Sore, dissapointed & a bit ashamed

ugsparky

... I did a 100k spin yesterday ... part of it was going up Jenkinstown Hill towards the long womans grave ... and I couldn't do it - for the first time I had to get off and walk a bit around the half/two thirds mark. I just couldn't get enough air into my lungs. I won't go into all the details but I was a bit down over this - I did the 100k meath an post last week and came into Trim feeling great at 47kph - yesterday I limped into Ardee at 23kph hurting.

I don't know enough about bike set-ups and I'm definitely not saying the bike was the reason for my abysmal performance - I'm riding a Claud Butler San Remo with a 50/39 front chainring - not sure what's on the back - it's an 8 sprocket cassette - even in the lowest gear I was almost pulling the handlebars out of the frame to try and keep a tempo - air just wasn't filling my lungs so reluctantly I stopped .

The only redeeming part of my day was the speed down to the foot of Jenkinstown and I kept it going back home from Carlingford - but I was so tired. I clocked 67.9kph on the descent into Omeath - and I was careful without taking any crazy risks - I'm mindful that the roads are open and other people are using it.

Just was hoping some people who have maybe done this trip on the Tour of Louth could offer any opinions or advice about bike set up/training. I'm not looking for an olympic qualifying time or to ride Alpe D'huez but I was really shocked and surprised at how bad I felt for getting off and walking.

Jawgap

HTFU:D

Only kidding! Were you on your own? I find there is a massive difference in energy, motivation and speed when you are in a group (for example in the Tour of Meath) compared to when you are on your own.

second, had you exhausted your gears? By the time you got off to walk were you down to your 'last bullet'? If you were trying to big ring it up Jenkinstown Hill no wonder you had to stop and walk.

third, where did the hill come in your ride- towards the start or the end?

finally, don't beat yourself up - that's a tough enough climb at the best of times, all the more so if you were doing it solo.

Unfortunately, I think the only recipe for improving hillclimbing is climbing more hills.

Hmmzis

Ok, so you have a standard double up front and an 8 speed casette at the rear. Do you know what the biggest sprocket there is? If it's something mad like a 23 tooth thingy then being in 39x23 would be very painful on any decent climb. Even a 25 sprocket sounds scary. I've done the sally gap on a 36x26 combo and it was painful enough and I'd consider myself fairly fit.

Check what type of rear derailer you have, short cage or medium cage. Depending on that you could get away with just changing to a bigger casette, like 12-28 or 11-28. While 39x28 still looks tough enough it should be more manageable.

Otherwise it's down to a compact chainset and the full double can be parked until you start eating those hills for breakfast.

DirkVoodoo

It sounds like a gearing problem.

Unless you are quite strong or quite light, there is no need to have a standard double on a road bike. Of course, it depends on the cassette, but there is no need to be macho. The gear was just too big and you didn't have the power to turn it up that hill. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's just numbers.

Finding out what your cassette is and maybe swapping it for something a little easier is the way to go.

It's amazing the number of people you see climbing in gears that are obviously too difficult for them, grinding a gear up a hill doesn't necessarily mean you are going faster, unless it is time till exhaustion and not speed.

awec

Can someone explain all this 39x23 stuff to me etc, what does it mean?

smacl

awec wrote: »

Can someone explain all this 39x23 stuff to me etc, what does it mean?

Sheldon explains it better than I would, but basically the larger then back cog and smaller the front cog, the easier it is to climb hills. 39 is quite a big smallest front gear, and 23 a quite small biggest rear gear, hence 39/23 is a difficult combination to climb in. A compact (50/34) front with a 12/28 cassette at the back, would leave 34/28 as the lowest gear, which is fine for most people on most hills.

ugsparky

Thanks for your replies folks - to add a bit of detail - set off from Ardee and at a fairly high tempo - rarely under 30kph and at times 40kph in a fairly large group but I felt OK with this, although it was a bit quicker than I had anticipated. Jenkinstown Hill was at about the 40/45k mark. I've cycled up the Hill of Tara and also Mount Oriel and even though I was puffing by the time I got to the top I still kept going. Which is why I was surprised by yesterdays efforts. I can't blame anything other than not enough training and maybe the fact I'm half a century - but there were other guys who looked older and maybe not even as fit (fit as in I walk quite a bit and I cycle quite a bit - not fit as in as fit as a butchers dog ) and they kept going.

