Ride Reports

Kieran_Burns

Ouch.

That sums up the ride.

Ouch

110 miles, 4850ft climbing and I really messed up the drinking again Still it was a good day out even if I was struggling to get home before the Sun set, and I did. Just. My minor improvement in climbing hills seemed to help as I made it up the hill to Alton Towers in the middle ring (barely made it using the granny ring last time) 39/28 and I didn't 'really' suffer all that much. It wasn't easy but definitely doable! Mind you, the stretch after that... I forgot about the lumpy bits and when my thighs started cramping and I was forced to reach for the granny ring, it wouldn't drop into it!

Stopped at the top and sorted it which was fortunate as the next bit had an even worse hill and I simply couldn't stand in the pedals. Had to stop and for the first time ask some people sitting out in their front garden for a refill of the water bottles. I really can't thank them enough as I spent the next 10 miles just drinking and drinking. I really wish I'd kept it up but I was feeling nauseous with all the food and drink I was taking in. So I struggled the length of the Tissington Trail dodging families and idiots on MTBs who drive to the Trail and belt down it with no regard for anyone else. Turns out I'd been heading into a headwind the whole way out and when I turned on to the High Peak trail my speed 'shot' up

For the record: anyone making it up that climb from the A6 to Middleton Top.. Wow. Just, wow. You have GOT to see the hills you have to get up to make it. Just as I set off down a guy was just completing the last climb (in the lowest gear I have ever seen) and he looked dead. I had to stop halfway down the last hill as I was worried I was cooking the disc brakes.

I meant to turn on to the A6 at the bottom but missed the exit from the car park and ended up going down the Cromford Canal which was gorgeous and while I *knew* I was going the right way I was really worried I might heading North by mistake! Turns out I was going the right way and while my plan was keep going down the canal I was running really late by this point and dropped on to the A6 and gave it what I could to get some time back.

Long story short, I made it back but my God I was on the ragged edge. My left hand is still tingling this morning but it was worth it, some stunning views of the Staffordshire and Derbyshire countryside and the extra boost of getting home in time was kind of fun in a masochistic kind of way.

the_fuggler

Flanders. Cold. Wet. Awesome.

il_principe

Spent last week riding in Andalusia with Vamos! (http://www.vamoscycling.com/) Cycling Heaven. Can't recommend it enough. Perfectly smooth roads, barely any traffic, challenging climbs (some over 10 miles long averaging 8%), descending empty dual carriageways for 16k and not being passed by a single vehicle, cheap & delicious food & drink and wonderful hosts.

Stunning scenery













Legs felt good as well!

tgotb

Il Principe wrote:

Spent last week riding in Andalusia

Funnily enough, so did I (though a bit further south, near Malaga). What amazed me were the Spanish drivers. If they couldn't cross right over to the other side of the road to overtake, they'd just sit behind and wait. Some didn't even pass when I waved them on; once or twice I actually pulled over because I was finding it embarassing.

Only thing I struggled with was the maps. Spanish topo maps, which were the only ones I could find with contours, don't make a clear distinction between tarmac and gravel roads. Best solution I could find was to use topo map on the phone, in conjunction with Open Streetmap (which does make the gravel/tarmac distinction) on the Garmin. Of course, going with an outfit like Vamos would solve that particular problem.

I may have put on a kilo or two...

itboffin

93 miles to the rapha store and back, very lumpy and headwindy

willy b

Bet the ride back was harder with a big bag full of gear 8)

ugo.santalucia

Il Principe wrote:

Legs felt good as well!

Bizarre numbers for an amateur... what is your typical VAM?

tgotb

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Bizarre numbers for an amateur... what is your typical VAM?

What's strange about those numbers? VAM for the only climb for which all details are supplied is about 1030, which is very much amateur territory (not dissimilar to mine, at a very unimpressive 3.7W/kg).

ugo.santalucia

TGOTB wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Bizarre numbers for an amateur... what is your typical VAM?

What's strange about those numbers? VAM for the only climb for which all details are supplied is about 1030, which is very much amateur territory (not dissimilar to mine, at a very unimpressive 3.7W/kg).

