Yesterday I rode 39-GMR loop (backside GMR) with the club. There were an A and a B group, A group is for fast riders, B group for slower. I joined the A group of course. Encouraged from last week's group ride, I tried to push myself more on this ride. Yet I still couldn't keep up with the guys. On top of this, there was another girl in the ride who seemed to have no problem! She's not even in proper cycling gear but do have huge thighs. Before this, the only girl in the club who is faster than me is the lady who complimented me, but she is a pro elite so I'm not going to compare with her - not just yet. The guys are faster than me, but there is a 19 or so years old kid who is even faster. He is trying to turn pro and he would always cycle back and forth waiting for us. I thought if I was at his speed I'd have no problem being a pro. But apparently and I quote 'Lesley Paterson would kick him in the butt in cycling'. She is a pro triathlete, not a pro cyclist! Ahh, so now I have to beat the guys and beat that kid before even talking about turning pro. As well, pro cyclists ride 400-500 miles per week, and 250 miles per week during off season. I'm not even doing 100 miles a week - how could I even possibly consider turning pro! After all these realizations it's suffice to say that I was rather upset with myself. I know I've got 2.5 years before cycling full time, but I need to start now to build a good base.
So I went for another ride this morning - I did the GMR-39 loop. Last month when I did it, it took me 2 hours and 50 min excluding rest. I was hoping to shave off 10 min today if possible.
At the start of the ride, I nearly got run over....I was inside a round about and a car was moving into it. Knowing how stupid LA drivers are, I'm always careful - so I watched him, sure enough, he kept on moving forward as I was riding past him. So I yelled at him, and that was how he stopped. I looked back at him to make sure he's not trying to run me over again. He kept on apologizing as he drove past. I nodded to acknowledge it. But saying sorry would not be bloody enough if he had crashed into me!
During the ride I tested out my new wheelset, tires and cassette. At a time when people pay hundreds to shave off a few grams, I just upgraded my bike and gained 400 grams....it kills me. It's the wheels that weighed more. I got these wheels for $130, apparently they are of $300-$500 quality. But they are so much heavier than my previous Maddux R3.0 wheels which came with the bike. I couldn't find the price for these, but with my bike being $1000, I can't imagine the wheels being more than a hundred. Long story short, I couldn't compare the weight of these wheels until they have arrived. I always thought that the more expensive the wheels, the lighter they would be. Anyway, I know that at this stage, I'm not limited by equipment, rather it's by my own abilities. I think I do like my new wheelset, it seems to roll well and is quite aero.
I also tried to climb out of the saddle more. It's still hard to do this especially on high gradients (when I actually need to climb out of the saddle). I'll keep practicing on my trainer at home. Speaking of which, now I realized why I was having so much saddle problem. While practicing on the trainer I discovered that I should sit backwards more, so the weight is mostly supported on the seat bones. The saddle pain is a lot less, yet after being on the saddle for a couple of hours it still hurts. As I got off the bike, I could feel blood flowing again - it felt so good...
Oh yes, I did 2 hr 36 min today, 14 min off from a month ago. Hmm I wonder why?! Perhaps it's a combination of me pushing harder, climbing out of saddle, bike upgrade (which may have slowed me down actually, not sure) and/or just getting stronger. :)
So I went for another ride this morning - I did the GMR-39 loop. Last month when I did it, it took me 2 hours and 50 min excluding rest. I was hoping to shave off 10 min today if possible.
At the start of the ride, I nearly got run over....I was inside a round about and a car was moving into it. Knowing how stupid LA drivers are, I'm always careful - so I watched him, sure enough, he kept on moving forward as I was riding past him. So I yelled at him, and that was how he stopped. I looked back at him to make sure he's not trying to run me over again. He kept on apologizing as he drove past. I nodded to acknowledge it. But saying sorry would not be bloody enough if he had crashed into me!
During the ride I tested out my new wheelset, tires and cassette. At a time when people pay hundreds to shave off a few grams, I just upgraded my bike and gained 400 grams....it kills me. It's the wheels that weighed more. I got these wheels for $130, apparently they are of $300-$500 quality. But they are so much heavier than my previous Maddux R3.0 wheels which came with the bike. I couldn't find the price for these, but with my bike being $1000, I can't imagine the wheels being more than a hundred. Long story short, I couldn't compare the weight of these wheels until they have arrived. I always thought that the more expensive the wheels, the lighter they would be. Anyway, I know that at this stage, I'm not limited by equipment, rather it's by my own abilities. I think I do like my new wheelset, it seems to roll well and is quite aero.
My upgraded bike
I also tried to climb out of the saddle more. It's still hard to do this especially on high gradients (when I actually need to climb out of the saddle). I'll keep practicing on my trainer at home. Speaking of which, now I realized why I was having so much saddle problem. While practicing on the trainer I discovered that I should sit backwards more, so the weight is mostly supported on the seat bones. The saddle pain is a lot less, yet after being on the saddle for a couple of hours it still hurts. As I got off the bike, I could feel blood flowing again - it felt so good...
Oh yes, I did 2 hr 36 min today, 14 min off from a month ago. Hmm I wonder why?! Perhaps it's a combination of me pushing harder, climbing out of saddle, bike upgrade (which may have slowed me down actually, not sure) and/or just getting stronger. :)
omg... pro cycling sounds like hard work ... and ouch - i mean, constantly cycling? what do u think when u cycle for over 2 hrs?
ReplyDeleteoh and that is soooo dangerous!!! but u also gotta be careful of crazy ppl - like some ppl might not even apologise and turn crazy