October 2008
2 posts
On learning and choices...
“Like a bride goes to a bridegroom” said Bob as we enjoyed a postride Guiness.
I had just finished two consecutive days of riding - 644 kilometres, 400 miles, in total. Bob had joined in for day 2.
He had made an excellent point. No one makes any of us get on a bike - we choose to do it. We make it happen. There is no invisible force that puts us on the road, we have to motivate...
September 2008
14 posts
“The best rides are the ones where you bite off much more than you can chew—and...”
– Doug Bradbury
Establishing the Baseline
Training is all about improvement.
Knowing what to improve is possibly even harder than the actual training itself. Perceived weaknesses might just be excuses that you use to cover up real faults - its very easy to lie to yourself about your real abilities.
Each fall I try to schedule a “find the limiters” ride to help me get past the psychological trickery that positive thinking...
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and...”
– Martin Luther King Jr., “Strength to Love” - 1963
“Ian Hibell went so far in one direction that his eyebrows crusted with frost and...”
– The Economist, “Ian Hibell January-ish, 1934 - August 23, 2008”
Running is for criminals
Running is an important part of my prep phase each year. I typically start running in the early fall. Short jogs around the neighborhood, slowly building into hills and then making my way off-road to do some longer cross country running. 3-4k is all I can usually muster when I re-start each year, but I quickly build up to 20-25k per run pretty quickly.
I find that running really gets me extremely...
“Pain is weakness leaving the body.”
– Tom Sobal
Planning the Training
Preparation for the ride is a much bigger undertaking than the ride itself. To prepare properly, I’m going to have to spend a lot of time getting better, stronger and faster over the next six months - that means time on the bike, time in the gym, time stretching, running and getting my headspace together.
I’ve been doing a lot of research to help me put together a training plan. I...
“It’s not the will to win that matters…everyone has that. It’s...”
– Paul “Bear” Bryant
Topolino Technology
Last August, I broke a spoke on my cherished Topolino C19 Revelation II’s.
These wheels are awesome - strong enough to support my big frame (at peak, I’m 190 pounds, during training, I can range from 200-215 depending on the time of year), but light enough to really help me spin up quickly and stay there.
Unfortunately, I was so wrapped up with training for the ride across Canada,...
“Don’t buy upgrades; ride up grades.”
– Eddy Merckx
Learning about The Next Big Ride
I’m slowly moving towards getting ready to start my training. I’m calling this my “prep phase”.
My goal with this phase is to come to an understanding of what I’m going to do, both in terms of what the ride will require of me - mentally and physically - but also logistically.
I’m doing a lot more solo riding now - well, to be clear - I’m not doing a...
“When I go biking, I repeat a mantra of the day’s sensations: bright sun,...”
– Diane Ackerman