I have put in some training and I've tried to include some long draggy hill climbs although nothing as stiff as yesterday. I know that to ride hills you need to cycle up hills and then more hills - like I said I felt great on the an post. Earlier in the year I did a 45k and then decided I'd turn around and cycle back instead of waiting around for transport home. Don't know exactly how many kilometers I've clocked up this year but truthfully until yesterday I felt great on the bike.

I have been thinking of upgrading my bike. Thinking along the lines of a Boardman or a Cube and I did notice these bikes have front chainrings with a 50/34T combo and a 10 speed cassette on the back, so I note the comments about the gearing. My Cluad Butler is 50/39T and an 8 speed 13/26 cassette. It's about 11.5 kg. Again - no excuses, but I just need advice and thoughts from others. I'm going to do next years Tour of Louth - rain, hail or shine and I'm going to climb that Hill - with or without oxygen . In the meantime I'll keep trying to do as many training spins as I can and include as many hills as I can, so any ideas or thoughts about routes in Louth or Meath would be appreciated. Thanks folks.

seamus

ugsparky wrote: »

I can't blame anything other than not enough training and maybe the fact I'm half a century - but there were other guys who looked older and maybe not even as fit (fit as in I walk quite a bit and I cycle quite a bit - not fit as in as fit as a butchers dog ) and they kept going.

Try being 30 and getting burned up the hills by someone twice your age

I have put in some training and I've tried to include some long draggy hill climbs although nothing as stiff as yesterday. I know that to ride hills you need to cycle up hills and then more hills - like I said I felt great on the an post.

Yes and no. Getting out and climbing hills is great for making your legs stronger, but that only means that you can ride a bit quicker. It doesn't mean you can ride for longer. If your legs can only push you for five minutes before demanding a break, then it doesn't matter if you can climb at 10 or 20km/h, your legs will give out at the five minute mark.

So a lot of it is just getting out and doing plain old mileage, not necessarily just climbing hills over and over. Stamina is built by riding well below the point that you feel like you're going to collapse.
Get out for good mixed routes - ones with a few climbs but also good long flat stretches.

I have been thinking of upgrading my bike. Thinking along the lines of a Boardman or a Cube and I did notice these bikes have front chainrings with a 50/34T combo and a 10 speed cassette on the back, so I note the comments about the gearing. My Cluad Butler is 50/39T and an 8 speed 13/26 cassette. It's about 11.5 kg. Again - no excuses, but I just need advice and thoughts from others.

Your bike weighs 11.5kg. The Cube Agree GTC SL is €3,000 and weighs 7.9kg.

That's a 3.6kg difference. 8lbs. So the difference that €3,000 could make to your climbing is about the same as the difference that losing half a stone could make to your climbing.

It sounds crazy, but it is that simple. Climbing hills is all about your power to weight ratio. If you weigh more, you need more power to get over the hills. Lose weight and you will find it easier to get over the hills.

Now you might be 10% body fat, in which case you have a valid reason to look at making your bike lighter. But if you're not, then losing weight off the bike is paying big money for small changes. There's no harm in spending good money to get a nice bike, because it feels better and rides better.
But if your sole concern is reducing weight, then look at your stomach before you look at your wallet

Overall, don't be disheartened. We all have days when that hill we destroyed last time, felt like a complete slog today. No two days are the same - winds come and go, energy comes and goes.

At the moment the most useful thing I think you could do is to swap your 39T chainring at the front for a 36 or 34T. It will give you just that extra bit of leeway to let you grind your way to the top of a climb when you're absolutely shattered.

