Thursday, August 30, 2012

Time for a recap: Biking

Just like swimming, biking is currently in the "cross training" category with running still being the main focus. Nevertheless, I had quite a few hard sessions on the bike that culminated with my longest ride so far, 75km in 3h19min this past weekend. My glutes and I are not best friends these days.

For once, the weather was nice though. We met up on Saturday at 8am and the seven of us went for a tour of Caledon, in places I can't wait to go back to. Peaceful, beautiful and with little road kill.


Hilly group ride - I could have done 50k more!
I don't have more pictures as it was a group ride and I had few photo opportunities, but overall it moved at an acceptable pace (a bit slow for my taste) - but for a first ride out of my comfort zone, I suppose it was a good choice. It definitely met the Training Peaks "ride of the day requirements": HILLS.

Hills have been on the menu for most of my bike rides (swims and runs too!) lately (I suspect that my coach secretly loves to torture me). Just see for yourself, those hills intervals were intense... but also a lot of fun, especially downhill!

Hill repeats x 9 - because we all love to hate them.
I am becoming an adrenaline junkie, is there a 12-step (or 12-hill) program?

As for the middle of the week bike workouts (as part of a brick) I spent those doing hard Z2/4 intervals. Just because hills weren't enough, I also needed to test my cardiac arrest threshold I guess.

Speed?
Speed!
And now, for the bucolic ending, my lovely friends, the moo-moos.



There isn't much else I can say - the rides with Neo are not very surprising in general, aside from the here-and-there squeak and skip. Neo has now a new cog (12-27) and a new chain, so it rides nice and smooth. No flats, no major concerns, but it could use a tune-up. I will make sure to do this before the next triathlon season. Until then, fingers crossed, it won't throw me in a ditch (or vice versa).

Be happy, ride hills!

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