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Official CL weekend Lycra warriors thread (cycling)

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  • olster said:

    Did 345k yesterday on a London Orbital ride. Great, very very long, ride. Rode with a TCR vet, and spent the day learning as much as I could about do's/don'ts and talking about his memories of Mike Hall. Whatever decision is taken about the TCR this year and going forward will be the right one.

    @Anna_Kissed popped in to HH on sat. New grandstand looks great, looking forward to days watching racing in the sun and cracking on with my accredidation too.

    Hat!

    That's a hell of a lot of mileage. If you're looking for something of similar stature in the spirit of the randonee, have a look at Chase The Sun. Starts on Sheppey (don't worry, you'll leave it as the sun is rising, so won't have to encounter any of the locals) and ends in Burnham - idea being to do it before the sun goes down. Almost bang on 200 miles and a cracking day in the saddle
    Nice - I'll check it out.

    Preliminary goal for the tcr is 300-320km a day, so these long rides are essential. Feel an awful lot better than I did after 330 (admitally hillier) km at the start of March.

    You in for the FW? Hoping it will be the first run out on the new Rourke....
  • @Leroy Ambrose and @olster (plus anyone else...) I'm struggling this year with a real loss of power... Have increased my regular cadence up in to the 100/105 rpm mark, but seems to be at the expense of any strength...the minute I hit any sort of incline, my gears drop right down and I crawl up... Never had this before and not sure if it's cos I'm just getting old (nearly 47) or I'm doing something wrong in training? Endurance is 'ok' to good (long day in saddle on Sat and felt alright) and only thing that has really changed has been using the Kick'r that is now controlled by TrainerRoad as opposed to a Cyclops Magnetic where I controlled all the resistence... Mallorca 312 in a month...any tips for quick leg strength greatly appreciated.... Cheers
  • edited April 2017
    @Charlton Charlie Sounds like you're not doing enough pushing big gears. Counterintuitive because all the literature tells you to spin in a smaller gear, but you definitely lose power that way. Try finding short, steep hills and sprinting up them then cruising down. Alternatively, find a hill with a steady gradient - not too steep - hat takes about ten minutes to climb and do it seated at a gear slightly bigger than you'd normally use. If you've got knee issues, be careful though - it's better to be underpowered with working knees than not be able to pedal because your knees are fucked!

    If you have a power meter, and know what your ftp is, then ftp over/under sessions are brilliant for building power quickly. Ten minute warmup, then 3 sets of 5 mins at 110% ftp, 5 mins 90% ftp with a 5 minute rest in between then a ten minute cool down. Brutal way to spend an hour and don't do it more than once a week but will definitely get results
  • olster said:

    olster said:

    Did 345k yesterday on a London Orbital ride. Great, very very long, ride. Rode with a TCR vet, and spent the day learning as much as I could about do's/don'ts and talking about his memories of Mike Hall. Whatever decision is taken about the TCR this year and going forward will be the right one.

    @Anna_Kissed popped in to HH on sat. New grandstand looks great, looking forward to days watching racing in the sun and cracking on with my accredidation too.

    Hat!

    That's a hell of a lot of mileage. If you're looking for something of similar stature in the spirit of the randonee, have a look at Chase The Sun. Starts on Sheppey (don't worry, you'll leave it as the sun is rising, so won't have to encounter any of the locals) and ends in Burnham - idea being to do it before the sun goes down. Almost bang on 200 miles and a cracking day in the saddle
    Nice - I'll check it out.

    Preliminary goal for the tcr is 300-320km a day, so these long rides are essential. Feel an awful lot better than I did after 330 (admitally hillier) km at the start of March.

    You in for the FW? Hoping it will be the first run out on the new Rourke....
    Yes, I'm doing the Fred. Went out and bought a 32t sprocket so I have a chance of getting up Hardknott :smiley:
  • olster said:

    olster said:

    Did 345k yesterday on a London Orbital ride. Great, very very long, ride. Rode with a TCR vet, and spent the day learning as much as I could about do's/don'ts and talking about his memories of Mike Hall. Whatever decision is taken about the TCR this year and going forward will be the right one.

    @Anna_Kissed popped in to HH on sat. New grandstand looks great, looking forward to days watching racing in the sun and cracking on with my accredidation too.

    Hat!

    That's a hell of a lot of mileage. If you're looking for something of similar stature in the spirit of the randonee, have a look at Chase The Sun. Starts on Sheppey (don't worry, you'll leave it as the sun is rising, so won't have to encounter any of the locals) and ends in Burnham - idea being to do it before the sun goes down. Almost bang on 200 miles and a cracking day in the saddle
    Nice - I'll check it out.

