Road Cycling

[physichull]

Thinking about it, I would love to see grudas attempt that hill. Lawl.

I know I keep banging on about it, but Shaley Brow really is one of the hardest hills I've cycled up around these parts, including the Rivington ride I did with you a month or so back. Its not particularly long but the bit in the middle is steep! I'm not entirely convinced the 14% sign is correct, some of the ramps seem a lot steeper than that!

 

[daveski]

I'm wondering if I need more iron because I feel lethargic and tired. I'm doing a lot of exercise so perhaps one iron tablet a day and occasionally some spinach isn't enough?

My diet is such a mess, just dropping the sugar down would be a start.

 

[Vonhelmet]

I know I keep banging on about it, but Shaley Brow really is one of the hardest hills I've cycled up around these parts, including the Rivington ride I did with you a month or so back. Its not particularly long but the bit in the middle is steep! I'm not entirely convinced the 14% sign is correct, some of the ramps seem a lot steeper than that!

We'll have to get out again sometime and try the Rake or Foxholes, both of which are tough going. Anglezarke in the other direction is pretty tasty as well.

Road signs are average gradients, so there will be bits that are steeper within the overall climb.

 

[FrenchTart]

I'm wondering if I need more iron because I feel lethargic and tired. I'm doing a lot of exercise so perhaps one iron tablet a day and occasionally some spinach isn't enough?

My diet is such a mess, just dropping the sugar down would be a start.

I take various supplements but not iron or magnesium. I eat a reasonably large amount of red meat though (however, though I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables none of them are particularly high in iron).

What's your diet actually like? It could be something as simple as not really eating enough and/or at the right times.

 

[Eliot]

Looks like ive left this bike buying lark a bit late.
Rose are out of Sram Red compact cranks in any size other than 170mm and canyon are pretty much out of XL size Ultimate ALs almost full stop.
Guess i'll either have to get the standard xeon rs 4400 or think about splashing out for the RS5000

And now I've looked on Rose site thinking screw it i'll get the RS5000 and its gone up £140 in one day!!!!


**********^%$^%£%$£^%$^

 

[[Damien]]

Bit of discussion about fat diets, not dismissed as pish but they observed that their athletes lost a lot of top end power that only carbohydrate could make.

Someone needs to do a study of keto-adapted athletes consuming simple carbs during exercise only. The improved endurance and ability to burn FFAs/ketones for most of the effort and then simple carbs for the tough stuff might make a difference.

Most of these studies are too short to be fully keto-adapted anyway (3-6 weeks) and rarely try a TKD protocol for session days only.

 

[grudas]

Thinking about it, I would love to see grudas attempt that hill. Lawl.

eh? are you implying that I can't climb hills?! cmon man! might not be as fast as you because I hardly live in a hilly area but then again, you struggle on the flats.

boom.

 

[Roady]

Bit late but... Shots fired!

grudas^holiday^in^the^hills? Hunt down Von's favourite hills and beat him on every single one of them?

 

[[Damien]]

Bit late but... Shots fired!

grudas^holiday^in^the^hills? Hunt down Von's favourite hills and beat him on every single one of them?

Peak District, end of June. be there

 

[Vonhelmet]

eh? are you implying that I can't climb hills?! cmon man! might not be as fast as you because I hardly live in a hilly area but then again, you struggle on the flats.

boom.

OH NO YOU DIDN'T.

 

[FrenchTart]

Fight fight fight fight.

 

[Vonhelmet]

Get everyone oop North for a cat 2 hillclimb challenge. My best time is 24 minutes, [Damien]'s best time is 22... the KOM is under 16.

 

[FrenchTart]

I do plan to try that by the end of Summer/Autumn..hopefully. My climbing seems to be improving at a nice rate atm so hopefully I'll be able to do it justice by then.

 

[grudas]

Great ride this evening with [Damien]. Smashed out some PRs on the way out, got my second best time on a horrible cat 4, then pretty quick on the return leg as well. 15.9mph average, which I'll take considering there's a mile at 8mph in the middle of there.

My speed on the flat is improving, bit by bit. Gotta keep pushing.

OH NO YOU DIDN'T.

is that all? 15.9mph? cmon.. easy going there, two bumps in the middle.. I do the same amount of elevation in half the milage..

https://www.strava.com/activities/288717892/overview

and still managed to keep 17.6mph avg... must be the flatness of london

Bit late but... Shots fired!

grudas^holiday^in^the^hills? Hunt down Von's favourite hills and beat him on every single one of them?

haha, I wonder what would happen! if only it was closer, I'd jump in a train and attempt a few of the so called "hills"

 

[Vonhelmet]

I need to get out and do the mast climb sometime. I'm climbing better than I was this time last year, so I'm hoping that by the time I really hit my stride in the summer I can take a bit of time out of the climbs round here.

