I have 11 more sleeps until Around the Bay. This is not the
first time I have entered ATB but fingers crossed, it will be my first time
participating in the actual event. The first time I entered, I think I decided
to pull out during to some life-stresses with a previous relationship. The
second time I entered the event, I was struck down with a really bad cold the
day before and didn’t leave the bed for 3 days after.
I decided to enter the 210km anti-clockwise. I have always
ridden on Beach Rd, all the way from Port Melbourne through to Arthurs Seat (as
my furthest away from the city) yet my longest distance has been 160km during
Ironman training and 180km during the actual event. The ride will be different
and I won’t be caught up in the “race” of the ride which is what some will do
especially leading up to events such as Tour of Bright and even Busselton
Ironman (same weekend). Personally, I just don’t want to be out on the road for
the whole day so I will do my best to stay motivated and finish the whole 210km
(or as close to it as possible). The iPod will be brought out at one point.
Since the #dirtygranfondo on the 20th Sept, I
have been on top of my cycling training with 2 spin classes per week, one being
in altitude chamber and then a hilly road ride on Saturday. We usually cover
2.5 – 3 hours out at the Dandenongs but this time around, I did 4 hours instead
covering just under 70km.
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| Last week at SkyHigh - matchy matchy |
Riding out in the hills not only increases my
strength on the bike but helps with my descents and being more comfortable tackling
them. Currently, on the scale of 1 being “I will not ride down this hill at
all, someone call me a cab” through to 10 “I love riding down hills, no brakes
at all even on a gradient > 25%”, I am around a 4, maybe a 3 on a bad
day...I don’t mind riding down a hill if I can see ahead (dead straight) with
good road surfaces. Most descents are windy roads and because I am not great at
turning, I tend to brake to a manageable speed to turn before my heart jumps
out of my chest or before I feel an anxiety attack coming around to vomit. I
find friends who ski, snowboard or ride horses love descents!
I am hoping that with some minor adjustments of the new bike
with the brakes closer to the drops, I am able to descend on the drops which I
have been told give better control with a lower centre of gravity....who knows!
I know that others make up their riding times along those descents and I can’t
be holding back, otherwise, I will be out around Falls Creek forever.
Over the long weekend, I will be riding down to Sorrento and
back (~150km or so) to just spend time on the saddle. This will be my longest
ride before ATB next weekend of 210km. Then on Sunday, as part of my recovery
ride, I will ride down to support and watch the SKCC Summer Crits. I have
signed up for Latte Laps on the 18th October to gain some skills.
You won’t be seeing me race crits anytime soon though.
I am absolutely loving the whole “cycling” lifestyle. I don’t
miss packing 3 bags a night I am loving one training session a day and I am
seeing benefits of being less stressful now that I have one thing to
concentrate on.
158 Days until 3 Peaks.
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