When I was made redundant from my previous job when I was 18 I did 5 months as a labourer on building site during winter in the early 90’s, it was hideous. The site backed on to the Dudden estuary in Cumbria so we got the full force of the howling SW winds. One particular bad day was final straw for me. The weather was awful, blowing a gale with rain and sleet thrown in for good measure. All the brickies had gone home (couldn’t work in those conditions) The boss however made me and another lad dig a trench out for the drains using spades and a pick axe. Even though there was a JCB that could’ve done it in an hour. All for £2 an hour…

I’ve been running tubeless on standard h plus son archetype (rim brake) rims for years. (In fact two sets after the first wore out) with no issues. As said above use more tape to help the initial seal. 25c IRC tubeless tyres at 76psi front/78 rear.

Growing up in the Southern end of the Lake District. Couldn’t wait to move away when I was in my teens. Found it an utterly boring place to live. Now though, I’d move back up there in a shot if I could afford to.

Success ! (I hope)

Just tell him to slow down ?

Been on a hybrid keto diet for several years now. Less than 30g of carbs for 6 days then a carb up on a Sunday. Started doing it in my gym days and just stuck to it. Helps keep my weight stable. I’ve got an incredible sweet tooth so used to find that on a high carb diet I’d end up eating to much crap. By eating the way I do I can control my weight but one day a week I’ll eat anything I fancy so don’t deny myself of things I like. Be it chocolate or cake 😁
All my training rides during the week ( sometimes high intensity up to 3hrs) are carb free, often fasted. In fact I’ve done several 6hr, 100 mile + rides at a decent pace on the roads without carbs and sometimes even fasted. I think it helps me with the racing I normally target (long distance TT’s) in that although I do take on carbs during the race I’m able to use more of my fat as my primary energy sauce, only dipping into glycogen as and when needed.

312 miles at the TT 12hr national championships last year. Average speed was 26mph. Stopped for 8 minutes to replenish food, water and a couple of comfort breaks that cost me a podium. Some of the people above me only stopped for a minute 😳

Great shout for Bod. Jamie and the magic torch was a goodie also.

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jeffl
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Going against the thread title, as it wasn’t music but a specific theme, but the Thundercats theme was awesome.

Mmmmm Cheetara. *oh crap, did I just say that out aloud ?* 😬

Always used Merlin as my “go to” internet shopping site. Also because they’re quite near to where I live I’ve often popped in to collect parts if I need them in a hurry. I’ve always found them pleasant to deal with. The (ex?)co owner,Debs is a very accomplished TT’er who is mad as a box of frogs (in a good way I hasten to add !) It’ll be interesting how Merlin cycles move on from here.

So so sorry to read this 😢
We lost our first Ridgeback 18 months ago and although it does get easier you never get over it. All it takes is a FB memory to pop up of him out with us as a family, strutting his stuff on the dog show circuit or just me and him mtbing and all of a sudden it gets very dusty in the front room…
Take solace that although she’s left a massive hole in your heart, she has also filled your head with beautiful memories
Run free sweet girl ❤️

Highest I achieved was 4.78W/KG a couple of years ago (380W @76kg) That was off probably 10-12hrs a week.

Just wondering, for all those on here with the big numbers, do you race outside too or is it all virtual? If so, what is your discipline of choice and how do ?

Race outside doing TT’s so having a high W/Kg should be beneficial but it all depends on what distance/discipline you do. My main forte is the longer distances so its all very well having a huge 20 min W/kG but it’s not much good if you blow up during a 100 mile/12hr TT. (Last years 12hr Nationals I managed 3.17 for the race)
Same as road and crit races. Having a good 5min power will help you keep in the front pack as someone attacks up a hill. Likewise the ability to bang out 1800W for the sprint. All very well having 5W/Kg but if you haven’t got race craft (and miss the breakaway) or huge power numbers for the sprint you ain’t going to win anything

Managed to do my third and last ride yesterday to complete the Challenge. Set off at 6am, 50miles on the flatlands of the Fylde on my own then met up with a couple of friends and did another 70miles in the hills of Lancashire and Cumbria. Hardest ride of the week for sure (7600ft of climbing) Had to contend with numerous flooded roads and back roads full of gravel due to the rain washing it off the fields. Hit a pothole nackering my rim causing my tubeless set up to slowly loose air. Kept stopping to top it up but in the end gave up and bunged a tube in it. 300yrds from home the tube exploded so had to do the walk of shame 😂
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYLsriCskzj/?utm_medium=copy_link

2nd ride of the challenge for me today. Bloody crap for the first 3hrs (2 of those were in the dark) Rain and wind so very cold. Was struggling to change gear at times due to numb hands.Thankfully the rain stopped and the sun came out and it made all the difference. Set off with the intention of doing the first few miles fasted then take food on as soon as I felt my energy levels drop. Amazingly I managed to do the whole ride with just water, my longest ride fasted. Today’s stats :
120miles (194km)
18.2mph av
130bpm av
220W av power
The forecast for the next two days around here is pretty dire so a 110mile ride on the 31st should see me complete the challenge.