    Preliminary goal for the tcr is 300-320km a day, so these long rides are essential. Feel an awful lot better than I did after 330 (admitally hillier) km at the start of March.

    You in for the FW? Hoping it will be the first run out on the new Rourke....
    Yes, I'm doing the Fred. Went out and bought a 32t sprocket so I have a chance of getting up Hardknott :smiley:
    Wimp ;-)

    If my new bike arrives i'll be on a 36 - 28, but if it's not ready i might have to use my 39 - 25 current set up ffs!
  • olster said:

    olster said:

    olster said:

    Did 345k yesterday on a London Orbital ride. Great, very very long, ride. Rode with a TCR vet, and spent the day learning as much as I could about do's/don'ts and talking about his memories of Mike Hall. Whatever decision is taken about the TCR this year and going forward will be the right one.

    @Anna_Kissed popped in to HH on sat. New grandstand looks great, looking forward to days watching racing in the sun and cracking on with my accredidation too.

    Hat!

    That's a hell of a lot of mileage. If you're looking for something of similar stature in the spirit of the randonee, have a look at Chase The Sun. Starts on Sheppey (don't worry, you'll leave it as the sun is rising, so won't have to encounter any of the locals) and ends in Burnham - idea being to do it before the sun goes down. Almost bang on 200 miles and a cracking day in the saddle
    Nice - I'll check it out.

    Preliminary goal for the tcr is 300-320km a day, so these long rides are essential. Feel an awful lot better than I did after 330 (admitally hillier) km at the start of March.

    You in for the FW? Hoping it will be the first run out on the new Rourke....
    Yes, I'm doing the Fred. Went out and bought a 32t sprocket so I have a chance of getting up Hardknott :smiley:
    Wimp ;-)

    If my new bike arrives i'll be on a 36 - 28, but if it's not ready i might have to use my 39 - 25 current set up ffs!
    You guys are well hardcore. And I'm with @Leroy Ambrose when it comes to tactical ratio selection. Like when the Spanish guy pipped Wiggo & Froome to the Vuelta in 2011 (?) by spinning a smaller gear than the Sky team's selection. Was it up the Angiliru?
    Mind you, as an old geezer, my 32 stays on, just in case.

    Jimmy Seed (sorry to bang on) signed up with The Sunderland Cycle Corps in WW1, but was switched to the Leeds Rifles for active service.

    Not that that has anything to do with anything.

    PS 11/4 for Sagan for PR seems a bit tight.
  • JamesSeed said:

    olster said:

    olster said:

    olster said:

    Did 345k yesterday on a London Orbital ride. Great, very very long, ride. Rode with a TCR vet, and spent the day learning as much as I could about do's/don'ts and talking about his memories of Mike Hall. Whatever decision is taken about the TCR this year and going forward will be the right one.

    @Anna_Kissed popped in to HH on sat. New grandstand looks great, looking forward to days watching racing in the sun and cracking on with my accredidation too.

    Hat!

    That's a hell of a lot of mileage. If you're looking for something of similar stature in the spirit of the randonee, have a look at Chase The Sun. Starts on Sheppey (don't worry, you'll leave it as the sun is rising, so won't have to encounter any of the locals) and ends in Burnham - idea being to do it before the sun goes down. Almost bang on 200 miles and a cracking day in the saddle
    Nice - I'll check it out.

    Preliminary goal for the tcr is 300-320km a day, so these long rides are essential. Feel an awful lot better than I did after 330 (admitally hillier) km at the start of March.

    You in for the FW? Hoping it will be the first run out on the new Rourke....
    Yes, I'm doing the Fred. Went out and bought a 32t sprocket so I have a chance of getting up Hardknott :smiley:
    Wimp ;-)

    If my new bike arrives i'll be on a 36 - 28, but if it's not ready i might have to use my 39 - 25 current set up ffs!
    You guys are well hardcore. And I'm with @Leroy Ambrose when it comes to tactical ratio selection. Like when the Spanish guy pipped Wiggo & Froome to the Vuelta in 2011 (?) by spinning a smaller gear than the Sky team's selection. Was it up the Angiliru?
    Mind you, as an old geezer, my 32 stays on, just in case.

    Jimmy Seed (sorry to bang on) signed up with The Sunderland Cycle Corps in WW1, but was switched to the Leeds Rifles for active service.

