Solstice Century. It's empowering.

 

I mentioned in my last post how Strava was keeping me motivated. This weekend I took on a big challenge; ride 100 miles.

This isn't about boasting, I wanted to see what I was capable of. I looked forward to it from the moment I committed. 

I may have talked two friends into doing this at the next solstice. Giving them time to prepare, I really hope they will ride with me.

It appears Komoot under estimated the distances of the sections I planned. The main loop should have been 17 miles, with 15 miles to get there. So the maths was: 2 times 15 plus 4 times 17 for a total of 98 miles. I added an extra small loop of about 5 miles near Leigh to take me over the distance. 

I knew beforehand I'd have trouble remembering how many times I'd completed a circuit so I decided to have two energy bars and two packets of caffeine chews easily to hand. I alternated between them each time I arrived at Rusper. When the second packet of chews were gone, I could head home. They weren't all that I had to eat, when I got to Leigh I had either an energy bar or gel. I have learnt that eating regularly on longer rides is easily missed, but is essential. If you run out of energy not only does it make the ride miserable but it's really difficult to catch up again.

The ride to the start was actually 19, and the loop was nearly 19. How far did I ride then? A grand total of 117 miles. 

It was eventful; on the first loop I assisted a woman clearing parts of a fallen tree from the road. Until I arrived, no-one from the other cars affected by the obstruction thought to give her any help, chivalry it appears is dead. Then later as I left Ifield I was hammered with hailstones. They continued on and off until I neared Rusper again, then the sun came out. Unfortunately the deluge was enough to refill the rivers and lakes I had been riding through on the lower sections of road. So although I only had to face very light rain for a short period later in the afternoon, there was near constant spray being thrown up.

The third time around I stopped at Tanhouse farm for coffee, I wasn't cold, but in need of a boost. My clothing choices worked well. A waterproof jacket, with a warm base layer and a short sleeved jersey in between. My gloves were from Le Col, they kept my hands warm if not completely dry. Le Col socks with overboot on top of my cycling shoes kept my feet warm, if again not dry.

Once home and showered the extra distance didn't matter. I am very pleased with myself, at what I have achieved. I'd had 8 hours of me time, without any distractions, or worries. I had switched off from everything except the tarmac in front of me. I'm slowly learning what I am capable of, and it's more than I thought. I don't mean, physical strength or endurance, I am discovering mental toughness and confidence. 

It's empowering.

If it isn't on Strava, it didn't happen.

It's a saying on what could be described as Facebook for the fitness community. I have recently started using it as a replacement for Cyclemeter.

For years I recorded my rides on this self contained app, whilst sharing some rides on Facebook. Then a friend sent me a discount code she had earned on Strava. I've had an account for a long time, I can't remember why it's only been used to record one ride. I have now switched to it in an attempt to boost my motivation.

I'm finding it tougher to ride now that winter has really stepped up the unpleasant aspects of the season.

Strava isn't just about recording exercise, there is a bit more of a community feel to it. Companies have taken an interest in a potentially constructive way. They are using it to advertise to people who will have a strong connection to their products or services. With the bonus of discounts for completed challenges. You also earn digital trophies and receive kudos - likes on Facebook - from followers.

So far the change has been positive, I am joining challenges and setting myself goals. Hopefully this will be enough to see me through to the warmer weather. I must resist the temptation to buy too much though.

I have started to plan more exploration rides, follow me on Strava to see the results. I finish work for the year on the 17th December, so I'll have time to look for interesting places. Komoot is my application and website of choice. At the moment I use it to check the distance, it generally suggests quieter roads suited to riding. It's not without problems though; trying to alter a route by dragging points often results in small loops being formed, or it stops using the roads and draws a line between two points. I don't have a cycle computer on to which I can download the route. So I write it down or try to remember. Not too much of a problem if I am familiar with the general area and it doesn't include too many junctions. I'll check the sales in the new year for one.

Safe haven

A few posts ago I shared a link to a video. I have written a few posts about depression and how I adjusted, and came to terms with it.

It has been liberating, people can now understand why I sometimes reacted to past situations in the way I did and hopefully see the improvement in the present.

I write a little of what's going on for this blog. It means people know I'm getting better, it helps me, and hopefully it will encourage others.

If you are feeling the same, talk to someone.

Start small, just say that you aren't so good. Tell them how you feel. 

If you're receiving a call; you don't have to suggest a fix, you don't have to give any advise.

Provide a safe haven, somewhere anything can be discussed.

