Pedal Power Thread

TopBanana said:
Excellent achievement @badlywornroy :)

How's everyone getting on with their yearly mileage?
I was hoping to hit 4000miles this year - and I've already got to 4145 with 4 weeks left of the year :banana:
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Tim got me thinking so into GarminConnect and pulled up annual mileage Jan - Nov 2016 Incl (I entered the mileage on the red bars via Photoshop, can only be seen in Garmin by hovering mouse ! )


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Add them together and . . . . . . . 4140 miles ! how's that for coincidence ? 5 miles less than Tim :( so in this instance Tim really is Top
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Good effort @badlywornroy and amazing how close our figures are! My mileage will start to drop of now though as the longer route I've been taking to work isn't on the network that gets gritted so it can be a bit sketchy and floody.
 
I see you are in 'Gods great county' Tim, whereabouts ?

I'm long retired so my miles are all voluntary/leisure cycling and I avoid bad weather so that removes many hours/days availability. :(
 
TopBanana said:
Excellent achievement @badlywornroy :)

How's everyone getting on with their yearly mileage?
I was hoping to hit 4000miles this year - and I've already got to 4145 with 4 weeks left of the year :banana:
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That's good going Tim !!

Just shy of 1500 here at the minute - it'll definitely be over that before the end of the year though !!
 
I need another 120 miles to hit 2500 for the year. Not sure if I'm going to make it [emoji53]
 
9,169 miles ridden so far this year. For most of the year I've been well ahead of target to reach 10,000, but following a slump in late summer and autumn I'm behind schedule and slipping further away, day by day, from making my goal. The inevitable intrusion of Xmas almost guarantees failure at this point. :-(

Last year I was also aiming for 10,000 miles, not at the start of the year, but as the months went by it seemed realistic. I was having to work hard in December to reach 10,000 and I thought I had it in the bag until, between Xmas and New Year I discovered double counting of some rides in Strava (data from my Polar watch and Garmin computer both synced to Strava). Once I'd deduplicated the data I had an impossible task to finish 10,000 by the end of the year. I think I fell short by something like 80 miles.

It looks like it will be failure two years running. Oh well, there's always next year. :)
 
badlywornroy said:
I see you are in 'Gods great county' Tim, whereabouts ?

I'm long retired so my miles are all voluntary/leisure cycling and I avoid bad weather so that removes many hours/days availability. :(
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I'm just north of York, not far from Beningbrough Hall if you know the area? The vast majority of my riding is commuting rather than fun rides but I try to make the most of it being the most enjoyable way to get to work.
Does your mileage include all your turbo trainer hours?
 
tdodd said:
9,169 miles ridden so far this year. For most of the year I've been well ahead of target to reach 10,000, but following a slump in late summer and autumn I'm behind schedule and slipping further away, day by day, from making my goal. The inevitable intrusion of Xmas almost guarantees failure at this point. :-(

Last year I was also aiming for 10,000 miles, not at the start of the year, but as the months went by it seemed realistic. I was having to work hard in December to reach 10,000 and I thought I had it in the bag until, between Xmas and New Year I discovered double counting of some rides in Strava (data from my Polar watch and Garmin computer both synced to Strava). Once I'd deduplicated the data I had an impossible task to finish 10,000 by the end of the year. I think I fell short by something like 80 miles.

It looks like it will be failure two years running. Oh well, there's always next year. :)
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That's flipping epic Tim, amazing mileage - I'd be interested to know how you fit that in around having a life?
I was so proud when I hit 10,000 miles on Strava (went out and bought my first proper road bike as a result), but it took me 3 years to get there!
 
Hah Hah! I'm retired, no kids, so plenty of time available and cycling is my main (almost only) hobby these days. My longest ride is 168 miles, circumnavigating the M25, which I've done twice, but also numerous 100+ milers pretty much once a week in the first half of the year. Last winter I bought a Tacx Neo smart trainer and clocked over 2,000 miles on Zwift. As of the beginning of November this year I've been almost exclusively on Zwift, but as far as I'm concerned the miles still count. Certainly my legs and lungs think so.