Did 130k (80miles) yesterday in gopping conditions. Was hoping for a imperial ton but ran out of time. Only got a two day window next week so it’ll be two big rides 😬

Feed our Ridgebacks raw like (I’d hazard a guess) 85% of the rest of the owners/breeders in the show world. Yes it is a bit more of a hassle defrosting and storing it but you soon get into a routine. (Although our first Ridgeback would only eat frozen meat which was handy) Like other posters have said the dogs coats are always in great condition and the number 2’s are solid so easy to pick up and help express the anal glands as they push the stools out. Know of several people who’ve had dogs with skin problems, changed over to a raw food diet and it’s disappeared.
The old saying fit as a butcher’s dog rings very true IMO

Big flake scotch porridge oats, milk, golden syrup, raisins, bit of nutmeg chucked into a bowl then on the hob. Halfway through put some fresh blueberries, sliced strawberries and raspberries. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Transfer to a bowl then a bit of yogurt on top. Lush

Isn’t that why you apply a factor of 95% to the 20 minute number?

No, Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggan (who know far, far more about these things than me) explain it here :

Why subtracting 5% to the average power?

Allen and Coggan observed that the average power sustained in a 20-minute test is 5% higher than the one you can maintain in a one-hour test.

It’s important to remember that the test procedure suggested by the two American physiologists aims at simulating the maximum effort a subject can sustain for an entire hour without an excessive lactic-acid build-up, but drastically reduces the performing time to a third.

I’ve done a few FTP tests over the years doing the 20min effort variation. Bear in mind it should include a 5mins VO2 effort after a good warm up to stop any anaerobic contribution to the 20 minute effort. If you don’t it’ll skew your final results and give you an elevated FTP.
As for the test I admit they’re not pleasant but for me being predominantly a TT’r I’m (for want of a better word) lucky that I’m used to doing similar, consistent power efforts during my shorter (10 mile) races so know how to pace better and putting myself in the hurt locker more than most people. Still really hard though!
What I find one of the most important things is your mental approach to the test, both before and during. Before getting on the bike fire yourself up for it. If you climb aboard the bike full of negative thoughts (This is going to hurt, I’m going to blow up etc) your already beaten. Gee yourself up and you’ll give yourself a fighting chance. I find it’s the same when your doing the test. It’s a fine line between completing it and failing. Chris Bordman used to say this during TT’s and it can be related to the FTP test :
Is my current pace sustainable? If the answer is yes then you’re not going hard enough, if the answer is no then it’s already too late, so the answer you’re looking for is maybe.
If those nagging doubts start entering your head and take over it can affect your performance. (Been there, done that lots of times 😂)
Another thing I do to help is forget about the power numbers during the test (and to a lesser extent HR) that’s showing on the screen, go off feel. I normally just have my cadence showing and concentrate on that.

Congrats Andy – that is really impressive. How far did you go in the 12, not 27 miles lol?

Hahaha ! Yes slightly longer than 27miles. Managed 311.something miles, just under an average of 26mph ( yes it was a fast course!) still mad on my result though. I did a two stop strategy involving camelback bladders which meant I stopped for nearly 8minutes. The winner had a guy handing up bottles and food so only stopped for 30secs. I was only 3miles behind him so if I’d of used the same strategy the speeds we were doing I’d of been right in the mix 😩
A 19 on Levans is definitely achievable for you Garry_Larger. It’s certainly a quick course. Probably one of the quickest in the country now the mighty V718 is no more.
My bike is an old Cannondale slice that I picked up 2nd hand for £650. (Although it’s been upgraded with a new cockpit and wheels

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQGVR3ZhmG8/?utm_medium=copy_link

