Silly commuting racing

UnworthyPapaLazaru

DonDaddyD wrote:

ChrisLS wrote:

...DDD...wow...don't you just live for moments like that?

It was a sight to see! Even though slightly humiliating I do enjoy picking up competant cyclists along my commute it makes it interesting and I ride faster for longer that way.

Greg, IT, CJCP, Jash

Yes she was a girll, with fluffy tassels on her leg warmers and yes she scalped me. A quick FCN rating came up around 0, she had full war cycle kit, clipless pedals, no bag and a foriegn accent. Weirdly I don't feel ashamed about being her b*tch. But I'll admit her FCN rank makes no difference I could have been kitted out for a race on a bike twice as expensive as mine she was faster than me.

Fear not, I'm going to MTFU, train hard and make sure no one does that to me again. Wen next I see her again I'm going to scalp her so bad her childrens children will be born without heads :shock:

If she has a tidy arse it is quite acceptable to ride behind a girl on a bike. I make no apologies for this, unless the missus is reading, then Im sorry. Your arse is the nicest arse Ive ever seen.

don_don

redvee wrote:

This was in CenterParcs in Warminster, what you can't see in the pic is the edge of the patio at the back of the villa. The deer was no more than 10 foot from the patio door. This wasn't a holiday visit either, I was removing the furniture.

Not sure which is worse:

Admitting to holidaying at CenterParcs or admitting to burgling the furniture :shock:

cjcp

DonDaddyD wrote:

ChrisLS wrote:

...DDD...wow...don't you just live for moments like that?

It was a sight to see! Even though slightly humiliating I do enjoy picking up competant cyclists along my commute it makes it interesting and I ride faster for longer that way.

Greg, IT, CJCP, Jash

Yes she was a girll, with fluffy tassels on her leg warmers and yes she scalped me. A quick FCN rating came up around 0, she had full war cycle kit, clipless pedals, no bag and a foriegn accent. Weirdly I don't feel ashamed about being her b*tch. But I'll admit her FCN rank makes no difference I could have been kitted out for a race on a bike twice as expensive as mine she was faster than me.

Fear not, I'm going to MTFU, train hard and make sure no one does that to me again. Wen next I see her again I'm going to scalp her so bad her childrens children will be born without heads :shock:

So, not only were you beaten by a girl, she was a Johnny Foreigner to boot.

To all - what's the view here? Extra turbo sessions at night for DDD?

greg66_tri_v2.0

cjcp wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

ChrisLS wrote:

...DDD...wow...don't you just live for moments like that?

It was a sight to see! Even though slightly humiliating I do enjoy picking up competant cyclists along my commute it makes it interesting and I ride faster for longer that way.

Greg, IT, CJCP, Jash

Yes she was a girll, with fluffy tassels on her leg warmers and yes she scalped me. A quick FCN rating came up around 0, she had full war cycle kit, clipless pedals, no bag and a foriegn accent. Weirdly I don't feel ashamed about being her b*tch. But I'll admit her FCN rank makes no difference I could have been kitted out for a race on a bike twice as expensive as mine she was faster than me.

Fear not, I'm going to MTFU, train hard and make sure no one does that to me again. Wen next I see her again I'm going to scalp her so bad her childrens children will be born without heads :shock:

So, not only were you beaten by a girl, she was a Johnny Foreigner to boot.

To all - what's the view here? Extra turbo sessions at night for DDD?

"Extra" would suggest he's doing some already

I second CJ's idea, and raise it with: hill reps up and down Crystal Palace. There are at least 4 worthwhile ascents. Three sets of four, against the clock? :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

cjcp

Greg66 wrote:

cjcp wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

ChrisLS wrote:

...DDD...wow...don't you just live for moments like that?

It was a sight to see! Even though slightly humiliating I do enjoy picking up competant cyclists along my commute it makes it interesting and I ride faster for longer that way.

Greg, IT, CJCP, Jash

Yes she was a girll, with fluffy tassels on her leg warmers and yes she scalped me. A quick FCN rating came up around 0, she had full war cycle kit, clipless pedals, no bag and a foriegn accent. Weirdly I don't feel ashamed about being her b*tch. But I'll admit her FCN rank makes no difference I could have been kitted out for a race on a bike twice as expensive as mine she was faster than me.

Fear not, I'm going to MTFU, train hard and make sure no one does that to me again. Wen next I see her again I'm going to scalp her so bad her childrens children will be born without heads :shock:

So, not only were you beaten by a girl, she was a Johnny Foreigner to boot.

To all - what's the view here? Extra turbo sessions at night for DDD?

"Extra" would suggest he's doing some already

Ha ha, hardy ha.