Buy a new bike you want a new bike, but don't feel pressured to spend megabucks for the sake of a few hundred grams.

shaneward2004

I also did the cycle yesterday and that hill is tough alright. maybe you were trying to keep with the group and burnt yourself out instead of doing it at your own pace. Also losing a bit of weight for the hills help.

colm_gti

shaneward2004 wrote: »

I also did the cycle yesterday and that hill is tough alright. maybe you were trying to keep with the group and burnt yourself out instead of doing it at your own pace. Also losing a bit of weight for the hills help.

234bpm max heart rate...jaysus, my HR jumped at the thought of that!

shaneward2004

colm_gti wrote: »

234bpm max heart rate...jaysus, my HR jumped at the thought of that!

Aye dodgy static from my baselayer doesnt like my HR monitor.

ugsparky

Yes - I hear you about weight - I'm 14st 7lbs and just under 6 ft - €3,000 for a Cube - if I spent that I'd lose 2 stones immediately care of the gaffer indoors :eek: - I was thinking more around the €1,000 - €1,500 price range. I kind of want to use the bike to lose some weight and get fitter - I don't believe I'm too much over weight - but I'm no skinny either :rolleyes:. If I can ask one other question :rolleyes: ... lots of talk after the event yesterday about bikes etc ... one vexing question ... carbon frame or 6060/7005 aluminium ? This came up over the talk about the Boardman and to be honest I see the merits in Mavic Aksium wheels, the 105 groupset etc but I have no clue about the carbon/alu frame. At my age and limited biking ability should I be even considering this ... bit like other things in life at this stage I need to be acting my age not my IQ/shoe size ... well that's what she tells me anyway.

Icyseanfitz

id be recommending a nice alu frame, carbon fork with at least shimano 105 gearing if your budget is 1000-1500

Hmmzis

Carbon is more comfy to ride in general terms. There is a reason most road bikes these days have at least a carbon fork.

If it were my money I'd be having a look at the Rose alu bike range. For the 1500 mark you could get Ultegra or Force groupsets on a sub 8kg bike with Aksium wheels. The only downside I can see to that is the lack of trying it out before buying. Also the Canyon roadlites are highly regarded here.

MediaMan

As well as the gearing, which was most likely the most direct cause of having to get off and walk, it sounds like you were just plain exhausted. Having done 40km at 30-40 km/h, you may have already been working close to your threshold and maybe the hill just tipped you over.

Another think to check is how much food and water you had leading up to the cycle. If you were a bit low on intake then that would make things worse. I did a miserable 100k a few weeks ago that I can definitely trace back to not having eaten enough food in the previous 24 hours and then going like the clappers with a group straight from the start. I basically used up all my energy reserve in the first hour and suffered my way around for the rest. Will not be making that mistake again.

feck sake lads

just reading through this thread and everyone more or less is advising bigger gear range, but if your serious about getting fit on the bike then my advice for what its worth 40years cycling experience:eek:
is to stay well away from sportives rides at least until you know your bike and fitness level inside out.
the reason for this is simple these so called sportives rides are a race for the leisure cyclist, guys that dont race on a regular basis but use these sportives as there way of racing.
so when a guy jumps in at the deep end first sportive they have no idea how to handle it and the speed just kills them.
so stay well away from them enjoy your bike your fitness will get better in time hills will not be a problem if you train right, thats a certain fact.;)

triggermortis

After getting your gearing sorted out, if you want someone to go up that hill with you again for morale support, I'm not too far from you and I'm not the best on hills either.

fixie fox

You must have led a very exemplary life if one bad ride makes u feel ashamed!
Progressing in cycling inevitably involves riding with better riders and taking a hammering every so often. Get used to it if you want to 'step up to the next level'. Otherwise stick to your current level and just enjoy that.

killalanerr

seamus wrote: »

Overall, don't be disheartened. We all have days when that hill we destroyed last time, felt like a complete slog today. No two days are the same - winds come and go, energy comes and goes.

