Road Cycling
- Thread starter Zefan
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Saying that, if you wear say a Team Sky top and Astana shorts you deserve a slap
I saw a guy on our ride this morning on a Team Sky / British Cycling Pinarello Dogma, wearing a Belkin jersey and shorts for some Italian team that I didn't recognise. I couldn't laugh too hard as he was spanking me on a cat 3 at the time.
This morning's ride. 46 miles, 3500 feet of climbing. First time out on the summer bike this year and it felt wonderful. More responsive, stiffer so pedalling actually feels like it's doing something, better shifting... Love it. Good ride, but very windy - crosswinds on a 35mph descent aren't great.
So I did my first FTP test this morning.
I held 303 watts for 20mins which puts me at 3.47 watts per kg. Around mid Cat 4 standard.
Also got the times for last weeks 72 mile Sportive, I placed 17th out of 780 riders.
I know Sportives are lesuire rides but it's fun seeing where you are.
I held 303 watts for 20mins which puts me at 3.47 watts per kg. Around mid Cat 4 standard.
Also got the times for last weeks 72 mile Sportive, I placed 17th out of 780 riders.
I know Sportives are lesuire rides but it's fun seeing where you are.
Pretty windy down here today but a lovely morning for cycling (if you can ignore the block headwind). Three of us out and we skimmed the Chilterns so a bit of climbing. Also managed 100km so quite pleased. Tired now though!
https://www.strava.com/activities/264178190
https://www.strava.com/activities/264178190
Soldato
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Vittoria Corsa Evo CX minimum is 120psi I think
160psi sounds a hell of a lot for crappy British roads, but depends how much you weigh I guess.
Soldato
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Quite, more is not always faster!
Soldato
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Interesting club ride this morning. Joined the "slow" group this morning and after about 20 km it was just cripplingly slow! Constant shouts of "Pace" and I was on the front. Passed the fast groups as both had punctures so when the first fast group caught up with us I jumped ship and tagged along with them!
Much faster ride and managed to average around 29-30 km/h for 40 miles or so (which is quick, for me) which was great! I felt bad for bailing on my group but me and another just had to skip groups as we just weren't getting anything out of it. Only downer was that we were about an hour waiting at the café, which was quite annoying.
New bike was awesome too. It just takes all the bumps in the road in its stride and is mega comfy and fast. Cleaned the hell out it when I got home, because although it was dry, the roads were still covered in slurry!
Much faster ride and managed to average around 29-30 km/h for 40 miles or so (which is quick, for me) which was great! I felt bad for bailing on my group but me and another just had to skip groups as we just weren't getting anything out of it. Only downer was that we were about an hour waiting at the café, which was quite annoying.
New bike was awesome too. It just takes all the bumps in the road in its stride and is mega comfy and fast. Cleaned the hell out it when I got home, because although it was dry, the roads were still covered in slurry!
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Man of Honour
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Fun ride for me too, though I did mess up the route slightly and we ended up climbing up a rock/bridle path for part of it. Oops.
Winds on the hills were utterly utterly ridiculous. Guy I was with got thrown off three times whilst I had to jump off once to avoid the same (and someone else just ahead of me on the hill got thrown off too!). Descents were super slow after that as I didn't fancy the same happening whilst going at 30+mph.
Pretty nice route all in all though despite having to go a little slowly as my riding partner is still suffering with his asthma atm.
https://www.strava.com/activities/264243738/
Winds on the hills were utterly utterly ridiculous. Guy I was with got thrown off three times whilst I had to jump off once to avoid the same (and someone else just ahead of me on the hill got thrown off too!). Descents were super slow after that as I didn't fancy the same happening whilst going at 30+mph.
Pretty nice route all in all though despite having to go a little slowly as my riding partner is still suffering with his asthma atm.
https://www.strava.com/activities/264243738/
It's in the oven.
Good work. Three minutes faster than me up the Skye climb!
