during the year. 

The symptom that backs this up is everybody always says their Dad is the hardest person to buy a present for. The underlying cause, in my opinion, is that if most men over thirty decide they want something they go and get it.   This is regardless of size, usefulness and frequently affordability. As such "proximity to December" is way down the list of concerns.   Therefore when the request is made "What do you want for Christmas?" they give an honest reply. "Nothing." and so the circle continues.

This year was different for me. This year, with my cycling affair at a new found level, I had a number of ideas... The first one that sprang to mind had my wife wondering had I misheard her question. "Socks?!"  she repeated disbelieving this was a serious request.   

When it comes to sport I am superstitious and always have been. I wore the same T-shirt, Jumper, under shirt and goalkeeper shirt every week from Mid November because I convinced myself it brought me luck. By early May it was bringing me dehydration every Saturday but I would not change. 

Fast forward to cycling and a number of opportunities to be equally superstitious have presented themselves. However this time I can justify them all, in Team Sky stylee, as quietening my inner Chimp.   Simplifying grossly, the chimp is that part of you that nags, casts doubt or reacts in ways you may regret. For me small things can play on my mind and bug me. Continually. Until I fix it. Forever.

When we rode LEJOG I bought 5 pairs of cycling socks to wear on the way.  Mostly because they said "cycling" on them if I am being honest.  During the ride, one pair of Altura socks started to become the lucky socks for whatever reason.  I honestly could not tell you why they just did and this became an obsession that I had to wear those for any major sportive to feel right.  Now after the best part of two years and thousands of miles it was becoming obvious they would not last another summer and they needed replacing.

Thanks to my wife, mum (still buying my socks at 38!), and (following some nifty keyboard work on a Friday afternoon) a pair of Bianchi socks to review from probikekit.com I have some options. Ruling out the winter socks that are functional for warding off frostbite/rising damp I have a pair of Castelli Rossa Corsa and Bianchi Eritrea that will compete to be the new lucky socks. Yes, really.

Now back to the original question (can you remember it?).  I set up a scientific experiment to see if there really was a difference between the Bianchi and plain old cotton socks.  Well I say scientific, I did a turbo session on the same bike, in the same room, with the same shoes but different socks.  Einstein is probably turning in his grave at calling that scientific.

Now the first bite is taken with the eye...and it has to be said, both the Bianchi and Castelli socks just look the part when compared to a plain black piece of cotton.  When I go out cycling, looking the part is a key component as this is about as close as I can get to a professional.  Once I start pedaling the similarities become fewer and fewer.

  

In particular, the Bianchi socks actually have L and R right by the toe in its trademark Celeste Green that is a really cool touch.  

Cycling specific socks claim to be kinder to your feet in terms of heat transportation and by having a band across the middle of the foot (which is clear on the Castelli picture on the right) to grip it whilst padding the toes and heel which make contact with the shoe.

What I can say is that these two areas are where the real difference was noted and the Bianchi socks were really good compared to my old Altura socks as well as the M&S specials.  

Whist riding on the Turbo trainer indoors in a house centrally heated to tropical levels, you do perspire somewhat and I can honestly say that my feet felt like the coolest part of me.  This may also be due to the shoes I have but it was noticeable.

The biggest difference though was in the grip of my foot within the shoe.  In the normal work sock, my foot was sliding in the shoe despite the best efforts of the clasps and Velcro that normally hold it in place.  This was not a significant movement but it was there.  In the Bianchi cycling sock there was nothing.  It felt like the shoe and pedals were attached to them.  

Now you may argue that for a few pounds there does not seem to be a big difference and therefore any socks should do.  I would flip the argument back and say that over the course of an hour on a turbo you can probably deal with the difference.  On a six hour sportive ride, with big hills the little slip in your shoe every pedal stroke would become irritating really quickly. 

Which just leaves me with the test run of the Castelli to do and finding a bike to match that lovely green colour. 

Is it raining?  I hadn't noticed

As I went to bed on Friday night setting the alarm for Saturday mornings ride, I received news that my son's cycling session in Rhyl had been cancelled due to the weather forecast of wind and rain.  My original plan had been to ride there and back whilst watching his session in the middle.  

Waking up on Saturday there were a few texts checking we were still going out.  Starting from the bottom up, I have acquired over the course of two years:

• winter socks (waterproof sealskinz)
• Winter shoes
• Winter neoprene overshoes
• Winter base leggings
• Winter Bib tights
• Winter Baselayer top
• winter gloves
• winter wind proof skull cap
• wind and waterproof Long sleeve cycling Jerseys;
• wind and waterproof cycling jackets.;
• Winter tyres
• Winter Wheels and oh yes, 
• a winter bike.

To then not ride in the winter would seem to make all of that a touch redundant.  

The advantage of that kit being so specific is that I don't look like the Stay Puft marshmallow man when I put it on despite the number of layers.  It is also remarkably warm although actually the weather near to home on Saturday was not as bad as expected in the morning and it didn't actually rain on us although we could see the clouds on the hills where it must have been heavy.

Slightly hillier profile

In keeping with our training plan that we are trying to follow, we sought to maintain the base levels on the flat whilst increasing the elevation and our heart rates a little on some climbs.    The climbs you can see on the chart being Bersham to Nant Mill, then Bersham Hill and followed by the climb from Farndon to Malpas.

Maintaining a steady heart rate on the first two climbs was OK and in turning off to Nant Mill I succeeded in taking a road I had not been down before.  What I had not appreciated was the steepness of that road and the fact that the elevation topped out at nearly the same point as Bersham Hill at just over 600 feet.  These hills are not great compared to some of the local points such as worlds end and the Horseshoe pass etc but we are building our fitness so they will come.

