Broken bikes and lack of miles

Well, what a start to the year it’s been. I work in IT and the application I support has been experiencing nothing but issues since the new year ticked over. Consequently I’ve been working crazy hours trying to keep things afloat and keep the associated staff happy. 

My contract here finishes soon and if that wasn’t stressful enough, they’re going to advertise my role with the view of making it a permanent one. I would think I’d be the logical candidate, however nothing in a university is a “given”, and so this is a particularly stressful month. 

I got the Niner Air 9 carbon back for the local bike shop I use, all in a “near as new” condition. She needed a whole new drivetrain - chain, cassette, cranks, bottom bracket etc, plus a good service, ew cabling and anything else required. The result is an almost brand new bike, quiet and fast. It’s been a great week in that regard! 

In the meantime I’ve been using my “ old faithful”, a Giant Anthem X2. The bike is several years old, needs a new rear shock, but other that it goes, stops and handles extremely well. Plus the added squish on the rear certainly makes you lazy when it comes to getting out of the saddle over the humps and bumps. Just barge right through! 

The Anthem out on the trail

I also decided to go to the gym a few nights back with my daughter to work on my core strength, as I think this should be a major part of my training. No use having the legs if I don't have the core/back to maintain form and function I figure!

I had lined up a 150k ride tomorrow (Saturday), however my wife has other ideas now and has determined that we will spend the weekend at her dad’s place down at Tweed Heads. A gorgeous place, with pristinely great beaches (http://destinationtweed.com.au/)

While this isn’t such a bad thing it will interrupt my training and of course this led to a disagreement about priorities. So…. I’m now going to do a 100k time trial out around Sandgate/Redcliffe, or 100k’s as fast as I can maintain to sufficiently exhaust myself, and to get some decent miles under my legs. I don’t mind compromise usually, but I’m not doing anywhere near enough miles at present and my Everesting attempt will, as is usual given the limited support I get, have to be done on a “beer budget” rather than a champagne one (as we Aussies says). This means it will be likely a massively exhausting and painful exercise, done on little training, and on my own. Physically and psychologically very difficult. Nonetheless, on I go to the land of Sufferlandria. 

Have a good weekend and stay upright.

The Xmas Break and Back to Work

How was everyone's Xmas and New Year's? A safe time for everyone I hope.

Mine was pretty low key I must admit. I've also been so ridiculously sick the past few weeks. First with really bad asthma which should have seen me in hospital but I couldn't have been bothered :-) and then from all the coughing I have a bruised lungs and ribs which are really painful. When riding I've had to stay seated on the bike cause as soon as I get out of the saddle it gets incredibly painful. Getting better but very slowly which is incredibly annoying. of course this is yet another set back but not one I see as insurmountable just yet.

The past few days I've got some good rides in however. Clear Mountain is one of my firm favourites. Out and back involves 1000 metres of elevation gain and the views from the top are superb.

This is the view from Clear Mtn looking southwest. It was a gorgeous mornings ride, although I got soaking wet on the way. I ended up doing two rides out to Clear Mtn, one just to the top, the other back down the western side, then back up to the top again. This involves 4 x 17% longish pinches that are very tough. In comparison, the eastern side in almost 20% in two places, which, when the road is wet makes the ride almost impossible due to slipping tyres.

yesterday I took my "Old faithful" out for a spin since the weather wasn't conducive to road biking.

Week 4 of Training

After a big weekend of house work, not a lot of training was done. I know what I need to do however it's just not happening. I'm finding this lack of time a little stressful at present as the miles just aren't coming as they should be. It could be the time of the year and maybe I'm just expecting too much when there's so much stuff other than bike riding to be done. It's not like I don't know what has to be done and achieved!

Over the weekend I bought a new pair of Hoka One One "Stinson Lite" running shoes. If I'm going to do this Everesting then I know the more weight I can lose beforehand the easier it will be. Anything to assist the effort!

Absolutely the softest, most cushioned shoes I've ever owned. I wish I'd had these when I was running half and full marathon's way back when. They would have been a huge asset and saved my knees a hell of a lot! They've attained a cult following amongst ultra runners and trail runners alike. Weird looking but awesome nonetheless.

This week will be difficult as Xmas Day comes in three days time, and it will be a time of family and cooking, eating and travelling. I know I won't have the time to ride, so hopefully now I have an excuse to get out and at least run when I get a spare half hour or so.

Other than that this week's plan is to  utilise a short and steep street about 1 kilometre from my home (70m gain in a couple hundred metres) to do a pile of hill repeats, and to stress my legs as much as possible. Then tomorrow I'll ride in to work at a fast pace, only taking a much longer route to build up some kilometres. I know it's only early yet, and time is still on my side so I'm trying not to feel too stressed just yet (am I kidding myself here?). Still, 37 repeats of this Everesting hill is a hell of a lot and so the more time I can spend climbing and riding the better.

