Road Cycling

@Vandle, unsure if they're over in Australia but i've a pair of Siroko's. I've fancied swapping for some Sungods but for the price they're reasonable enough.

 
I don't know if its a combination of going to bed so soon after these sessions are finished or if its because I sit on my bum all day working on a computer. Does anyone else have these issues with a sedentary job? I think that simply the fact I was always on the go on holiday and my rides were finishing late afternoon at the latest means that my recovery is so much better.

You doing much stretching/massage after that morning session? I find my legs ache more if i get out first thing and don't really warm up/down, then as you say they seize up during the day if sat too much. It's not as bad at weekends when moving more.

Maybe try a standing desk to mix it up a bit or get a massage gun for a quick blast throughout the day?
 
I don't know how you are set financially but when I have this sort of decision I usually either go to the shop to look at them and try them on or I order a bunch and return what I don't like/doesn't fit.

On an unrelated note, does anyone here find that their legs just permanently ache. Always in the morning. I have noticed this for quite a while not but just largely ignored it but the week in Mallorca and coming home has really brought home how annoying it is.

I cycled over 400km over 8 days in Mallorca with a lot of elevation. I didn't sleep that well because of the boys either so its not like I was chilling and relaxing on holiday. I didn't have any of the same issues. I could feel my legs the day after the big rides but nowhere near as much as this morning after only doing a 1.5 hour Z2 ride on the trainer.

I don't know if its a combination of going to bed so soon after these sessions are finished or if its because I sit on my bum all day working on a computer. Does anyone else have these issues with a sedentary job? I think that simply the fact I was always on the go on holiday and my rides were finishing late afternoon at the latest means that my recovery is so much better.

Fun fact though, the Z2 ride last night was 10bpm lower on the old HR than normal. Going from a usual 7-8 hour week to a 15 hour week apparently is good for you!

ache as in muscle ache - doms or ache as in joint/knee pain?

I get the burn, probably more after zwift funny enough than normal rides but it usually goes away after a day or two. I have only just got back into it tho so I'm expecting things to hurt until my body is somewhat used to it.
 
I have the GP 5000 str's as well they have lasted me pretty well, i did have one bad puncher but was a nasty bit of glass i didnt see and it did a pretty big slice the tubless sealant couldnt save me. I have tried some of the pirelli p zero road tlr they have lasted a season well but they were a bit of a mare to get on my zip 303's
 
ache as in muscle ache - doms or ache as in joint/knee pain?

I get the burn, probably more after zwift funny enough than normal rides but it usually goes away after a day or two. I have only just got back into it tho so I'm expecting things to hurt until my body is somewhat used to it.

Ache as in DOMS. I simply cannot believe that I feel better the morning after 135km with 2500m of climbing than a 1.5 hour Z2 ride at 190w.

I have the GP 5000 str's as well they have lasted me pretty well, i did have one bad puncher but was a nasty bit of glass i didnt see and it did a pretty big slice the tubless sealant couldnt save me. I have tried some of the pirelli p zero road tlr they have lasted a season well but they were a bit of a mare to get on my zip 303's

The 5000 S TRs are lovely tyres but they are certainly not very robust. If you look at the tread wear dot there is FA depth to it even brand new. I have a few good slices in mine but neither actually went all the way through. I'm leaving them on my bike this winter as its unlikely I will be doing a huge amount of miserable weather cycling but I'm not expecting them to hold up that well.
 
Ache as in DOMS. I simply cannot believe that I feel better the morning after 135km with 2500m of climbing than a 1.5 hour Z2 ride at 190w.



The 5000 S TRs are lovely tyres but they are certainly not very robust. If you look at the tread wear dot there is FA depth to it even brand new. I have a few good slices in mine but neither actually went all the way through. I'm leaving them on my bike this winter as its unlikely I will be doing a huge amount of miserable weather cycling but I'm not expecting them to hold up that well.

ahh interesting, zwift kills my legs! not sure if its the constant spinning and no freewheeling or something but my quads burn after zwift 40 min ride is the end of me.

I currently have michelin pro 4 endurance that I had since 2020 and they are good tyres but I just want a tan wall, may hold off. Have had no punctures with them, was a fan of them from my commuting days in london.
 
Yeah, exactly what I said. It's just looking for trends and patterns then creating phrases around them. It's then easily manipulated by editing your activity as per my screenshot above, it's far from intelligent. Whoop has been doing this for years. :)
Ahhh, yeah just re-read your original. Ooops. Totally agree through - they're 'fake AI' as all it's doing is using pre-canned messages with data filled in. Easily done and really not AI, just using the buzzword. Zero intelligence with it - as proved!

