training route

[cyclebum]

Hi folks. Hope you all had a good Christmas and a slightly belated Happy New Year to you all.

Despite a slight set back in my recovery, I finally got on a gym bike this morning and did just a couple of minutes short 30 mins but stopped at the first twinge, (no point pushing it too much on day 1)

Anyway, I board that India flight just 4 weeks today and some of my fellow mad women need to organise a last minute weekend to get a few miles in and we are having difficulty deciding where to go, any suggestions? My husband suggested Northamptonshire but I wouldn't know where to start looking for a suitable venue!

Requirements are;

1. fairly central so it is accessable for as many as possible as we are all quite spread out around the country.

2. plenty of B&B's for accomadation.

3. we need 2 routes of around 40-50 miles, 1 for each day.

4. Not too hilly (this is my request, well I don't want to give myself a hernia do I?):8:

any suggestions greatly recieved.

Cyclebum

 

[fossyant]

Was going to say Derbyshire, until number 4 came up :8: .... loads of 40-50 testing circuits.

 

[GrahamG]

Just settle on a location and then check all the routes posted on bikeradar.com - there are plenty!

 

[Cathryn]

Glad to hear you're on the road to recovery, well done!! Can't believe India's so soon..how exciting.

www.bikely.com is good for routes (linked i think to bikeradar). I don't know much about the midlands though.

Get well soon

 

[PatrickPending]

There's quite a lot of nice routes in the north bit of northamptonshire, and to the east of leicester in leicestershire and rutland, and its pretty flat too!

 

[cyclebum]

Thanks for these bits of advice. I'll have a look and see what I can come up with

 

[cyclebum]

Well I've been on bikeradar and identified a couple of possibilities, but how do you get a breakdown of the routes and what to expect? I have looked at the elevations which look scary but how realistic is it looking at that graph as I can't imagine it.

 

[doyler78]

Well I've been on bikeradar and identified a couple of possibilities, but how do you get a breakdown of the routes and what to expect? I have looked at the elevations which look scary but how realistic is it looking at that graph as I can't imagine it.

The best thing you can do is if you have problems visualising the route is actually to ride it.

That got your attention. Easy way to do this is simply to export the bikely route in google earth format and open the file in google earth (desktop version not the website) and that way you can fly the route. Just adjust the tilt so that it flying along the route rather than over it and that way you get a very good idea of how it looks and feels. Keep an eye on elevation as you are flying and you will get a feel for how quickly it is climbing and how long it is.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[cyclebum]

Thanks, I think it helps, must say the thought of flying the route rather than cycling it appeals at htis moment in time

 

[bonj2]

crack yersen up winnats lass

 

[cyclebum]

and in english?

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

and in english?

It roughly translates from North Western dialect as "Cycle up Winnats Pass, young lady." The polite response to Yenners would be "Gerful yer tedders."

 

[DLB]

if i want to know how hilly a route is i plot it on the gmap pedometer website and it shows an indication of the gradients

 

[cyclebum]

Thanks Patrick, always handy to have a translator.

 

[rich p]

Cyclebum, I wouldn't worry too much about profiles as they always accentuate the hills out of all proportion. Remember that you'll be doing each incline over possibly miles not inches. If you look at profiles of Tour de France stages, it gives the impression that they'd be rock climbing.