On the Sufferfest platform…

For a ramp test I don’t need a full taper – just 1 or 2 days rest. For the full FTP test I do need a good weeks taper, including an ‘openers’ style workout the day before.

And why would you game an FTP test to make your workouts harder, shouldn’t you be sandbagging it

GVA says report to flogging station #3.

The route for the Greatest Grand Tour of a Mythical Nation in the World was announced yesterday. It’s only 7 days this year as they’re being considerate about fatigue and associated weakening of your immune systems. With lockdown I’m actually going to be able to do it at the right time this year (usually away with the family on half term break). Anyone else doing it?

First day is a killer (30 minute MAP workout + 1h46 of sweetspot at low cadence). Day 2 is a workout I’ve never managed to finish at 100% – an hour long MAP workout. It goes down(up)hill from there…

The 4DP test. Aims to find not only your FTP but also your 5sec, 1min & 5min power values since not everyone fits the normal power curve assumed when just using FTP for everything. Never done this so no idea how accurate it is.

All the info on Sufferfests 4DP test here.

Having done it a few times it’s a git. Designed by Neal Henderson of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine/Apex Coaching who has trained a few world champs so I assume he knows his stuff. You do the FTP test after you’ve done your sprints and your 5 min effort. It uses 100% of the FTP test to gauge your FTP and can tell if you hold back on the 5 minute test. The 1 minute effort comes after. Have a bucket on standby.

If you then commit to a training plan (there are many. e.g. FTP builder, volcano climbing plan, pre-season XC, 200km gravel) in the app the plans are adjusted according to your strengths/weaknesses. It also has yoga (with Abi Carver who has done some for Pinkbike), strength and mental toughness sections too. If you’re thinking of indoor training give the 14 day trail a go, you won’t be disappointed.

Yes, it doesn’t have the social aspect of Zwift but I think it’s a better training tool. Plus they have my sense of humour in the videos.

Post on his Facebook / instagram?

Please tell me you’re including rest weeks in your plan? Your body gets stronger when it has time to recover (2 weeks hard, 1 week easy recommended). Other than that a ramp test every week is a bit excessive IMO but other than that, crack on.

If you are absolutely sure the wall isn’t retaining the neighbouring property I’ll suggest doing a timber sleeper wall supported between the flanges of steel columns placed in concrete pad foundations. Stick some free draining material down the back with a perforated pipe at foundation level to take the water away.

(14 years experience as a structural technician so I’ve drawn up many retaining walls in similar situations)

Example (Not one of mine).

Zombies.

And hopefully a house move…

We’ve never met Gnusmas but I read your updates and can’t believe how life is treating your family and now this. I’m tearing up. C’mon universe, give the guy a break. Thoughts with you at this difficult time. Stay strong.

Doh! Must improve skim reading abilities.

Can’t believe no-one has mentioned Sufferfest yet. It’s way better than Zwift for training purposes IMO: Zwift for gaming, Sufferfest for training. You get access to proper training plans tailored to your own strengths/weaknesses for your desired goal (only after doing the Full Frontal fitness test which is a world of pain if done properly), yoga, strength and mental training all in one app.

https://thesufferfest.com/

They do a 14 day trial. Try it, you won’t be disappointed.

I’d move to Aviemore area in a heart beat if I could persuade the Mrs. I have to settle for a week up there in either the spring or autumn school holidays and the odd weekend throughout the year. Love the place and it ticks all your requirements.

A bit like the Foundation series

I watched the Dune trailer (needs more Sting) then one of the suggested trailers was for Foundation on Apple TV next year. I didn’t know that was happening. Looks spectacular too.

https://youtu.be/xgbPSA94Rqg actual trailer starts at 45 seconds after Apples obligatory ‘aren’t we great’ montage.

Haven’t read either series in a few years, think I’ll dig then out this weekend and let my eldest read them afterwards.

Read/watch all the info on this guys website. Probably overkill but it gives you a good idea of what may be involved.

https://www.alidymock.com/

We’re moving house soon and I’ve got a bike store/home office/shed combo in the planning. Going to dig down a little bit and have an oak sleeper retaining wall around the perimeter of the ‘shed’ so I can get the ground floor level with the ground outside to maximise the internal ceiling height whilst still keeping the maximum height below 2.5m. Will be reinforcing the bike shed walls with something like this: http://securitylath.co.uk/

Need a slide off the roof.

Go here and enter the set number.

https://www.lego.com/en-gb/service/replacementparts

Can buy the pieces from Lego which has been handy for me when my youngest went through a stage of flushing his older brothers lego down the pan…

Can’t believe no one has mentioned Raval yet. Awesome, award winning indian food. Or Ouseburn – loads of places to eat/drink ending at the Free Trade to spend 20 mins in the gents reading the graffiti. Good ale too and views back up the Tyne to the bridges.

For kids there’s a clip n’ climb in eldon square leisure centre, places Drac has mentioned are all good, discovery museum, space themed crazy golf at Mr Mulligans, angry bird crazy golf/Namco funscape at the metrocentre…

I’ve been looking at the on-one hideousness this week and can’t help thinking it’d be my perfect commute bike (mix of gravel paths, road and bridlepaths). They’ve not got any in my size though until end of next week apparently. Possibly. I’ve got until then to come to my senses.

I’ve tried to upgrade to win10 whilst trying to keep all my files. Having a right arse trying to get it sorted, it keeps getting to installing the win10 updates then fails. I’ve done all the advice I can find for the error code that pops up but the same thing happened the next time so I’ve now decided to back up everything to an external drive and do a clean install. That’s tonight’s job. Joy.

