Nearly A1 road conditions today

Took the afternoon off to get in a fast 200k, absolutely cracking out. The first fifty miles flew by and I could easilly push a bigger gear today. At a hundred miles I hit the Chilterns again, and couldn’t beleive the fact I was feeling better on this ride than I do on shorter ones.The last twenty miles sadly were a bit windy, and I got overtaken by a keen MTBer on a road bike in the last five.
What a difference the warm weather makes to riding.
If I could bottle it I’d be a mill-yon-air Rodney.

Looking forward to a shorter one Thursday.

Loads of MAMIL out today 8)

Yep we were out too. The weekend was superb as well as tthe wind was even lighter. Brilliant cycling weather ATM.

Was out today too, 82 miles this morning topping up the tan!

I thought I was getting a tan, but it fell off in the shower.

How are you anyway? never see you these days. And are you up for some cross with us this year?

Getting back to fitness.

Yep I think I’ll be up for cross. Doing some FNSS races too from next month.

I’m looking to bang 150 miles out over the next 2 days so i hope the wind keeps away from Dorset until the weekend.

This is great. now on target for a 700km week, which is purely down to the weather, bank hols and my missus working nights and wanting me out of it 😀

I got a new roadie yesterday, Having rode nothing but MTBs, Surprising how fast they are and how quick you knock the miles on. I think i’l have clocked around 25 mile up yesterday, just making sure everything was so so after i built it up.

Would love to get out today but **** me my arse hurts :laugh Might be seeing about getting another charge spoon.

er, mountain bike forum – who cares about road miles…

er, mountain bike forum – who cares about
road miles.

The oodles of people who ride road as well genius!!

Gonna have to be sensible and give Saturday a miss. Trained a lot this week and it’s clearly warmer than I thought.

And I admit I’ve a bit of a headache from pusing too hard in the heat. Still we still have Sunday and Monday.
But not riding on a glorious day….snot right is it 😐

Did a leisurely 40-odd miles this morning with a pleasant tea stop – lots of roadies and older couples on hybrids around enjoying the weather.

Brought up another 100 mile week and 1600 for the year so far – feeling smug after missing most of February with a mystery bug. Need to do some routes with more hills to add a bit of quality to the quantity to avoid staying in my “steady eddie” rut

Bike free week away this week with the family, so hoping to shake off a few niggles and enjoy some non-bike family time.

Fantastic day. The headwinds were mostly on the descents and actually helped on the way back home. 205km in a bit over 8 hours and I don’t feel totally drained (for a change). Careful choice of roads meant little traffic and some beautiful scenery.

er, mountain bike forum – who cares about road miles…

+1

120 with hills planned for Sunday, bikes feeling great at the moment and the pimpy new shoes are just starting to bed in, all I need now is the weather to hold and the Bridge of Balgie cake stop not to be too full 8)

Polite request for 13thfloor monk – I’d bookmarked your blog and checked it today but you haven’t updated it. 🙁 Just find it all interesting and inspiring!

😥 Sorry Cinnamon, I always mean to update it, my antique computer makes all the photo editing/uploading a bit of a chore though.

Just for you, I’ll get started on another update 8)

Just for you C_G 8)

Oh, and snaps/Turner Guy, if you’re still lurking around looking for something to complain about, the link above has mountainbikes, you can call off the Gestapo.

Terrific, thanks very much! Wonderful pics and you really can’t beat Scotland for scenery. 😀

Shame it didn’t work out but, hey, what’s the rush?

did 60 yesterday never seen so many bikes alongside the Windrush, mind you coming back through Bibury was as expected, a “quaint” Cotswold village on a sunny bank holiday, glad i didn’t go through Bourton!

Nice to just get out in the sun and do a few miles not fast, just to watch the world go by.

But seriously – who in their right mind would choose to ride a road bike when the weather and trail conditions are like they are?

Or is sucking up all those car fumes and avoiding potholes and drain covers that exciting?

