This weekend has included some heavy mileage indeed! Thought I would separate the blog into two halves! I don't normally blog on rides but I feel quite obliged to blog about today's fast Sunday run and a lonesome Saturday outing!
So, Saturday I knew what I was faced with! 4hrs on the road... the weather, windy and a little damp! never have I felt so uninspired to jump on the saddle! with Most the squad in Newport for a track session (read this blog to find out more http://brockduncumbrogers.blogspot.com/) and Dante electing out of the ride last minute to race at Hillingdon. I had no option but to go it alone! 3hrs 45mins to go and I was already counting down the time! not a good sign to say the least. Well I ended up riding around the Dunsfold road Circuit and if you want more data look on Garmin connect http://connect.garmin.com/activity/63693640 . Enough of the ride details But it got me thinking are there any pros of riding on your own. For shorter rides its nice to have your own company as it allows you to do some thinking of what is going on in your life and also what next to blog about or if your doing intervals then you can do exactly what your coach has allocated you! but there really is nothing enjoyable about a level 2 endurance ride alone! The ride wasn't too bad but what would one do without the company of an Ipod, I don't know! Still a good 4hrs in the legs!
Sunday, well It started at Chez Drew in Bolney and I had another 4 hours on the agenda. The plan was to meet Brock DR & Will Kemp (PCCDS) and Tom Copeland (Sigma Sport) in Ditchling around half 10. But we were fashionably late so we ended up meeting them in Hassocks. We were then on our way to Lewes to meet the Mc Namara's this made me wonder how my legs were going to hold out from yesterdays slog as this training ride was rely going to include some strong cookies! So off we went and it only had to be Via the beacon! Seems an age since I last rode it, but it seemed to have got easier? well not rely! I managed to stick to the Wheel of Tom Copeland (Sigma Sport) the whole climb which is a little achievement in itself! looking back on the data we averaged 350 watts for the complete climb! at one point I was certainly grimacing as my computer read 450 watts 3/4 of the way up! We reached lewes after going past the most amazing building in the UK! I couldn't quite contain myself and the ALBION chants had to be Sung! for those of you who don't have a clue what I am talking about, it is the magnificent stadium of Falmer, the new home of BHAFC. After being homeless for 13 seasons every time I see the stadium I rely getting a huge feeling of pride and excitement and can't wait to get my season ticket!
We met an assortment of riders including Chirs Mc Namara (Corley Cycles) Simon Mc Namara & Rodger Smith (South Down Bikes) and Paul Barnard (Team Terminator). They didn't hang around and with Tom and Chris doing the majority of the work it was pretty fast! A mention must go to Brock who Rode extremely Well after a week long Illness. He finishing 3rd up the Beacon and he Hung on comfortably in a tough ride! For myself It was a bit bizarre riding with the Mc Namara's. When I first started racing a bike at Dunsfold Aerodrome they were always in contention for the win so It felt a bit of a honour to be in such company and talking to experienced riders is always nice as you can never learn to much! So Back to the title of the blog and I think by the amount I have written for Sundays ride shows that the pros of riding in a group really excel those of riding alone! I am quite a social person so riding for 4hrs with company is far more enjoyable for me than being alone! Here is the Garmin data for Sundays ride. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/63693540
This coming week I have got exactly the same training wise as the previous week. I shall blog about some of the Power Data from Sundays ride in an attempt to help followers understand the utility of training with wattage.
Thanks for reading
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