I just reply with the asking price.

Me too. I’m trying to sell my old hi-fi seperates system currently and a few people are just interested in the amp and have asked what I’d sell that for. I just reply with the asking price and tell them I’ll bung in the cd player, speakers, etc for free. No takers yet for some reason.

Are you a member of English Heritage or is he in the scout association? You can get an extra 10% off the normal discount card price.

I did this route a few years ago, I absolutely loved it. Mostly rocky terrain around Grizedale. I only went down 1 bit of the North Face trail which you can miss out if you want. Depends on how low down freezing gets to as the highest point is 300m overlooking Coniston but it’s mostly in the trees. The descent into Satterthwaite was awesome. Only started in Bowness as I was staying their – start at Grizedale for the facilities and miss out the boat trip over the lake.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1017606541

What Jonba said really. As a warning the A1 is about to have an overhaul to 3 lanes from the Tyne to the A696 turn off so I’d live north of that if possible. At least until it’s finished.

Kingston Park has one of the best primary schools around the area, metro links, shops, etc. The secondary school it feeds into is awful though. Still lots of houses being built on the Great Park too if you’re after new.

Lots of lovely quiet rural road riding on your doorstep from anywhere really (well, a few miles). MTB as above, have to travel a bit further for it.

It’s meeeeee!

Well, £5.70 of it anyway.

Genuinely hope the winner enjoys it and doesn’t go public. As above I can’t understand why people do.

I went to the Gateshead one on Sunday. I thought he was still getting into the hang of public speaking but still good. Really enjoyed it, we even got the added bonus of Danny Hart on stage for a bit of Q&A between them. We’re in for some anglo-saxon man love after next years races apparently (blame the French). Agreed it would have been nice to have an audience Q&A but at least he was signing stuff at the merch stand in the interval.

I forgot to mention in my post above not to discount the blue osprey route to anyone that goes to Kielder. Yes, it’s got some loooong stretches on fireroad/the lakeside way but the actual trails are fantastic, flowy, grin inducing fun.

I’d do Kielder. Do the Deadwater route first (missing the climb up to the top as per above unless it’s a clear sunny day with no wind as the view is cracking), hang a left and climb up fireroad to do the bottom 2/3s of the black bit then climb up the fire road towards the observatory to come down skydive. Quite a bit of fireroad climbing though. 2 laps of the deadwater?

Similar to this only I missed the technical climbing bit out. Can’t remember why and tagged on a bit of the blue between the black and skydive. https://strava.app.link/gr5rFSj5v0

Did one of my favourites yesterday. Edmundbyers/Blanchland/Bolt’s Law loop (the classic ride in issue 122). Conditions were nigh on perfect, cake in Blanchland was excellent and the enduro riders (motorbike variety) were keeping to the legal trails for a change. Top day out.

Top of Bolts Law https://imgur.com/gallery/3aKjk5l

Another Sufferlandrian here. It hasn’t got an android app (yet, they’re working on it) so I use a laptop and an ANT+ usb stick. As above they do a weeks free trial. Try it. As an added bonus you get yoga and strength training videos too.

Opening tomorrow if anyone’s interested.

I’ve got my kids some of these:

https://www.polaris-bikewear.co.uk/Terra-Childrens-Cycling-Shorts-p/pol01-5727-p.htm

Word of warning about the sizing though – my 8 year old is 140cm tall and the size S still fit him. My 4 (almost) year old is 115cm and I’ve just got him a pair in S and they’re quite baggy.

About 15 years ago in the drawing office I was in we were running out of server space. The IT dept decided to run a program overnight to automatically delete the .bak files autocad generates to free up space. Did they test it first on a standalone machine? Did they set it to run after the daily auto backup? Did they arse. It deleted everything off the server except the folders. Cue 30 odd blokes carrying pitch forks and torches down to the IT dept in the morning for deleting a full days work.

My osteo used to be a doc. She’s worked wonders on an imbalance I’ve got in my lower back that was causing me leg pain. I have nothing more to add.

Would’ve loved to have seen the neighbours face…

Out in Newcastle last night…

Whyte Energy

Breninbeener: I use this

https://mapstogpx.com/strava/

Really easy to use although worth checking the output in something like bikehike to make sure it follows the exact route before you go.

Firefly

How about… oh, I dunno… an actual piece of cork? Maybe not that reusable though.

I used this after our 12 year old Golf failed its MOT due to its headlight covers:

https://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductMobileDisplay?catalogId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=165671&productId=1485741&storeId=10001

Really easy to use (no drill required) and they look brand new. Sailed through the retest.

Of the ones I’ve been to so far – Fisherground campsite in Eskdale was brilliant. Campfires, playpark, stream & pond, river Esk & pub a short walk away and its own station for the Eskdale mini railway. The kids didn’t want to leave.

I know a chap that has a lot of experience doing just this in Northumberland. I’ve sent him an email so he may post a reply/give me the ok to pass along his email address.

My son’s off to Hawkhirst next month and is really excited to be throwing tomahawks. I’m just annoyed that they’ve got enough leaders going this year they don’t want any extra helpers so I can’t go. Went last year and it was great fun (apart from the kid waking up screaming at 2am…).

Got mine too! Took a few selfies for my Insta now I need to return it…

No chance. It’s a cracking T, better quality than I was expecting too. Thanks AlexSimon for doing all this and donating some of the cash. Top work. I’ll be wearing mine at GT next week.