Stuff about cycling ...
There are those who walk among us who seem to be on some sort of quest, you know someone like this, you may even be someone like this; these people apparently have an insatiable appetite for information about a particular subject.
There are those who will read every diet book published, some aren’t apparently in need of dietary intervention, as well as those who don’t appear to practice any of that which they read.
Imagine if you will that you’re out riding your bike, its April, it’s cold, windy, and there are some intermittent rain showers. Riding along you notice that the surface of the road has taken a turn for the worse, you feel more of a sense of pounding than that of rolling, and the surface is sapping your power, taking what seems an inordinate amount of energy to keep any momentum.
“I can’t tell you how many times people complain about “cyclists” who run red lights, blow through stop signs, ride without lights at night or and don’t pay for the roads. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me that cyclists should be taught the rules of the road and given a test like motorists, I could retire and move to Copenhagen where those things actually happen.” – The Worst Law breakers on the Road
Ok, being that I’m an admitted Journaling Junkie, and have something of a mathematical background, I’ve fielded some questions about how you can use the CTL/TSS in a predictive fashion.
I should note that WKO and/or Training Peaks will do this for you if you put your workouts in ahead of time, either one or both of them, I don’t know which, as I don’t use either. For the rest of us, either using some other software, or just tracking on Excel there’s manual mode, but don’t worry, it’s not difficult.
Fast – adjective – the absence of slowness…
As Einstein put it, ‘it’s all relative’, but there can be no denying that most of us would like to be fast(er) than we currently are, at least in some aspect of our cycling, be it climbing, sprinting, TTing, century riding, what have you.
Now that spring has sprung and people are unwrapping from their winter gear, or emerging like Punxsutawney Phil from their Tour de Garage; perhaps it’s time to consider some of the ramifications of these actions.
Tan Lines…
A quick re-read of the Rules will suffice to refresh our knowledge of the etiquette of such things, to wit:
Rule #7: Tan lines should be cultivated and kept razor sharp.
I have a compact 50×34 and a 13-29 cassette on my Peg. There, I said it, laugh if you want, but there you have it. Admitting that feels strangely like admitting that you actually use the pink dumbbells in the exercise room, or that you actually like show tunes, or perhaps even that secretly, deep down in a place where no one gets to see, where your most basic inner truths are kept locked away…
Someone said that all cyclists are into the equipment, at least on some level, otherwise they’d be runners.
Personally, that statement rings rather true, and in my case, it isn’t limited to just cycling. I’ve always been a bit of a gear head, I’ve always been into the hardware side of any sport I’ve had occasion to participate in, and truth be known, I’m probably drawn to activities as much for the equipment as anything.
First off, a disclaimer, I got the idea for this from the recipe on page 230 of The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living, but it’s not exactly the same so I figured I’d pass it along.
If you’re curious about this whole ketosis thing, Attia has an excellent Ketosis 101 article part 1, and part 2, that will get you up to speed.
Climbing day… Hurray! I love climbing days…
Check the Peg, all seems in order, tires OK, chain lubed, well, waxed…
Blinky thing so the sportbikes can see me? Yup…
Garmin? Check…
Pump? Check…
Helmet? Check…
Glasses? Check…
Park Pass? Check…
Nuun? Check…
Madonna de Ghisalo? Check…
Road ID? Check…
Cell phone? Check…
