by | Jan 23, 2016 | Training
Today was the my long ride day. My ride was set to be 4 hours long in tempo heart rate for 220 mins (heart rate between 150 – 160 bpm).
I set out with Michelle my partner for the Trans Alp from Petersfield on a loop I had planned with as many hills in it as possible! Our first big ascent was Butser Hill, which usually has awesome views out to the sea from the top, today not so great!
After climbing Butser we made our way down and around to Liss, I was keen to take my new full suspension bike off road so we headed to the wood to try out some of the single track around Liphook. Living in the South Downs we are really lucky to have such amazing riding all around.
The new Era was such a comfortable ride, the 29er rolls smoothly over lumps and bumps once the bike is moving it just seems easier to maintain momentum.
After our ‘playtime’ off road we headed back to the tarmac to finish our long ride.
Altogether we clocked up 47 miles in 4 hours and 10 minutes, we climbed over a 1000m which was a great achievement but far off the 19,000m we will do over 7 days in the alps!
As ever all great rides end with cake today we stopped at Madelines Delicatessen for a slice of Almond and apricot cake totally awesome worth checking out this place.
I am excited to be back training properly again and working hard towards my first race, Battle on the Beach in March.
This week I have done 9 hours training so far and clocked up just over 100 miles. I am pleased with my progress and enjoying learning how to get the most out of my new bike.
My coach added a sprints interval session and a flat pedal technique session to my normal routine, it is good to have new challenges and goals to work towards. I have forgotten how tough sprints were so its nice to be out pushing my body to new limits.
by hattenburrow | Jan 22, 2016 | Training
Last week I went to specialized to pick up my new Era, I met Olivia from specialized who took me to meet the guys doing my bike fit Murph and DA.
I had a body geometry bike fit which started with talking about my background and any injuries I had sustained. This was a relatively short list, however I find it interesting the few injures I have had seem to all be related back to my back injury from years ago kitesurfing. My top tip, when you have a physio and exercises keep doing them and then go to Pilates to keep your core strong, it’s like any muscle if you don’t use it, you lose it and it impacts on other muscles.
I then had a physical assessment to check my alignment, leg length and flexibility. During this we also looked at the contact points on the bike so shoes, gloves and saddle. To find out what size saddle I needed I had to sit on a piece of memory foam which recorded where my sit bones were, from this Murph (one of the fitters) could work out the best width saddle for me.
One of the parts I found really interesting was this heat mat that I put my feet on and it showed where the parts of my feet where connected to the ground. Doing this test was really interesting because I learnt that I have very high arches in both my feet, which don’t collapse when I am standing, which is good. This was interesting to find out as I have always struggled with finding supportive footwear and now know why!
Because of my high arches I had special green insoles designed for people with high arches out in my new s-works shoes I immediately felt more supported on the inside of my foot.
After a few more tests it was time to get on the bike, the information Murph and DA had collected from the tests helped them to pin point changes that needed to be made straight away.
Once I was on the bike they wired up the joints of my body so that they could see my movement patterns on the computer screen.
Using side analysis they looked at my full leg extension which determined whether my saddle needed to be higher, which it did. This also helped judge how far forward to push my saddle to create more of a bend in my elbows.
The front camera showed my hip, knee and foot alignment, as I was already aware that I have one knee that moves towards my frame more than it should DA looked at my cleat position and step up and we moved my cleats to help correct my knee alignment. This was also helped by the new supportive insoles.
I get a funky bend in my wrist which seemed to happen whether my hands were wide on the bar or not, Murph cut 35mm off each end of the bar which seemed to suit my riding position.
They also looked at my riding position from behind which highlighted an issue I was having with my saddle, my left hip would drop and I had to keep moving myself backwards to get comfortable. We tried a variety of different saddles. The last one was, called power, it seemed to lock me into a stable position and also felt like my weight was distributed more evenly between my sit bones.
A little video of the bike fit:
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJQ-t6FvDUc]
This process was really thorough and we spent a long time making little tweaks until I was in my optimal riding position.
I am now going to ride the bike for a couple of weeks and see if there are any little niggles that need ironing out.
I was really impressed with the whole fit and how such small tweaks can make such a difference. From having such an in-depth fit I have realised how important it is for your bike to fit you properly to be comfortable and also to make the most of the power you create! This is going to be especially important during the Trans Alp as I will be riding my bike for around 5/6 hours a day for 7 days.
Thank you Murph and DA for a brilliant fit and cuppa T! A massive thanks to Specialized for supporting my 2016 race season, I can’t wait to race my new Era.
Follow my journey to the Trans Alp on Twitter and Instagram
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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by hattenburrow | Jan 13, 2016 | Training
My winter training didn’t get off to the best start, running during my off the bike month created a problem with my knee, probably due to a weak core and pretty naff hip flexors! So I had to go back to basics working on my core strength and hip flexor mobility. An MRI showed that my knee is actually in pretty good condition which was great news and meant I could concentrate on doing light training.
Over the past two weeks I have been concentrating on increasing the miles using tempo rides. Having had a sore knee I have been working closely with my coach to steadily build my training back up.(Velo Coaching)
I have been doing 2-hour tempo rides (heart rate zone 3). Training this way (avg HR 155 BPM) achieves 2 things, it allows me to condition my aerobic system whilst gradually building my base aerobic capacity without having to ride for hours in HR zone 2. Riding in this heart rate zone also maintains my lactate threshold by working the upper limits of my aerobic capacity.
The other key session is hill repetitions, as I am gradually building back up to the level of training I would be expecting to do. I have found a hill which begins with a gradual climb and then a steeper lip. I do each rep trying to stay in the hardest gear possible, this works like on the bike weight training!