    Not that that has anything to do with anything.

    PS 11/4 for Sagan for PR seems a bit tight.
    Get some money on him finishing second :-)

    If you're around in London this sunday, the cobblemonster ride finishes with watching PR on the big screen.
  • olster said:

    JamesSeed said:

    olster said:

    olster said:

    olster said:

    Did 345k yesterday on a London Orbital ride. Great, very very long, ride. Rode with a TCR vet, and spent the day learning as much as I could about do's/don'ts and talking about his memories of Mike Hall. Whatever decision is taken about the TCR this year and going forward will be the right one.

    @Anna_Kissed popped in to HH on sat. New grandstand looks great, looking forward to days watching racing in the sun and cracking on with my accredidation too.

    Hat!

    That's a hell of a lot of mileage. If you're looking for something of similar stature in the spirit of the randonee, have a look at Chase The Sun. Starts on Sheppey (don't worry, you'll leave it as the sun is rising, so won't have to encounter any of the locals) and ends in Burnham - idea being to do it before the sun goes down. Almost bang on 200 miles and a cracking day in the saddle
    Nice - I'll check it out.

    Preliminary goal for the tcr is 300-320km a day, so these long rides are essential. Feel an awful lot better than I did after 330 (admitally hillier) km at the start of March.

    You in for the FW? Hoping it will be the first run out on the new Rourke....
    Yes, I'm doing the Fred. Went out and bought a 32t sprocket so I have a chance of getting up Hardknott :smiley:
    Wimp ;-)

    If my new bike arrives i'll be on a 36 - 28, but if it's not ready i might have to use my 39 - 25 current set up ffs!
    You guys are well hardcore. And I'm with @Leroy Ambrose when it comes to tactical ratio selection. Like when the Spanish guy pipped Wiggo & Froome to the Vuelta in 2011 (?) by spinning a smaller gear than the Sky team's selection. Was it up the Angiliru?
    Mind you, as an old geezer, my 32 stays on, just in case.

    Jimmy Seed (sorry to bang on) signed up with The Sunderland Cycle Corps in WW1, but was switched to the Leeds Rifles for active service.

    Not that that has anything to do with anything.

    PS 11/4 for Sagan for PR seems a bit tight.
    Get some money on him finishing second :-)

    If you're around in London this sunday, the cobblemonster ride finishes with watching PR on the big screen.
    I'm in Gran Canaria unfortunately.
  • olster said:

    JamesSeed said:

    olster said:

    olster said:

    olster said:

    Did 345k yesterday on a London Orbital ride. Great, very very long, ride. Rode with a TCR vet, and spent the day learning as much as I could about do's/don'ts and talking about his memories of Mike Hall. Whatever decision is taken about the TCR this year and going forward will be the right one.

    @Anna_Kissed popped in to HH on sat. New grandstand looks great, looking forward to days watching racing in the sun and cracking on with my accredidation too.

    Hat!

    That's a hell of a lot of mileage. If you're looking for something of similar stature in the spirit of the randonee, have a look at Chase The Sun. Starts on Sheppey (don't worry, you'll leave it as the sun is rising, so won't have to encounter any of the locals) and ends in Burnham - idea being to do it before the sun goes down. Almost bang on 200 miles and a cracking day in the saddle
    Nice - I'll check it out.

    Preliminary goal for the tcr is 300-320km a day, so these long rides are essential. Feel an awful lot better than I did after 330 (admitally hillier) km at the start of March.

    You in for the FW? Hoping it will be the first run out on the new Rourke....
    Yes, I'm doing the Fred. Went out and bought a 32t sprocket so I have a chance of getting up Hardknott :smiley:
    Wimp ;-)

    If my new bike arrives i'll be on a 36 - 28, but if it's not ready i might have to use my 39 - 25 current set up ffs!
    You guys are well hardcore. And I'm with @Leroy Ambrose when it comes to tactical ratio selection. Like when the Spanish guy pipped Wiggo & Froome to the Vuelta in 2011 (?) by spinning a smaller gear than the Sky team's selection. Was it up the Angiliru?
    Mind you, as an old geezer, my 32 stays on, just in case.

    Jimmy Seed (sorry to bang on) signed up with The Sunderland Cycle Corps in WW1, but was switched to the Leeds Rifles for active service.

    Not that that has anything to do with anything.

