Just in Case you’re looking for something crazy to do in that area:
Obviously, it’s also easy to just pick parts of the Route, if you don’t want an all day trip. This one is amazingly scouted!
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I probably shouldn’t have done that. I felt quite strong yesterday but I was coming down with a cold/throat. It got a tiny bit worse during the night but I opted for fresh air to clear it and met some mates in Elton for a gravel bike session.
There was 8 of us at first but that started to whittle down as folk needed to get home.
I managed to p’ture somewhere but tubeless done it stuff but I needed to pump the tyre it was pancake flat.
I fixed that and headed for coffee in Brigstock. After we got out the tyre was solid, which was a good job. As it got rapid and it was down to just 3 of us.
Chasing my mate around Fermyn Woods I managed an 8th but it was most notable for a huge black stag running through the woods on my left then jumping directly across in front of me.
We then went back to Oundle on road before heading off road to Warmington. That’s where he really stepped up the pace and I just couldn’t hold on. After though I didn’t feel so bad, he got the KOM and I got 10th place.
Thankfully we stopped in a pub at which point I had almost lost my voice 
After I recovered I drafted him all the way back to Peterborough, he’s a 
rider.
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Went out to climb a hill today. Exiting the city wasn’t that tough due to road closures for a half marathon but I managed to get lost nonetheless. Going north to the hills, there are basically two different routes I take, one of them frequently and the other far less so. Today’s route was for the less used exit, but I daydreamed and passed the turn, so then I was on small streets pausing every so often to check google maps to see where I am and where I need to go and then riding on the bike/scooter-commuter path because the road is too narrow and the neighborhood unfamiliar for me to ride in the street. So, after that slow start, I eventually found my way. The route starts with a nice flat rollout of the city, has a steep climb after some gradual ascending but it’s not too long. Cruise for a while, with a downhill, and then there’s the second climb, and there are only two real climbs on this route. Yes, there are some short ascents here and there, but only two climbs that Garmin registers.
The route:
The profile:
Approaching the steep, last bit of the first climb isn’t particularly scenic. There are orange groves (Valencian oranges, of course) on either side, but nothing really interesting. I was wearing a long sleeve because the temp was 14C but the sun was making it warmer. I saw plenty of other riders with jackets and leg warmers (I wore shorts, no leg warmers).
After the first climb, there’s a transition through forest. A lot of people were out in the forests, picnicking, hiking, running, mountain biking… the weather was perfect: clear sky and neither hot nor warm. This also meant a lot of traffic (not pictured) but this being Spain, that was never an issue.
On the main climb, the quality of the road isn’t great. A gravel bike might be good, or at least 28mm tires (my six-year-old Pearson’s Hammerandtongs can’t go larger than 25mm), as there’s gravel (worn asphalt) on the sides, potholes, etc. Oh well. The views aren’t bad. It reminds me of riding Mulholland in Southern California except without the crazy, self-absorbed, and entitled drivers and motorcyclists.
Because my main climb for the day is a popular spot for self-inflicted pain, the just shy of 5km climb that averages 9% has distance markers painted by locals, along with personal encouragements. There are stretches – more than mere “kickers” – of 15-16%, which is fun as they come near to the top. Eventually, you reach a junction with a better maintained road, but the climb isn’t over.
The climb does end, but it feels a lot more than just over 3 miles. After the segment ends, a mile or two after and with a bit more climbing, there’s a seasonal restaurant. Today, a number of horses were tied up next to it with their saddles on the ground next to them. Like I wrote above, everyone was out in the woods.
And for the TR data. The final surges were on the busy main road back in the city of Valencia.
It was a good ride. I aimed for time in sweetspot, except for the end, with the front and back targeting Z2, except for the very end.
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zone 5 intervals yesterday, so a long tempo today to finish off the week. I remembered seeing Seiler did 300w for 150min, so decided I could do that, too.
from the “doing it wrong” files, this was just on two bottles of Nuun-fizzed water. Probably could have gone a bit better in the last half hour with gels, but I don’t do gels unless it’s a race, and I don’t race anymore. gels are gross. no thank you.
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Pics? My offer to trade sprint for your threshold still stands 
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Ain’t no stopping for pics
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Some folk don’t stop for pics but still take loads. I wish I had that skill 
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Mallorca 312, done and dusted 
Didn’t end quite as I’d have liked. 5k from the finish line in Muro, my left side crank arm decided to detach. Thankfully it did so during the up stoke or this could have been nasty.