At the moment the most useful thing I think you could do is to swap your 39T chainring at the front for a 36 or 34T. It will give you just that extra bit of leeway to let you grind your way to the top of a climb when you're absolutely shattered.

Buy a new bike you want a new bike, but don't feel pressured to spend megabucks for the sake of a few hundred grams.

Top post Seamus,in cycling their is no quick fix,to go consistanlty faster for longer more often, you have to get out and ride your bike more,cycling is hard and you have to make some sacrifices to improve, we all get dropped and have off days but these days should make you more determent if they dont you might just be in the wrong sport (talking generally not about the OP ) even sportive riders should have goals and a ruff idea of how they are going to achieve the goals
At 50 you have lots of good rides left in you im of the same vintage and after 2 years of sticking to the plan the improvements i have seen are huge
i have gone from wondering what happened at the end of saturday club spins as i never made to to end to being a handy club rider looking forward to every spin a get on the bike

ugsparky

I thank you guys for all your encouragement and support. I honestly thought I was at a level where I could/should be able to tackle that hill. I only got back into the bike when the bike2work scheme happened at work. This is about my third year of biking - I did the M3 cycle the first year and my legs almost seized when I finished despite two or three months of training (30/40/60km spins):o Did a few other fun events and really enjoyed seeing the country again from a saddle (especially on those warm summer days we used to get !!!). The second year I did the an post and did the 100k in 4 hours. Again I felt my bike fitness had improved. This year I did the an post in about 4 hours - it was slightly more than 100k and I felt great. Yesterday, even allowing for getting off the bike (as soon as I could I was back on and peddaling) I clocked 4:22 for 115k so I'm thinking it must have been very fast getting to Jenkinstown from Ardee. I tried to drink and eat pretty much the same as the an post the week before - electrolyte drink X three bottles and 3 energy bars. I'm not expecting miracles but I honestly thought that I would handle the hill better than that. However, from reading post's here and seeing the many different stories and experiences of other people I'm not going to let this deter me in any way. Thanks to triggermortis for his kind offer - if I'm attempting another ascent I'll send you a pm here so you can organise the oxygen bottles . Thanks to you guys for the advice on bike selection etc. I'm caught betwixt and between. The Rose and Canyons look to be great bikes endorsed by plenty here. Chain Reaction are doing great deals for bikes in my price range. I'm a bit concerned about going this route for a couple of reasons. Firstly I'd like to sit on the bike first before I actually buy it. Secondly I'm a bit wary of the bike arriving via post/courrier with a €300 bill from the taxman for import duty/vat whatever. I've heard of people ordering stuff on the internet only to be told at the doorstep "bill here from the inland revenue" - no payment no delivery :eek:. The Boardman gets around that. Of course the other thing is I'd like to trade with my local bike shop. However I can't see him being able to sell me a bike with the specs of the Boardman for that price. I did buy a bike from him for the gaffer indoors - which got me great brownie points, so I don't feel too bad for looking elsewhere.

I'm not lying when I said I'm sore, dissapointed and ashamed ... but maybe ashamed was being a bit dramatic, maybe embarrassed and feeling sorry for myself might have been closer to the mark. I can see the Cooley mountains from my house :rolleyes: ... "do you know what nemesis means" ? to quote Bricktop. I am going to go up it on a bike, and when I've done it once I'll do it again (but not in the same week/month obviously ). Thanks again for all the advice and encouragement.

hardCopy

OP, had you eaten enough before and during your spin? AFAIK the Meath Tour had plenty of sambos and pasta at the food stops, did you eat on your own 100KM spin?

AaronB

Im 105kg at the minute and we have a big climb over the road and i have standard compact with 12-25 and on the easier gear i would almost falling off the bike going up the hill. I switched last week to a 12-27 and now i cruise up with still one spare on the back just in case.

