For a change I managed to get on the bike at dinner time (lunch time to posh people) today, which was definitely nicer for my sleep schedule than an early morning ride. And definitely more peaceful than an evening ride. Mostly I sat watching a movie (Once upon a time in Hollywood) rather than paying a huge amount of attention to my on screen Zwifting.
Today I opted for “FTP Builder Week 6 Day 3” which I have done before. Whilst not a true active recovery ride, it seemed like a good shout as it was more interesting than all blue zone stuff, whilst not being overly taxing in the grand scheme of things.
One thing that I did notice today, particularly in the second half of the ride was that whilst I wasn’t paying attention to any of my metrics, I was averaging a very high cadence at some points. I remember in particular noticing I was above 100rpm at one point, and when I thought about it, my legs felt numb. This was unusual, but I wasn’t concerned by it. Still, not sure that should be happening… and fortunately not something that I’ve noticed before.
Another thing that I keep coming back to is getting a professional bike fit. There’s a shop fairly near me (somewhere in Bolton) that does bike fits, and the guy is always booked up. I’m thinking of booking myself in there, even if it’s a few months off, and seeing what I get out of it. That said, I don’t feel uncomfortable on the bike at the moment. But I have no idea if I could feel more comfortable… if that makes any sense.
The one place that I very likely could do to improve is my saddle. I’m riding stock on everything. Whatever came with the Specialized Allez 2019, I have it. I’m thinking of swapping out the saddle to something with a touch more padding. I’ve yet to head on down to Evans cycles, but am aware the cost of a bike fit is about the same as a new saddle.
Today was a fairly easy one. I’m thinking I might do another run of Cap Formentor tomorrow, or maybe the Reverse Epic KOM. Either way, I feel like a climbing ride. The alternative is a race, but I’ve not yet found a suitable race that matches my time / availability. Maybe racing on weekend’s would give me a better choice.
Hey Chris,
You should definitely look into the bike fit. I had one and the guy found my saddle was too low, I felt comfortable riding it at the time, but raising an extra 10mm has made a bit of difference to the power – marginal gains! Also he should advise you on the best saddle to buy and the correct size (measure the bones).
Cheers,
Phil
OK, I think you’ve convinced me. I’ll get myself booked in and see what comes out of it.
Essentially what I’m hearing is: Forget spending money on one or the other, buy both.
Costly business this cycling lark.
🙂
Yeah it’s not cheap! I always tell the Mrs I’m investing in a longer and healthier life 😂
Also using man maths helps, I ride to work instead of taking the car. Money saved on parking and petrol = more bike bits.
LOL, man maths, that did make me laugh 😀