    PS 11/4 for Sagan for PR seems a bit tight.
    Get some money on him finishing second :-)

    If you're around in London this sunday, the cobblemonster ride finishes with watching PR on the big screen.
    I'm doing the PR sportive the day before, then we're decamping to either the Carrefour or the Arenberg to watch the pro race whilst getting absolutely ruined. Did it last year - swore I'd never do it again but a mate is doing it and I promised I'd do it with him...

    Would love Boonen to win, but my head says Kristoff. Sagan will want it too much and he'll be marked when he tries to go
  • Enjoyed it much more this year. Dusty cobbles are just as slippery as wet ones though... :open_mouth:

    PB on every sector, including smashing the Arenberg and the Carrefour. Also, hands and arms don't feel like I've been ten rounds with a pneumatic drill strapped to them.

    After doing it in much grimmer weather last year, it was obviously nicer to do it in short sleeves this time round, and got pissed watching from a field outside Saint Python before we left, which was great

    Please for GVA - and glad Stybar didn't win despite doing fuck-all work for the last 15km
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  • Back from Paris, don't know how you guys do it! By comparison my ride was absolutely rookie, but am in bits!

    Chamois creme did an absolute job though, which is what I came on here to post about - painful but non incapacitating. I think otherwise I'd have been a goner. So - thanks!
  • Enjoyed it much more this year. Dusty cobbles are just as slippery as wet ones though... :open_mouth:

    PB on every sector, including smashing the Arenberg and the Carrefour. Also, hands and arms don't feel like I've been ten rounds with a pneumatic drill strapped to them.

    After doing it in much grimmer weather last year, it was obviously nicer to do it in short sleeves this time round, and got pissed watching from a field outside Saint Python before we left, which was great

    Please for GVA - and glad Stybar didn't win despite doing fuck-all work for the last 15km

    ....smashing the Arenberg and the Carrefour.

    Blimey. Hats off. Did you Strava it? Would be interested to see the pros times v. the amateurs, over a relatively short distance, rather than up an alp.
  • JamesSeed said:

    Enjoyed it much more this year. Dusty cobbles are just as slippery as wet ones though... :open_mouth:

    PB on every sector, including smashing the Arenberg and the Carrefour. Also, hands and arms don't feel like I've been ten rounds with a pneumatic drill strapped to them.

    After doing it in much grimmer weather last year, it was obviously nicer to do it in short sleeves this time round, and got pissed watching from a field outside Saint Python before we left, which was great

    Please for GVA - and glad Stybar didn't win despite doing fuck-all work for the last 15km

    ....smashing the Arenberg and the Carrefour.

    Blimey. Hats off. Did you Strava it? Would be interested to see the pros times v. the amateurs, over a relatively short distance, rather than up an alp.
    Yeah - Arenberg is the first sector, Carrefour near the end. Pro times are absolutely ridiculous. The average here is brought down by waiting for a mate after every sector, and stopping at ll the food stops - but even so, that probably accounts for about 5k/h - so they would still have done it 12k/h faster. Insane!

    https://www.strava.com/activities/932968565/shareable_images/map_based?hl=en-US&v=1491818146
  • Michele Scarponi killed on a training ride near his home. Often use to hear his name whilst watching the Grand Tours over recent years. Very sad.
  • One of my favourite riders. True unsung hero of the peloton, and one if the most popular riders amongst other riders. A real character - the videos of him training with his parrot were brilliant, and at times he was the only thing that made the presence of Astana in the world tour acceptable

    RIP
  • The winner of Liege-Bastogne-Liege (won't spoil) has said he'll donate all of his winnings and earnings from this week to Scarponi's family, a great gesture.

    RIP Michele.
  • Looking for advice. Will be purchasing my first road bike. Cycled for many years on mountain bikes but given I'm in London these days my options are pretty limited so decided to make the switch. Think I've got it down to an Allez E5 or Cube Attain but can't decide between the two. To me the Cube looks slightly better specced. ANy help would be appreciated?