The rear cassette can make worlds of difference!

kuro_man

32t baby!
http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;navigation=1;menu=1000,4,26;product=17585

Seaneh

kuro_man wrote: »

32t baby!
http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;navigation=1;menu=1000,4,26;product=17585

pity it's so expensive to buy after market
Extra €50 and you can get a rival...

Seaneh

Actually, I've been wondering.

I was looking into the apex before and I saw a sram mechanic explaining where it came from.

One of the riders on the giro wanted them to give him wider ratios so his legs wouldn't give up on him in the hills so he'd be ok for the following day as he'd been struggling in the climbs and they came up with the idea of putting a MTB cassette (11/32) on with a medium cage derailluer, and it worked really well.

How hard would this be to replicate on a standard setup?

Like, could I put an MTB cassette on my bike with a med/long cage rear mech and actually make it work?

Be a lot cheaper than buying an apex chainset...

ugsparky

For Feck Sake Lads & LCD

Sent you both pm's - hope they got to you quicker than if I delivered them by bike

kuro_man

Seaneh wrote: »

How hard would this be to replicate on a standard setup?

Like, could I put an MTB cassette on my bike with a med/long cage rear mech and actually make it work?

Be a lot cheaper than buying an apex chainset...

No, because the cassette will be 10-speed and won't be compatible with your 8-speed shifter. Its the shifters that cost most of the money - a set of apex shifters alone are around €250. Some german websites/ebay are selling the old (2011) RED shifters for around €320, you could then add a 32t cassette, mid-cage deraileur and 10-speed chain for about €100 - €150 (or a SRAM climbing kit)

smacl

Seaneh wrote: »

pity it's so expensive to buy after market
Extra €50 and you can get a rival...

Tiagra compact group with 30t is cheaper at €329, should be more than adequate.

Seaneh

kuro_man wrote: »

No, because the cassette will be 10-speed and won't be compatible with your 8-speed shifter. Its the shifters that cost most of the money - a set of apex shifters alone are around €250. Some german websites/ebay are selling the old (2011) RED shifters for around €320, you could then add a 32t cassette, mid-cage deraileur and 10-speed chain for about €100 - €150 (or a SRAM climbing kit)

Well, I knew the shifter would be an issue, but, in theory, I could do it with say, 10speed Tiagra shifters, mid cage derailluer and then a 11/32 cassette and 10 speed chain? which would be a lot cheaper?

I'm not actually going to do it, my current setup is plenty wide enough for me right now, just interested in the idea is all.

Like, with the following it wouldn't be too expensive. (Still just make more sense ti either buy a new, better bike with a better groupset for few hundred extra euros).

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=69504
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=50457
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=50469
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=52312

seamus

In theory yes you should be able to use an N-speed MTB cassette with an N-speed road system.

Longer cages make for slightly less reliable shifting though.

You can get 30T cassettes in road format; if you need any more than that, you're barking up the wrong tree trying to fit an MTB cassette, IMHO. Short cage mechs often won't take 30T at the back though.

Most short cage road mechs are capable of handling a compact on the front with an 11-28 on the back.

kuro_man

if you go over 30T on a shimano set up, you'd probably need a MTB derailleur
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=67252

monkeypants

A message for those of you considering bike purchases; don't write off your local shop without at least speaking to them and getting a quote. Richie's in Swords offered my bike cheaper than I could get it online once the exchange rate was factored in and I find them very reasonable for most stuff.

feck sake lads

ugsparky wrote: »

For Feck Sake Lads & LCD

Sent you both pm's - hope they got to you quicker than if I delivered them by bike

:Dgot them no worries sent a reply.

NeedMoreGears

Just to wholeheartedly agree with Seamus. I cycled into work on Tuesday and no matter what I did it felt like the brakes were on. It just wasn't happening for whatever reason. No speed, no energy.