Took a moment to collect myself and swear loudly. Then I realised that the drive side was still connected so I single leg drilled it to the finish line 
All-in-all, a brilliant event and a fantastic route. Great atmosphere as well. I’d definitely recommend it.
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Aaaarrrggghhhhh!
Crazy effort!
Long rides are about overcoming obstacles, and one legged riding this to the finish is definitely a hilarious one 
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Fantastic effort - really well done. Looks like you had a great time 
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I really did. The level of support for the event from the local residents was amazing. From farmers to residents offering water and snacks at the top of the climbs, it really didn’t feel like just another bike ride.
As there are three routes to choose from, I’d highly recommend this ride to any cyclist
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That support totally saved me when I done it. Lol, I threw up dinner then breakfast before it (in hindsight it was maybe a sign of health problems but thankfully they have all passed) so I did the whole thing on an empty stomach. I got to around 130miles IIRC and bang I blew up. I pushed my self on for another 30 or so miles and I passed one of those farmers about 2/3 of the way up a drag. I was about to press on but I convinced my self to double back. Im glad I did what ever he had in his home grown oranges brought me back to life and I finished the event almost as well as I started it
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Personally, I rarely stop to take a picture. Instead, I put the GoPro in the jersey pocket (road rides) or thigh pocket (gravel rides), which makes it real easy to snap a pic on the roll. Sometimes I do quick click of the record button for quick-take-a-video option and then save a frame from there.
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That is truly epic. I’m planning to be there in January and just pinged a buddy who will fly from the US to join me about doing this route. Um, he was not on board (these weren’t the words he used… and I think I agree with him). I’m trying to get him to agree to the 135-mile route (11’k, I did it in April 2017), which is, as you know, included within your 312km route.
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I’m still pulling out my iPhone SE…
So yesterday we woke up to high winds and an atmospheric river pointed right at our little corner of NorCal. Looks like this on satellite imagery:
Good times after 212 days without measurable rain, breaking a record from 1880:
Feast or famine as they say. So we set a record 1-day rainfall yesterday, and 24 hour (yesterday and some after midnight). Here was the situation at 11:45pm and we already broke the previous record (also from 1880).
Stopped raining this morning and the sun came out. So of course I headed out to the low lying areas of the Delta to check it out.
First “river” crossing:
This field on the left is usually filled with cows:
Late start and I ended up coming home 30 minutes after sunset. Here it is without the usual cattle:
No surprise that I started singing “Black hole sun, won’t you come, and wash away the rain” 
No decoupling at high tempo / low sweet spot. Only 3 weeks after the 5 week offseason. 
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Spotted a doggo sporting a Union Jack sweater on a bike during this morning’s ride in València. (This bridge is the lone “hill” on my southerly route for TR workouts.)
Edit: taken from a GoPro on the fly (specifically, frame capture from a quick vid), to reference a previous conversation.
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Bit late as this is from Saturday 10/23/2021.
Spotted Horse Gravel Ultra.
200 miles
16k feet of gain
Temps were in the low 30’s at the start and warmed to the upper 50’s with a steady East wind at 10-15 mph.
Took second place overall. 1st sent an attack around mile 20 and was never seen again. I wasn’t in a position to be able to follow and no one else was interested in working to bring him back. Finished 47 minutes off of 1st. I think it could have been an interesting race if I would have been on his wheel for that attack. I held back most of the race being in 2nd solo Incase I got caught so I’d have the legs to stay with them. Never did get caught though.
I raced this to perfection IMO. Only change I would have made would have been to run my arm warmers instead of my jacket. It ended up unzipped within the first hour and spent the rest of the day flapping in the wind.
13 hours 57 minutes.
19 minutes of non-moving time
180w avg. 201w NP.
14.3mph avg.
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This is at the start of week 4, after taking a 5 week off-season.
Stoked stoked stoked about last nights zone2 workout:
From a power-to-HR point-of-view it is virtually identical to one in May 2021, two weeks after an early May field test that bumped my threshold estimate to 264W. Fastest return to fitness since the same timeframe during my self-coached 2017.
STOKED!
Didn’t take any pics DURING the ride, but here is one post-ride:
Our hibiscus blooms thru mid to late November!
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