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.

MMVT Introduction 2014

MMVT 2014

It is the time of year where all bike teams appear to be doing the launch of their 2014 line ups and it seemed a shame for our squad of carefully assembled pedal bashers to miss out.  So, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls please welcome the members of MMVT 2014!

DBH

 Forever tinkering with scientific experiments that never quite work out the way it was hoped, DBH has followed suit with his bikes that have been lovingly acquired through the pages of Ebay and then adjusted ad infinitum thereafter.  In particular, this tends to involve mid ride adjustment of mud guards to ensure that they are releasing water at the perfect angle to hit the rider behind square in the face.  All this, whilst bearing in mind he has never had to take his back wheel off the frame and is unaware exactly how this is done.

Recently seen purchasing a new bike, there were fears that his best days may be behind him but having performed extra training in the winter months DBH is set on breaking some of his records this year.

R1

Having twins on the team may pose challenges for both fans and the riders from other teams in tracking the correct riders.  

However, R1 and R2 both have their own distinct styles out on the bike and their position in the group normally allows for easy identification for those who struggle with their identical looks.

Whilst on the flat both R1 and R2 take their fair share of time in the wind in support of fellow riders it is when the road changes from the horizontal that true identity is exposed.

R2

R2 is often seen at the front on climbs buoyed on by the enthusiastic encouragement of his twin.  This takes the form of a customary greeting as R2 passes on the way to the front that we assume must be a childhood code that can’t quite be deciphered by those around.

When the road slopes in the opposite direction R1 comes into his own moving to the  head of the group with another customary war cry of “GRAAVVIIITTTTYYYYY” that brings fear to those ahead.

Whilst R2 is given the notional title of “Top Dog” everyone knows it is R1 who is rightly both the inspiration for MMVT and really pulling the strings.

G

Individual?  Yes.  Unusual? Yes [Check out his music and video collection!].  From another planet? Unproven.  What is sure is that MMVT’s G frequently looks to the other members as if he has been shot out of a cannon as he disappears into the distance like an excitable terrier chasing a rabbit.

Given G had requested Gonzo decals for his bike long before the tests were complete, some have talked of potential foul play in this role being allocated. 

However we are assured that this was a clean result.

As if having twins was not hard enough MMVT 2014 comprises triplets also!  Three identical riders but all with slightly different aspects of the underlying personality.

A1

Like the testing machine at the IKEA draw manufacturing plant, A1 simply repeats the same piston like action again and again and again.  Pounding the pedals with the same cadence regardless of hill or descent, rain or shine, Ant or Dec…

A1 is frequently seen at the front of the group or more accurately just in front of the front of the group who have dropped back when the road hit vertical.

Benefitting from his alpine training camp last year he lives by the Motto of why change down a gear; push harder.  His gear levers are second in the list of most redundant things behind a motorbike's ashtray.

 

 A2

Prone to bouts of inactivity and apparent quietness, when A2 jumps into a Facebook thread everyone knows they are in for the long haul.  The conversation will continue far beyond the usual levels of checking are we going out on Saturday and organising a rough meeting point into a chain of conversation that sucks people in.

Whilst this may be hard to spot whilst actually out on the bike (and A2 has never actually made it out onto the bike) it may be easier to say that A2 is the only female in the group.  Whilst not wanting to be out with the rest of the bunch may explain why she has never made it out onto the bike with the rest of us, it is maintained that the fact she lives 100 miles away is the primary cause.

                    A3

A man of few words but definite actions.  

A3 is now renown within MMVT for declaring himself unfit to ride Etape Mercia’s relatively flat 63 miles only to then complete Etape Cymru’s definitely not flat 88 miles four weeks later.  The fact that somebody else took the time to do the entry process for him may have helped but nevertheless that is some achievement.

It also helps that A3 actually has played the drums!

L

To be honest, we don’t know either…he is not seen very often but when he was seen he definitely lived up to the MMVT label by pushing his bike over the finish line of Etape Cymru with its completely flat tyres.  He would have changed them and ridden but he had used all of his tubes having already repaired a few punctures en route.  Chapeau!

W

In my mind Statler and Waldorf are not grumpy men who have no ideas how to enjoy themselves.  Instead, like MMVT’s W, they are perfectionists for whom if a job is worth doing it is worth doing well, properly and only after hours and hours of painstaking research to make sure nobody can in any way doubt the outcome.

The only member of MMVT to have tri bars and the full team sky kit (on sale at Adidas Cheshire Oaks just before the Tour de France win!), W is unlikely to be seen on a ride unless certain they can complete the course in a respectable time following months of training.  If only his competition was stiffer he could be a world beater; or a hermit.  One of the two.

P

MMVT’s newest member is used to hiding under his shell and the days of mountain biking and long round trip commutes have certainly resulted in a talent being kept out of sight.  Last seen sprinting off towards the hills after a particularly fast lead out on the flat part to Overton this is one crustacean we are all hoping does repeat.

That Ladies and Gentlemen is the MMVT group for 2014.  

There are obviously more members who didn’t complete the Buzzfeed “Which Muppet are you?” test without whom Saturday mornings would not be the same but their identities are being withheld.  Probably at their own request.

If you see us out on the road, say “Hi”, say “Waka Waka” or like most passing motorists shout “Muppet!!” as loudly as you can.  It acts as fuel.

(PS as you can tell, no expense was incurred in the creation of the team photos :-))

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

The point of cycling is not to be better than everyone else. It is to be better than you were yesterday.

Around this time two years ago I went to my local bike shop to purchase a bike.  The first bike i had owned in around 20 years since I last saw an old Peugeot Race bike which had taken me to my summer job of cleaning M&S.

My reason for this was having been convinced to ride the length of the UK for charity and complete Land's End to Jon o Groats.  We achieved this during the summer of 2012 but it was no good, I was bitten by the cycling bug.   Things have not improved since then and I was please to receive three sets of bike cleaning fluid and five cans of WD40 as Christmas presents.

Whilst I thought the cost of getting myself initially kitted out for LEJOG was quite high in the grand scheme of things, I have subsequently bought lots of new kit all with the aim of finding improvement in my performance. Marginal gains being the new holy grail as I justified why I really needed that new jacket/shirt/wheelset/bike...

Now I am not Bradley Wiggins or Chris Froome, so my gains are not measured truly scientifically on VO2 max levels and sustained power outputs but more on times during particular sportives and my new addiction to Strava personal records.  Now as a 38 year old however, finding that I can still improve my physical performance at something is an achievement I gratefully accept and so the search for those gains continues.

Personally, this year I have just one main goal on my bike; To ride the Etape Cymru in September quicker than my brother in law did it last year.  This is an improvement in my time of around 30 mins or nearly 10% which is a reasonable target and would continue the trend from 2012 to 2013 where the time improved by around 55 minutes.  The group of friends I regularly ride with as part of the Man or Muppet Velcro Team (MMVT for short - you can see we don't take ourselves that seriously) also have their own goals that we will all work together to try and achieve as a group.

As I enjoyed the blog on LEJOG I am going to keep track of the fun that we have with MMVT this year.  I will also chart our progress through some interim sportives,  searches for new kit and perhaps another long charity ride should we be able to align our holiday calenders.

 Mostly, it will be to find out the answer to our team question.  Man or a muppet?