Training Stats:
- Distance YTD - 5,503 km
- Elevation YTD - 51,482 m
- Ride Hours YTD - 227hr 25min
- Current Weight - 79kg
Well its has been abit quiet on the old Blog and riding side of things. After training long and hard for the big Bridge2Bridge ride (and doing the ride itself), I owed Bianca some quality time on the weekends and during the week. We spent it mostly eating haha which was handy because I lost a few kilos on the ride. It was enjoyable just lounging around and enjoying each others company.
I didnt get on the bike much during the last month or so - I had the odd mountain bike ride which was great fun. So the training stats from the last month are low but I am glad I took the time to rest up. Giving the legs a rest and letting the motivation build back up is important or riding will soon become a chore *shock horror* Something I
never want to happen to me.
What Next?
So what next for me then? I have a few charity rides pencilled in which I hope to build up to. I haven't lost too much fitness from all the training so that is good. The next rides I have on my tentative list of options are:
- Brissie to Bay 100km on 23rd June
- Logan City Charity Ride 100km on 28 July
- Redlands Classic Ride 100km on 25 August
- Tour of Hope 120km on 8 September
- Robbie McEwan Gran Fondo 100km on 29 September
- Rainbow Ride 160km on 10 November
There is also a couple of mountain bike rides I am thinking of giving a go too:
- Logans Run 75km on 11 August
- Freedom MTB Ride 60km on 12 October
Doing a MTB ride would be a great way to mix it up and keep things interesting. Hitting the trails on the weekend is a good way to fit a hard workout into a small time frame. If the weather can stay sunny and dry, the trails will be great this winter. You are also out of the cold winter wind in the bush which helps with the fun factor.
My new riding partner Dan and I are keen to do some more exploring around Brisbane. We have already done a hilly road loop around the Bunya Hills and Clear Mountain (which was cut short by a mechanical failure) but it was great fun. Anything is better than doing Riverloop every week! So I will map a few more adventures out and see if we can find the time to tick a few off.
Bike Fit
The other big activity from last week was that I had a proper bike fit done. I went to
Physiotec at Tarragindi which is the same place Eddie has his late last year. Eric Huang is a mad keen cyclist and races almost every week so he knows his stuff. He did the fit taking into account specifics about my body/legs, my bike, the riding I do and any issues I have currently.
There was alot of detail in the 2.5hr session but a few things I learnt about myself:
- My knee pain experienced on the Bridge2Bridge was likely due to poor cleat setup. This was compounded by the fact I trained in my 'commuter' shoes and did the ride in my 'race' shoes. Explains why I had no problems in training but had some pain during the ride itself.
- Even though it is my dominant side, my right leg is less stable than my left. There are some exercises I can do which will help build up my stability in this leg.
- My right leg/foot tends to point outwards, where my left leg/foot is fairly straight. This requires different cleat position on each shoe.
- My right foot is actually 1cm shorter than my left. Again, it requires different cleat position on each shoe.
- My position on the bike was already pretty good. It only needed some slight tweaking (raising and pushing back the saddle). My saddle-to-stem drop is in area of 15cm which is pretty big! Slam that stem!
Eric suggested that I keep riding normally for 2-3 weeks and take note of any changes (good or bad) in my body and riding. I can come back as many times as needed, until I am happy - which is impressive customer service. All up it cost about $180, but as he is a physio (not a bike shop) I should be able to claim some on my private health insurance. I highly recommend it to anyone who has some pain on the bike, or if you just want to make sure youre not doing any damage to your body. Eric was very professional and pleasant to deal with.
I will do another update in a few weeks but so far things feel pretty good!
Safe cycling,