As regards gearing this is from a bikeradar review of the 2011 model

"More of an issue for climbing is the choice of gears that Claud Butler has gone for. The 26-tooth sprocket is okay – though bigger for a lower bottom gear would be better – but we’d like to see this paired with a compact chainset or even a triple rather than the unusual 39/50 chainset fitted; this makes climbing that much harder than would be the case on a 34T chainring."

I'm quite close to the half century mark myself and couldn't consider hills (let alone that one) without 34T on the front and maybe up to 28 on the back. The good news is a replacement 34T is relatively inexpensive (20 euro for Sora). You may need to check that the front derailleur can handle 34 instead of 39 teeth - I'd imagine there are folk on here who can help/advise

Seaneh

Might be a stupid question...
will a 34t chain ring fit any old crank?

seamus

Seaneh wrote: »

Might be a stupid question...
will a 34t chain ring fit any old crank?

No.

Your primary thing to watch out for is BCD/PCD, which is basically a measurement of how far the bolts on the chainring are from the theoretical center of the spindle.

Compact road cranksets typically have a BCD of 110mm for the two outer chainrings. Standard size double & triple cranksets are typically 130mm.

MTB cranksets may be different again. I have no idea what the BCD of this odd Claude Butler crankset may be.

ugsparky

" ... I have no idea what the BCD of this odd Claude Butler crankset may be ... "

Seamus - is this referring to my bike and if so why "odd" - is it so different or unusual to have 39T than a 34T inner chain ring. I'm a bit confused too about people suggesting upgrading wheels and drivechain gears - looking at the cost and the expertise/tools involved, would it not be simpler and as cost effective to just buy a bike with these better specs already part of the package !!!

The more I read on the Cycling forum posts here the more I realise how complex the sport of cycling is/has become. It's certainly different than my old "maracycle" days on a Raleigh Equipe and drinking in Queen's Student bar til the early hours, full Irish and then die from Drogheda to the ALSAA complex ...

feck sake lads

no wont fit you will need to change the crankset and more that likely the bottom bracket.

Lumen

ugsparky wrote: »

The more I read on the Cycling forum posts here the more I realise how complex the sport of cycling is/has become. It's certainly different than my old "maracycle" days on a Raleigh Equipe and drinking in Queen's Student bar til the early hours, full Irish and then die from Drogheda to the ALSAA complex ...

To an extent it's only as complicated as you want to make it, but the manufacturers have not helped matters by constantly creating new "standards" for everything.

If you think gearing options are complicated, stay well away from bottom brackets. :mad:

seamus

ugsparky wrote: »

Seamus - is this referring to my bike and if so why "odd" - is it so different or unusual to have 39T than a 34T inner chain ring.

The combination of a 50T/39T is odd, as the combination is typically 50/34 or 52/39.

The idea being that if you want a bigger top ring, you sacrifice a few teeth on the smaller ring. If you want a smaller bottom ring, you sacrifice a few teeth on the top ring.

Claude Butler seem to have gone for the worst of both worlds, with a large small ring, and a small large ring.

My guess is that it's a 130mm BCD, but you'll need to measure it yourself before you can replace either chainring. If you check out online, there are articles about how to measure your chainrings.

feck sake lads

what you should do is buy a shimano XT triple crankset / bottom bracket/ and rear derealier/ and new xt cassette 13to32 then a really good set of wheels and tyres, Bike transformed to anything you care to throw at it.;)

on_the_nickel

OP, where is the Long Woman's Grave climb?

I was out that way yesterday and climbed up to the RTE mast from Edentober near Morgan Fuels, thinking that was it but when I got back my Dad informed me that that wasn't it at all. Mind you, it was so misty up there, there was no chance of me seeing anything. I would have crashed into the mast if I wasn't going so slow! The descent was hairy as hell too.

I'd say there is lovely climbing round there on a nice day. Too bad my chances of getting out on the bike when we visit the grandparents are few and far between, but I'd love to give the Long Woman's Grave and that mast climb another bash sometime soon.

ugsparky

The Long Woman's Grave would lie not too far from the descent from the mast just up from the left turn that takes you down into Omeath. It's a small layby with a engraved tablet marking the place.