Here's my "big" ride - https://www.strava.com/activities/674795463
 
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TopBanana said:
I'm just north of York, not far from Beningbrough Hall if you know the area? The vast majority of my riding is commuting rather than fun rides but I try to make the most of it being the most enjoyable way to get to work.
Does your mileage include all your turbo trainer hours?
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No, don' t know it Tim. We are up near Richmond, moved here from the East Midlands 6 years ago. North Yorkshire is a big place to get around and we are some way down the learning curve.

Yes, my mileage includes turbo trainer work (usually Zwift) where I have a Tacx Neo same as the other Tim (tdodd) I consider turbo miles every bit as tough as ' real miles ' admittedly no wind resistance but no cooling breeze either. The Tacx Neo will simulate up to a 25% climb but I avoid those sort of routes ;) 15% is about my limit.

Incidentally well done tdodd that mileage is very impressive. Are you an early retiree Tim or 65+ Oap ?
 
I'm 54. I took up cycling just over two years ago as part of a remedy for various health problems. It's worked wonders. :)
 
tdodd said:
I'm 54. I took up cycling just over two years ago as part of a remedy for various health problems. It's worked wonders. :)
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Same here.

I tore my cartilage, playing tennis, & have managed to avoid surgery with regular rides. Keeping the muscles in good shape, around my knees, has made all the difference.
 
tdodd said:
I'm 54. I took up cycling just over two years ago as part of a remedy for various health problems. It's worked wonders. :)
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Well done to you for taking care of your health, same applies to ' Comfortably Numb' imo too many people become sedentary as they get older. Cycling is great exercise. I used to run a lot but as I got older (70 in jan) the knee joints started to protest. I always had a bike but bought my 1st serious road bike at 65. I then found a turbo trainer almost essential to keep cycling through the vagaries of the weather up here.
 
badlywornroy said:
Well done to you for taking care of your health, same applies to ' Comfortably Numb' imo too many people become sedentary as they get older. Cycling is great exercise. I used to run a lot but as I got older (70 in jan) the knee joints started to protest. I always had a bike but bought my 1st serious road bike at 65. I then found a turbo trainer almost essential to keep cycling through the vagaries of the weather up here.
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Thanks. 2.5 years ago I was 117kg - plainly obese - with dangerously high blood pressure (190/150), type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. My heaviest weight on record was actually 123kg. After a temporary intervention with drugs, for about two months, changes to diet and activity levels cured me of all my ailments. I have been drug free for over two years and not seen the doctor since getting the all clear on all counts two years ago. Diet played a major part in the early days, but now I eat "normally" and rely on cycling to keep my weight and health where it should be. I'm sure cycling could save the health service an absolute fortune.

p.s. my avatar is a picture of me in the French Alps in July this year, having just climbed Telegraph and Galibier. We had 24 from my club on that trip and it was such a success that we have 40+ heading off for a repeat trip in 2017. And that's another aspect to cycling - it can be very sociable too - good for the body and the mind.
 
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For me it was like having a switch thrown. As soon as I knew how serious my condition was I set to work immediately to fix things. I believe in self responsibility and did not want to be a burden on the health service for something I could take care of for myself. Measuring and graphing my progress day to day, week to week just helped encourage me to keep going. The downward slant on the weight graph was a powerful visual reminder of my success. By Xmas 2014 I was down to 76kg - A total loss of 41kg from when I started. Today I am 86kg. Some of that gain is muscle, but I confess that some is down to loosening my grip on calorie counting. At the moment I am making slow and steady progress back down towards 75kg in time for our Alps trip in July. By then I also hope to have FTP up to 300W, for a nice round 4W/kg for the climbs.
 
TopBanana said:
How's everyone getting on with their yearly mileage?
I was hoping to hit 4000miles this year - and I've already got to 4145 with 4 weeks left of the year :banana:
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Hmm, what is this 'miles' that you speak of? Rule 24 man! :)

http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/#24

(Nice going on keeping it consistent - I hope there were plenty great days in there. Have you tried Veloviewer? It's very nice for linking to your Strava account and showing lots of nice things about distance, consistency etc.
 
Rule #58 roolz!!!
 
