This reminds me I need to drop Mr Bream another email about summer....
Lovely sunny day at Aske yesterday - overnight rain just damped the dust down a little. Boy had a good first lap, then dropped the chain, later fell off and eased off the gas. Not a terrible finish and still in good spirits / learnt from the experience.
Mrs loves Aske and had a stormer in Vet women - finally managed to beat Maddi the National Champ by 2 mins, caught and passed the entire Expert field, then all but 3 juniors and started making inroads on back end of Elite (would have finished 12th in Elite on time / laps, and they had no traffic to deal with). Very happy mid 40s mother of two 🙂
Got the results from Single Track 7 on Sunday, turns our I came 23rd /98 solo and 65th / 155 finishers including all the pairs. 110km / 16 laps & 1900m in 7 hours funnily enough.
The best this I've taken from it is my pacing, knocked out pretty consistent laps and did 8 laps/ 55km in the first 3 1/2 hours and the same in the second 3 1/2 hours.
Now for 5 days solid of riding finishing with the Trans Cambrian at the weekend before I finish the month off at Wantage and hopefully 500km and 10000m of climbing off road in preparation for Mayhem solo in June 
Nice day at Aske yesterday, slightly disappointed with a finish outside the top 20 but there was a bit too much steep climbing there for being competitive on a SS. Grant F coming in to change to a smaller chainring after seeing the course should have been a clue!
Where you weren't groaning up a hill or hammering across rutted bumpy grass the course was magic - plenty of lovely tight-but-loose singletrack with enough technical bits to keep things interesting.
Anyone else have to stop for a rest halfway up the stairs today?
That's my measure of how good a weekend was, had to stop twice this morning.
Nope, rode with my eldest to school and back with our 3yr old in the seat on the back of my fattie
I raced Saturday at Aske and went for a 4 hour CX ride on Sunday. Wow was I tired Sunday night! I'm having an easy week this week ahead of Dudmaston on sunday. Can't wait for that.
Anyone else noticed the Midlands series is significantly bigger and more competitive than even the nationals... what's that all about!?
But of a gloomy mood here.
The weather is predicted to be a downpour from 12:00-1am so tonights race will be a grim clay/mudfest but thats not really it.
It would appear I've strained my quads, indicated by last week low power and after a weekend road ride, stabbing pains in my left quad when I walk upstairs getting better as the weeks has gone on plus use of a foam roller. I've three races in the next 10 days and fear all of them may be compromised. It really gets to me that its feels like theres excuse after excuse for me but with this and two illnesses as I've only managed one race of any merit, now I can't train properly or race to my ability.
I'm in a bit of a "whats the point" mood. 😐 I should probably also swap Raplhs for Storm Controls but can I be arsed?
Sigh.
It's easy to struggle when you're both injured and your results are lower than your expectations.
TBH based upon a few months ago and me having similar calf issues, i'd say "Don't ride for a week" but i'm sitting here about half a step behind you and struggling not to do a Zwift race today despite knowing mine are close to tweaking, so fighting the urge.
Why don't you pick one and sacrifice the other two?
Otherwise you could drag the problem out even longer?
One theme from all of your threads over the years is lack of focus.
Worst case scenario, you come into the last of those three races having not done the other two super fresh and chomping at the bit.
Sounds better than dragging yourself and your moral through the mud just to pin on a number....
Yes I get that. I have been very focused and working hard on my training, which has cause the issue. Its just overtraining really.
I have conflicting goals. I started out with Sunday's race - Mud Sweat and Gears - race series as my goal events, I always want to do well here as I have historic results to analyse and improve on, know the crowd etc.
However, I was invited to race the Scott Marathons as a race team audition for 2018. For various reasons the first was a mess, and I'm keen to get to my potential but its a different format...
I know I should pick one and stick with it... but I find it hard to let go.
I guess the answer to that comes down to "which type of racing do you enjoy the most"
Anyone else noticed the Midlands series is significantly bigger and more competitive than even the nationals... what's that all about!?
I always look with jealously at the field sizes at the MidlandsXC! Similar the Southern. At a guess its because they are well run and well advertised in populous areas. I duon't know if people are put of by it being a national and being a bit more expensive? Also in sport Sat racing is less convenient. Even though I'm rubbish I still like racing nationals best for the atmosphere and the fact tha fields are bigger than for the welsh regional series.
There are only 4 pre-entered in sport for the welsh regional series on sunday 🙁 hope some more turn up on the day as was a great course last year, although might be a mud fest this time!
Good national series standing result jimbob by the way!
Cheer up Kryton, I'm sure you'd go faster if you stopped thinking - i know I do!
Z2 endurance is a good way of continuing training when you have muscular issues.
Scott is a red herring IMHO - fun, good training etc but the Wantage round is on a busy Ridgeway on a weekend where you are likely to meet innumerable horses/families with toddlers/dogs etc. Courteous and safe riding trump everything edit
Z2 endurance
Elaborate a little. How hard and how long ?
