Weekly Review April 24th – 30th 2023

Each week I try to review and reflect on my previous week on the bike. This allows me to see how my fitness and ability is progressing on a wider timescale than day to day. For previous weekly reviews please click here

It looks a little down this week, but it doesn’t include a long walk in place of a recovery or easier ride on Sunday. Overall though, fairly pleased with the week. Nothing amazing, but a nice variety.

Here are this week’s rides:

Starting the week, we had the fourth and final race in April’s Cobble Crushers series.

I gave that one a decent effort. Not my absolute maximum, but a solid ride that I feel has a result which didn’t quite reflect the amount of effort I exerted. But it is what it is. I’m very much used to coming in the bottom half of the results table now, so no surprises were had that day.

I reckon I could probably do a touch better if I knew the routes just a tiny bit better. It feels like every time I do the Zwift France circuit, I misjudge the attack point on the Aqueduc climb. But we aren’t talking major differences here, maybe just a few more seconds recovery once over the top.

Following the race, I took on the Zwift Spring Training Workout #2 on Wednesday.

This was a fairly intensive workout, condensed into a short timescale. A good workout that definitely felt taxing, but not overly so. I enjoyed this one.

It looks like Workout #3 is going to be Hill Repeats, so that will be interesting too.

What I like about these rides is the regularly scheduled work. There’s something to keep my mind from wandering each week. And they can be neatly slotted into a lunch break – a lot like the races. So good stuff all round.

Will they make me faster come Summer?

I doubt it.

But it’s nice to kid myself.

Thursday outdoor ride was largely forgettable. Just keeping to cycle paths, not a whole lot of fun. And the usual blend of moronic motorists both too and from the route. Poor show.

No wonder I was back on Zwift for Saturday’s ride then. And another workout there. Once more, not entirely sure how useful that ride actually was, but it was another ~50 minutes on the bike, which is better than that time spent on the sofa playing computer games.

Unusually for a Monday I have already kicked off this week’s riding. So I still have that post to write. Therefore I will end this one now.

But not before saying I was surprised to see my weight trending back into the 66s again. The high 66s, but the 66s never the less. Woop.

And then for the week ahead – it’s an odd one. Bank Holiday today meant I could get in a longer outdoor ride. Although I actually needed to do that as I’m away with work on Wednesday and Thursday, so the week is a bit screwed up in terms of cycling. The plan is to race tomorrow – though how fresh I will be, I have no idea. Then rest days. And resume Friday with the Zwift Spring Training workout.

Then over the next weekend it’s another Bank Holiday. Good times.

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