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TopBanana said:
How's everyone getting on with their yearly mileage?
I was hoping to hit 4000miles this year - and I've already got to 4145 with 4 weeks left of the year :banana:
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Target was 8,000km this year - not much by my 2013 (11,150km) and 2014 (10,300km) distances, but way improved from 2015's 4,700km (punctuated by 2 months of "riding verboten" while I recovered from the surgeons fitting a couple of bits of stainless steel into an artery damaged by a bout of pericarditis). I'm currently on 7,852km, so I hope i'll make the 8,000 - though I've just started a "day job" (having been a full-time carer for 10+ years, and "unfit to work" for a couple of years...) in the past fortnight, and frankly it's putting a bit of a crimp in my riding time :(

It's been a bit of a struggle to be honest - the meds from the "op" (beta blockers et.al.) have pretty much "nobbled" me - HR won't go above 130, which means my power figures are WAAAY down - purely because I can't get enough blood circulating around to carry oxygen into the muscles... FTP's dropped from around 320-ish to nearer 220 at the moment - so i'm SLOOOOOW - but - at least I'm still above ground and still turning a crank - just can't quite handle anything much above a metric century at the moment because the crappy circulation from low BP and RHR also hampers recovery...
 
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For you and me, it's definitely a good thing! For those unfortunate to be in the final stages of a terminal illness, it's less good. :(
 
FOA ZWIFT USERS

Specialised are running a competition with a new bike as a prize.

'Win a Specialized Ruby or Roubaix Pro bike this December by simply logging into the Zwift app, accepting the triple-play mission on the home screen and riding 50km.'

Another reason to rack up some more kms :D
 
Did anyone see the Our Guy In China episode where he set of across a Chinese desert to break the record for the trip? Worth watching to see what sheer bloody mindedness and a can do attitude can achieve!

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/our-guy-in-china
 
I was surprised that he used a single speed, but you're right about his attitude. No fuss, just use what you have & get on with it!

He could have been a bit more concerned about nutrition though :eek:
 
I thought that the no nonsense banana + meatballs and spaghetti approach made it all the more impressive! How fast could he do it with the right bike and a bit more science? His other records (and attempts!) show that he's not opposed to using the right tools or science!
 
TopBanana said:
I saw something yesterday that he's now doing a cycle round the coast of Britain too!
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That would be a really tough ride, with the climbs, wind and rain.
It was an epic ride across that Chinese desert, but I think he could take a big chunk of time from that if he ever attempted it with a "proper" bike and spares.
A lot of folks don't really know what can be achieved on a bike in terms of dstance, but I like to look back at the "golden years" of British time trialling, and particularly a woman (an incredible woman) named Beryl Burton. In 1967, Beryl broke the womens 12 hour TT record on very ordinary roads, managing 277.25 miles, which was further than the men's record (broken on the same day) of 276.52 miles.
In 1969 Roy Cromack set a new 24 hour record of 507 miles (the current record is 541 miles) with a steel framed bike and very basic equipment.
 
Well I turned 70 on Monday and it's the 'thin end of the wedge' today I cannot even hold 3 w/kg for 20 mins ?

Didn't fail by much, I'm 154lbs (70kg) so 204w is approx 2.92 w/kg.

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Guess I may as well order that commode and start looking at funeral plans ?
 
badlywornroy said:
Well I turned 70 on Monday and it's the 'thin end of the wedge' today I cannot even hold 3 w/kg for 20 mins ?
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Nice going - I wonder what percentage of 70 year olds could hold 3w/kg? Looking at the average person around my area, that would need to exceed 300W......
 
Moadib said:
Nice going - I wonder what percentage of 70 year olds could hold 3w/kg? Looking at the average person around my area, that would need to exceed 300W......
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Thanks Moadib, yes there are some 'big' folk around these days, never been a problem for me, I'm sure genes have a lot to do with it but I have always been active and into sports.

Cycling is a great way to keep fit at all ages but especially when you get to my age (assuming you can avoid the buses/lorries etc)

I might be able to improve those figure a little (eyeballs out) but I see no real point. I guess my max HR is a limiting factor as around 160 bpm :(

'Ride On' as they say on Zwift.
 
badlywornroy said:
I might be able to improve those figure a little (eyeballs out) but I see no real point. I guess my max HR is a limiting factor as around 160 bpm :(
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Potentially, but of late I'm less convinced that hitting max-HR and absolutely caning it is good for us in the broader sense. Of course it's good for max power / speed, but I'm not planning on the Champs Elysee sprint anytime soon! Also look at the number of very young professionals who are being diagnosed with heart problems - either a-fib, or some form of fibrosis - correlation doesn't equal causation, but suggests prolonged high heart rate has a big downside along with the upside.

Over winter I've been doing quite a bit of MAF level, and trying to keep that also when I'm riding outside. I sometimes still find a climb I enjoy and can't help but cane it, but in general the MAF style has been great, and I've been seeing my power at that steady MAF pace rise and rise. Surprise was that last time I joined a Zwift ALPS ride, at the end it told me my FTP had increased - despite 95% of my riding being at low level.
 
I'm very sceptical of a formula which uses age as a basis for establishing a heart rate figure. I'm 54, so the 220-age max heart rate estimate would have me at 166 maximum. Yet my maximum in the past 12 months has hit 190 more than once. I have also held 172 average for an hour both on the road and indoor trainer. Resting pulse is around 45.

On that basis I'm not sure that taking 180-age (even if I add the extra 5) is going to set my target correctly.
 
tdodd said:
I'm very sceptical of a formula which uses age as a basis for establishing a heart rate figure. I'm 54, so the 220-age max heart rate estimate would have me at 166 maximum. Yet my maximum in the past 12 months has hit 190 more than once. I have also held 172 average for an hour both on the road and indoor trainer. Resting pulse is around 45.

On that basis I'm not sure that taking 180-age (even if I add the extra 5) is going to set my target correctly.
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I agree formula is not good for setting max HR. The MAF formula doesn't aim to do that - MAF means 'Maximum Aerobic Function', and is the level at which peak fat oxidation occurs. Research pegged that as 180 - age as a very good approximation, with some adjustments for training history and health. Beyond that level the metabolism moves increasingly toward glycogen as fuel source.

Based upon MAF your target heart-rate would be 126bpm for peak fat oxidation.
 
I understand the MAF bit, but if my heart behaves as though that of a 30 year old regarding max heart rate then why take it as cast in stone that my 54 actual years is the correct adjustment from 180 in order to establish my MAF. To my mind it's too generalised and not specific to each individual.

My body composition scales have been giving me a metabolic age of 42 of late, but I have seen 37 last year. So what does my actual age of 54 have to do with the maths when my overall physiology appears to match that of a younger man? Like I say, I'm sceptical.
 
tdodd said:
I understand the MAF bit, but if my heart behaves as though that of a 30 year old regarding max heart rate then why take it as cast in stone that my 54 actual years is the correct adjustment from 180 in order to establish my MAF. To my mind it's too generalised and not specific to each individual.

My body composition scales have been giving me a metabolic age of 42 of late, but I have seen 37 last year. So what does my actual age of 54 have to do with the maths when my overall physiology appears to match that of a younger man? Like I say, I'm sceptical.
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As mentioned, when trying to establish the MAX heart-rate, then that precision is important. For MAF the point is to train at a level which is approaching your peak fat oxidation rate. Therefore the key is not 100% precision, but to err on caution such that you're not pushing into the range when you ever more tap into glycogen. So the absolute number is not as critical, but erring on the lower side.

The story behind it is here
https://philmaffetone.com/180-formula/
 
Moadib said:
As mentioned, when trying to establish the MAX heart-rate, then that precision is important. For MAF the point is to train at a level which is approaching your peak fat oxidation rate. Therefore the key is not 100% precision, but to err on caution such that you're not pushing into the range when you ever more tap into glycogen. So the absolute number is not as critical, but erring on the lower side.

The story behind it is here
https://philmaffetone.com/180-formula/
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I think that you are getting way too technical - beyond Olympic standards.
Are you an elite athlete?
 
You can read it all on his website if you have interest - the point of MAF is the opposite of technical or athletics - it's longevity, and not putting constant and undue stress on the heart.
 
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