Is it? I must have had my maths wrong... it seems a rather svelte 16 miles with 1200 mt of climbing... bear in mind the climb is only 11 miles... shall we give him 14-15 minutes to cover the 5 miles to approach it?

itboffin

Having ridden with him in the alps and pyrenees that seems a little slow :twisted:

but seriously he can climb like a goat, descends like a feather

willy b

Yeah, good climbing. Can't wait to get out on some real hills in a few weeks 8)

ugo.santalucia

itboffin wrote:

but seriously he can climb like a goat, descends like a feather

Alright, but 1200 mt in 53 minutes or so? Where am I going wrong?

tgotb

itboffin wrote:

he can climb like a goat, descends like a feather

Damned with faint praise :P

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Alright, but 1200 mt in 53 minutes or so?

That's about 1360 VAM. Now we're out of very ordinary amateur territory and into quite good amateur territory. By comparison, a top pro will be more like 1800, around 30% faster.

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Where am I going wrong?

What training are you doing?

ugo.santalucia

TGOTB wrote:

That's about 1360 VAM. Now we're out of very ordinary amateur territory and into quite good amateur territory. By comparison, a top pro will be more like 1800, around 30% faster.

The days of 1800 are gone, hopefully forever... these days it's more like 1600-1700.

I know PROs who are around 1400 and we are not talking about Kittel, that's why anything above 1200-1300 for a long climb for an amateur seems a bit strange to me.

bigmat

It is certainly impressive climbing - I haven't really done any HC climbs since I have had a Garmin, but just checked my time up the Joux Plane against the Strava leaderboard and worked out my VAM as 1,166 - that puts me in the top 50. Only 3 people on that leaderboard are over 1,300.

itboffin

ugo.santalucia wrote:

itboffin wrote:

but seriously he can climb like a goat, descends like a feather

Alright, but 1200 mt in 53 minutes or so? Where am I going wrong?

no seatpost engine perhaps?

itboffin

also bare in mind IP picked up 3rd or something in the RP timetrial a few years back on his road bike and i think it was his first TT.

i understand he's been on the Wiggo dust diet leading up to this trip

bigmat

itboffin wrote:

also bare in mind IP picked up 3rd or something in the RP timetrial a few years back on his road bike and i think it was his first TT.

He was 2nd, but in the road bike category (and as you know, his road bike is a lot of road bike!)

jzed

If you look at the profile of the climb its starts at 1800ft and tops out just above 4000ft. Maybe the strava elevation is wrong.

If I recall correctly Il Principe dabbled with some FDJ riders training on the Tourmalet whilst the rest of us were seeing Llamas.

itboffin

JZed wrote:

If you look at the profile of the climb its starts at 1800ft and tops out just above 4000ft. Maybe the strava elevation is wrong.

If I recall correctly Il Principe dabbled with some FDJ riders training on the Tourmalet whilst the rest of us were seeing Llamas.

i bet you've still got your FDJ pass video handy haven't you?

Llamas? eh!? ...sheep matey sheep

itboffin

16,500 ft in 200 miles yesterday, today I'm tired and hungry

meanredspider

itboffin wrote:

16,500 ft in 200 miles yesterday, today I'm tired and hungry

You deserve to be. Chapeau!

itboffin

Thanks to timings it would be logistically possible to do LBL & 312 back to back next year, now theres an idea.

il_principe

JZed wrote:

If you look at the profile of the climb its starts at 1800ft and tops out just above 4000ft. Maybe the strava elevation is wrong.

If I recall correctly Il Principe dabbled with some FDJ riders training on the Tourmalet whilst the rest of us were seeing Llamas.

Just seen this. Not sure there's anything overly impressive re the numbers. If it helps I was pushing on very hard as I knew the KOM time.