Looking for a reasonably priced pair of photochromic glasses to get my Mrs. She has the standard Oakley Sutro but they look a bit big on her. She's had kids ones in the past but they look a bit daft too :D
Been riding at 5:30am and its still pretty dark this time of year and she struggles with her eyes watering. Any recommendations? I don't want to spend Oakley money as come December it'll be light at that time in the morning.

Colour wise she likes pink (obvs), her bike is a purply / dark blue and she loves the Bianchi green type colours.

Something like this maybe but they look big. https://www.bikebug.com/magicshine-windbreaker-photochromic-lens-lake-placid-glasses/

They do look big... But always hard to tell size and how glasses 'sit' on someones face. Some just look weird - take Si from GCN. He's got a fairly narrow/long face so the big shades sit massive on him.

I've got a wide/fat head and nearly always worn Jawbreakers (have to wear a L/XL helmet - need 62cm+). Did use Radars for a while but found with them (& many other glasses) as they have to stretch they're tight wearing for a long period of time, but also push frame edges into my peripheral. The Jawbreaker don't - I have better visibility behind with them than anything else I've tried when doing a shoulder check. But put jawbreakers on my other half (normal size head, maybe towards Small) they are massive and look it on her!

Airports with lots of glasses in their duty free bits are a good place to try on a bunch (Bristol is good, don't recall many in Birminghams) or somewhere with various ranges. Some snow sports places have lots of brands rather than 1 or 2 like cycling places.

Also those Magicshine... You say about Oakley money, they're not far off it! Got my other half some Oakley Caveat back in April (from oakleys website) for £73. Was some voucher code thing for 50% off, might have been a Strava Challenge or such?! I've paid £90 for Jawbreakers before, so there are deals to be had.

On an unrelated note, does anyone here find that their legs just permanently ache. Always in the morning. I have noticed this for quite a while not but just largely ignored it but the week in Mallorca and coming home has really brought home how annoying it is.
Pretty much ache every day, but I've become accustomed to it. Only really 'sore' a day or two after riding (2nd day after a bigger ride is more debilitating than the immediate day after?! DOMS?).

My bigger/longer rides do tend to be morning affairs, where I'll do a 'normal' afternoon of stuff afterwards which probably stops muscles getting seized up and counts as stretching out... The evening (usually Zwift) ones generally only an hour, or couple of hours max (like last night 40 mins ladder race then 50 mins group ride). I try not to ride later than 9pm and when generally sleeping 11/12pm still gives a couple of hours 'downtime'. My legs don't feel more than tired the day after - I don't 'leg twitch' when dropping off to sleep but did quite a bit when starting out (along with cramping more) maybe tabbed drinks (salts) help alleviate that. I'll always eat before my evening rides - so generally don't take/need any 'energy' foods/drinks for riding. I find sleep is interrupted/delayed enough just from riding itself without caffeine also in the mix. If I don't feel like I've slept well, invariably my legs will ache more... I'll always be snacking after riding into the evening which definitely helps my recovery. Not that sugary, more savoury (nuts, dried fruits, salty pretzels, sometimes a bowl of granola type museli/cereal). If I've not eaten after riding (or not had a protein shake) I do find my legs very slow the next morning (commute) as I don't do much breakfast with time to digest before it. I hate that 'dead legs' feeling which just won't go, I'd rather them sore/tender!

I definitely don't do enough/much stretching, generally only doing it when I feel tight and like I need it. Should do as part of a healthy recovery routine as certainly helps with that 'dead legs' feeling, or from cramping up.
 
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Ache as in DOMS. I simply cannot believe that I feel better the morning after 135km with 2500m of climbing than a 1.5 hour Z2 ride at 190w.
Check your position, something different about your Zwift setup might mean you're recruiting different muscles more (the ones that are sore), or putting other pressures on things like your knees/ankles. Low saddle or too far back is the first which springs to mind for any knee/quad extra soreness.
 
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@Vandle, unsure if they're over in Australia but i've a pair of Siroko's. I've fancied swapping for some Sungods but for the price they're reasonable enough.

Yeah postage to here makes them very expensive! Will buy a few pairs of the cheaper ones online and send back what I dont like. She'll likely not wear them or misplace them anyway :rolleyes:
 
Fun fact though, the Z2 ride last night was 10bpm lower on the old HR than normal. Going from a usual 7-8 hour week to a 15 hour week apparently is good for you!
There's loads of debate, opinion and a million web pages on this but you know that's not a fitness gain don't you? It shows you are fatigued.
Zone 2 is a percentage of max HR. So the higher the HR in Z2 then the more primed you are to perform. The noticeable additional muscle pain may be a giveaway too!