Good to see that one's mental sharpness isn't necessarily affected by one's physical state. :P

redvee

don_don wrote:

redvee wrote:

This was in CenterParcs in Warminster, what you can't see in the pic is the edge of the patio at the back of the villa. The deer was no more than 10 foot from the patio door. This wasn't a holiday visit either, I was removing the furniture.

Not sure which is worse:

Admitting to holidaying at CenterParcs or admitting to burgling the furniture :shock:

The burgling of furniture wasn't exaclty done on the QT, can't really hide 4 vans and lorries.

DonDaddyD

cjcp wrote:

To all - what's the view here? Extra turbo sessions at night for DDD?

This is actually a serious point you raise.

I may be relatively strong and can get the bike up to speed. But years of take-away's, smoking (I've since quit) and drinking has all but destroyed my stamina.

How do I go about building my stamina/cardio vascular fitness to extreme levels.

greg66_tri_v2.0

cjcp wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

cjcp wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

ChrisLS wrote:

...DDD...wow...don't you just live for moments like that?

It was a sight to see! Even though slightly humiliating I do enjoy picking up competant cyclists along my commute it makes it interesting and I ride faster for longer that way.

Greg, IT, CJCP, Jash

Yes she was a girll, with fluffy tassels on her leg warmers and yes she scalped me. A quick FCN rating came up around 0, she had full war cycle kit, clipless pedals, no bag and a foriegn accent. Weirdly I don't feel ashamed about being her b*tch. But I'll admit her FCN rank makes no difference I could have been kitted out for a race on a bike twice as expensive as mine she was faster than me.

Fear not, I'm going to MTFU, train hard and make sure no one does that to me again. Wen next I see her again I'm going to scalp her so bad her childrens children will be born without heads :shock:

So, not only were you beaten by a girl, she was a Johnny Foreigner to boot.

To all - what's the view here? Extra turbo sessions at night for DDD?

"Extra" would suggest he's doing some already

Ha ha, hardy ha.

Good to see that one's mental sharpness isn't necessarily affected by one's physical state. :P

It's a version of a crack one of my University supervisors used to have about "revise". "'Revise' suggests that you have all previously 'vised' this material" he would say just before exam time, with a mean smirk to some trembling students...

il_principe

DonDaddyD wrote:

cjcp wrote:

To all - what's the view here? Extra turbo sessions at night for DDD?

This is actually a serious point you raise.

I may be relatively strong and can get the bike up to speed. But years of take-away's, smoking (I've since quit) and drinking has all but destroyed my stamina.

How do I go about building my stamina/cardio vascular fitness to extreme levels.

Train dude, train! So that means early morning rides (when it's lighter) combined with weekend sessions - pref a mixc of interval training, hill reps etc and longer rides (25 - 80 miles or so). However if you're just keen on improving SCR then sprint work will be of most importance. I'd suggest doing some interval training.

greg66_tri_v2.0

jashburnham wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

cjcp wrote:

To all - what's the view here? Extra turbo sessions at night for DDD?

This is actually a serious point you raise.

I may be relatively strong and can get the bike up to speed. But years of take-away's, smoking (I've since quit) and drinking has all but destroyed my stamina.

How do I go about building my stamina/cardio vascular fitness to extreme levels.

Train dude, train! So that means early morning rides (when it's lighter) combined with weekend sessions - pref a mixc of interval training, hill reps etc and longer rides (25 - 80 miles or so). However if you're just keen on improving SCR then sprint work will be of most importance. I'd suggest doing some interval training.

A mix is a good thing: long tempo rides for stamina (long slow rides make you good at, well, riding slowly for a long time); sprint intervals, hill reps.

Try looking for a book on Amazon about cycle training by Joe Friel. Pretty sure one exists. You're going to uncover a world of heart rate zones, power meters and Lord knows what else.

lost_in_thought

jashburnham wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

How do I go about building my stamina/cardio vascular fitness to extreme levels.

Train dude, train! So that means early morning rides (when it's lighter) combined with weekend sessions - pref a mixc of interval training, hill reps etc and longer rides (25 - 80 miles or so). However if you're just keen on improving SCR then sprint work will be of most importance. I'd suggest doing some interval training.

+1. Also ride everywhere as fast as is possible (obviously considering safety).

No pootling.

No giving in because your lungs are bleeding.

Don't let anyone overtake you, if anyone does run yourself ragged trying to catch them, forget the 'not trying' for a few months.

You should be sweaty and shaking by the time you get to your destination.

:twisted:

cjcp

Greg66 wrote:

jashburnham wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

cjcp wrote:

To all - what's the view here? Extra turbo sessions at night for DDD?

This is actually a serious point you raise.

I may be relatively strong and can get the bike up to speed. But years of take-away's, smoking (I've since quit) and drinking has all but destroyed my stamina.

How do I go about building my stamina/cardio vascular fitness to extreme levels.

