Cycling thread
- Thread starter Bruce Wayne
- Start date
Black Belt Jones
Player Valuation: £25m
A prescient call - great to see him take a stage at the weekend. He has won a TT stage before but a race GT stage must be a special thing to put on the palmares.
Black Belt Jones
Player Valuation: £25m
Yeah looking a bit shaky. I had pictured each team locked down pretty tight but have no idea what the reality is, if it's even possible to do that in a GT environment.
Flanders is on Sunday which should be awesome - there have been some spicy exchanges between van Aert and van der Poel after last weekends Gent Wegelhem:
Wout van Aert: 'Van der Poel would rather that I lost than he won'
Belgian criticises his Dutch rival for negative tactics at Ghent-Wevelgem but Van der Poel says he rode to win
www.cyclingweekly.com
Mainly van Aert sounding like a Ted tbh.
It's an interesting dynamic - they've raced each other 100 times on the cross, as two of the greatest riders the sport has ever seen, and always cultivated a healthy respect (at least outwardly). But MvdP was always the more talented and had that edge over Wout.
Now it's a little different on the road with Wout basically being the strongest rider in the world this year, so perhaps he feels like he can play a different mental game.
spectateur
Player Valuation: £30m
Sagen is back. Played his old game yesterday, in the break in a very lumpy stage. Hoovered up the jersey points.
Stomps off up a 20%+ hill and takes the stage.
I wonder how he feels today.
Stomps off up a 20%+ hill and takes the stage.
I wonder how he feels today.
spectateur
Player Valuation: £30m
I prefer to remember Cav, in world champs hoops being led out by maillot jaune Wiggo to win on the Champs.
I have some newb questions, appreciate any feedback:
1. Fit -- I haven't been able to get LBS to provide a fit yet due to covid restrictions, so I'm trying to stay simple and make small changes 1 at a time. I think my saddle and seat post are really close to a good position, next is tinkering with the cleats. As a converted runner it still feels weird--seems like I should be up further on my feet--but I have the cleats nearly as far forward as they will go (I think). Any other recommendations on this, or is cycling the constant life of tinkering? Also, a friend suggested I may need a wider saddle but I figured I'd wait that out as long as possible (prefer post-fit)
2. Training -- I've adopted a plan from some website, but basically it's a dumbed-down version of my old running schedule. I'll aim for 5 rides a week, 1 long ride, 1 hard effort of sorts, 3 easy rides. The hard part so far has been going slow on easy days and not riding "fast" every day. That said, cycling is apparently quite different from running and I also don't have the time I had ages ago to train, so it will be more compact. Also, are doubles a thing on the bike? These are very useful for runners. Then again, with daylight decreasing I don't think doubles are in my future.
3. Cycle computers, apps, etc -- for someone who self-trained for a marathon without a heart rate monitor, it's a bit overwhelming. I have a Garmin 235 so that's very helpful for training and I've linked it up with a few apps. Do I need to worry about a fancy computer, or will my watch and phone do all of that well enough? And watts -- is that even worth worrying about ?
4. Cadence -- so I've counted and it looks like my comfortable cadence is in the "normal range," is there anything else here to know or worry about? From what I've read this is not a lightly debated subject and feels quite a bit like running economy, at least in that cadence is as much output as input. Seems like I should work on building the neuromuscular and musculoskeletal capacity and let cadence work itself out. I still don't get the "smooth circles" part of form, but I am actively thinking "lift the legs" during stroke and I suppose this will come naturally -- at some point.
Anything else worth knowing? I'm watching Strava heat maps to find roads that seem good to ride and fortunately there are enough near me not to worry. Seems like i'll get the hang of it at some point--if I can go a week without an unclipping accident I will mark that down as a training success.
oh, one more:
5. What's your favorite race or ride you've done, or what would you most like to complete?
1. Fit -- I haven't been able to get LBS to provide a fit yet due to covid restrictions, so I'm trying to stay simple and make small changes 1 at a time. I think my saddle and seat post are really close to a good position, next is tinkering with the cleats. As a converted runner it still feels weird--seems like I should be up further on my feet--but I have the cleats nearly as far forward as they will go (I think). Any other recommendations on this, or is cycling the constant life of tinkering? Also, a friend suggested I may need a wider saddle but I figured I'd wait that out as long as possible (prefer post-fit)
2. Training -- I've adopted a plan from some website, but basically it's a dumbed-down version of my old running schedule. I'll aim for 5 rides a week, 1 long ride, 1 hard effort of sorts, 3 easy rides. The hard part so far has been going slow on easy days and not riding "fast" every day. That said, cycling is apparently quite different from running and I also don't have the time I had ages ago to train, so it will be more compact. Also, are doubles a thing on the bike? These are very useful for runners. Then again, with daylight decreasing I don't think doubles are in my future.
