Against my better judgement, I've tentatively scheduled the Texas Rando Stampede 1200. They run this one every two years and while their site hasn't been updated yet, it'll kick off on 5/1/13. 750 miles, < 90 hours (hopefully), Texas Hill Country....what could possibly go wrong?
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Rugby season's started up, and my cycling's had to go straight out the window. No more time for hours on the bike. Anybody got a good cycling workout that takes about 20 minutes? I might have to buy an indoor trainer.
20 minutes is just warm up to get the legs loose and blood circulating. I'd say at minimum an hour for short intervals if you want a focused cardio workout. 4x10 min aerobic threshold with 5 mins rest (endurance level) between sets. Or the standard 2x20 with 10 minutes rest between sets. 20 minute warm up, 50 minutes workout and 20 minute easy spin = 1.5 hours. That's about as short as I can make a workout and get anything useful out of it.
That is what thought as well. Then I read that over 80% of the WC downhill guys use clipless, all of the top 10. I figured if they could do it, so could I.... They did give me the inspiration to try it again though.
Go get Time Crunched Cyclist by Chris Carmichael. My buddy doesn't quite have the concept of an easy spin down. Every freaking hill he comes to, he HAS to attack it. That wasn't the plan for the ride today. Oh well. I did the effort level I wanted to do (and maybe a titch more) and he did what he wanted to do. 2:03 on the road. Tomorrow: easy hour with a few jumps and a few short efforts to get ready to race on Sunday. Yay for cross season! M
So why in the world do these riding jerseys cost so much? They are made of the same material as running technical shirts, yet often cost 3X more. Am I missing something? Since I started riding back in July I have been riding in normal workout clothes made of the DriFit material (UnderArmor, Nike, store brand, whatever) which wicks away sweat. Is there some benefit to the MTB specific jerseys I do not know about? Or is it that this is a low volume apparel so the price is higher to make up the difference? Or am I shopping in the wrong places?
For mtn biking, I'm seriously tempted to wear the same stuff you're wearing. You don't need the pockets and tight fit of road stuff off-road. A. you're not going as fast and B. you've got a camelbak with you that has all yer tools and food in it. The only thing stopping me is... ...I'm a roadie and I have lots of jerseys that go with my bib-shorts. I refuse to wear 'mtn biking shorts' with the outer baggy layer. M
Yeah, I won't buy the shorts either. Mainly because I have so many pairs of board shorts for swimming, I just through those on over some athletic undies and away I go. All the MTB shorts I see are close to 100 dollars Sorry, not paying The two local trails I ride mostly are loops around public walkways. The trails are 6 and 9 miles long, but each are on no more than 100 acres. If the bike breaks I just throw it over my shoulders and walk back to the car. The only thing I have with me when I ride is water in the water bottle attached to the bike. Oh, and keys and phone, just in case. Those I put in the pockets of the board shorts, inside of a sandwich bag so they do not slide out while riding.
Good luck on this weekend stay in the pain cave, You too Gummie, Wow that bike looks great.Full poser mode......Well you'll look good doing it.....
I've had to give it up now. 28 years of dedication, blood sweat and tears. And the two injuries that broke the camels back were off season touch games. Technically I qualify for the Catalina Old Boys Tournament though... Might show up on a random Saturday and play in a B side game just for shits n giggles. Riding long always gave me an aerobic advantage at the beginning of training, but getting different muscles, running muscles, used it was no fun. Bicycles were made so we wouldn't have to run. Good luck in the season.
One of my few regrets is that I took up rugby fairly late in life. I really wish I'd played it when I was much younger. Great game.....I also wish I'd taken up cycling MUCH earlier than I did.