    Also please don't suggest Decathlon.
  • With a road bike at around those price points, almost everything comes down to the groupset on it. If it's Shimano (and it probably will be) get the one with the best groupset - it goes (in order of performance)

    Claris
    Sora
    Tiagra
    105
    Ultegra
    Dura-Ace

    The wheels you get will be cheap as they're the first thing to get upgraded on any bike, it doesn't matter what the weight is as you won't be doing any serious climbing on it yet, ditto aero cos you won't be racing - so doesn't matter whether it's carbon or not. The 'fit' of the bike is important, so if you can, try both out and see which feels most comfortable. Above all though, get the one with the best groupset. It'll last the longest, make you more likely to enjoy riding it and not require a load of maintenance. Shimano 105 is probably the best value 'thing' in the bike world - the performance is absolutely amazing for the money.
  • With a road bike at around those price points, almost everything comes down to the groupset on it. If it's Shimano (and it probably will be) get the one with the best groupset - it goes (in order of performance)

    Claris
    Sora
    Tiagra
    105
    Ultegra
    Dura-Ace

    The wheels you get will be cheap as they're the first thing to get upgraded on any bike, it doesn't matter what the weight is as you won't be doing any serious climbing on it yet, ditto aero cos you won't be racing - so doesn't matter whether it's carbon or not. The 'fit' of the bike is important, so if you can, try both out and see which feels most comfortable. Above all though, get the one with the best groupset. It'll last the longest, make you more likely to enjoy riding it and not require a load of maintenance. Shimano 105 is probably the best value 'thing' in the bike world - the performance is absolutely amazing for the money.

    Cheers Leroy. Both are Claris. Will go and try them out but think i'll find it hard to try the Cube, none seem to be in stock in shops around me.
  • Take a look at the Giant range. If you are spending between £500 to £700 there might be something to temp you. My Giant Defy was a great entry road bike.
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  • colthe3rd said:

    With a road bike at around those price points, almost everything comes down to the groupset on it. If it's Shimano (and it probably will be) get the one with the best groupset - it goes (in order of performance)

    Claris
    Sora
    Tiagra
    105
    Ultegra
    Dura-Ace

    The wheels you get will be cheap as they're the first thing to get upgraded on any bike, it doesn't matter what the weight is as you won't be doing any serious climbing on it yet, ditto aero cos you won't be racing - so doesn't matter whether it's carbon or not. The 'fit' of the bike is important, so if you can, try both out and see which feels most comfortable. Above all though, get the one with the best groupset. It'll last the longest, make you more likely to enjoy riding it and not require a load of maintenance. Shimano 105 is probably the best value 'thing' in the bike world - the performance is absolutely amazing for the money.

    Cheers Leroy. Both are Claris. Will go and try them out but think i'll find it hard to try the Cube, none seem to be in stock in shops around me.
    Do you have a budget? Because unless it's really low, I'd advise against getting anything below 105 - it really is worth the extra 50 odd quid. You should be able to find something decent with 105 on it for about 700 - agree that Giant is a good bet at that sort of price point
  • colthe3rd said:

    With a road bike at around those price points, almost everything comes down to the groupset on it. If it's Shimano (and it probably will be) get the one with the best groupset - it goes (in order of performance)

    Claris
    Sora
    Tiagra
    105
    Ultegra
    Dura-Ace

    The wheels you get will be cheap as they're the first thing to get upgraded on any bike, it doesn't matter what the weight is as you won't be doing any serious climbing on it yet, ditto aero cos you won't be racing - so doesn't matter whether it's carbon or not. The 'fit' of the bike is important, so if you can, try both out and see which feels most comfortable. Above all though, get the one with the best groupset. It'll last the longest, make you more likely to enjoy riding it and not require a load of maintenance. Shimano 105 is probably the best value 'thing' in the bike world - the performance is absolutely amazing for the money.

    Cheers Leroy. Both are Claris. Will go and try them out but think i'll find it hard to try the Cube, none seem to be in stock in shops around me.
    Do you have a budget? Because unless it's really low, I'd advise against getting anything below 105 - it really is worth the extra 50 odd quid. You should be able to find something decent with 105 on it for about 700 - agree that Giant is a good bet at that sort of price point
    Around 600, would push to 700 if there was a really good deal.
  • That's a massive bargain. 105 on a defy for under 700 quid.
  • Have a look on gumtree, sometimes there are some real gems on there.
  • Have a look on gumtree, sometimes there are some real gems on there.

    Will be using the cyclescheme at work so secondhand is out.
  • edited April 2017
    Really don't get the hate for decathlon at entry level. Considering literally 80% of the difference between a crap bike and cheap bike is the groupset, I'd always go for that over a name. You can get a B'Twin with 105 on it and have change from 700 quid. Take it from someone who does around 10000 miles a year - the only thing you should care about on your first bike is the groupset. If you can't afford a bike with 105 on it yet (or at the very least, Tiagra) then either wait, or get a B'Twin

    I'm not deliberately saying that to make you feel like a chump, BTW - it's just that riding as much as I do, I know what's decent and what ain't. Claris and Sora... Ain't!
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