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.
A bit late with the weekly review this week, due to a weekend away with the family. More on that below. However, cycling-wise, I didn’t get in as much as I had hoped – nor did I hit the yearly goal I thought I might / wanted too. Boo.
OK, here are this week’s rides:
- Monday – Performance Condition: Fair
- Tuesday – Sun Cream: Ready
- Wednesday – Sun Cream: Not Required
I started the week off well enough. I’d slacked off during the previous week so came out with good intentions at the start of this one.
As a last minute thing, my wife swapped out our planned Tenerife holiday for a weekend break up in Edinburgh instead. This would give me, in theory, the option of riding in another country – one of my yearly riding goals for this year – but would mean I would “lose” three riding days on the week.
Ultimately I didn’t come close to my 100km weekly riding goal this week, though I might have done if I’d done all my riding indoors. Instead, because the weather was nice – or nice enough – I went out for all three.
All of these rides were fairly short local efforts. Nothing really stood out, just a decent-ish ride each time.
In the back of my mind I knew I would be over indulging in the weekend ahead, but that still wasn’t enough to make me push myself too hard. Tuesday was a decent effort, but too short to really meaningfully count.
Anyway, as I say, I had grand visions of doing some riding up in Scotland.
Except I don’t have a way to transport my bike. I need a bike rack, ideally. But also I kinda figured I’d rent a Boris Bike, or whatever the Scottish equivalent might be (a Sturgeon Cycle?). However, that just never happened.
Right, so I’ll quickly cover off the bike riding week in summary:
A bit of a poor effort.
I’ve slipped into “recovery” due to low training intensity – which I will highly likely fix this week. All is good, I’m not sweating it (hey, that’s the crux of the problem!)
Anyway, aside from not riding my bike in a different country, and therefore not being able to tick that goal off the list, I did get in some exercise. Also, a lot of drinking and eating. Way too much of both.
I’ve never been to Edinburgh, and only one time to Scotland when I was a wee nipper. I hadn’t expected it to be so hilly. Boy was it hilly. Bike riding paradise in many ways.
The tourist-y things we did do had lots of walking in, so whilst the cycling stats aren’t great this week, I wasn’t idle for chunks of the weekend. And yes, I know I’m a bit of a Strava wanker when it comes to holidays but I do like to track how much effort I’m doing… because I’m very sad.
Anyway, highly recommend a trip to Edinburgh if you get the chance.
I’d really like to do some cycling around Scotland. It is hill central for sure. The route from the M6 motorway to Edinburgh was the kind of ride I imagine would break a man. 50 miles or so of country lanes, most of which was up hill. I don’t know exactly how far up hill, but it felt like a jolly long way.
We’re late in the year now – just the four months or so till Christmas. Will I be able to tick this “cycle in another country” goal off the list before the winter months set in and it becomes too late?
I don’t know. I’m pushing my luck and I feel like that was my best chance.
But I just wasn’t packed for it. Shirts and jeans, that’s not cycling kit. Not even on a Sturgeon Cycle.