W Yorks Get Together

[marinyork]

I'm west Leeds and it makes a huge difference . I tend to head north on most rides as it is easy to get to and is where all the good stuff is, so I would have suggested rendevous points in that direction, but I am open from starting elsewhere if that makes it more convenient for anyone wanting to join in.

I would agree with what ColinJ says about building up to the WYCR. If you can ride 100k now without difficulty then, with training, you'll make it round 157 hilly miles in 6 months time.

West is fine. I know someone who lives in Burley Park and visit a fair bit. I've even cycled there. He used to live in Armley. I think he's insane for not going out north to Otley, Roundhay and places like that but it's just not his thing.

 

[marinyork]

At one time, I would have doubted my ability to do it too, but I worked my way up to that kind of level. (I've lost 50% of my fitness since then though... )

I gradually increased my mileage until I was okay on hilly (imperial) century rides. After that I decided to have a go at a 200 km ride. The first one wasn't an audax, it was a local 100 mile sportive (The Pendle Pedal) but I rode 20 km to the start and back again afterwards so that was a total of 200 km. It didn't kill me so I kept on doing '200s' and got to know audax riders who were doing even longer rides - 300 km, 400 km, and 600 km! Some even do monster rides such as Paris-Brest-Paris (1200 km) and London-Edinburgh-London (1400 km) !

I'm not interested in doing those kind of distances. Perhaps as a succession of shorter daily rides yes, but I'd get saddle-sore trying to do them in 'one bite'. I'm not into sleep-deprivation or riding in the dark, however a ride of about 150 miles could be done fairly comfortably in about half a day and in daylight in mid-summer.

I come from Coventry but have lived in Yorkshire for over 20 years. It dawned on me a few years back that Hebden Bridge to Coventry in a day would easily be 'doable' for a fit cyclist - it just took me a few years to get round to it, in June 2007. With a couple of diversions, I ended up doing about 141 miles including some tough climbs in West Yorkshire and the entire length of the Peak District. I felt pretty good when I got to my destination, so much so that my family thought I'd brought my bike down on the train !

I'd say that anybody in good health who is a regular cyclist should be able to build up to doing something like the WYCR if they work hard over a 6 month period and it's going to be at least 6 months before we'd be doing the ride. There's plenty of time to get ready for it, it's more a question of having the desire to do it. I know some very fit people who just aren't interested in stretching themselves. They just stay at the same level year after year, enjoying themselves and keeping healthy. They are not into cycling for the challenge, they just like keeping fit and being out in the countryside.

If you fancy having a go at the WYCR with us next June, draw up a plan of how to get from where you are now to where you'll need to be then.

Thanks for the encouragement. We'll see, perhaps I'll be back on this thread in six months time. I have cycled for 3 and a half years (2 seasons - I was more or less out of cycling in 2007 for various reasons) and in that time barely improved at all in terms of average speed. I've learnt a lot on this forum and accidentally in that time and if I'd known all that when I started I think I would be a better cyclist but I don't think it'd have made much difference in the bigger scheme of things. The depressing thing is looking through the beginners section where people come along and almost instantaneously jump into 50 miler charity or other rides.

I know people exaggerate some things on here but unlike jimboalee I don't think a lot of the people on this forum are average, but exceptional (all right they're not pros but that's another step up). I'm not built for speed, I have tiny muscles and have worked out that spinning is better for me and the interminably slow process of flicking up gears at that cadence into fractionally bigger gears. Like someone else on this forum said I think the thing to do is hammer 40 or 50 milers every week and see how I get on. The first ride of about 50 miles I did this year absolutely killed, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th were all pretty easy affairs, the last one so crazy I felt I could have got on the bike and done another one.

I've joined two cycling organisations in an attempt to get some experience with cyclists of similar abilities (they do 50 milers every week) as when I have cycled with others in the past I have cycled much, much faster than on my own and see if I can drag my average speed kicking and screaming out of the stone age. Unfortunately they wind down in the winter, hence the appeal of these threads. I visit Leeds and the Dales from time to time in anycase.