3. Cycle computers, apps, etc -- for someone who self-trained for a marathon without a heart rate monitor, it's a bit overwhelming. I have a Garmin 235 so that's very helpful for training and I've linked it up with a few apps. Do I need to worry about a fancy computer, or will my watch and phone do all of that well enough? And watts -- is that even worth worrying about ?
4. Cadence -- so I've counted and it looks like my comfortable cadence is in the "normal range," is there anything else here to know or worry about? From what I've read this is not a lightly debated subject and feels quite a bit like running economy, at least in that cadence is as much output as input. Seems like I should work on building the neuromuscular and musculoskeletal capacity and let cadence work itself out. I still don't get the "smooth circles" part of form, but I am actively thinking "lift the legs" during stroke and I suppose this will come naturally -- at some point.
Anything else worth knowing? I'm watching Strava heat maps to find roads that seem good to ride and fortunately there are enough near me not to worry. Seems like i'll get the hang of it at some point--if I can go a week without an unclipping accident I will mark that down as a training success.
oh, one more:
5. What's your favorite race or ride you've done, or what would you most like to complete?
2. As always, training depends very much on what it is you're training for. Within reason, you can do more harder workouts than you perhaps can with running as it's kinder on your body, but really it needs to be tailored to what you want to achieve.
3. I've only ever ridden outdoors with a regular Garmin bike computer and that has served me well over the years. I do quite a lot of training indoors on the turbo, however, and that has provided a power reading that is vital if you want to do intervals accurately. It's probably worth seeing if you enjoy things before spending too much though. There's no shortage of ways to spend money if you decide it's the thing for you.
4. I think most people have their own optimum, and personally speaking, it can change from the flat (~90) to the hills (~80). Most cadences around that range are fine, and things only really change significantly when you start mashing out 50rpm or thereabouts. Clubs can be a bit hit and miss, and I don't know what kind of provision they have at the moment anyway, but I found a local club useful for mapping out some good loops in my region, so it might be worth going on some club rides if possible. There will also probably be no shortage of advice offered if you do go on one
5. The Maratona is always a cracking event in what is (imo) the best place possible to ride a bike. I've been meaning to do the Oetztaler Radmarathon but have never quite plucked up the courage.
Black Belt Jones
Player Valuation: £25m
Cleat position will be a personal biomechanic but very generally most people benefit from having them back, not forward. Forward position (the cleat, so more of your foot is off the back of the pedal) engages more of the ankle, calf, and knee which is not necessarily a good thing for general riding around, especially longer rides. It is a good thing for a snap acceleration, so crit racers will have their cleats forward. I have all my cleats as far back as poss on all my bikes.
I think it's better to start with them back and see how it feels, go from there, then to start with them forward. The range of adjustment on a cycling shoe is not massive, so it's not like you're going to be wildly off with whatever you choose. Hard core adherents of cleats back dremel the slots in the sole down to mid-foot (don't do this).
It's hard to imagine moving them any further back but good to hear I can tinker without much worry
I've got $500+ in my cart just for tools and clothes; i wasn't planning on buying any tech at the moment but it's all a bit expensive. Glad to hear it's not necessarily necessary.
If you start taking it seriously then the ability to measure power (whether via the trainer or a powermeter) is handy for training, but if you're just starting out then there are plenty of gains to be had just from riding your bike and getting a general level of fitness.
Yeah, that's what I figured. My goals are:
1. Ride bike
2. Learn to swim
3. Learn to run again
4. Complete sprint triathlon 2021
5. ?
I suspect whether I stay with triathlons or move to cycling events (I need event goals to motivate my training) I'll do a heavy amount of cycling in either case. And if I enjoy it I'll be eyeing more expensive toys than power meters and have more to worry about, but that's all for later.
Despite Ineos being generally rubbish in GC terms this year, they've taken to stage hunting very well.
Welcome
Join Grand Old Team to get involved in the Everton discussion. Signing up is quick, easy, and completely free.
Shop