Bit of a thread resurrection. With the TT season more or less over with how did it pan out for you all ? For me it was a bit of a mixed bag. My run of DNF and DNS’s early on in the season hampered me somewhat. Also due to me really concentrating on the BAR standings this year I never trained as much as I’d of liked for the shorter stuff and my 10 and 25 miles times showed this, not beating any of my previous PB’s at these distances. I did however set PB’s on two of the BAR distances. Beat my previous 100 mile time by nearly 4 minutes. Also did a huge distance PB at the 12hr National championship of 27miles (it was admittedly a much quicker course though) it was a bit bitter sweet for me though, a balls up by me on the nutrition side of things meant that I stopped far to long during the race and definitely cost me a podium, possibly the win but hay ho, you live and learn ( I did however manage to come 2nd in the VTTA standings that made my cock up a bit easier to swallow) As for my BAR speed I averaged 27.4mph over the three distances, sneaking me into the top 10 for the year.My 50 time let me down badly due to it being relatively early in the season and I was still building my peak for the 12hr. Had I got near my 50 PB I’d of probably snuck into the top five of the BAR standings. Also managed to win an open event near the end of the season, a 30miler held on the Levans course. Although a lot of the big guns either didn’t enter or turn up so I was quite lucky.
As for next year I quite fancy entering the National 24hr although A:trying to persuade my wife it’s a good idea and B: getting a support crew together to help me might prove difficult 😞

Done this route that includes GDF a couple of times now. Might be a bit longer than you were thinking of though..
https://www.strava.com/activities/1752382948

A less crazier route is this one, starting and finishing at Sedbergh
https://www.strava.com/activities/405482999
It is a great climb though. Never been abroad cycling but I’m guessing it’s the closest you’ll get to it in this country. Highest paved road in the U.K. apparently. Echo the comments about checking the weather, it can get pretty grim up there.

If you can find one Rapha did a EF education team replica jacket using shake dry.
https://bikerumor.com/2020/11/09/exclusive-rapha-pro-team-gore-tex-jackets-game-changing-shakedry-color-visibility/
Unfortunately they sold out pretty quick due to the colour

With my wife and I being massive MotoGP fans we’ve named our two dogs and the kennel names (we get on really well with the breeder so she gave us permission) with a rider theme. We’ve got Jimanns ‘The Doctor’ and called him Rossi (as in Valentino Rossi)

And we’ve just taken delivery of this little munchkin last Friday 🤗
Jimanns Jackass aka Miller

A 2hr target is always a good benchmark to start with for a 50. As for being in position I find getting outside and doing training rides helps massively.

Done three TT’s since my last update. A 10 (the same night and course as Garry_Larger I think) 25, and a 100.
No Pb’s on any of them so a bit disappointed really. The 100 was supposed to be one of my main A races this year but it didn’t pan out at all. Set off with a power target for 25mile laps and after the first lap felt really good and bang on target so started to up it slightly. 30miles in I felt my right hip starting to give me a bit of pain and unfortunately it got progressively worse, in fact after 75 miles I nearly jacked it was that bad, I just couldn’t get the power out that I wanted. Managed to finish and after getting back to the HQ and gingerly climbed off the bike I noticed that my saddle had split causing my hips to rock. Got round in 3hrs 46mins, over 7mins slower than my Pb on this course. Got a 50TT this Sunday back up at Keswick then nothing until the National 12hr at the beginning of August.

Chill out = The beloved, happiness or the Stone roses = the stone roses

Did a 25 last Wednesday and actually managed to finish 😄 Not the best of courses (14 roundabouts to contend with made for a lot of freewheeling 🤬) and the wind was awful! The course basically runs North to South and on the night we had to contend with strong, blustery Easterly winds so running my deep section front made for some “interesting” moments. Stoped the clock in 54:43 placing me 5th overall.

My first few applications of the graphene wax were similarly a bit short lived but I’ve started leaving the chain in for a bit longer and it seems to have improved.

How long do you leave the chain in the wax for Stevious ? I’ve been using absolute black wax and had mixed success. I normally leave it in for 5mins (stirring it all the time) I’m lucky if I get 120 miles out of it, much less in wet conditions.

Well my 25 I had planned on Sunday turned out to be another DNF. 10 miles in and started loosing pressure on my tubeless rear disc. Thought about carrying on but a couple of iffy moments going round the corners made my mind up to sack it off. Of the six events I’ve entered I’ve only many to finish three 😩 As they say bad luck comes in three’s so I’m hoping that’s all of them out of the way and I can have the rest of the season trouble free.

Also, what do people use to stop their visor fogging up in the rain? I spend most of my event riding one handed while trying to wipe the steam off

An old motorbike racers tip was to use a drop of washing up liquid on the inside of the visor then rub it in with a cloth.

