Freeway Bike Ride - post race report

[gdl_gdl]

Just got back from the Freeway Bike Ride - conditions not as bad as forecast. It was a NE but approx 15kmh - 20kmh so not as bad as they could have been. (Ride is South to North so the NE guaranteed a headwind all the way!)

Managed an average speed of 31.8km/h for the 30km trip. (Had a min target of 30km/h with a stretch target of 35km/h but with the head wind I was never going to achieve that!)

In terms of effort, I spent 47mins of my 55min ride in HR Zone 5 with the remainder spent in Zone 4. I achieved a 'new' Max HR of 187 (I was working to a maximum of 185 previously.)

I spent most of the ride 'solo' (foolishly sometimes!) but joined a pack with about 5km to go and left them for dead on the exit of the Freeway (uphill climb). (Where the 187 HR was achieved!) (What a difference riding with a pack makes! This must be psychological but the effort doesn't seem as intense and you seem to get with the momentum and just ride and I had enough in the tank to leave them at the final hill.)

Common pattern for me was to beat people on the rolling hills but then be overtook by the same riders on the descent.

All in all, a good ride and a reminder to me as a 'newbie' that all the solo training in the world does not prepare you for a group ride and/or race conditions. Time to take the plunge and join a local group ride. (and possibly one or two vets events!)

Cheers,

Gary

[moosterbounce]

I managed 56mins 10 seconds which I was happy and sad about!!

I had said I wanted to average more than 30kmh and managed 32.6 (I think, but I had already grabbed my free drink by the time I read it so probably a little low).

I also wanted to do it in under 60 minutes which I did. Considering some of the dumbos at the start who were stretched out so far it was almost impossible to overtake in the tunnel...

I then figured that if I went under an hour, I wanted to get under 55 minutes!! FAILED!!

My heart rate was pretty high for the whole journey with a max of 190 (103%). All up my average rate for 50km (we went back to greenwood for the 10km too which we did with friends so was vey slow, and rode to and from the event) was 136. 2036 calories!!

I too stayed pretty much by myself but had a guy drafting me, then he would pull alongside, then drop back and draft!! Argh - take your turn!! I prefer riding alone and don't enjoy the pack thing so this suited me.

I can't ride hills regardless of what I try so lost heaps of time there. Zoomed downhill and along the flats - as you can see from the difference in average speed - so I was probably one of those people you overtook Gary who then overtook you back!! I did the bumps better than last year though which I'm pleased about.

Anyway, my hubby did it in 51 minutes so he was happy...I wanted to be closer to him but I'm over it Honest, I am...so I won't way any more about it!!

Moo...

[gdl_gdl]

Sounds like you had a good ride Moo! I need to work on my fast twitch muscle fibres, long distances and hills are good but fast sprints are not me at the moment. (Will talk to the trainer at the gym on Tuesday to see what gym sessions I can do to assist.)



I'm in the yellow jersey in the photo above. (Either my wife was too slow to take the picture or I was too fast )

However she managed to redeem herself for the next one....



Cheers,

Gary

[gdl_gdl]

Not sure why the images didn't work! I'll try them again.....

Cheers,

Gary



IMG]http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w14/gdl_gdl/DSCF1138.jpg[/IMG]

[gdl_gdl]

and again.....

[moosterbounce]

Nice pics. I don't have any to show I'm afraid...I'll have to get something taken so everyone can see my bike (and non-matching shoes!!)

Your jersey doesn't look familiar so we can't have been close in the ride. I was really impressed with how many people were there - it was great to see.

There were too many people in group B and many were not experienced with riding in a group. In fairness, nor am I, but I am smart enough to keep left, look behind me if I am going to change line, and signal my intention!! The way some people rode, you would have thought they were in bumper cars!!

Not sore today which is great, but next year I will try a few 30km sprints on abandoned roads/paths to get the intensity for that length of time. All the riding I do - roads and paths - you need to stop or slow down quite a bit so I could improve my time pretty easily if I concentrated my training.

Shame this is only once a year.

Moo...

[europa]

Shame this is only once a year.

No, it's only OFFICIAL once a year

Hmm, wonder what Christopher would think of the BNA Midnight Freeway Challenge

Of course, we don't have to tell him do we

Glad you lot had fun. Massed rides are always fun, but I enjoy the foolishness of the massed hooman bean

Richard

[gdl_gdl]

bicycleWA - Kev,

Were you there yesterday? I was looking for the white arms on the freeway bridges but didn't spot any?

BTW, Quite a few aero bars spotted yesterday on the ride...

Cheers,

Gary

[heavymetal]

bicycleWA - Kev,

Were you there yesterday? I was looking for the white arms on the freeway bridges but didn't spot any?

I got arrested on the way there Apparently it's illegal to ride a bicycle with an AK 47 hanging over your shoulder and a BOB trailer with a large item looking like a bomb and radiation hazard stickers on the trailer.

So much for freedoms in our country.

I got there much later. I don't practice daylight savings so forgot about that and then got caught trying to sneak onto the freeway

[mikesbytes]

So how come you can't ride on the motorway all year round, like you can in Sydney?

Burn plenty of Glycogen
training log

[europa]

So how come you can't ride on the motorway all year round, like you can in Sydney?

Because normal people realise it's damned silly - that's not such a consideration in Sydney

Richard