Train dude, train! So that means early morning rides (when it's lighter) combined with weekend sessions - pref a mixc of interval training, hill reps etc and longer rides (25 - 80 miles or so). However if you're just keen on improving SCR then sprint work will be of most importance. I'd suggest doing some interval training.

A mix is a good thing: long tempo rides for stamina (long slow rides make you good at, well, riding slowly for a long time); sprint intervals, hill reps.

Try looking for a book on Amazon about cycle training by Joe Friel. Pretty sure one exists. You're going to uncover a world of heart rate zones, power meters and Lord knows what else.

As above, you'll need to ride your bike outside of the commute. You've got the Surrey hills nearby, but Richmond Park is an excellent training ground - flats, hills (wrinkles in the landscape for those oop North ) and descents.

As a chap in my club said: ride your bike, ride your bike, ride your bike.

Littigator

You should spend about 80% of your early season fitness training in zone 2 which is about 65-70% of your max heart rate.

It's about the level that you feel you could keep up all day. At least one ride at this level each week for about 4 hours.

That's your base level training.

Then add a tempo ride (about 75-80% of max heart rate) for 45+ mins per week.

Then onto sprint interval training, start on 2 sets of 6 max sprint efforts on a level section of between 300-500 metres with 5 mins rest between each effort. Add a set per week

The above is a very very very rough suggestion from memory of vague reading previously.

The most important thing is to do a variety of stuff but from a strong base level.

DonDaddyD

Ok, so ride my bike on weekends as well as commuting.

Adopt a never say die attitude.

Long rides at a steady tempo.

Variation so that I incorporate hills and such on my rides.

Thanks guys.

il_principe

DonDaddyD wrote:

Ok, so ride my bike on weekends as well as commuting.

Adopt a never say die attitude.

Long rides at a steady tempo.

Variation so that I incorporate hills and such on my rides.

Thanks guys.

TBH given your regualr paeans to your bike/cycling, I'm v surprised to hear that you don't ride at weekends. Now you're in Wimbledon there is no excuse, Richmond Park and the Surrey hills are on your doorstep. You don't need to take training seriously, but regular distance rides and some intervals will make a massive difference. No more getting scalped by girls.

DiggingDeeper

lost_in_thought wrote:

You should be sweaty and shaking by the time you get to your destination.

Sounds as if he was, but for different reasons (lots of references to anatomy in his report, not that you ever look of course!)

linsen

I try not to scalp too many boys
Egos make a terrible sound when shattered

lost_in_thought

linsen wrote:

I try not to scalp too many boys
Egos make a terrible sound when shattered

I do exactly the opposite for exactly the same reason...

DonDaddyD

jashburnham wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Ok, so ride my bike on weekends as well as commuting.

Adopt a never say die attitude.

Long rides at a steady tempo.

Variation so that I incorporate hills and such on my rides.

Thanks guys.

TBH given your regualr paeans to your bike/cycling, I'm v surprised to hear that you don't ride at weekends. Now you're in Wimbledon there is no excuse, Richmond Park and the Surrey hills are on your doorstep. You don't need to take training seriously, but regular distance rides and some intervals will make a massive difference. No more getting scalped by girls.

I've really let the side down. I blame moving out and Christmas disrupting my routine. Wth my life beginning to settle itself, I'll be back on the bike every Sunday Morning and possibly alternating Saturdays.

---

I also need a cycle computer to let me know how far I'm cycling. My last one is broken and will only tell me how fast I'm going.

Totalnewbie

You get a completely different kind of enjoyment from non-commuting rides, I think you will enjoy it DDD.

My weekend social rides are not training by any stretch; I like to take in the scenery that you don't see in London and stop and have a pub lunch with my fellow riders rather than race along panting, but they still help overall fitness more than if I just did my 10 mile round trip commute (no hills on that for a start).

DonDaddyD

Totalnewbie wrote:

You get a completely different kind of enjoyment from non-commuting rides, I think you will enjoy it DDD.

My weekend social rides are not training by any stretch; I like to take in the scenery that you don't see in London and stop and have a pub lunch with my fellow riders rather than race along panting, but they still help overall fitness more than if I just did my 10 mile round trip commute (no hills on that for a start).

It's just dawned on me... I've never been outside London on my current bike, whether riding on the weekend or during a commute...

Where do you go riding TN?

Littigator

Get thee into the Surry Hills my friend. There are some lovely undulating routes all over the place, Kent is also good. If you're near Wimbledon get the train to any of the little stops south of Guildford and head off with map in pocket to pootle round those lovely lanes.

I did 3 hours on Saturday in -2, it would've been cold if i hadn't been cycling with a complete sadist who kept us at an average of 32kph over the 3 hours

il_principe

DonDaddyD wrote:

Totalnewbie wrote:

You get a completely different kind of enjoyment from non-commuting rides, I think you will enjoy it DDD.