I'm under no illusions when it comes to this endeavour. But I an stubborn and plan to both make some money for the homeless, and also prove to those that said I can't do this wrong.

Stay tuned and keep both wheels right side up.

Week 3 update

It's been a big week. I've ridden in to work a few times and got some PR's along the way despite not going that hard. Work has been insane. I work in IT support using a specific application and for this entire month and part of next I have no colleagues here to help out, and at present I'm just swamped with work. It's a little overwhelming! And while all this is going on I get some extra bad news....

I took my Niner over to a friends place to get some advice on it's creaking bottom bracket, and lo and behold, it's been declared "dead" for now. Turns out I need a whole new drive train basically. New cogs, new cassette, new chain, and new bottom bracket. This was disappointing but I suppose I should have expected it given it never gets serviced, and is always on call no matter what the conditions. Plus around my place it's been bone dry for most of the year and so everything had dust and dirt engrained into it, particularly the dodgy bottom bracket.

This puts a serious dent in my Everesting attempt as I'll be using the Niner for the challenge. I've got a good LBS so I'll get them to quote for the repairs. It won't be pretty either way.

Tomorrow (Saturday here in Oz) I have to be down the coast for a course, then Sunday I've garnered some friends to ensure we go riding. Although despite needing a new rear shock I could take my Giant Anthem (duallie) out to the climb and do some repeats. It'll be ugly (and bouncy), but it possibly could work, even to do a few repeats. It's about the effort, not the bike after all.

The beasts (a while back) before the bad news, Anthem in the foreground, Niner out the back... maybe I do need that coffee now after all!

Week 3 Begins

Well, last week was very disappointing. My wife and son came back from Melbourne with some type of illness and that's laid me low too for a few days despite protestations of "don't breathe on me dammit!". But "ever onward" as they say. I won't let the thoughts of last weeks bugger all mileage get to me as this is a new week.

I joined the Everesting Challenge group on Strava and I've received a pile of great advice. Only two said that it was a crazy idea, but hey, if it wasn't crazy to begin with, no-one would do it right?

This week I'll ride to work as much as possible, taking in as many climbs along the way as I can, and also doing some extended commutes to get the required miles in my legs.

Riding in this morning was a chore, but at least I got out and did a few miles. My legs felt "wooden" but hopefully they'll feel better on the way home later.

My Niner Air 9 carbon is creaking like an old truck at present and a friend has kindly offered to fix it for me, and show me how to do it in future myself, saving a ton of dollars along the way. Following that getting done (tomorrow night) I'll start alternating road riding with my standard morning rides on the trails (lots of steep short pinch climbs) and add a few long hill repeats into the mix.

My bikes for the attempt in a few months. First up my Niner

And my TCR

Updates to come as the week progresses.

Week 2

It's been a poor week as far as training goes. Work has been killing me and I've been working crazy hours. Not good in the big scheme of things, and I'm going to have to turn it all around if I want to be far fitter and in a better place than where I am now.

I got out for a good ride early in the week, hitting an old favourite that I hadn't been to since July 2014, Clear Mountain. It's a beautiful place, with two 17-20% climbs on the eastern side, and 5 x 17% on the western. Either way it's extremely tough. A local cycling website says it's a "brutal climb" and I couldn't agree more, but the view from the top is superb.

After that the week "went to custard" as the Kiwi's would say, and I've accomplished sweet bugger all since. With all the work etc I've been as tired as hell.

This coming weekend, to finish off Week 2, I'm (hopefully if time and family commitments permit) going to do the Strava December Challenge,just to get some longer miles in the legs. Not sure of the route I'll take yet, depends on the weather and the conditions I guess.

Clear Mountain Resort looking north west towards Dayboro.

My ride to Clear Mountain

http://www.strava.com/activities/227592095

Like I said, the weather has been all over the place this week. We've had extreme temperatures, followed today by low temps and rain all day. Crazy. Here's a pic of the one of the weather radar images from this week.

I'll let you know how the weekend goes.

One week down

Well, the rest of my week, and the weekend was full on - just not with cycling. We've had so much on at home that it was a really frustrating few days without riding.

Week one saw me get through 198k's of cycling, so I'm pleased with that to start things off.

I did get a short rolling ride in on Sunday morning though (Saturday it rained all morning and afternoon), just to loosen up the legs and get some exercise in.

Link here: http://www.strava.com/activities/226839119

This ride, as you can see, is "lumpy", and I actually scored a pile of PR's without too much effort, preferring instead to just go out at a steady heart rate without pushing too much.

Week two starts today, and it'll have to be a night ride as the day was hot and humid, and stormy. It may be a decent run tonight, or a ride to Clear Mountain. I'll see what awaits when I get home tonight.