On Sunday morning I completed my first 60 km ride on my road bike in a ride out on the Federal Highway. It was my third ride out this way and the furthest I’ve got so far. On my first ride I made it out to Eagle Hawk riding with Brad, Rach and Andrew. Last weekend I made it out to the Tulip Farm riding with Tegan, Cheska and Tim. And yesterday I got a little bit closer to making it to Lake George by making it up Shingleback Hill and to a “Stop sign” just beyond it with fellow riders, Rach, Ange, Anna and Paddy.
Even though I am still a lot slower than everyone up the hills, it is encouraging to see the improvements I have made since my first ride to Eagle Hawk. The cycle lane doesn’t seem quite as narrow as it used to, the hill out of Canberra while long is not insurmountable, riding down the hill back into Canberra seems more fun and a lot less terrifying, and its nice when I go looking for a lower gear when going uphill that I sometimes still have a couple left! I have been able to practice sprinting out of the saddle, descending in the drops and even sprinting in the drops.
Even though I was completely knackered after my ride yesterday, I am keen to keep going and maybe make it out to Lake George and back next time. Thanks everyone for the encouragement, slowing down for me, and for waiting at the top of the hills (or coming back and riding up them again with me).
Awesome effort Leonie, your improvement is really obvious - just keep training and you will continue to shoot forward in your development of skills, confidence and fitness.
ReplyDeleteInteresting tip you learned which might also be useful for others is how similar overheating feels to epic fatigue. Getting the clothing right is important and a bit tricky - a god trick is to keep a record of what the temp was, what the session involved, what you wore andhow it felt. People have very different thresholds - for example, I can wear summer kit at 10+ degrees, and I like to wear everything i can find below -2, but in between that range is a lot of nuance in layers.
WOW Leonie, Congratulations!!! I am yet to make a prod.. sundays dont really work that well for me but I am so keen to get out on the federal hwy!! Might have to join you next time!!!
ReplyDeleteSuperb effort, Leonie! Looking forward to riding with you again soon.
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