The lies I tell myself…
Peddle Up!
Posts: 2,040
Actually, this post was going to be called “Significant factors that reduce my Sportive performance to sub-Wiggins levels”, but I think the revised title is nearer to the truth. 
Prompted by a flurry of postings on Imperial century rides, I’ve been reflecting on the factors that chip away at my average speed on longer Sportive rides. In no particular order…
1. Groups of cyclists. No, not riding in a group, but the packs of cyclists at the start of an event, especially when the turnout is good and there is little or no staggering of the start. Very often a route will take narrow lanes early on and if I get stuck behind a group meandering along at 12mph there’s not a great deal I can do about it, other than shout “excuse me”, try to weave by, and confirm my status as an utter knob when they overtake me at mile seventy. So I sit behind them until the road is a bit wider and watch the average speed drop.
2. Going up hills. I’m not too bad at hills, but being a couple of stone and thirty years above optimum I climb at a leisurely pace. Nothing for it, but lose the weight and keep rubbing on the Oil of Olay.
3. Going down hills. I’m better than I once was, but anything over thirty mph still has me reaching for the brake levers while other, braver, riders blast by at anything up to twice my speed. This is a particularly vicious speed devourer on an undulating course where the downhill speed can take you halfway up the next slope before the need to pedal. Which brings me to…
4. Pedal up!
My pedalling style has always featured a mix of pedal, then coast and I’m sure that more sustained pedalling effort would (will!) pay off.
5. Eating and drinking. I’m comfortable with my regime on, say, a sixty miler, but I’m still experimenting on longer rides. On my last hundred I took two bottles, one with Nuun-based drink, the other water and refilled them at two food stops. When I got home I was five pounds lighter, four of which were regained over the next two days so maybe I need to work on fluid levels.
6. Weather. Faced with cold strong winds, driving rain or worse (as in the brutal Mad March Hare, earlier this year) sometimes you just want to go home and lie in a warm bath. But you keep going, somehow, albeit slowly.
7. Tempus Fugit. Sadly, as someone who can vividly remember Doctor Who played by a grumpy William Hartnell I’m always going to be scalped by a whippet-thin nineteen year old with double the lung capacity.
No doubt there are other factors I can use to kid myself, but I think these are more than enough to be going on with. What are yours?
Prompted by a flurry of postings on Imperial century rides, I’ve been reflecting on the factors that chip away at my average speed on longer Sportive rides. In no particular order…
1. Groups of cyclists. No, not riding in a group, but the packs of cyclists at the start of an event, especially when the turnout is good and there is little or no staggering of the start. Very often a route will take narrow lanes early on and if I get stuck behind a group meandering along at 12mph there’s not a great deal I can do about it, other than shout “excuse me”, try to weave by, and confirm my status as an utter knob when they overtake me at mile seventy. So I sit behind them until the road is a bit wider and watch the average speed drop.
2. Going up hills. I’m not too bad at hills, but being a couple of stone and thirty years above optimum I climb at a leisurely pace. Nothing for it, but lose the weight and keep rubbing on the Oil of Olay.
3. Going down hills. I’m better than I once was, but anything over thirty mph still has me reaching for the brake levers while other, braver, riders blast by at anything up to twice my speed. This is a particularly vicious speed devourer on an undulating course where the downhill speed can take you halfway up the next slope before the need to pedal. Which brings me to…
4. Pedal up!
My pedalling style has always featured a mix of pedal, then coast and I’m sure that more sustained pedalling effort would (will!) pay off.5. Eating and drinking. I’m comfortable with my regime on, say, a sixty miler, but I’m still experimenting on longer rides. On my last hundred I took two bottles, one with Nuun-based drink, the other water and refilled them at two food stops. When I got home I was five pounds lighter, four of which were regained over the next two days so maybe I need to work on fluid levels.
6. Weather. Faced with cold strong winds, driving rain or worse (as in the brutal Mad March Hare, earlier this year) sometimes you just want to go home and lie in a warm bath. But you keep going, somehow, albeit slowly.
7. Tempus Fugit. Sadly, as someone who can vividly remember Doctor Who played by a grumpy William Hartnell I’m always going to be scalped by a whippet-thin nineteen year old with double the lung capacity.
No doubt there are other factors I can use to kid myself, but I think these are more than enough to be going on with. What are yours?
Purveyor of "up"
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Comments
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regardless of all that, still sounds like you're having a great time riding them?
my reasons?
I'm a bit crap really, but I try hard!0 -
Thanks for that Peddle up
Can I use some of those please? "You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul0 -
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Purveyor of "up"0
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Excuse...
It's a Sportive, I've paid for the privilege of great food and tea stops being laid on at my expense... I intend to use these services rather than consuming nasty 'chemicals', sports scientists regard as 'carbohydrates' :-)
Blame your speed on the cake!Simon0