By my rough calc the vam is just under 1000. That seems correct to me. My Tourmalet VAM from Luz is 1,016.8 (1 hour 21 mins). I'd say that's decent-ish amateur territory but only -ish (although I had climbed Luz Ardiden beforehand). One of the Wheelers has done the same ascent in 1 hour 13 with a VAM of 1,127.6.

ugo.santalucia

Il Principe wrote:

JZed wrote:

If you look at the profile of the climb its starts at 1800ft and tops out just above 4000ft. Maybe the strava elevation is wrong.

If I recall correctly Il Principe dabbled with some FDJ riders training on the Tourmalet whilst the rest of us were seeing Llamas.

Just seen this. Not sure there's anything overly impressive re the numbers. If it helps I was pushing on very hard as I knew the KOM time.

By my rough calc the vam is just under 1000. That seems correct to me. My Tourmalet VAM from Luz is 1,016.8 (1 hour 21 mins). I'd say that's decent-ish amateur territory but only -ish (although I had climbed Luz Ardiden beforehand). One of the Wheelers has done the same ascent in 1 hour 13 with a VAM of 1,127.6.

I think what we did was to assume the strava time referred to a ride including the climb in the photo you posted...

1000 VAM is indeed very decent but normal... 1300 + is not.

I seem to remember I did the Aubsique with 940 VAM... while we will not talk about the Tourmalet... :?

vermin

3.5 days riding in Tenerife. 3 times up El Teide from sea level to crater, twice as big loops from the north (Puerto de la Cruz-Tacoronte-Esperanza-Teide-Puerto de la Cruz), once directly up and down from the south (Medano-Teide-Medano). 1 further ride around the beautiful Teno mountains.

Total distance: 345 km (215 miles). Total ascent: 9,622 m (31,570 ft). Width of grin: Immeasurable

itboffin

vermin wrote:

3.5 days riding in Tenerife. 3 times up El Teide from sea level to crater, twice as big loops from the north (Puerto de la Cruz-Tacoronte-Esperanza-Teide-Puerto de la Cruz), once directly up and down from the south (Medano-Teide-Medano). 1 further ride around the beautiful Teno mountains.

Total distance: 345 km (215 miles). Total ascent: 9,622 m (31,570 ft). Width of grin: Immeasurable

Unless you brought back some lava rocks for the BBQ

FAIL

vermin

itboffin wrote:

vermin wrote:

3.5 days riding in Tenerife. 3 times up El Teide from sea level to crater, twice as big loops from the north (Puerto de la Cruz-Tacoronte-Esperanza-Teide-Puerto de la Cruz), once directly up and down from the south (Medano-Teide-Medano). 1 further ride around the beautiful Teno mountains.

Total distance: 345 km (215 miles). Total ascent: 9,622 m (31,570 ft). Width of grin: Immeasurable

Unless you brought back some lava rocks for the BBQ

FAIL

I chose the weight-weenie pumice option.

The Rookie

Last weekend I did an Audax (/Randonneur) whilst in India, 200km ride plus about another 20km from hotel to start point and from finish to the hotel (220km total), as the daytime temp is currently 42C, this was overnight when it was a cool 24C (very humid though), all on a Giant Roam Hybrid, had great fun even if I did demolish 5.5litres of fluids, real sense of achievement when I finished!

Kieran_Burns

Prepping for my first sportive this year (Notts, 100 mile) I've been trying to get out and do some longer rides... 110 miles a 1/3 off-road, on the heavier CX bike with 4500 ft climbing. I'd say that was pretty good going

Actually felt pretty good but was majorly dehydrated again, got cramps on several occasions and this despite drinking 3 pints before setting off!

We did the "two trails" route via Alton Towers again with a few variations, and I punctured about 1/3 mile from Parsley Hay. I think if you're going to get a flat do it at a cafe with a bike shop! Track pumps rule

Some beautiful scenery, relaxing ride with a mate who's better and quicker than me (so I was being pushed just a bit all the way) and watching him go tanking down the descent from Middleton Top was mind-blowing... and me crawling down sat on the brakes

Also worked out a route that can take in the Monsal Trail now, via Buxton and that's all kinds of scary as it seems so very far (even though it's not much further than I've been before) so that's one for next time.