Check in with people; if they say they're just fine or okay; start a conversation, ask them what they've been doing lately. Just a few minutes on the phone can make a real difference. 

You have no idea how powerfull listening can be.  

To everyone who has made themselves available in different ways; thank you. I am feeling much more positive than I have for a long time.

Testing myself

Why do I cycle; why do I sometimes ride so far?

There are a many reasons why I thought I needed to get out on my bike:

Fitness

Stress relief

Getting away from it all

Listening to Mark Beaumont talk about the mindset behind endurance riding struck a cord. He said life for most people is fairly straight forward, we have challenges and it's not easy all of the time. But mostly we move from day to day without pushing ourselves.

I don't ride around the world like Mark, or even close to it. And I have issues I need to deal with that are a challenge.

I do set myself personal challenges. My photography had some: to get better, obtain paid work. I achieved them to an extent. Ultimately I wasn't prepared to take the risk of becoming a full time photographer. I accepted this and moved on to photograph what interested me, rather than what might lead to paid assigments.

Cycling has become my focus; initially it was to raise money for the therapy centre my wife attends, then to get fitter. It's now a way to test myself. Hills to climb, distances to complete.

I am nearing the limit of how far I can go in the time available. On Saturdays I have six to eight hours. At my pace that's around 112 miles.

It does leave me yearning for longer trips; how far can I go in a day? The problem is finding a route that's interesting, and not just a "get it done' slog.

Riding alone

I have ridden many solo miles this year, and it's been okay at times. I appreciate group rides more now, be it with some restrictions.

Being on my own means I can start when I want, ride as far and as fast as I like and decide when or if I want to stop for food along the way.

Unfortunately they can become monotonous. I challenged myself to tackle some Surrey hills during my recent time off for this reason.

Over the last few months I have looked forward to longer rides. They give me a chance to properly unwind. The after work loops are just a matter of get it done to keep fit. Time with friends provide another way to relax, and I'm glad I can do them regularly. The Sunday ride to meet Matt, sometimes Phil, the Saturdays with Matthew, Richard and James. Although for the next month at least it's just one of them at a time.

I seem to be writing a lot of posts like this, I guess I'm feeling down lately. A recent week off allowed more riding, and I felt better. I know what I'll be doing after retirement. Are more lone rides helping or just distracting me? 

Am I turning into a reclose? I have great support from family and friends, so probably not.

On Tuesday I left the house for my normal ride in the dry, it started raining within twenty minutes. To be honest I could have kept doing loops, it wasn't cold. I can't remember when I stopped wearing shorts last winter, I'm sure it wasn't as late as this.

Riding through the winter

 

It's getting colder and wetter, but I don't want to stop riding.

I've written a few posts about clothing, normally ending with how poor they were.

So what have I done this year?

Overboots, a new coat and gloves. As you can see, I have worn them for many miles.

The first time I used the overboots with my usual short socks was painful. The zip doesn't have a cover, within a few miles it had started to cut into my ankle. I wore longer socks next time, but when it rained they soaked up the water and my feet got wet. Maybe not as bad as they would have, but it was still a dissapointment, my feet were still warm. Heavy rain and big puddles on Saturday; my feet were warm, but very wet. Not sure how I stop water running in from the top, They are a bit clunky and slippery on smooth surfaces.

dhb overshoes

The coat is waterproof, that's a first. It's not warm, but I don't need that at the moment. I wear layers and have a thicker coat when it's needed. The pocket on the back isn't separated like it would be on a jersey. Which is a shame, it would be better not to have my keys rubbing up against my phone.

dhb coat

My new gloves haven't been tested properly yet. It's not very cold and I have missed a proper soaking. First impressions: they are fairly restrictive, I can't wear them on the road bike and use the drops, the leavers are just a little too hard to reach. With each outing they are becoming more flexible, so maybe that will change. Until then I wear a pair made of neoprene. Not especially warm, but they keep my hands dry. I have discovered a trick; wearing latex gloves under them does improve their heat retaining properties, at the expense of sweaty hands.

D2D gloves

I guess I haven't completely found that winning formula for winter clothing. Really heavy rain and very strong winds on Sunday caused me to cancel the ride. I hadn't quite dried everything I wore on Saturday. One day off, once in a while is okay isn't it?

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Gloves update 19-10-20
The first cold ride of the winter. I was initially disappointed, my fingers started to cool. I tightened the wrist straps and my hands soon warmed up. I had to take a phone call so off came one of them. The conversation was long enough for my hand to become chilled again. As I slipped on the glove I could feel the retained heat. Within a minute my hand was toasty again.