The Wicklow Way

mockler007

ryan_sherlock wrote: »

I really can't get over how much you cycle - 25 hours per week, in Ireland without climbing anything - that in itself is impressive. And as another person asked, why wait until January to start climbing - if you are riding 25 hours a weeks (and not sick all the time) you are well fit to go into the hills now. What is the reasoning behind January?

25 hours a week, unless you either are training for a grand tour, or just love to cycle a lot of hours is way way too much to make you faster (if that is what you want).

thanks man, i hear you did the ww you machine, me cycling the royal canal was hard cause i was 37 waist and grossly unfit, climbing over fecking gates evry 9 mins at some parts and not eating proper food made it hard, and to do it in 10 hours was good for a fat guys standards, since july i have been doing alot more that gave me the push to get me to do somthing alot harder, i asked myself what i could do if i worked hard at it its now october and lost 4 inches of my waist and built up alot more speed and leg power, average 22mph but traffic has alot to do with it. love the look i get of lads on mopeds @ 30mph when i belt past them on the dawgs ignitors

I work for 2 days and take the bike out during the week around howth summit, do the purple walk, but its getting easy like ages ago, i live beside the park so i go there alot and i cycle on the weekends, i cycle to everywhere really, i just love being on my bike, was a lazy fcuk before and im really making up for it, sometimes i do more than 25, i go out at 12 and home by 730pm.

Why i have choosen january is that i want to build up the muscles slowly and then new years get really into burning uphills, like i mean just focus fully then, its like a stage 2 in my mind. the this how far you come, no stopping me now sorta thing its in my mind as a bigger challenge then,,,, you would'nt want a warm beer now would yeh?

dont worry i am taking on advice, and do know what the ww is like, my first post wasnt very clear, this post should clear up alot

Idleater

mockler007 wrote: »

i was 37 waist and grossly unfit, ... lost 4 inches of my waist and built up alot more speed and leg power...

Fair play to you. Keep that up, and I'd say you would easily do the WW. If I were planning it, I'd go for doing it over 2 days and perhaps enjoy it more.

blorg

If you want to climb well you need to continue with the weight loss as a priority and that will largely mean diet. Leg power is only half the equation. Ryan like all good climbers is a skinny beanpole. On the flat weight barely matters.

There is absolutely no good reason to leave climbing until January. If you are training for something in particular be as specific as possible. To be honest for something of any magnitude the idea of "burning up the hills" is completely the wrong approach. You can power over a short bump. If you are doing a day-long hard ride you need to pace yourself and get over the hills relatively slowly. It may seem counter-intuitive but you really need to hold yourself back at the start of a hill, go far easier than you think you are capable of. Let the pain come to you, (and it will I can assure you) if you seek it actively you will burn yourself out early.

Of course you will only learn this for yourself by going out and riding up hills rather than imagining in your head what is the best strategy for dealing with them.

Also as you seem to realise you will need a better nutrition strategy for the actual cycle and keep eating at regular intervals to avoid the dreaded bonk.

mockler007

blorg wrote: »

If you want to climb well you need to continue with the weight loss as a priority and that will largely mean diet. Leg power is only half the equation. Ryan like all good climbers is a skinny beanpole. On the flat weight barely matters.

There is absolutely no good reason to leave climbing until January. If you are training for something in particular be as specific as possible. To be honest for something of any magnitude the idea of "burning up the hills" is completely the wrong approach. You can power over a short bump. If you are doing a day-long hard ride you need to pace yourself and get over the hills relatively slowly. It may seem counter-intuitive but you really need to hold yourself back at the start of a hill, go far easier than you think you are capable of. Let the pain come to you, (and it will I can assure you) if you seek it actively you will burn yourself out early.

Of course you will only learn this for yourself by going out and riding up hills rather than imagining in your head what is the best strategy for dealing with them.

Also as you seem to realise you will need a better nutrition strategy for the actual cycle and keep eating at regular intervals to avoid the dreaded bonk.

cheers blorg, i got the bonk at enfield, my mind kept me going though. i dont plan on ripping up the hills, pacing myself, i learnd alot from the royal canal, taking everyones advice on except those who talk to me like im stupid. its a good mental push to hear posters say goway yeh good thing sorta thing, jan was also because the year begins with the clubs, want to join mad ahead of some of them instead of joing and holding them up, aldoe i was right on drappers rear wheel a few weeks ago lol

blorg

MAD do a lot of beginner stuff now, the sooner you start the better and the sooner your skills and fitness will improve. Honestly there is no good reason to leave anything until January. I hold them up myself whenever I go out with them albeit due to lack of skill rather than fitness in my case. They are good lads.

Drapper

mockler007 wrote: »

i was right on drappers rear wheel a few weeks ago lol

yup, I'm slow ;-)

mockler007

i was with the cycle inn team with the nut mick jordan when i was in my teens, so skills i have and ive no fear for anything, getting back to my level of fitness is my goal, but your right i will start going out with mad, only if there are lots of drappers lol;):D:D:D

double black

You can real Mel's account of her own achievement of completing the 130 km Wicklow Way in one day here:

http://melaniespath.blogspot.com

Well done.

Drapper

Hey Mockler for a man who cycles 25 + hours a week, you sure spend allot of time around here ;-)

unless your cycling and threading?

touché....

mockler007

Drapper wrote: »

Hey Mockler for a man who cycles 25 + hours a week, you sure spend allot of time around here ;-)

unless your cycling and threading?

touché....

was out early for 3:50 hours dis morning, came home did a few things aound the house, had some food, played dumper trucks in the jax and went out for another 1hr30. im afraid of the dark martin. haha
you going to the spook?

Morgan

mockler007 wrote: »

jan was also because the year begins with the clubs, want to join mad ahead of some of them instead of joing and holding them up

The year with MAD really started with our beginners series last month. We're hoping to get these guys out every weekend up to the end of the year so they have a good bit of fitness for next year.

Raam

Morgan wrote: »

The year with MAD really started with our beginners series last month. We're hoping to get these guys out every weekend up to the end of the year so they have a good bit of fitness for next year.

Morgan, are you guys planning on running any more sessions for newcomers?

Morgan

We won't be running any more "beginners series" this year. However, there are easier spins every weekend for the next while.