 

[ColinJ]

Thanks for the encouragement. We'll see, perhaps I'll be back on this thread in six months time. I have cycled for 3 and a half years (2 seasons - I was more or less out of cycling in 2007 for various reasons) and in that time barely improved at all in terms of average speed.

I got my first bike as an adult in 1989 (having not owned one since getting my bike nicked from school way back in 1969), but I was slow in getting into riding again. I think I only cycled about 50 miles or so in 1989, 150 in 1990, and 500 in 1991.

It wasn't until about 1992 that I really started to enjoy cycling again.

The longest ride I did in the first 10 years was only about 100 km (69 miles). It took me another few years to do an imperial century and then I did a couple a year for 5 or 6 years after that.

Finally I did a 200 km audax and then, knowing that I was fit enough to do them, I did another 4 or 5 over the next few months. Once I decided to step up the distances, my body soon responded. The thing that had been holding me back was my mind.

 

[marinyork]

One of the seasons was a lot of miles (although looking back over the logs that might have been a bit of an overestimate by about 500 miles), it's not like I did no mileage in 2007 but it was a lot less. Earlier I was doing 30 milers a couple of times a week and really enjoying it. With hindsight I was perhaps not eating/drinking enough and overdoing it some days but I'd do about 30 miles all right. Once I went upto about 35 I'd suddenly hit the wall . It didn't happen every time but bang it'd happen again and again. So I never really went over that distance and still tend not to today. I used to do cross country running and a similar thing would happen there where I could run along quite happily (albeit at a decent but not the fastest speed in the world) for about 8-10 miles and then bang. Motivation is a big factor but it is getting someone your own ability. The guy who I've done the most cycling with (and do less and less with now) thinks I'm absolutely nuts and superhuman maniac (it's amusing ). He's built differently, good for company and on the flat can hammer it along for short distances of about 10 miles but is absolutely appalling on hills and hates them with a passion .

I love my cycling. I'd be extremely happy if I was able to do hilly (that's not showing off, there just be hills) 60 milers on a regular basis as that gets me out in the countryside areas I love unaided by car or train. Anything else is a bonus really. I find cycling with other people tends be something to aim for and just sort of passes the time - not that cycling is ever boring, it just passes differently and less focus on things.

 

[ColinJ]

Apart from a good base level of fitness, a proper food and drink strategy would be necessary for me to be able to do the WYCR in a day without too much pain and suffering.

I'm okay upto about 40 hilly miles or 3 hours (say) on a couple of 750 mL bottles with a mix of 2/3 water and 1/3 orange juice. Beyond that I add carbo-powder to my drinks.

Once I get beyond about 55 miles I always take something to eat (or buy something while I'm out).

For a century ride, I'd get through 4 * 750 mL bottles of water/OJ/carbo-powder plus a couple of sandwiches and a chocolate bar or two. I'd probably buy a can of Coke at about the 75 mile point to get a boost from the sugar and caffeine.

For a hilly 200, I'd have what I do for a century plus another 750 mL bottle and maybe another can of Coke and a piece of cake.

I reckon for the WYCR I'd need 6 or 7 * 750 mL bottles and as many cans of Coke, pieces of cake, bars of chocolate and sandwiches as I could handle. Possibly a gel or two as well later on.

I find the biggest problem beyond about 100 miles is forcing myself to eat and drink when I'm getting tired. I really don't feel like it, but I know from experience that I'd start suffering like a dog if I didn't.

On long rides I sweat a lot so I usually add a small pinch of salt to each drink. On a hot day, my face is caked with the stuff and it needs to be replaced. I get cramps if I don't replace it.

PS I suppose we should stop talking about the WYCR here, and do it in the WYCR thread instead ?

 

[ColinJ]

Where's my Christmas avatar?

Oops - found it! I changed my profile picture by mistake.