Originally Posted by balto charlie
Well some of you long distance riders have been quiet. I guess the weather has curtailed rec rides.
Saturday:
In anticipation of the weekend foul weather I purchased a set of rollers.
Riding the rollers
After a few false starts, I finally got an hour and 15 minutes session in at a slow average speed of 16 MPH. It wasn't without some restarts, though, as I was still on the upside of the learning curve. But, I found that I picked it up quickly and it's a matter of integrating the learning into my muscle memory and nervous system. Physically, I could have kept going much longer, but mentally, I had enough for the day. I did find it easier to relax with music in my ears, so I connected my MP3 player to my wireless headphones and that seemed to be a turning point for me.
Sunday:
Today, I did another session--1 hour 23 minutes at an average speed of 19 MPH. Again, these were done in intervals of ride and rest, mainly because I could feel myself slipping, mentally, when something started to bother me (i.e., getting too hot, needing a drink, cats running by the roller, sweat dripping). When my concentration isn't what it needs to be, I can't relax and this manifests itself as a slight oscillation while on the rollers. A couple of times, yesterday, these oscillations were big enough to put me off of the front roller.
I have a trainer, but it is brainless and boring compared to rollers. You have to be relaxed, but concentration has to be high and in a zone of sorts--at least for me. I think, that's why I do well with music in my ears during the sessions.
Monday and Tuesday:
More roller riding.
Wednesday (today):
Started my commute on the bike to work, but nearly half way there my RD cable snapped at the shifter. I couldn't get into the shifter to pull out the remnants, so I was stuck in a fixed gear of 34x11. Attempted to continue on to work, but some of the hills were too steep. I was afraid that: 1) I'd fall over trying to push up the hill on Putty Hill Rd crossing Belair Rd from Ridge Rd or 2) I would have overstressed the chain breaking it or 3) overstressed my knees breaking them. So, I turned back, dropped the bike off, changed clothing, and drove to work.
Needless to say, I have a little project on my hands once I get home and if I want to get more miles in, it'll be back on the rollers again.