Our cycle approached it from the road to Carlingford/Greenore travelling past the Ballymascanlon Hotel. We turned left through Jenkinstown to a staggered junction that takes you up Jenkinstown Hill :mad:. If you follow the road up to a Y junction the Long Woman's Grave is on the right hand side.

ugsparky

Sore, dissapointed & a bit ashamed
... I did a 100k spin yesterday ... part of it was going up Jenkinstown Hill towards the long womans grave ... and I couldn't do it - for the first time I had to get off and walk a bit around the half/two thirds mark. I just couldn't get enough air into my lungs. I won't go into all the details but I was a bit down over this - I did the 100k meath an post last week and came into Trim feeling great at 47kph - yesterday I limped into Ardee at 23kph hurting.

I don't know enough about bike set-ups and I'm definitely not saying the bike was the reason for my abysmal performance - I'm riding a Claud Butler San Remo with a 50/39 front chainring - not sure what's on the back - it's an 8 sprocket cassette - even in the lowest gear I was almost pulling the handlebars out of the frame to try and keep a tempo - air just wasn't filling my lungs so reluctantly I stopped .

The only redeeming part of my day was the speed down to the foot of Jenkinstown and I kept it going back home from Carlingford - but I was so tired. I clocked 67.9kph on the descent into Omeath - and I was careful without taking any crazy risks - I'm mindful that the roads are open and other people are using it.

Just was hoping some people who have maybe done this trip on the Tour of Louth could offer any opinions or advice about bike set up/training. I'm not looking for an olympic qualifying time or to ride Alpe D'huez but I was really shocked and surprised at how bad I felt for getting off and walking.

:D:D Except today I did the Tour of Louth in 3h:45m:46s and climbed Jenkinstown Hill passing people along the way ... and I'm a very happy Silver Medalist. I couldn't have gone any faster - I tried to beat 4 hours and I did it. Last August a similar 100km+ took me 4h:23m and I was shot to pieces. Now I'm 15kg lighter and I ride a Ridley Orion. Thanks to my wee wife for improving our diet and thanks Mr Ridley for being a great bike. And lastly thank you to all you guys who offered me words of encouragement and advice - a compact crankset makes a big big difference. So next year maybe trying for the Gold medal ... but today I'm tired but very happy :D:D

C3PO

ugsparky wrote: »

... I did the 100k meath an post last week and came into Trim feeling great at 47kph

Am I reading that right ..... you averaged 47kph over 100kms? Unless it was all downhill that was some going!

cython

C3PO wrote: »

Am I reading that right ..... you averaged 47kph over 100kms? Unless it was all downhill that was some going!

I would think you've misread and the intended meaning was that the OP was delighted at being able to muster 47kph at the end of the 100kph spin

wexandproud

you could have 2 reasons for your bad day. you may have been more tired than you thought after meath and if you did not ease of a little during the week it can be surprising how long full recovery can take, also if you had a major change of normal routine during week it can have surprising effects.i certainly would not change bike because of it unless you had planned it anyway

Lumen

C3PO wrote: »

Am I reading that right ..... you averaged 47kph over 100kms? Unless it was all downhill that was some going!

wexandproud wrote: »

you could have 2 reasons for your bad day. you may have been more tired than you thought after meath and if you did not ease of a little during the week it can be surprising how long full recovery can take, also if you had a major change of normal routine during week it can have surprising effects.i certainly would not change bike because of it unless you had planned it anyway

That was 10 months ago!

Wishbone Ash

Lumen wrote: »

That was 10 months ago!

..."last week" in the original opening post.

ugsparky

C3PO wrote: »

Am I reading that right ..... you averaged 47kph over 100kms? Unless it was all downhill that was some going!

No... I ripped up to the traffic lights at 47km/h ... ave speed was 25km/h

Unregistered.

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

..."last week" in the original opening post.