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.
Lot’s of riding this week, a nice mixture of indoors and out. The two stand out rides for me this week were Maize Wimbush’s Windup and my ride out on Saturday to climb Jeffrey Hill twice.
It’s been dry for the last four or five days, but as I sit writing this the rain is back in full force. Such a shame as my bike is the cleanest it has been in a good long while.
Here are this week’s rides:
- Tuesday – Seriously Stiff Legs (Indoor / Zwift)
- Wednesday – Maize Wimbush’s Windup (Indoor / Zwift)
- Thursday – Bit Blowy (Outdoors)
- Friday – Not Done That In A While (Outdoors)
- Saturday – The Ultimate Gummie Climbing Challenge (Outdoors)
- Sunday – Snap Goes The Gear Cable (Outdoors)
After the previous week where I had pretty much a week off the bike, this one started with me feeling super stiff and struggling to get the legs back on the idea of turning the pedals over. Starting with a nice easy ride was definitely a sensible idea.
I’d assured myself I would do something a little more strenuous once my legs were feeling warmed up, and had resolved to do an SST session on Wednesday. I have phsyched myself out a bit on the idea of SST. A while back I did one at too high an intensity and DNF’d, so thoughts of repeating are not favourable.
However, then I remind myself that I held 235w for an hour to climb the Alpe, so this would absolutely be easier. Silly. But the mind works in funky ways.
Anyway, instead of doing the SST session I opted for Maize Wimbush’s Windup. That was Zwift’s Workout of the Week, and a completely fluke as such that I saw it, and that it looks comparable in terms of TSS to the SST session. Whilst I don’t much like low cadence work, I know occasionally I have to do it, and that session was a decent way to go about it.
Things went a bit wild on Thursday. And no, I’m not talking about on the bike.
It was very odd for me to be going about my daily life, cycling about, enjoying the peace and quiet of the UK countryside roads on my dinner break when a few hours away (by plane) the start of WW3 may or may not be happening.
Cycling has been a bit of a saviour for me at times of crisis, and no more so than this week where jumping on the bike and getting out into the fresh air and, in some cases, relative quiet of the countryside has been much needed. I can’t be constantly checking my phone when I’m on the bike for one thing.
I really pushed myself on Thursday. Partly to make up for not doing the SST session, and partly because of the above. I just wanted to work hard and clear my head. Mission accomplished.
Had it not been for that kind of mindset I may have stayed in on Friday, but again, why bother sitting at the computer and just worrying? Better to be out on the bike.
Saturday’s ride was my favourite overall this week.
Two climbs of Jeffrey Hill, a really solid outdoor effort there. I pushed myself hard and felt like I’d really done justice to a recent uptick in fitness post Tour de Zwift.
The only downside to that ride was the brutal wind chill on the fast descents. I had a headache similar to brain freeze after coming down from Forty Acre Lane to Ribchester. And I didn’t learn my lesson of not putting up my hood, repeating the same sort of thing heading back down after the second climb.
Overall then, a really good week on the bike.
Off the bike… not so much.
Who the heck knows what lays in store for the week ahead. I’m somewhat burying my head in the sand at this point. There’s nothing I can do, one way or the other. But I am truly feeling anxiety like I haven’t known in a very, very long time.
The only thing I can do is try to keep up a regular routine… I think.
Here’s hoping that next week’s review is on a significantly more positive note.