I find this very tiring and painful but enjoy feeling my muscles burn and my heart beat fast because I know I am doing everything I can to get my fitness back on track and build a solid foundation on which to increase my anaerobic capacity. After each rep I have a 3 minute recovery period.
On Friday I get my new bike from Specialized which is exciting. They have kindly agreed to support my 2016 season so during the year I will be racing and training on one of the most beautiful bikes I have ever seen! I can’t wait to see how going from riding a 27.5 to a 29er effects my training and racing results.
by hattenburrow | Nov 24, 2015 | Coaching, Training
As the leaves cover the ground and riding conditions become somewhat soggy it is important to look after your bike.
Yes I know when you get home a cuppa and hot steamy shower sound tempting but if you want your bike to be in tip top condition and ready for your next session you need to give it some TLC before you tend to yourself!
Here are my tips for keeping your bike rolling over the winter.
First of all you will need to buy some Duck Smart bike cleaner I recommend the Earth Mover as it cuts through the grime quickly, smells nice and is biodegradable.
You will also need an old towel which you can cut into piece (leggings, t-shirts and old tea towels are great alternatives)! A scrubbing brush from somewhere like Morrison’s and also an old sock or two!
- Start by wetting your bike frame being careful not to get too much water around the joints
- Spray on the Duck Smart, all over the frame, chain and cassette
- Go flick the kettle
- Lightly use the scrubby brush alongside the hose to wash off the grit and grime again being careful not to get too much water in your bikes joints
- Now use the scrubby brush on your cassette and chain to remove and grit and grime still left behind
- Turn your bike upside down and check the jocky wheels for grit
- Dry your frame with the towel
- Use a sock to dry around the seals in your forks
- Use a different cloth to clean your brake rotors
- The final sock should be used to wipe over your chain
- Use a wet lubricant to oil the joints in your chain and leave to soak in. I like Muc-Off wet lube the colour makes it easy to see when it has soaked into the joints
- After about 15 mins go back and remove as much oil as possible from your chain with the sock, a good tip is when you run your figure over it your figure should come away pretty clean and not caked in oil
So there you go that is my wet weather clean routine. Before you get out and ride this winter it is a good plan to make sure your bike has had a good service if you live around Hampshire Bike Fixers Portsmouth is a great place to go to make sure your bike is ready for winter riding.
Happy Riding x
by | Nov 1, 2015 | Training
Now that the clocks have gone back it is dark just after 5 so any evening training is done in the dark. The autumn is a great time, the leaves are so colourful and they make the trails take on a slightly different form. The terrain changes with piles of leaves and they hide obstacles which would normally be easy to spot.
This week I got out on a 2 hour ride with my Trans Alp partner Michelle. We rode from where I work in Liphook out into the countryside along tracks and back lanes.
Being off road at night can be a bit creepy when your alone but with conversation flowing we ate up the miles. That was until we had to take a trip over a stile which seemed to lead into someone’s back garden towards a very creepy poly tunnel… We decided to turn round and head for the safety of the wide track where any zombies or other ghouls of the night would be spotted in advance!
One of my sponsors Grip Grab do high vis arm and leg warmers, I decided to get some for road riding mainly thinking they would help me be more visible to cars. Michelle kindly took some photos and they really do stand out in the dusky and dark conditions. They are also super insulated and kept me really warm once the sun dipped behind the hill.
We got very lost! In the dark all perception changes and my sense of direction, which is not good at the best of times, meant we were soon in the middle of nowhere on a back country lane standing next to a creepy looking house with an eerie red light trying to figure out which way to go! To add to our slight panic at the point there was what sounded like a huge angry cyclists eating dog barking at us from the creepy red lit house! Luckily a gate was keeping the creature contained, for now…
Heading back in the right direction we dived off on a track through the golf course by this time it was pitch black and our Exposure lights came in very handy. They are expensive but their ability to light up the trail so that you can go at a good pace and read what is coming up is well worth it. Off-road you really need lights that enable you to see not just be seen because of the terrain it’s important to see well in advance what is coming up. I would recommend a head torch light to anyone that is planning on spending a lot of time hitting the trails in the dark as it gives you light not only directly in front of you but also wherever your looking.
by | Oct 29, 2015 | Training
This week in training I have been looking at manuals and front wheel lifts. At some point out on a ride you are going to come across something that you can’t roll over.
Especially in races and in more demanding situations to maintain your flow and not loose too much speed it is important to be able to pop over obstacles confidently. So this week I have been making use of the light to practice these skills.
Manual:
The good points:
- I lean forward and move my body weight back with straight arms, this gives me good leverage to pull the bike up
- My legs are pretty straight…
- I am looking forward
- I twist my wrists to pull the handle bars towards me
To improve:
- I need to shift my hips and weight backwards in order to find the bikes balance point
- Dropping my heels lower and getting my legs straighter
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nG9AmzBqcg]
Front wheel lift:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MgZE13uvn8]
The good points:
- Wheel comes nice and high over the obstacle
- The movement is coming from my leg and not pulling on the bars
- I take my head back with my shoulders
- I am looking forward
To improve:
- Maintain momentum and not hesitate before lifting the wheel
- Right and left leg able to lift wheel
- Take body and head further back
My 3 tips for learning how to do these two techniques are:
- Find an open space where you can lay out some markers
- Write down the key points needed for the technique like moving your weight forward then quickly back in the manual, power stroke from your leading leg on the front wheel lift and keeping your head glued to the top of your shoulders so you take it back with your body
- Video your technique a couple of times and critique yourself