What I noticed on the Malpas climb was that
a) nick having joined meant we rode a bit faster; and
B) riding into the 20mph head wind made controlling your heart rate on the flat a challenge.  Before it kicked up.

It actually was like riding into a hill the whole way from Farndon to Malpas and the graph shows the road at varying gradients but when the wind was added this was quite a slog.  We looked forward to turning around and then rolling back with said wind behind us but, in what appears to be cycling tradition, instead we headed across the wind to Bangor instead.  There never is a tail wind.

Pleasingly my hear rate average was in the mid 130s and the average speed just under 14 mph which I am happy with given the different terrain to previous weeks.  I also think the heart rate is skewed slightly by some faulty readings when I first stated and my heart rate didn't come beneath 218 for the first two miles.  I would have worried had it not been at 283 when i was stationary and stood at the side of the bike!

Rule 9 well and truly applied and looking forward to more hills now.

The winter bike going

Sometimes you have to look around - Ferris Bueller

River Dee in Chester at leisurely pace

Riding a bicycle has often reminded me of the film Cars. 

The irony of this is not lost on me but let me explain.   It is not a longing to be in climate controlled comfort in contrast to the freezing rain dripping off my nose.  Nor is it the wish to have the power of 100+ horses getting me to the top of the hill as opposed to the two spindly legs I have turning away in frustration. 

Instead it is the fact that away from the main routes you often take for speed and ease, there are often smaller roads which dissect beautiful villages or provide views you have just never seen before despite living in the area for nearly 40 years. 

Cycling tends to take you to these roads primarily for the increase in hills, the views, but also for safety reasons. On a quiet country lane you are more able to ride along, talking in a group side by side and not line astern being as little a nuisance to passing drivers as possible. 

Add to this that by trying to ride slowly you have more time on the bike to look around and it makes for a fantastic morning out. 

This happened on Saturday when in plotting a route from Wrexham to Shotton, so we could join the Chester riverside path and, in the vehicular circle  of life, become annoyed by slow moving pedestrians in the middle of the path, I found a road that by passed not only the Penyffordd by pass but also PenyFfordd as well. Anybody who is party to superior intelligence than me may be able to say if there is a particular name for this type of road as I have only heard of a double by pass in the context of heart operations. ;-). 

The Dee Cycle path

Anyhow, this road was quiet, rolling, gave a fantastic view out over the flat Cheshire countryside and on the other side the welsh hills. It was stunning.   It wasn't bereft of strava segments so it is a civilised road but not a commonly used road at all. 

Why has it amazed me?  At the other end if the road above is a piece of tarmac that will forever be known to me as the "bumpy hills". As a child, as a treat my parents drove that way to Chester so we could experience the joy of a 1970s suspension being tortured by a car going over what felt like a Big Dipper roller coaster.   Anyone who remembers things like this will remember this was pre seatbelts being law...they will also probably have quite an accurate picture of kids dramatically throwing themselves around on a back seat as said seat hurriedly comes back to meet them.   The resulting nausea was a small price to pay and Chester was not so far away. 

How that view escaped me until now was where Cars comes in. The bumpy hills, this was not a road you would take if you were in a hurry therefore we never had. Like Cars where the interstate cuts out the travelers to what was a thriving village. 

So I have a thought I am going to try and implement into future routes. I am going to make sure I go on at least one lane that I have never been on before. The thought, combined with my legendary navigational skills, will strike fear into the hearts of my cycling buddies. However it thrills me as to what else I may find right on my doorstep as I have in some of the pictures below. 

Worlds End and a ripped tyre

BASE TRAINING

I have a question I would love an answer to.  Is Base training so called because it is Building Aerobic Stamina and Endurance?  Is this commonly known and I have just missed it?  Should I run off and see if I can Trade Mark this somehow?

The theory i am trying to test is that by riding at a more steady pace we as a group will improve our underlying fitness allowing us to ride for longer at increased efforts in about 9 weeks from now. This is not our theory, this is tried and tested however we are also running into the common problem that easy rides are still too hard. 

Trying to actually ride a bike slowly is not as easy as it sounds.  Now by slowly what I actually mean is at minimal effort and not actually caring upon the speed you achieve but more the effort you are putting in. 

Cycling should be a simple if undefined equation.   When I look at the computer perched on my handlebars the Cadence must be linked to heart rate which must be linked to speed as the visible output (until I justify those Garmin vector pedals pedals or Look Keo power pedals). 

Why I say "Undefined" is because I have no clue what the operators in the equation are but I know they must all be in there. It is also a moving target to some extent as road surface, gradient, temperature and most importantly wind have a big factor to play in the defined output of speed.   

Base training (tm) is around monitoring the main input of heart rate. Now the difficult part is not caring about the obvious visible output.   Finding yourself flying along flat well surfaced road at 130 bpm and 20 plus mph feels great. Suddenly turning into a wind and a slight hill and your speed drops to 13 or less is still disheartening. 

The alternative is you just maintain the gear you are in and take advantage of feeling quite fresh to maintain your speed. Now your heart rate jumps and you potentially ruin two hours or training  for the PB on a Strava segment or to beat your friend to the top of the hill. Tough choice. If the fellow rider is your best friend or your sibling obviously there is no choice here and most peoples competitive streaks will kick in. :-). Some things are important. It also important you have fun on your rides so the statistical analysis may mean diddly squat to you but I have to say I am particularly nerdy about it.  

Am I improving?  The honest answer is I don't know yet but I am riding for longer without stopping on corners for a quick drink or for the longer group coffee stop now.  The general length and duration of the time out is not different because I am not sprinting and stopping so I hope it helps.  

What the last two weeks of doing this have made me realise though is mostly training and riding are different and balancing the two will be fun. 

For now though, if nothing else, I am certainly enjoying the view. 

Horseshoe pass early one morning