 

[Vonhelmet]

haha, I wonder what would happen! if only it was closer, I'd jump in a train and attempt a few of the so called "hills"

In all truth you probably would be faster than me on a lot of them. I might have the edge on some by virtue of knowing the roads, so knowing how to pace things better, but that would be it.

 

[Roady]

Peak District, end of June. be there

End of June is my birthday so that rules me out as I've been told to 'book the monday off work' by my mrs!

OH NO YOU DIDN'T.

Fight fight fight fight.

HOW MUCH!!!??

Agreed but ceramic bearings supposedly 'destroy' any grit/dirt/grime which get in them! Maybe one day...!

Put my order in with CRC last night, SRAM X1 chain (will report back after fitting to my Shimano 105 5800 setup). Topeak Aero Wedge Medium saddlebag (tired of my tiny 0.6L Ortleib and paranoid about the clip breaking). Weldtite Grease and gun (could probably get it cheaper but for easy & quick option this seemed like an ok buy).

haha, I wonder what would happen! if only it was closer, I'd jump in a train and attempt a few of the so called "hills"

That's the thing, if only it were easier to get together and ride some of these hill we hear so much about and see on Strava!

I've got one near me I really need to attempt, when I do I'll have it on my VIRB so you can see! May leave out the overlay so you can't see how much i'm dying and how slow i'm going lol

 

[Jonny69]

Iron is a tough one, when they say don't overdo it were they referring to supplements or naturally from diet? When I was at the height of my running and doing well, I had a 2 month spell of hell because even though I was really trying to get lots of iron from my diet, it still wasn't enough and I ended up deficient and sorted myself out with supplements. Direct on-set becoming iron deficient of course gets riskier the more and more you exercise, so 200+ miles a week, back to back on the bike is going to bring on this risk. So it would be good to hear a bit more on what they said about overdoing it on the iron, I am right now assuming they meant don't over supplement, but do remember to supplement accordingly if you are training a lot?

Focusing on this as I am just starting to supplement on liquid iron again because I don't think munching handfulls of spinach at every opportunity is cutting it with the training I am doing

He seemed to hint that most meat eaters usually aren't deficient in iron but that taking too much iron was worse from a health perspective than being slightly deficient - if I understood it correctly. It's because it's an oxidiser or something (which is a bad thing) plus it blocks other vitamins and minerals e.g. vitamin C. His key advice about iron was to go and get a blood test so you actually know what is going on. You'll see what you are actually deficient in and can work on your diet or supplementing from there. He mentioned blood testing a lot and really made it clear that it's the key to what is happening inside you. If you take iron, make sure it's chelated with something, which aids its absorption and prevents it blocking other minerals.

I'm wondering if I need more iron because I feel lethargic and tired. I'm doing a lot of exercise so perhaps one iron tablet a day and occasionally some spinach isn't enough?

My diet is such a mess, just dropping the sugar down would be a start.

I feel the same sometimes, and I automatically thought it might be iron because I don't eat a lot of red meat or leafy vegetables. But I'm not so sure now.

 

[xdcx]

He seemed to hint that most meat eaters usually aren't deficient in iron but that taking too much iron was worse from a health perspective than being slightly deficient - if I understood it correctly. It's because it's an oxidiser or something (which is a bad thing) plus it blocks other vitamins and minerals e.g. vitamin C. His key advice about iron was to go and get a blood test so you actually know what is going on. You'll see what you are actually deficient in and can work on your diet or supplementing from there. He mentioned blood testing a lot and really made it clear that it's the key to what is happening inside you. If you take iron, make sure it's chelated with something, which aids its absorption and prevents it blocking other minerals.

I feel the same sometimes, and I automatically thought it might be iron because I don't eat a lot of red meat or leafy vegetables. But I'm not so sure now.

Thanks replying Jonny, this is good stuff to speak about, it's kind of put to the back of our minds sometimes but it is so fundemental really.

When I did become iron deficient, I was a meat eater. I ate meat purely to combat it and it still happened to me and made me realise just HOW much iron people who are training heavily must have to get in them. I have been a vegetarian for 7 months now, all my iron intake comes primarily from spinach and leafy greens, but with training ramping up I am worrying about iron intake. Hence me asking a bit more on what Etixx were saying!

You are spot on regards it being blocker in absorption of other key minerals (vit.C is the main documented one yes). The blood testing is of course the absolute best way, there is no arguing or speculating around your specific blood values and you can act and action based on what those say with no element of doubt. Does anyone know the ease or possibility of private blood testing for athletes and such in the UK for these very reasons? Going down the NHS route if it's not a medical "issue" you have they won't entertain you.... When I was in France training you could go to a number of clinics, they would take, analyze and next day results for your blood values for tiny amounts of money but not sure possibilities of that in the UK.

 

[physichull]

Just borrow a book from a chap at work called Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, its brilliant. All the drawings are crystal clear and the explanations also. Superb book if, like me, you don't know much about bikes and just ride 'em!