First Saturday Bash with my team mates in almost six months. I’ve missed these boys 
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Nice! Cool architecture in that photo.
I had planned to do 3 hr solo today and keep it really easy, like IF .65, but when you bring a pal along who’s been cooped up in his house all winter “things” happen and “easy” just isn’t a part his plan. Still a great time though. This capped off an 8.5 hr and 568TSS week, my biggest thus far this season.
Time for: beer and sitting on my ass doing nothing
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4th Century in 4 Saturdays. Up and out before sunrise. Winds kicked up from 4-6MPH to 12-15MPH about 38 miles in, good practice keeping some semblance of my NP target while fighting that block headwind for 13 miles until my turn for home…then it was a glorious tailwind pretty much the whole way home, racing the storm that was making those winds. I won.
Headwind to tailwind comparison after making the 150* turn towards the house:
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A 3 hour circular in the countryside around the town I live in. Wet and windy and 5-6C but glad I went out in less than inspiring conditions. I got bored with standard photos on my Strava, so here’s one with the photoshop stained glass filter applied.
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, seeing I just tied made me go 
First group ride in a while (only 4 of us). Nice to get out, even though the weather was a ‘four seasons’ affair. Headed out of Norwich (UK) to Holt and along the coast to Cromer for a coffee stop.
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Combo post. Yesterday was Galena+1 (3x20’ @ 95%) outdoor in Valencia, Spain. The sky was gray and when I rolled out, the forecast was 70% for rain. The first two 20-min efforts were executed well, the pace of the third was constantly interrupted. Power drops were largely due to a tight roundabouts or traffic slowing for a busy roundabout or passing through a small village. On the return, the rain started. It was a solid rain but not heavy, not a big deal but it did mean I took some of the roundabouts slower. The “hills” at the front and back of the ride are overpasses, take them out and 80% of the elevation gain is gone.
Entering Valencia from the south with rain means little traffic on a Saturday morning.
We flew home yesterday and today, Sunday, the weather is great. After rain and snow last week, we have a glorious day today. I wanted to get out and ride and not work; just be on the bike and on the trails. My procrastination to get out the door meant a “late” start of 9:45, which because I wasn’t trying to get somewhere or power anywhere, meant all the people out there was a kind of joy rather than distraction. As always, but substantially more so when I’m not out early, I need to watch for walkers, runners, dogs, and horses on the trails, especially on descents.
I was generally cruising on trails I don’t normally go on for one reason or another, so while some of the ride wasn’t new to me, it was still different.
In the distance is Zurich. To the left is a mountainbiker going up. I was about to continue going up because I heard an Alpenhorn (yeah, the stereotypical Swiss alps horn) but just as I was about to start rolling again, a rider came down that trail on a full suspension e-mtb. He asked me if I knew where I was going 
because, I guess, it gets technical with rocks and roots, very technical for a fully rigid bike. As I only came this way to find the Alpenhorn that he told me he say the guy packing up the horn was fine by me. I turned around to follow him on the trail, which behind me is far more technical than what you see here, and, well… with his full suspension, he kind of disappeared ahead of me.
It looks like last week’s winter is returning for an encore, so I will not be rotating the winter & summer kit just yet.
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It was supposed to be the outdoors version of Tallac +3 for me. After Friday’s jab and perhaps blacking out Saturday morning and given it was my first ride on the TT bike this year. I decided not to press it today. I forgot about that for a bit when a wheel sucker jumped onto my wheel but sense got the better of me. It meant annoyingly with some 6 inches off my rear wheel I didn’t feel comfortable to go down on the poles. I gave a few speed wobbles but 40mins later he was still there.
So I decided to go right to Molesworth guessing he wouldn’t go that way. Thankfully I was right. Unfortunately after the detour I got caught in the build up to a hail storm and with the winds I didn’t feel comfortable to use the poles much.
When I got back despite wearing winter gear I couldn’t feel my chemo damaged fingers, so took the longer way into town which would see me on quieter roads and needing to brake less. I was tempted to stop for my first cafe coffee in a while but after I got out of the warm shower and had stopped shivering I was glad I hadn’t, the hailstorm had turned torrential 
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First outdoor ride without winter bibs and jacket this season. +11c and sunny. Ended up riding way longer than intended, ran out of food and water. Continued the fine tradition of me pretending the 30mm tires make my road bike into a gravel bike.
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Bit of gravel. Tbf, the descents weren’t really fun a lot of the time on a makeshift gravel bike with 33s, but it’s a lovely place nonetheless.
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Short and simple today. I have a newborn so getting out is kinda difficult.
My ride ended with a puncture just a couple miles from home. But I still got most of the pedaling in!
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Did the Rapha “A Day in Hell” ride here in LA yesterday to commemorate what would have been the start of Paris-Roubaix. Mix of tarmac and gravel and some brutally steep climbs.
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Nothing exciting for me today but after just 1deg C overnight it had risen to 12 deg and a lunchtime trip out to the Washingley cross roads was in order.
The HR was probably a couple of beats higher than ordinary after Friday AZ vaccine but not uncomfortably so
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It was too much of a nice evening and when someone said there was a chaingang I gave in and went out. I didn’t even last one turn
I didn’t have any fatigue but there was no power. I suppose that was to be expected after my tumultuous weekend after the vaccine and losing 1kg when I don’t have much to lose. Still glad I had it and apart from the lack of power I seem to be back to normal.
Oh I made up the route and decided to up one of the few hills in the area but annoyingly the route also took me over a couple miles of new lose chippings which led to a lot of freewheeling.
I reset the clock after my effort expecting to crawl home but surprisingly with no hills and only a light headwind there was plenty left in my legs.
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Vaccination Nation:
At least 25 peeps on the group ride last night. Everyone remembered how to ride in a group, no sketchy behavior
Pushed a little harder/smarter than last week:
less wind this week - only 14mph gusting 22mph.
About halfway I latched on to the A group (they do bonus miles mid-route) right as we turned to receive that tailwind. Quickly hit 30+mph but had to burn two 900+W matches and mentally gave up and dropped off to hang with Dell a new guy. Still ended up 6th out of 16 (that uploaded to Strava) on that 2.4 mile downwind segment at 26.7mph (A group 30.2mph), despite rolling on my ridiculously non-aero 38mm wide training tires on 32mm rims. Next week I’ll try and HTFU. Always great to meet new peeps, Dell and I talked trash about his brother and hassled Derek at the regroup.
Good times.
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First club TT of the year and my second time this year on the TT bike and it showed.
It wasn’t helped that my velotoze split when putting them on whilst I was going too slow to benefit from the aero they would have protected my chemo damaged toes from the wind chill. The bigger factor was an un-aerodynamic position because of me riding most of the time with one hand on the base bar and front brake 
26.11 along way behind my PB last Aug of 24.39 
At least my lungs are working again
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Dang! Top 1%. Nice!
Glad you are feeling better from the vaccine. The second shot knocked me out for days.
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