The last twenty miles sadly were a bit windy, and I got overtaken by a keen MTBer on a road bike in the last five.

somewhere in internet land a mtb’er is posting on a forum an epic account of how he beat a ‘roadie’ up a hill wearing baggies, peaked helmet and using spd’s while taking his boardman/planet-X/cube/focus* for a spin (20mile ride)

*delete as appropriate

I was thinking that MrSmith. I do seem to be a prime target for YMIL, but they all fade and die when they pass….just no style. The fella in my first post actually stopped at the top of the hill?

But seriously – who in their right mind would choose to ride a road bike when the weather and trail conditions are like they are?

Seriously? I love it. It’s hard to explain, but a country lane is never the same each week. One week it could be freezing, snowing, raining, windy, dark and cloudy or bright sunshine. The roadsides can be barren in winter and change every week from Spring to Autumn.
On top of that it’s the feeling of covering miles and seeing your health and fitness improve. I mean there’s loads more, but I guess it’s a case of what floats your boat.
I’ve always imagined I’d love mountainbiking in a big country, somewhere where beautiful non technical trails went on for hours.

Or is sucking up all those car fumes and avoiding potholes and drain covers that exciting?

Funny, none of that sounds anything like my usual road rides, think you’re doing it wrong.

the feeling of covering miles and seeing your health and fitness improve

doesn’t fast xc mtbing accomplish the same thing – and being that it represents more ‘interval’ style training doesn’t it do it rather better?

My mate at work is always covering lots of road miles, but he is not very fit. I suggest that it is the easy option…

Was out this morning for the first road ride of the year. Only an hour or so, but the lack of traffic, sunshine and hills were spot on. Road bikes are so good for giving you an impression of speed and power; nothing wasted, it just goes straight from your legs and out through the wheels.

Equally, getting muddy/dusty and bouncing down hills is fun. I wished I’d brought my mountain bike with me a couple of times when I spotted little trails I hadn’t seen before. Need the wife in the car trailing behind with another bike on the roof 😀

My mate at work is always covering lots of road miles, but he is not very fit. I suggest that it is the easy option

I sometimes ride with audaxers and they cover stupid mileage, but strangely they don’t ‘appear’ to be fit or strong.
Personally I like to ride around the 18/19MPH mark for three to fours hours. Sounds quickish, but I’m actually trying my damndest to ride at 21MPH plus.

I got rid of my MTB as I was selecting to take my crosser out on my local trails i.e Woburn, but that just wore out too quick. So I’ve almost competed a ‘monster cross’ build…basically a heavy crosser with discs 😐

doesn’t fast xc mtbing accomplish the same thing – and being that it represents more ‘interval’ style training doesn’t it do it rather better?

So why do pro mtbers spend there training time on the road?

My mate at work is always covering lots of road miles, but he is not very fit. I suggest that it is the easy option…

and why will a roadie piss all over the average mtber as far as fitness goes?

As for why, I guess it does depend on where in the country you are, i can road or mtb from my door so i am lucky, but some days i just want to go out watch the world go by no effort, other days i want to travel 60 miles on a road bike is c4 hours and you cover a lot of ground, 4 hours on a mtb doesn’t get you very far.

But why anyone would get in a car to go mtbing every weekend is way beyond me.

My mate at work is always covering lots of road miles, but he is not very fit. I suggest that it is the easy option…

Suggest away 😀

Road cycling is ‘easier’ in as much as you’re not fighting the terrain, and therefor don’t require some great heavy lump of a bike to help you. Because of this, you go faster, or you go longer, or you go hillier.

Because of this you get fitter, because you can actually get on with propelling yourself as fast as possible. The joy of actually riding a bike which is uncomprimisingly fast (and as a side note, doesn’t require a complete overhaul every couple of weeks) is a nice novelty compared to MTBs as well.

If pure speed on tarmac wasn’t fun, why would people buy fast cars or motorbikes?

Poor trolling Turnerguy. 2/10 – must try harder.

Road biking is great, if I’m being honest I do prefer mtb but I have to drive at least an hour each way and time is precious. For some people it’s the other way round (like both but prefer road to mtb), either way it’s all good.

I’m going to stop reading now as I’ve been unable to ride the last 2 (glorious) days and I’m finding this thread depressing.

Good night.

Got pwned by the strong winds yesterday, the return leg of my ride was hell. Plus the heavy miles this week had caught up.