Soldato
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Going to need to be a bit more specific. Which shops is your scheme suitable for? What sort of budget? What sort of riding do you do? Are you after a speed machine or something more relaxed? How do you feel about mudguards/panniers?
Just an FYI, bike sizing isn't really based on height. It's actually dependant on a lot of things, but the main one is your inseam.
Associate
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So happy to have gotten a decent ride in at last this year, but it's showed that I've not been out enough this year.
https://www.strava.com/activities/264216000
The winds at the start almost took me off a couple of times, then the last 5 miles head wind with no legs left really hurt
https://www.strava.com/activities/264216000
The winds at the start almost took me off a couple of times, then the last 5 miles head wind with no legs left really hurt
Would have been criminal not to get out this weekend despite needing to spend both days studying!
What a pleasure it is to ride in the warm & with some sunshine! Having started in December at near zero degrees it's a welcome change!
Still ******* headwind in most directions. Funnily enough I didn't PR on my nemesis hill I first started out on, despite having fresh legs and a bit of a warm up on the turbo (as it's quite close to home). Managed to trim 6 minutes off the ride over all though, much faster second half due to less wind & being in the groove.
4/1/15 - 1:26:04
https://www.strava.com/activities/236636663
7/3/15 - 1:20:04
https://www.strava.com/activities/264332240
And most please I managed to maintain an average above 16mph too
What a pleasure it is to ride in the warm & with some sunshine! Having started in December at near zero degrees it's a welcome change!
Still ******* headwind in most directions. Funnily enough I didn't PR on my nemesis hill I first started out on, despite having fresh legs and a bit of a warm up on the turbo (as it's quite close to home). Managed to trim 6 minutes off the ride over all though, much faster second half due to less wind & being in the groove.
4/1/15 - 1:26:04
https://www.strava.com/activities/236636663
7/3/15 - 1:20:04
https://www.strava.com/activities/264332240
And most please I managed to maintain an average above 16mph too
Soldato
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My bibs have started to fall apart, bits of the pad broke apart in the wash.
Castelli Free Aero Race Bib Shorts - Kit Version SS14, just under a year old, maybe washed once a week max so 50 times...
Emailed Castelli to see if they do any repair or warranty work.
Might have to pony up for Rapha ones to replace them.... Now the classic bibs or the pro team... Classic can be returned within 30 days which would be good as I'd be M/L. Pro team I'd be L and they are $35 more...
15% off Rapha this weekend too if you enter whiteroads15 at the till. Maybe I should try whiteroads90 haha
A guy that got a Castelli pocket liner jacket off us and crashed a few weeks later putting a big hole in the shoulder. He used a place down south that are authorised goretex repairers and they did a great job at fixing it.
http://www.lancashiresportsrepairs.co.uk/
That was the guys I'm sure, total was about £30 for cutting out a whole bit and sewing in a patch about 2" wide into the jacket.
I don't have the BCF membership so might just ride out the Muirkirk road until I get caught by a bunch and join in....will be slow as **** though
I see Ross Meffen was asking me about it on FB and Scott McCrossan should be coming over Oh and....what a lovely bike today. Got salt yo!
Soldato
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I think he sweats a lot. It's usually a wee layer of it but it was that bad the tape was all lumpy...I assumed it was just came a bit loose/baggy but it was the piles of salt pushing it up :|
Was glad I had gloves on and I had to hoover the floor afterwards. I may suggest getting new bars purely to get it clean.
Was glad I had gloves on and I had to hoover the floor afterwards. I may suggest getting new bars purely to get it clean.
Ooft. That's mingin'!
It'll be a nice easy pace then.
As long as they give us a decent head start on the scratch group. As i think there'll be a fair few along to try out their racing legs ready for the real deal to start in the next couple of weeks.
I don't have the BCF membership so might just ride out the Muirkirk road until I get caught by a bunch and join in....will be slow as **** though
It'll be a nice easy pace then.
As long as they give us a decent head start on the scratch group. As i think there'll be a fair few along to try out their racing legs ready for the real deal to start in the next couple of weeks.
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