Hit my limit...

It was my own fault...I went into Boston for an interview, and by the time I got home it was lunchtime. So we went straight to the Mexican place for food...brought it home and I had a brew to go with it.

I totally forgot I was supposed to go biking later on. Mexican food + beer + cycling indoors (where I can't just draft and cruise along) = uhUHUGHuhUG

I did a solid 45 minutes before the heartburn and indigestion ended the training...no end sprints for me TYVM. So yeah...next time, let's eat right before a ride.

I usually have a sandwich or something lighter about an hour before a ride, then a gel 15 minutes before the ride, and every hour or so afterwards, following up with a Luna bar within 30 minutes of getting home, along with plenty of water. Pasta is great for the night before a ride, as well.

What do you guys do for food before/during/after rides?

Oh yeah, and the reason why we were on trainers? It's raining all of March, hopefully instead of June like last year.

Edit: well she sure looks like she's having a good time.

I'm not a very good cyclist...

...in the cold.

Went out last night for a fast 15 miles. Did 15mph avg, which sucked because there weren't too many hills...but the WIND and the COLD.

Wore tights and everything I have for top layer, but forgot a hat, full-fingered gloves and shoe covers. Those would have definitely made the difference. Only a couple miles in and my quads just seized up. I feel bad because I was riding with two guys who were clearly faster than I, but last night was just not the night.

I could definitely go riding today, but I'll take the rest and go for a ride tomorrow or Monday...we'll see how the weather is.

Also, been using my HRM for rides, now that I have it working. On the sprints the other day I hit 190 as my max...no idea what it should be at...

Brrrrrr

Even though it was a fair bit cooler than yesterday, Dina and I still got out on a ride.

Did 25 miles in just under 2 hours...rode up some pretty good hills (mile-long hill on the Lynn Fells Parkway). Wore just about enough for the ride, but was pretty chilled at the end. LS baselayer, new Fat Cyclist jersey, LS jersey and just shorts. I think I should pick up some knee-warmers since my knees are hurting pretty bad, and that's because of the cold.

Here's some pics:

Supposed to ride tomorrow and do stretching afterwards but I may not...depends how sore I am tomorrow. Above is the dashboard on my bike now. Took off the aeros, moved the speedometer and added the new HRM. HRM needs new batteries, and Target was out of them when I was out and about.

I can't see!

Couldn't see for the last 15 min or more of tonights ride. It was kinda dark out. Bill gave us a route that was way too long (he took the guys plus Sandi, I took the girls plus Dave) and we gave up at Gordon college and had him and Greg pick us up! Then Dina gave us a hurried lesson in stretching, which she'll do in completion on another ride.

Here's the only picture from today's 17.9 miles:

That's Dina teaching Bill how to curtsie how to stretch his hip flexor.

I also got my new jersey in the mail today!! But due to chilling breezes, wore the longsleeve jersey instead. Sucked it up with the shorts on, but I threw on pants ASAP.

I think I may drag the bf out to a bike path tomorrow...just to ride around and take goofy pictures, we'll see.

OMG IT WAS SO NICE OUTSIDE!

Rode outside today with some peeps from BevCy. Was mostly an easy going ride, till this long hill Bill dragged us up, of which I was not a fan.

Did 15 miles at a lil over an hour. Here are some pics:

Also got this today in the mail:

Tried it on and got it working and set-up...can't wait to try it on the ride tomorrow! Should be getting a shipment of GU and some new socks tomorrow, and hopefully sometime within the next few days I'll get my new Fat Cyclist jersey from Twin Six :)

What's that???

That up there? That's the sun. It's been missing, and is thankfully back in full force.

Did another two hours last night on the trainer during the last of the storm...and hopefully will be riding outside from now on...

Here's a couple pictures of the aftermath:

This one was the Target parking lot in Saugus...and the blurry thing in the middle of the water...yeah that's a Mercedes. Was there all day, stuck in several feet of water.

It's nice an sunny now...planning to go on a ride tomorrow morning at some point!

Trainer who?

I did two hours on the bike (on the trainer) today. First hour was doing echelon riding and bridging to breakaways. Second hour was listening to Xena.

No really, she calls herself Xena, as in:


I looked online briefly and couldn't find anything about her...but it was some sort of amateur cycling training...and the participants in the video made us feel better about ourselves. Talk about a cross-section of America; it included the woman who persistently complains about her bike (and the guy who shakes his head in response).

Not too many of us were a fan of the video, though we agreed it gave us a decent enough workout...it was just boring. Or maybe we were spoiled from our outside rides this past week. My legs are definitely feeling it though.

Who here has been on a trainer over the winter? Have any similar experiences with videos? We train at the shop, so we have a pretty wide selection (I would've even picked hill climbs over bridging gaps), and I feel sorry for those who buy stuff they never use again.

Going to do another hour on the bike tomorrow night, then a few days of rest. Here's hoping for some more near-60 degree weather within the week. Taking pictures while riding inside doesn't make for exciting blog posts. Until someone falls off the trainer...which has happened several times (I won't mention names).

Oh...and anyone have recommendations on aerobars? I have a set on my bike that I wouldn't mind replacing...in order to be comfortable the pads would have to be set farther back...which makes climbing sucky when I don't have the handlebar clear near the stem...