I believe Midlands run a decent race course for kids that are too young to ride in juvenile class. I've met a few senior / vets racers that choose to go to Midlands purely so their kids can also get a decent ride.
Elaborate a little. How hard and how long ?
Zone 2 and as long as you feel fit. I'll do an hour on the turbo, or the alternative is to take the road bike out and use the little ring only avoiding any exertion on your legs.
^ not in my case nor in Torq's zones
Z2 is not recovery it's 70-80% of FTP and is pretty tiring if it's done right ie with no recovery, pedalling against brakes on downhills etc.
Depending on how base fit you are it's surprisingly fast. I'm at 3hrs working towards 5hrs.
70-80% of FTP is more or less the upper end of endurance so 3-5hrs is pretty standard. 1hr is fairly pointless, either knock it back to proper recovery if injured or step it up to tempo/sweetspot for a worthwhile effort.
I was refer yo HR Z2, which is no where near upper threshold power. Yes at that power I'm pushing 34-36kmh on the road.
I was refer yo HR Z2, which is no where near upper threshold power.
Endurance, not threshold!
I was refer yo HR Z2, which is no where near upper threshold power
HRZ2 and PZ2 should be roughly the same unless you are super fresh and coffee loaded or super tired
Z2 is not recovery it's 70-80% of FTP
80% is very high for Z2, even friels zones don't go that high, and some people would say the top of his Z2 should possibly be Z3.
As of this year I prefer upper Z1, 90% of the benefits, 50% of the fatigue so you can add volume (assuming you have the time of course).
Zones really are a minefield. My Z2 is based on my actual lactate threshold by virtue of testing (ie blood test while on turbo). As I do a lot of Z2 training it's a higher percentage of my FTP.
Zones are specific to an individual and their training plan. My friends zone 1 is massive and for the same intensity I'd be in zone 3. It's just his training plan / zones are different. They are what you make them.
Wow just noticed the National series standings. I'm in 3rd for Sport Cat but think it's unlikely I'll still be there at the end of the season. I might have a scrap of a chance though! I'm currently 3rd overall in National Standings. Whoop whoop!
There are only 4 pre-entered in sport for the welsh regional series on sunday
If you don't get on the podium, give yourself a slap then 😆
After some trepidation as above, I enjoyed that. Monumental rain and slipperyness. Due to reduced numbers I started on the front and missed clipping in quickly heard riders behind me coming up besides me. Got clipped in, sprinted for the second time & entered the single track 4th but unfortunately got passed on a slippery slope to 6th.
I then fought and regained 5th, then rode / slid comedically around for the next hour keeping my place. Who says racing ralphs don't do wet and slippery 😀
That sounds a bit more like it 🙂 Well done.
steve_b77 - Member
There are only 4 pre-entered in sport for the welsh regional series on Sunday
If you don't get on the podium, give yourself a slap then
Hope a few more enter on the day! One of the pre-entries is a guy from my club doing his first race so I better beat him - probably won't though 😳
Aloha all.
Newbie here.
Been loitering & reading this thread with interest, I did a fair bit of racing a few years ago but then tore a tendon. I'm now getting back in to it & im off to BC Bike Race this Summer.
I was wondering where folks were based? I'm in SW London & I'm getting a little bored of training on my own.
Some good wold cup coverage on PB
[url= https://www.pinkbike.com/news/xc-world-cup-round-1-nove-mesto-with-t-mo-2017.html ]Tracy Mosely course preview[/url]
Yay! MTB back from the shop today. Trying to find a race that doesn't clash with my Crit racing so looking for something on Sunday 04th June?
West Dreyton @ Black Park perhaps?
Anything else within 1hr ish of Newbury??
I nearly raced there once but my hub was fubar'd when I took the bike out of the car. What's it like?
Awesome news XC WC is back this weekend, would love to ride the Nove Mesto course - looks so much fun (in the dry!)
Womens race on RBTV now.
Jenny R out due to recent loss of family members 🙁
Great course, dissapointing race - may as well be a time trial. If anyone's thinking of watching it on catch-up, i'd say probably don't bother.
Well I enjoyed it.
Me too. Picked up a few tips for my race tomorrow.
What happened to Neff? Must have missed that part?!
Me too. Picked up a few tips for my race tomorrow.
ride at 400w NP?
Ha ha no. I noticed how Langvad turned a strong constant cadence/carried momentum over the rooty singletrack section with a real "fixed gaze" forward.
In my race tomorrow i have similar bit of singletrack which is about 2% and gets a bit wearing after a few laps. Rather than approaching with a sigh as usual, i shall attack it Langvad style 🙂
Annie Last got 10th 😀
@Kryton, just wait till you see Kulhavy ride that section tomorrow - beast!
Good luck to all you racing at the Eastern/South Eastern regional champs today. A great chance to get a big haul of Bc points and the course looks awesome!
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[img][url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4203/34802137375_06ccb56707_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4203/34802137375_06ccb56707_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/V2m3Xi ]The Flying Swissman[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/martinddd/ ]martinddd[/url], on Flickr[/img]
Putting the power down like a locomotive !
