- Weeks until Bridge 2 Bridge ride - <3 Weeks
- Donations collected - $2,480.00
Training Stats:
- Distance YTD - 3,542 km
- Elevation YTD - 31,757 m
- Ride Hours YTD - 145hr 30min
- Current Weight - 77.5kg
Training has been great lately. Last week especially was good and I managed to squeeze 440km (3900m climbing) in, finishing it off with the Ipswich 100 charity ride (more below).
The weather has still been abit hit & miss with a few days of rain/showers last week. I am desperately hoping that all this rainfall now will mean a dry winter (i.e. a dry Bridge 2 Bridge ride). The plan from here on will be to continue the high-distance training for the next fortnight then use the last week to taper down (only riding say 100-150kms) in order to let the legs recharge.
I have been lucky to dodge sickness so far this year. This weekend was the only time I have felt abit 'off' and I think it was mostly due to lack of proper sleep and the up & down temperatures. That being said, I still managed to knock out a 170km ride while I was feeling off so I'm not too fussed about it. I have been taking the following supplements to help avoid any sickness and injury problems:
- Fish Oil capsules - to ease joint pain and for the Omega3
- Garlic tablets - for an immune system boost
- Multivitamin tablets - to fill in any gaps in my diet for vitamins
- Hay fever tablets - to stop me sneezing every morning (especially at change of seasons)
Snaps from the Ipswich 100 mile ride...
Ipswich 100 Charity Ride
On Sunday I took part in the Ipswich 100 charity ride. Its the third time I have signed up for this ride and they offer three distances; 50km, 100km and 100 miles (or 160km). The last two times I did this ride was with Eddie and we did the 100km ride each time. As an extra challenge to complement my training, I signed up for the 160km ride this year. Its my first ever Imperial century (100 miles) and was my biggest single ride to date.
Great countryside scenery...
It wasn't exactly a smooth start for me - I underestimated the time to drive out to Ipswich and the extra traffic at the designated parking area had me running late. The scheduled 160km start time was 6am and I was ready to ride at about 6:15am. But the time I got to the start line, the 160km group had long gone. Rather than give chase all on my own (a tough task), I opted to start with the front group of the 100km in the hope of catching some of the slower 160km riders on the way.
Mountains in the distance...
Boy did those 100km 'elite' rider fly! We were doing 45km/hr for the first hour and the bunch was breaking up everywhere. I dropped off the back of the fast bunch eventually and I was mindful that I had used up alot of energy so far. I recognised a few guys from the forum shortly afterwards and slowed the pace right down.
One of the many hills...
From there on, I stuck with my newfound friends Brett and Pete for the rest of the day. It was a long day of riding (over 7hrs) so we all went at our own pace. I was abit quicker up the hills (and it was a really, really hilly course) so we would regroup periodically along the way. I was glad that I had been training lately as the constant hills were energy sapping. I had an involuntary 15min timeout when I had a slow leak puncture (from a pothole I think), but once that was fixed I was off again.
Don't think this old car's roadworthy anymore...
The scenery was beautiful - green grass and bright blue skies with wisps of clouds. It was amazing riding weather. There was minimal traffic and the ride was really well organised. I filled up on my fair share of hot cross buns and bananas! The men and women manning the food stops were cheerful and always up for a chat. A big thank-you to them for taking the morning off to help the riders out.
Long road to nowhere in particular...
Total distance was 170km, total climbing of 1700m and time of 7hrs11mins. All in all a great ride and I will be back again next year!
Ride Website: http://www.ipswich100.com.au/
My Strava Ride: http://app.strava.com/activities/48691197
Donations:
Big thanks to the following people who have donated - It really means alot to me to have your support!
Anonymous donation of $100 and Vanessa Vong.
Thank you all so much.
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