My weekend social rides are not training by any stretch; I like to take in the scenery that you don't see in London and stop and have a pub lunch with my fellow riders rather than race along panting, but they still help overall fitness more than if I just did my 10 mile round trip commute (no hills on that for a start).

It's just dawned on me... I've never been outside London on my current bike, whether riding on the weekend or during a commute...

Where do you go riding TN?

You could go the whole hog and get a Garmin Edge computer which has GPS nav capability, easier than fecking about with maps (but more expensive obviously).

I'm sure there's been talk of some SCR Surrey Hills rides, perhaps we could get that sorted?

I gave Jen details of one of my favourite winter training routes the other day and I think she enjoyed it - I'll pm you the link.

DonDaddyD

jashburnham wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Totalnewbie wrote:

You get a completely different kind of enjoyment from non-commuting rides, I think you will enjoy it DDD.

My weekend social rides are not training by any stretch; I like to take in the scenery that you don't see in London and stop and have a pub lunch with my fellow riders rather than race along panting, but they still help overall fitness more than if I just did my 10 mile round trip commute (no hills on that for a start).

It's just dawned on me... I've never been outside London on my current bike, whether riding on the weekend or during a commute...

Where do you go riding TN?

You could go the whole hog and get a Garmin Edge computer which has GPS nav capability, easier than fecking about with maps (but more expensive obviously).

I'm sure there's been talk of some SCR Surrey Hills rides, perhaps we could get that sorted?

I gave Jen details of one of my favourite winter training routes the other day and I think she enjoyed it - I'll pm you the link.

I was thinking of maybe the Cateye Strada wireless cycle computer. Geez, with all these 'upgrades' I may actually need to buy a better bike....

If you can PM me your route that would be great! Would consider a SCR Surrey Hills ride in the near future, right now I'd just slow you guys right down... or get left behind.

Totalnewbie

DonDaddyD wrote:

Where do you go riding TN?

Well I am more 'inner' London than you; as said above, you have much more accessible riding country in Wombledon whereas I am a ten minute ride from Waterloo. So I often use trains to get somewhere nice rather than battling along the South Circular or something.

Mostly I go out on YACF rides which are all over - on Saturday, for example, we went to Essex as it is easily accessible from London. Last year we cycled out to Windsor which was good. On those rides, unless it is specifically a fast ride, the fast people wait for the slow people at various points, so everyone gets to do their pace. I also do the Friday Night Ride to the Coast in the warmer months of the year (Hyde Park Corner to Brighton/Southend etc), but I have been ridiculed for that on here before so I'll shut up about that now!

There are the London CTC rides, which also use trains to get out of London, but I'm afraid I sometimes find them not all that welcoming sometimes and so I haven't been to one for a while.

There are also Pollards Hill cyclists not too far from you; their rides are very leisurely with a pub lunch etc but they are a friendly bunch and I get on with them better than I did with the CTC. They might be too slow for you though - as I say, I like looking at the scenery etc so I don't mind pootling along with them (and it is nice to be one of the first up a hill for once!). Might go to theirs this Sunday.

I prefer to be with a group due to my poor navigational skills! And they are not training rides or club runs or anything of the sort, because I'm too lazy for that malarkey - but they still help my fitness, I find, because they are still a big change from a flat London commute.

spasypaddy

cjcp wrote:

Good man - what's the news on the job front?

ive got a weeks work possibly two doing some filing and sorting some stuff out for a family friend just off oxford street. i really dont care how shit the job is, money coming in is money coming in

cjcp

spasypaddy wrote:

i really dont care how shoot the job is, money coming in is money coming in

Exactly. Good luck with the job hunt.

don_don

How do I go about building my stamina/cardio vascular fitness to extreme levels.

Forget all this nonsense about training and heart-rate monitors. Get yourself a proper mountainbike and go out and get muddy.

That'll get you fit laddie

wait for it...

il_principe

don_don wrote:

How do I go about building my stamina/cardio vascular fitness to extreme levels.

Forget all this nonsense about training and heart-rate monitors. Get yourself a proper mountainbike and go out and get muddy.

That'll get you fit laddie

wait for it...

Yep - lot's of MTB'ing to be had in London town.

DonDaddyD

Every experience I've had - like riding in Normandy - involves road cycling.

I've owned Mountain Bikes, in fact my first bike was a Mountain Bike with slick tyres and a rigid fork. Every bike I've had since has been in the mold of a mountain bike except this one.

I'm a road cyclist. There is something powerfully elegant about it, a beauty, which I fell in love with over a decade ago...

Its only now that I have the dispossable income that I can truly submerge myself into my passion and fully begin to enjoy road cycling.