Damn! I thought my morning ride was cold at about 4°C... Did 58 miles and really felt it. I haven't felt good the last couple of mornings (just 26 miles yesterday), maybe I'm just a little under the weather (my temperature was fine) or maybe I've just cycled too much in the last couple of weeks. With the gym's =being closed, everything is cycling! Last week was one of my highest 'Relative Effort' weeks in some time at 750.
Haha, 4 degrees might be a bit 'cold', but throw in some sub zero winds, and/or lower ambient and it becomes a different thing altogether. You have to stop dressing 'to be comfortable' and start blocking out the wind/keeping the heat in. It's a hard balance, particularly if you are riding 'different' things in the same weather. For my short commutes I generally overdress, it's less than 10 minutes effort so I taper it, if I find myself overdressed. Thinking about it, I probably do the same with any leisure riding this time of year, as any group rides are generally an 8.30/9am start so always colder. But the rides are generally usually easier too (so easier to taper effort). But much of that could be me usually retaining my fitness (or even more likely building it) over the late autumn/winter months while others I'm riding with are decreasing.
How are you seeing Relative Effort scores for the week?
Have you got ice spike tyres fitted just in case, or does the tag-along trailor make you pretty stable?
Trailer I'm only generally doing the afternoon journeys with (other half starts work an hour after me so she takes mini^me in & I pick up), so unlikely to encounter ice. If it's *that* cold (or heavy rain) we'll generally use the car anyway. I can imagine it would make things more stable, although it doesn't balance the rear of the bike (fitting means bike can be lay on it's side still attached), there is a constant 'drag' there. It's more pronounced than dragging a brake (although feels like it at times), maybe more like riding off-road tyres on smooth tarmac. Track standing/balancing is best/easiest done on a slight gradient so it does feel 'easier' than without. Thinking about it I stand/balance more with the chariot anyway - at the roundabout on the run I do it's just easier/quicker/safer to already be clipped in. There's an additional 2-3s when moving from a standing start with it, so you don't want to miss a clip-in... Not exactly 'nimble' when towing a 19kg trailer with a 14.2kg kid in there!
I've never used ice tyres, generally going for more grippy/wider/low pressure rubber and only having a few issues. Think I've only had 3 ice related falls in 8 years, 2 in the same winter and all of them at low speed. My commute is generally along well travelled/gritted roads. Cycle path can be very dodgy at times, but is straight and generally good visibility of the worst bits, so easy to take the road instead. I generally don't group ride when there's ice on the roads.
Just keep things ticking away at the moment mate, build that base up again solid. Don't try to burst out 100km rides when doing 2 (or 3) 20 or 30km spread over a few days will help you spread the fatigue, lower the strain and just knock you back less. Also maintaining that regular weekly 'total miles' will help with reducing the accumulated fatigue while doing it, while still building good power. I think what I'm trying to say it - don't push yourself too much/hard and end up getting ill again knocking yourself back further. Build an upward curve, avoiding any rapid spiral down if/when you do get ill. It's that time of year when it always happens to us, so prepare/shield yourself a little for it.
I find I’m ok down to -25 and if I’m there for long it’ll destroy me
Form on TP, or Strava? I've found myself building well/strong with my current riding on Zwift, but that has really been hovering myself around 0 form. Usually found the longer/intense strain from heavy group rides really knocked me down to those -25 figures and the times I did this year, I generally didn't build from them, just strain & recover. Felt good doing it, but didn't 'gain' much. I gained more riding solo, shorter & harder efforts then transferred that to Zwift and have found the same this autumn/winter. The consistency of harder/shorter efforts has done wonders for my sustained power and FTP this time around.
Although after all that the 40 mile Zwift race I did yesterday was brutal. I think I've become quite conditioned to hour long efforts, as that at 1.5 hours hurt like hell - while the power number are relatively low compared to what I'm seeing for an hour. Tough course for it with the rollers and tunnel ramps in there though, so probably chasing more wheels than I would normally be doing.
Juat bought a 4iiii from Mantel for £205. PayPal finance £50 for 4 months to help cash flow.
Also signed for my house so expensive day
Congrats & congrats! Did see them dip below £200 a few times but they where generally the R7000 170mm arm. Second hand pricing on the bay generally only £10/20 lower.
Anyone have any experience of Fast Forward Wheels? or Know anyone who has. Been thinking about getting some carbon rims but haven't been able to completely decide which brand to go with. Fast Forward have a black friday offer on works out at about 720ish including shipping form Holland.
Know lots of people who rate/love them. Generally more 'traditional' wheels, so thinner ID's and not any tubeless I've spotted. Nor disc for that matter. Might be why they've been off my radar for a while, as always loved the decals/designs.
or just keep power for training not racing.
You mean Zwifting