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
by | Oct 7, 2015 | Training
When my off season began I was really excited about trying new things and eating cake! I had lots of plans to go swimming, running and even a bit of sailing whilst I recovered form cycling. As with all plans some of these for one reason or another never got off the ground.
I did however try running. I used to run at school (way back!) and thought it would be an easy way to get some exercise. I found running really hard my first run, which was probably too long was 40 minutes of absolute hell! My shins hurt, my achillies hurt and listening to music i felt disconnected from the world around me.
I decided to try again, so a few days later I laced up my trainers and headed off this time my play list was actually motivating and I found myself running faster and even did some lunges too! Although my legs ached I decided this was probably normal for a non runner and carried on.
I have found it hard not having a reason to go out on my bike and have only been out with friends which was great a usually I do so much riding alone, it was nice to share adventures with others, this is something I want to continue to do!
It was also nice getting out and exploring new places with no agenda, when training I am so focused on what my heart rate should be that sometimes I miss out on the enjoyment of riding my bike. It has be great to get this back and take my time and enjoy the views.
My coach and I have been working out my training timetable looking ahead to my races next year. It is going to be hard to fit everything in but I am determined to make it work.
So after a month off I am officially back in training! Not the best start to my training plan as im blown over by a cold second week in!
Ill keep you posted on how its going!
by hattenburrow | Aug 16, 2015 | Biking Adventures, Training
Due to a family emergency I have spent this week in Suffolk on the East coast. On Wednesday I got out on a training ride, a vo2 session and then trying to catch my parents on their ride, I did not succeed!
On Thursday Mum and I left Carlton Colville and headed towards South Cove on the back roads through Mutford. Our aim was to find a new footpath which would take us to the beach. We crossed the A12 and made our way on a quiet country road down past South Cove heading in the direction of Kessingland. After several twists and turns it seemed we would not find the right path but instead enjoyed our ride meandering between fields full of crops of sweet corn. The sun shone on us, but the wind was picking up as we got closer to the beach.
We reached Benacre sea front and the wind had become very fierce crashing the waves into the un- protected coast line. I remember as a child there being a lot more beach than there is today as the coastal cliff steadily succumbs to the waves.
From Benacre we turned left towards home travelling through Kessingland and then back through the country roads making our way through Gisleham to Carlton Colville.
Our 15 mile ride had been really good fun and a reminder that sometimes it is good to stop and take in the view instead of rushing past. When you’re training you don’t have time to stop and admire the view because you’re transfixed on what is happening on your Garmin! So it was a very welcome change to get out and ride for the sheer pleasure of riding your bike and completing a journey under your own steam.
The next day instead of making driving to my grandparents, I jumped on my bike and made the trip across town. I travelled quickly through Oulton Broad past rows of cars stuck by the bridge secretly enjoying the freedom two wheels was giving me, being able to wiggle my way through the traffic. I went past people enjoying a drink by the Broads and Swans with their goslings pruning themselves in the sun. It was a really pleasant way to make a small journey that I have done over and over again in a car and always got stuck in traffic!
On leaving my Nan and Granddads I decided to ride along the sea front. As I reached the sea wall, the wind was strong and a couple of kitesurfers were making their way through the breaking waves. I followed the shore along the cliff top until I could go no further on the cliff and made my way down onto the beach. The deep sand and pebbles made it tough work to get to the line of hard sand. The spec of cliff top in the distance slowly became nearer until I could make out houses, then slowly I could see windows and make out people on the cliff top. My destination was Kessingland, as I travelled along I passed shrieking children playing in the surf, dog walkers and runners. I kept worrying that I would run out of hard sand making my journey along the beach almost impossible. That is when I spotted the tell-tale tracks of another bike! I latched onto this hope that if someone else had been here before that I would make it to Kessingland.
I kept my eye on these tracks following beside them, with my head down focusing on the tracks I was not focusing on the cliff which had now disappeared, replaced with a bank of shingle giving no clue as to where exactly I was. It wasn’t until I got to the sluice wall I realised I had gone too far! Not one to turn back when an adventure has started I continued along to Benacre Broads and slogged through the hard sand onto the footpath that my Mum and I had taken the day before. Once off the sand I was grateful for the small bag of Haribo that I had found in my bag as my legs resembled jelly sweets themselves!
I slowly made my way along the farm track through fields lined with Sweet corn until I got to the road. The road was lined with blackberry bushes which taunted me with their nearly ripe fruit. I stopped to try a couple which were very sour so I continued on regretting my foraging attempt. My pace had dropped off and I felt like I crawled into Henstead. I turned right into Mutford and felt a rejuvenated sense of energy at being nearly on the home straight.
Saturday was my final day. Mum Roger and I made plans to ride along the sea front to a little café to have breakfast, it was tranquil as we rode along the deserted sea front. The sea was calm and just a few boats and sea gulls graced the blue water.
From the café Mum and I made our way back through Oulton Broad with another Grandparent visit. Once we returned home I headed straight back out to get in a hill climb session. Now the East Coast does not have that many hills but I headed to one in Mutford that I thought I might be okay and one I had used about a year ago.
As I sprinted towards the top I realised that my fitness from last year to this had improved dramatically as I reached the top in 40 seconds. So I turned to plan B and did three all out efforts round the 2 mile block pushing as hard as I could. My heart rate at the end of each effort was always over 180 but during my 2 min rests it always dropped back down, another good sign for my fitness levels. After 3 efforts and still feeling like there was more in the tank I pushed round for a final time. Finishing this last effort I felt a huge sense of achievement in getting out and pushing myself. I then enjoyed ambling back through Bluebell woods, where there was no bluebells! The tree canopy made the track seem dark and mysterious until it released me back into the dazzling mid-day sun, the ground going from smooth to rough and bumpy in seconds, I pushed hard up the hill. Turning towards home on the road I had really enjoyed my time cycling and training somewhere different.
Altogether I covered 85 miles and it was great to share those miles with my family.
by | Aug 15, 2015 | Training
Today I did my second vo2 session of the week! These are lung busting short sharp efforts with minimal rest in between.
I have been at home this week so found a loop on quiet country roads which was around 2 miles and sprinted round as fast as I could.
My best time was 6 mins 33 seconds with a max heart rate of 186 bpm.
I did four efforts which is an increase of one effort and between each one I had a 2 min rest.
Altogether I did 19 mins at my threshold heart rate (between 168 – 186) which i am really pleased with.
