Team BKool CycleChat

[Add]

No worries about that. I figured out what was going on when I saw my ghosts on your ride. Yeah my video freezes all the time but I just watch the power and time figures and in this case your guy next to mine. Sometimes its not possible to start another session if there's already one going that you started. Pity its not possible to close a session before leaving it. Poor Geoff. He'll still be racing my ghost from 2 months ago. You any good building 5m X 5m Kitchen extensions by the way?

Now 5m X 5m kitchen extensions, that is my bag! But I fear the commute would kill me.
I really enjoyed that ride, despite the sheer brutality of it. Loved the drafting, taking a mile each, that was, until you cooked me. That has to be a pretty good time? Until Elite Adam destroys it, I am going to bask in its glory. No hard feelings on the tactics either, that's what it's all about. You made your break, I didn't have the legs left to defend my position, and you outclassed me! Respect to that. I am just happy I stuck with you for as long as I did!

 

[BILL S]

Yeah, its too far away for the commute unfortunately.
Yeah, I think doing the ride together made it a lot more fun and quite possibly speeded us up. I think we beat my last attempt by 5 mins or so. Near the end I did start thinking about Elite Adam and I sped up a bit but knew it would be a pointless exercise. Still, a great enjoyable, tough, punishing ride and I'd recommend anyone to pair up for Mtn Goat climbs like that as it makes it far more interesting. This was a very worthwhile test. I wonder if the slip streaming made any difference?

 

[Add]

Yeah, its too far away for the commute unfortunately.
Yeah, I think doing the ride together made it a lot more fun and quite possibly speeded us up. I think we beat my last attempt by 5 mins or so. Near the end I did start thinking about Elite Adam and I sped up a bit but knew it would be a pointless exercise. Still, a great enjoyable, tough, punishing ride and I'd recommend anyone to pair up for Mtn Goat climbs like that as it makes it far more interesting. This was a very worthwhile test. I wonder if the slip streaming made any difference?

Made a hell of a difference, it nearly killed me.

 

[Runexeter]

Well done all 3 of you, it's obviously quite hard by looking at your times and some good competition between the two of you, had a hard run today so may not do it until Wednesday....if at all, the last one buggered up my running last week

 

[BILL S]

Made a hell of a difference, it nearly killed me.

Me to! Believe me!

 

[BILL S]

Well done all 3 of you, it's obviously quite hard by looking at your times and some good competition between the two of you, had a hard run today so may not do it until Wednesday....if at all, the last one buggered up my running last week

Thanks Mark. It's as hard as you want it to be but not easy to cruise when you're used to going at 90% plus. Out of interest, if you did it slow would it be a good training workout for the running?

 

[Runexeter]

Thanks Mark. It's as hard as you want it to be but not easy to cruise when you're used to going at 90% plus. Out of interest, if you did it slow would it be a good training workout for the running?

It may be ok but the last one of 20 miles made my calves like lead for 3 days!, that's ok if you cycling again as you don't feel it hardly but it definitely wont let you run with it.
I'll maybe give it a go and use some slowish ghosts if I can find out how to add them to a scheduled ride

 

[Add]

I must admit the cycling has played havoc with my calves. And I kind of assumed a mythical level of fitness in my head, took off running thinking I was Mo Farah, and that's how I KO'd my hamstring. The two sports are polar opposites really. I get your reservations Mark, I have to be so careful when I run now, very aware of picking up injuries. Relatively new to cycling, only got a bike about a year ago, before that, it was a Grifter.

 

[gbrown]

I won, I won .. oh!

Speechless!

 

[Add]

Lol, sorry Geoff, never let a builder start the session. I made a right hash of it. Too many Bill's about. We did wait to see if you would rejoin us, but I guess you had already committed yourself by that point. It was brutal and messy mind you. I let Bill win in the end, you know how he gets if he loses!

I did that WHOLE ride, standing up. An hour and a half out of the saddle. I need to retrain myself. If you look at Bill's stats against mine, it speaks volumes. His cadence was way up on mine, and I was up on power. If I could get my legs spinning faster, and for longer, I might make some improvements.

Might need to velodrome a load of sessions, and just get spinning, as opposed to trying to use brute strength. Strong in the arm, and weak in the head as they say on site.....not to me of course, I am weak in both departments.

 

[gbrown]

I'll maybe give it a go and use some slowish ghosts if I can find out how to add them to a scheduled ride

You can use my ghost, it took me bloody ages!

The bit just after half way was interminable, 10% for ages, my average watts was OK at the half way point, but just went down and down ...

Thought I was keeping with Bill for a while, turns out it was his ghost! Adam disappeared, then did the Hokey Cokey, coming and going, then I started to close back in on Bill (or his ghost) only to discover he'd stopped, leaving me alone in the race with a couple of turbo charged bots that finished in around 35 minutes and two strangers who were killing me.

I almost gave up at an hour, as it showed almost another hour to go, but just plugged away getting slightly slower all the time. At 10% the KICKR is just so hard I had to use the 32 tooth rear gear and could barely turn the pedals, which I don't understand as I've climbed much steeper hills on a 28, though not as long I guess.

The two strangers eventually dropped out leaving me in first place, so I guess I get some reward for perseverance, then I discover Bill and Adam had bailed and done a completely separate ride, and beaten me by 20 odd minutes!

Now I've got cramp in my legs ... not going to be a comfortable night.

Nearly 2 hours steep and relentless climbing is right at the limit of my capabilities, I think I may limit myself to an hour to an hour 15 or so in future.

On the positive side, my heart rate barely got above 160 (my max is around 185) so it was mainly just the strain on my leg muscles.

I think you guys put a lot more effort into it than me, but I'm not allowed to over exert myself after last years hospital visit! The wife thinks I'm mad as it is ...

Geoff

 

[Add]

You get huge kudos for 2 hours of that crap! It is obviously a LOT harder on the Kickr, as your BKool stats demonstrate. I need to go back to the drawing board before my bad habits become performance inhibiting.
In an attempt to keep up I have resorted to bad practise I think, and that is definately something I need to work on.
On the up side, it can't be doing my general fitness any harm.
With regards the cramp, for the first time in a long time, I can still feel that session heavy in my legs, especially walking upstairs. Normally an hour or so after completion, my legs 'feel' relatively normal again.

 

[Add]

And who here is Gary? Fair play. He keeps grinding out these tough Goat League runs. Good effort Gary, obviously not a shirker, whoever you are!

 

[gbrown]

I did that WHOLE ride, standing up. An hour and a half out of the saddle. I need to retrain myself. If you look at Bill's stats against mine, it speaks volumes. His cadence was way up on mine, and I was up on power. If I could get my legs spinning faster, and for longer, I might make some improvements.

An hour and a half stood up, blimey! I'm the exact opposite, and sat virtually the whole way. I am starting to force myself to stand on occasion, to try and strengthen those muscles and to give my backside a break. After about a minute I am done in and have to sit down again for a rest.

It seems a lot easier to stand when clamped to a trainer with a level bike, than wobbling up a steep hill at 4 mph with the front wheel lifting off the ground and the back wheel spinning, so I guess I'll need to practice on the road as well, if I develop enough stamina to stand for long enough.

Geoff

 

[gbrown]

Tomorrow is definitely a REST day ...