Does your bike shop know who you are?

This is a post about loyalty...shop loyalty.

Back in CT where I started cycling, there was pretty much only one shop I went to, until they moved and changed owners, which coincidentally was the same time I moved up to school. Now when I go back I go to another shop, which feels a bit friendlier, but still not as awesome as my shop now. Plus, they're never open when I'm at my parents.

When I went to school I lived behind and a street over from a bike shop, which means convenience was the key. I kept going to that shop, and that shop only until I realized they would never change. Neither of the owners seemed to ride, and they never hosted rides. This turned into a big deal since I was forever looking for someone to ride with.

A couple years later (last October) I started looking for a place to bring the bike to for a tuneup. There are four bike shops in Beverly (Google says five, but one went out of business a couple years ago). The first is the one I wasn't happy with, the second is right down the street, and though I've never gone in, I never will. They reek of elitism and trendy, with all those heavy 'beach cruisers' hanging in the window. No thanks. The third I went in to check out, and though it was new, it was way too clean (seriously, bikes are dirty things!), the prices were high and I got a strange vibe. The fourth is my shop of choice, Beverly Cycles.

I went in there on my way back from shop #3 on a whim, and have been back there at least once a week (lately almost everyday). First thing that happened when I walked in was Bill, the owner, asking if I wanted to make myself a sandwich. Then we bullshitted about everything except bikes. Then we actually talked about bikes, and found out his rates, and I had found my new shop. By the third trip I felt like part of the family.

Oh yeah, and they host rides, so far inside, but outside rides are forthcoming. I've met a lot of great friends, and I can't imagine making another shop the place to be Mon/Weds and Fri nights. I even have a nickname.

So, do you have shop loyalty? Does your shop know who you are?

Biiicycle!

Went for a ride today, as promised! Met up with Dina at her house in Essex, and we took off for Gloucester. I wasn't too sure how I would be considering that I A- was still wicked tired and sore from Fri/Sat and B- didn't have anything for lunch. I downed a Gu and was good for half of the ride, when a much needed Luna bar was inhaled.

Started off at ~18-20 mph on the flat/slight uphill, which is great since gradual uphills are usually my downfall. I can stomp up a short, steep hill well enough, but having that much effort for an extended time HURTS! It hurt today, I'm in a fair amount of pain, but we both rode great. I am definitely at or above the level from the end of last season. For some strange reason, both of us felt like we shouldn't be as good as we were, considering we've just been on the trainer, and it was awesome. The indoor training has definitely helped, especially doing the hill training last week (which involved putting the front wheel on blocks).

We did 24.37 miles in 1:45, so an average of 13.8, but there were a fair number of hills that, well, I didn't want to climb. I did however SPRINT up a hill, and have a witness to corroborate. It was absolutely gorgeous out (see the pics below), and just the right temp for the first ride. It was a tad cold at the end, but we stopped a couple of time for food/Gatorade. The driveway came up unexpectedly but I was happy to get off the bike for the day and head home. Was dark by the time I parked. It's supposed to be nice again tomorrow, and then getting colder the rest of the week, so I don't know when I'll get outside again.

Also, not sure if I'll do the ride inside tomorrow, seeing as I'm hurting like heck now (walking up the stairs was interesting) and I'm scheduled for a two hour ride tomorrow. If I go it may just be to get on the bike and pedal easy. I definitely don't want to over train this early in the season.

I was thinking about another topic for a blog post, which I'll write and post tomorrow...it's about shop loyalty...so if you have any insight, feel free to send me an email, or comment on Twitter.

Here are some pics from today's ride!

Went for a ride today with a chick from the inside rides.

Did 24.37 miles in 1:45, so 13.89 mph avg, not bad for the first real road ride...much more motivated when I have someone to ride with.

rocks

Dina and I

fastest time of the day

cool shadow

Gloucester

my bike

Dina's bike

Road ride anyone?

I'm gonna hop on the bike tomorrow morning...first 'real' road ride of the season.

Am still wicked tired from yesterday night's ride inside, which means it was a good workout, but could also mean I'm trying too hard. Tomorrow should be a good indication of my progress, but I feel like I'm in better shape than I was at the end of last season.

Tomorrow should be a nice easy ride, not terribly long, but at least getting some miles in. After the time on the trainer it'll almost feel weird riding on the road...

Took a couple pics of the bike, here's my favorite:

Will post info about tomorrows ride when I get back!

Ride inside till your legs fall off...

So the past few weeks I've been doing a lot of riding inside at Beverly Cycles. He hosts rides almost every night, and I can at least get two or three in a week...either an hour or two at a time. I'm really noticing the difference, and I'm setting it up to be a great year. I'm actually thinking about a race that's coming up. I don't think I'd even finish, but it'd still be a great time.

I got the new fork installed on the bike, finally, as well as the headset. Haven't been on the bike on the road, but it at least looks great. Here are some quick pics:

And my cockpit while on the trainer:

I actually dragged my bf into riding tonight, which was fun. He bought bibs yesterday and borrowed shoes and a bike from BevCy, so hopefully I'll get him on a real bike of his own to ride with me.

Stay tuned for more pics...now that everything is installed on the bike, she needs a photoshoot!