Author Topic: just an anomoly or am I being overoptimistic  (Read 2582 times)

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
just an anomoly or am I being overoptimistic
« on: 08 January, 2017, 03:30:50 pm »
Planned to ride out to the meeting point for next week's group ride at the café, have a coffee and cake and ride back again, as I was toying with the idea of doing so next Sunday.

Overall it was a pretty uninspiring ride
- missed a turn early on that I've taken hundreds of times in the past, and had to retrace my steps
- started out in 12C and sunny, dropped to 8C with a chilly wind an threatened rain
- legs felt really heavy and quads just seemed to have nothing in them
- decided I wasn't going to have time to make it to the café (about 40km) and have refreshments and get back so cut it short

Ended up at 67km in 2hr 40, 24.8km/h
vs Friday's 55km in 2hr dead at 27.5 km/h

Now I'm not sure whether it's just heavy legs after Friday's session and a fairly stiff fartlek run yesterday, or a lack of recent recumbent riding, or early season malaise or a combination of them all, but I really wasn't finding it great fun out there today.  There was certainly no wow factor to the ride. So am I setting my sights too high with an expected comfortable 25km/h average on the recumbent or what?

It may be just one of those less than great rides, but at the moment I'm performing better on the upwrong.  Not convinced at this stage that I'd have another 1300km in my legs for either though, which makes an interesting decision point for the 20th Jan.

On a technical front the dynamo set up was working OK and the Garmin was charging from the USB-werk OK on the ride until about 35km it suddenly stopped for some reason.  Probably my wiring needs a bit of a check.  The T1 was well under control as well, with a total of 55g carbs before and during the ride.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

andytheflyer

  • Andytheex-flyer.....
Re: just an anomoly or am I being overoptimistic
« Reply #1 on: 08 January, 2017, 05:30:50 pm »
You have to have a bad day to appreciate a good one.

Biorhythms, what you ate last night, all sorts of factors, they even out. Don't over-think it.

Marco Stefano

  • Apply some pressure, you lose some pressure...
Re: just an anomoly or am I being overoptimistic
« Reply #2 on: 11 January, 2017, 01:00:10 pm »
If it's the ride and café I am thinking of, and the route I would take, it might well be riding from Prickwillow to Isleham that does it...

Am thinking of that ride but have a stonking cold (usual wonderful timing), so unlikely to turn up, unfortunately, even in a car.  :(

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: just an anomoly or am I being overoptimistic
« Reply #3 on: 11 January, 2017, 01:38:32 pm »
If it's the ride and café I am thinking of, and the route I would take, it might well be riding from Prickwillow to Isleham that does it...

Am thinking of that ride but have a stonking cold (usual wonderful timing), so unlikely to turn up, unfortunately, even in a car.  :(

Yes, that long drag from Prickwillow to Isleham and then out through Red lodge.  Mind you, if you think that's bad, have you tried 16 Foot Bank? Ten miles of a dead straight road, fun into a SW wind.

And sorry to hear about the cold, I'm now planning on driving over if I go as I don't think I'd get there in time otherwise.  We'll have to have a ride out sometime?
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Marco Stefano

  • Apply some pressure, you lose some pressure...
Re: just an anomoly or am I being overoptimistic
« Reply #4 on: 13 January, 2017, 12:35:56 pm »
A local ride would be good, but I think I'll have to catch you on a bad day so I can keep up. ;D  I am thinking of a steady state-type ride so we can talk rubbish about rugby as we go.

There is a rail crossing & low underpass along the 16 Foot Bank at Stonea; a friend related that when he worked for a local agri-engineering firm, he drove their flat-bad Transit along there one befuddled early morning, and realised what he was driving just before he took the upper parts off on the underpass... Cue gingerly opening the door to see how very close he was, before reversing and taking the high road. Such are the mind-numbing qualities of fenland roads.

I have experienced the SW wind as a cross wind on the Manea road that crosses the 16 Foot; amazingly speed-reducing, riding at a 20° cant to starboard to avoid being blown into the ditch.

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: just an anomoly or am I being overoptimistic
« Reply #5 on: 25 January, 2017, 08:18:56 pm »
turns out that my brake adjustment was absolutely carp, dragging front and rear  :facepalm:
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens