Team BKool CycleChat

[Brendan Parker]

believe me you helped a lot - now got that never again feeling again

I proper struggled on that one. Was a very lonely ride for me. Needed someone to tag on to!
Well done mate

 

[<Tommy>]

Well done AAAC. You did what I thought you wouldn't mange without drafting assistance. I was even confidently thinking I'd get second in the league and had even devised my plan to do so, but I should know you better by now and not expect you to accept defeat so easily. Just have to try and get you back on Thursday.

Very respectable time AAAC. Still about 45 mins worse than my best effort I'm afraid bud...

 

[<Tommy>]

On a more realistic note...

I've signed up to do my first century next weekend and I'm a little apprehensive to say the least. I'd be really grateful for any advice. How many days rest do you think I should have pre ride? What's best in terms of energy boosts? I'm not at all keen on gels.

 

[Add]

On a more realistic note...

I've signed up to do my first century next weekend and I'm a little apprehensive to say the least. I'd be really grateful for any advice. How many days rest do you think I should have pre ride? What's best in terms of energy boosts? I'm not at all keen on gels.

Snickers all the way brother!

 

[<Tommy>]

Snickers all the way brother!

Haha!

I'm beginning to think you have shares on the company Adam! Don't get me wrong, I love a sneakers as much as the next man, but don't they turn into a melted mess?

 

[CXRAndy]

On a more realistic note...

I've signed up to do my first century next weekend and I'm a little apprehensive to say the least. I'd be really grateful for any advice. How many days rest do you think I should have pre ride? What's best in terms of energy boosts? I'm not at all keen on gels.

I have done 3 century rides. My experience is. The last week just do very easy 10-20 mile rides till Thursday

Prepare shorts with Chamois cream
Take 3 inner tubes
.
Drink minimum 500mil of fluids per hour regularly, eat 50g of carbs per hour (my preference flapjacks cut into squares to give me the required nutrition) a banana every other hour.
Don't go too hard, find a group and chat along whilst riding, draft when tired. Drop off the pace of they're too fast, find another group. Enjoy the event and I hope the weather is good for you.

Feel the sense of achievement at the milestone

 

[bobinski]

On a more realistic note...

I've signed up to do my first century next weekend and I'm a little apprehensive to say the least. I'd be really grateful for any advice. How many days rest do you think I should have pre ride? What's best in terms of energy boosts? I'm not at all keen on gels.

Fwiw
Before I did a 24h London to Paris last year I had never ridden more than 60 or so miles in a day. I tell a lie. I did London to Brighton and back 2 weeks or so before hand. A big breakfast and then Cream tea half way there, a banana either side, a pasta and tin of Coke in Brighton and then nothing but an ice cream and another Coke on the way back. That was fine. I hate gels really and only use them on the turbo because I made the mistake of buying in bulk. In France we ate bananas, croissants,pain aux choc, the odd snickers and drank lots of water and Coke as well as coffee. That was fine too. I did have some emergency gel rations in my bag but just didn't want to use them. I am slightly suspicious of the whole industry around energy gels etc. But I understand why some people prefer ease of taking them.

I probably wouldn't ride hard for 2-3 days beforehand and in my experience and for me that was fine too. I think it is just as important not only not art too fast.

 

[BILL S]

Snickers all the way brother!

And a wee pouch on your frame to store them for eating on the move

 

[Breedon]

Thanks for encouragement Kipster your a gent ! and berts ghost ! a bit dissapointed that all the other ghosts dissapeared till they were just orbs but at least clawed a bit back

Got the email as well, 1 or 3 seconds you beat me by well done

 

[theboxers]

LOL ... feel free to draft my ghost and drop me when I slow you down too much

That was the plan

 

[berty bassett]

Got the email as well, 1 or 3 seconds you beat me by well done

ah yes no but - there was two ghosty Breedons - one of them rocketed off and was never seen again but the other was more friendly

 

[AAAC 76C]

Very respectable time AAAC. Still about 45 mins worse than my best effort I'm afraid bud...

Nice one. You know in the past I have wondered how some people have posted some really absurd best times on some sessions and perhaps you have answered the quandary and its all down to admins

Whoa, that is some effort you put in there .
I think this means that you're back in the lead by seconds (less than 10 I think). If I had a team and some crosswind I would maybe have I chance in the last stage, but I think it will be very difficult to regain those seconds.
Regardless of the final outcome, I'm taking it as a compliment that you need to do proper warm up/preparation in order to overtake us.

Hind site is a wonderful thing.
Although running a session your own can be hard when you have a strategy and you know all of the stats you are aiming for it can actually help as there are no distractions.
I think I must have not covered the first quarter very well on Thursday because my earlier snack was constantly trying to come up and was disrupting my breathing and therefore rhythm so my ghost was of no use today in a drafting respect (shame) but it did provide me with a good reference.
Had I have chosen to challenge yourself or Bill I may have not done so well as I would have been riding your race and not my own normal 'consistency'.
Well aware that I lost time on Thursday on the down hills (which is nearly the whole session) I concentrated on keeping my power on in the descents but allowed my self rests when the blue numbers were above my target speed of 53kph. I also pushed hard into the climbs regardless of whether I thought I could sustain it to take best advantage of those unreal BKool 'Pro-slings'.
Unlike Thursday I kept my cadence high going uphill as I found it was harder to get back into a faster rhythm if you let it drop. I also allowed myself short rests going into the descents and wound up the power more slowly thus keeping my heart rate lower.
I was also encouraged by the time I was making on my ghost and once it got to a minute I knew that all I had to do was maintain my average speed.
Some of the above only transpired as I went along and was not necessarily in my plan but when the gap to my ghost got close to 2 minutes I was able to relax and just focus on keeping my speed above my average as much as possible, not by a lot but every little but would make time
On review of my stats my 'power maps' for both sessions are almost identical other than today's being elevated..

 

[AAAC 76C]

Haha!

I'm beginning to think you have shares on the company Adam! Don't get me wrong, I love a sneakers as much as the next man, but don't they turn into a melted mess?

'Sneakers'!
If your eating sneakers you will run into digestive problems!

 

[AAAC 76C]

The hardest thing to control is the overshooting. If you drop back out of the draft, put in a big push to catch back up, hit the draft zone and overshoot the leader. Similarly when in front, I found myself sometimes easing off as someone was pushing to catch, and that would compound the problem.
But a very worthwhile exercise, and one I thoroughly enjoyed. Not sure about being in my comfort zone though, I felt pressured the whole way....just not nauseous when I finished!
The other main problem I had was MTV on in front of me. Selena Gomez in a sexy negligee was a lot more compelling to watch than you guys and your draft zones, so I may have zoned out a few times.

Had to google 'Selena Gommez':
Add, she's younger than my youngest daughter, shame on you !!!!

 

[CXRAndy]

I prefer 'Marathon' as that is what you will be doing Tommy. I found them to be too sugary, maybe one. I prefer less sweetened carbs. Don't overdo food intake or you will bloat. It is a fine balance eating just enough but not too much.