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December 28, 2004
1:44:14
Dana must have been right, that I significantly overestimated the distance between work and Pontcharra. I worked hard today to cover only 51.05 km, averaging only 29.6 km/h (18.4 mi/h).
(Doesn't add up, does it? It's possible the elapsed time doesn't stop when you have to stop at a stoplight, although you don't have to average the 0 km/h minutes into your speed. I stopped at two lights, the second one for the long haul since the police were right there.)
I rode over several hills today that slowed me down to 13 km/h for a minute or more at a time, once for something like a kilometer. That one felt even worse than the one out in front of the house. There's only one hill like that between work and Pontcharra on the Belledonne side, the hill on this side of Goncelin.
From the bridge over the river in Pontcharra uphill to the roundabout near La Rochette, I only averaged 27-28 km/h. Past La Rochette, I had a gradual downhill for several kilometers. It was easy to ride at 34-36 km/h while keeping my cadence high, 90-95 rpm. It was harder to keep that cadence riding at 38-40 km/h. I seem to gravitate to a slower cadence, probably in the low to mid 80s. I slowed down to keep the cadence. I was afraid I'd wear myself out trying to keep up the 38+ km/h pace.
My guess is that keeping the cadence higher ensures the workout is more aerobic. Cycling should build my base for running longer and faster, not cause me muscle or knee problems. Sure enough, my average heart rate was 154 bpm, with 58:27 of the ride falling in my 65-85% zone. Interestingly, when I arrived at the garage door, the heart monitor read only 158 bpm, compared with 173 bmp Sunday, when instead of cycling up the incline I'd run.
From La Rochette, I rode to a roundabout next to Bourgneuf, then took the D204 back west and south. The D204 lies one valley back from the Isère, and brings you back to Montmélian. It's not flat. Instead, it's sprinkled with hills that start when you have no momentum. None of the hills are particularly high, however. My maximum speed came on the downhill to the Autoroute entrance by Montmélian, only 56.5 km/h.
At Montmélian, shivering, I decided to return via Pontcharra rather than Les Marches.
The cyclocomputer works fairly well, although I noticed flakiness near the end of the ride. I'd be going along at about 31 km/h and suddenly the speed would drop off, once down to 18 km/h, another time to 22 km/h. Need to double check the sensor on the rear wheel. Also, when I was on the cold, high stretch, the LCD seemed slow sometimes. Kept functioning, though.
Bothersome points:
- Rear derailleur needs adjustment. It sometimes gets mushy in the center and even skips gears.
- Took the wrong drink. I'd run out of the energy drink mix, so tried green apple syrup the kids drink with water sometimes for a treat. It doesn't taste bad when you're drinking it with a snack, but it's positively vile when you're exercising.
- Never warmed up. I did sweat a lot and my core was okay, but my fingers, knees, toes, and even butt felt cold the whole way. The thermometer here said 2 degrees (36 Fahrenheit). Up past La Rochette the roads were clear but the fields still had snow cover, snow that did not appear to be melting. The air felt charged with humidity as well.
It could be worse. A quick weather check indicates -4 degrees C in South Bend, -7 in Indianapolis.
Posted by Mark at December 28, 2004 02:38 PM
Comments
I read a quote on an internet bicycling forum that said:
"There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing."
I suppose that is one of those sayings that is not, nor intended to be, literally true but nevertheless has a significant element of truth to it.
Posted by: Dana at December 29, 2004 05:54 AM
At about 30 km/h, you'd need better cycling clothing than I have right now to be comfortable when the temperature falls down into the 0-2 degree range.
Yesterday I wore four layers on top, three layers on my legs, but only two layers on my hands. For my head as well, I had only my helmet over the windbreaker hood. The top layer was my red nylon, full body windbreaker from LL Bean. It doesn't billow like a sail, but it does keep the wind from evaporating the sweat directly.
When Matt saw that thing, he said I ought to get some cycling clothes like his. But cycling is his main sport. I asked him how much his best winter jersey cost. He said it must've been around 200 euros. So I'm still hesitating.
Posted by: Mark at December 29, 2004 06:46 AM