Don't worry though, happens to the best of us. Even after 5 hours at 340w
 
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There's loads of debate, opinion and a million web pages on this but you know that's not a fitness gain don't you? It shows you are fatigued.
Zone 2 is a percentage of max HR. So the higher the HR in Z2 then the more primed you are to perform. The noticeable additional muscle pain may be a giveaway too!

Don't worry though, happens to the best of us. Even after 5 hours at 340w

What do you mean? I understand that overtraining can lead to HR being suppressed but up to a point, the fitter you get, the lower your HR should be for a given power output. I believe that the idea that the fitter you are, the higher your HR can be whilst still sitting in Z2 but ultimately the fitter you are, the lower your HR will be for a given output. Hope that makes sense.

With regards to the muscle pain, i've been having that since I started cycling again for the most part.
 
Looking for a reasonably priced pair of photochromic glasses to get my Mrs. She has the standard Oakley Sutro but they look a bit big on her. She's had kids ones in the past but they look a bit daft too :D
Been riding at 5:30am and its still pretty dark this time of year and she struggles with her eyes watering. Any recommendations? I don't want to spend Oakley money as come December it'll be light at that time in the morning.

Colour wise she likes pink (obvs), her bike is a purply / dark blue and she loves the Bianchi green type colours.

Something like this maybe but they look big. https://www.bikebug.com/magicshine-windbreaker-photochromic-lens-lake-placid-glasses/


Can you get Tifosi sunglasses easily?

I've got a pair of Allianz Fototec which I think are superb. I wore them for the We Ride Flanders last year where we left our AirBNB in the dark, barely saw the sun all day and rode back from the shuttle bus in the dark. IIRC I paid around £55 for mine from Amazon.
 
Did some core/strength work on Tuesday morning for the first time in a long time. Went on my bike yesterday for an easy ride, and seems like it's prolonged the muscle aches from the gym, especially around the hip flexor area. Trying to decide whether it's better to get out today to try and loosen up or have the day as rest since it's the Gran Fondo Sunday.

Luckily it seems i can collect my stuff Sunday morning, so no need to drive up tomorrow. I'm not that bothered about spectating the pro race so no big loss for me.
 
There's loads of debate, opinion and a million web pages on this but you know that's not a fitness gain don't you? It shows you are fatigued.
Zone 2 is a percentage of max HR. So the higher the HR in Z2 then the more primed you are to perform. The noticeable additional muscle pain may be a giveaway too!

OK, I take it back, I think I am just knackered. Tried a zwift race and just died after 20 minutes at about 280w average. During the warm up I was pushing 200w and thinking "this can't be 200w, feels far too hard". Perhaps on the brink of getting some sort of bug. Will rest until next week and see how I feel.
 
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Some rotten stuff going around at the moment. Make sure you look after yourself, man. Hopefully nothing major.

I'm slowly getting back on the bike. Not going to do any structured training for a few weeks just enjoying ticking off some Zwift routes and working towards the Tron (6km left). Think I'll just enjoy some climbing routes for the next few weeks then in the new year kick off with another TR SS plan.

I wish TR would pull their finger out with the Zwift integration. I'd happily subscribe to both if they worked together.
 
@fez i just booked mallorca for next march for what will be my 4th time, went 2 years ago and all sa Calobra, puig etc was closed due to the big storms they had, so wanted to head back. I've taken my bike to various bits of Spain, Italy and Portugal earlier this month but nothing matches mallorca. That and it is by far the cheapest place to go.

Flights were cheapest by a mile using avios compared to other Spanish places and car hire for a normal car is under £150 for a week (always comes in useful to get to accommodation in alcudia and for the wife to meet me for one way rides).

Combine it with excellent roads and some proper climbs and descents with reliable weather you really can't beat it in feb/march before the tourists roll in.
 
i just booked mallorca for next march
I'll be there in March too, around the 20th to 24th I think. My 4th time too, with my 5th then in April. Personally, if I had to choose one for life, I think I might go Girona over Mallorca, but there wouldn't be a lot between them. I think Girona has the edge as the city itself is so amazing.
 
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alarm clock set for 5am tomorrow...get ready, cycle to liv street...train to essex to start cycle at 7.30am.. changing clocks helps as body will think its 6am LOL...

cleaned bikes today...seems that front pads on my gravel/commuter were held in place by a pad ...took wheel off to clean etc..put back and pads are in bits :mad: :cry:
will be train commute on monday while pads will be on order...shame on me
 
@bastic I took was up at 5 although only a 1.5hr drive up to La Nucia. Annoyingly it’s absolutely chucking it down today :(

Also annoying is my current nutrition on the bike are some old out of date Lucho blocks which are wrapped in a dried leaf which aren’t going to hold up well in rain :(

Possibly the worst thing is that the official Jersey is so short it barely hits my belly button. The curse of being tall!
 
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