Did another open 10 Saturday evening and actually managed to finish 😄 local course to me so signed in, picked my number up and went back home to do the warm up in the kitchen on Zwift 😂 The race went ok, not my fastest time I’ve set on there (bad cross winds in places) but managed 9th out of 81 and set a course power PB so overall happy. Got a 25 this Sunday morning, my best time on it was when I just started TT’ing using my roadbike with clip-ons so hoping for a PB

Many moons ago during my miss spent youth my then girlfriend (now wife) and I bought our first house. As you do we decided to re decorate so after a trip to B&Q all the paint was acquired to do the ceilings, walls and skirting boards. First job was to re paint the front room ceiling. I was working mornings so got home before the good lady and thought I’d get into her good books by making a start before she returned from her work. “I’ll just have a quick joint before I start though”
Now suitably stoned I made a start. Poured out the white paint into the tray.
“Bit thick” I thought as I started to use the roller but carried on regardless.
“Wow, what a difference it’s making.”
I managed to do half of it when she came in from work, looked at the ceiling and stopped dead in her tracks.
“What are you doing?”
What does it look like I’m doing, I’ve made a start on painting the ceiling”
Your painting it with gloss…”
Moral of the story? Don’t do drugs then start diy kids.

Felt a bit blocked in that I wasn’t all that tired at the finish (relatively speaking) – often get this with the first few tests. Think it’s just lacking some physical and mental condition – takes me a bit to get to that level where you can fully open the taps (some folk can do this regardless).

Very much the same as me Garry_Larger. Due to last year’s racing not getting underway until late summer I spent most of last winter, spring and early summer just doing SS and tempo training sessions. A few longer distance TT’s then the season was over and I was back doing long Z2 and tempo over this winter. So I’ve done next to no high intensity training for 18months. It’s as if I’ve forgotten to put myself into the pain cave on the short 10mile races. Last Saturdays race was a case in point. Only managed an average HR of 162. Normally it’d be 170 +

Haven’t had the best of starts this year. First one, a 25 miler was a dnf after 20 miles due to a puncture. Next race, a 10 on a (for me) new course wasn’t the best due to pacing it all wrong. I was advised to save some matches for the last 2miles that was uphill into a headwind. Trouble was I went to soft on the way out so although I finished strongly the damage was already done. Next race was a dns because my crank bolt sheared off on my warm up 😭 Had another 10 on a quick DC course last Saturday. Conditions weren’t the best but I got round. My last 3 rides on this course I’ve gone sub 20 so was disappointed to post 20:43. Still, all my training up to now has been building a solid base for the 12hr National in August so done very little high intensity efforts so now that I’m starting to introduce some I’m hoping my 10 times will get back to what I was doing.

What is wrong with you people? Obviously the best drummer is this thing

Joking aside Reni for me. Saw the SR at Heaton park and the guy just blew me away

In to my 4th week of training with my new coach (although it’s only three weeks of training, the first week involved testing my 5 and 20min CP to set my zones 🤮) Really enjoying it, managed to do all the sessions although today’s was touch and go weather I did (had my covid jab yesterday and felt a bit “iffy” upon waking) I’m predominantly doing a base phase atm so mainly built around tempo/SS but already doing sessions around these zones that I haven’t done/seen before so it bodes well for the rest of the year. Everyday is a school day and all that !

I’d go with the RSL’s The Emonda is classed as the lightweight climbers bike and the shallower depth rims look better on it. If it was the Madone on the other hand….

Recently started using a coach instead of be self coached and had to do some power tests to reset my training zones. One of them was my five minute max. After a good warm up I ground out a 430W effort. More than pleased with that number, especially as I don’t normally train for this sort of duration (long distance TT’s are my bag) I also did a twenty minute test the day before so might’ve had a bit of fatigue in my legs. Could I hit 500 ? At my age (47) and the amount of training I’ve done over the years (my gains have slowed down dramatically) I very much doubt it.

Over the last 13 weeks I’ve been averaging 850 TSS (highest week was 1097, lowest 629) That’s a combination of indoor training on Zwift (Team Time Trial races, base training rides and SS and tempo sessions) and 100 mile plus rides outside on a Sunday.My CTL is around the 130 mark atm. After years of self coaching I’ve taken the plunge of being coached by someone else. The reason behind my thinking is after doing well at the TT’s I did last year I’d like to take it to the next step. I’ve chosen a guy who I’ve been following for quite a while now and find his comments on social media really informative. In my eyes he knows his onions 😁 It’ll be interesting to see what he has in store for me.

Suzuki RGV250M – 30 years old now but IMO still look fantastic
Honda Civic TypeR EP3. Bought it when it was 12 months old, ran it for four years and apart from tyres and petrol (lots of) not a thing was spent on it. Sold it in an immaculate condition for 5k. Regretted it ever since 😢