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.
Another week of only four rides.
Barring Tuesday, each ride was intensive and felt like a solid effort.
It’s a tough call between Wednesday and Saturday as to which was the hardest ride overall.
The real downer this week is the awful saddle sores I’m currently left with… and that explains no ride today. I wanted too, but I’m in genuine pain and the mere thought of another wet hour’s chafing was more than enough to deter me.
Here are this week’s rides:
- Tuesday – Build Back Up (Indoors / Zwift)
- Wednesday – Tour of Makuri Islands: Stage 3 – Turf N Surf Race (B) (Indoors / Zwift)
- Thursday – Tour of Makuri Islands: Stage 4 – Neokyo All-Nighter (Indoors / Zwift)
- Saturday – Tour of Makuri Islands: Stage 5 – Makuri 40 (Indoors / Zwift)
Overall then, really pleased with all the work I did this week. Bit disappointed not to have made it to five rides, but I don’t feel like I’ve let myself down in any way.
I’d made a mistake thinking the Tour of Makuri Island and Zwift’s Race Makuri are one and the same. More on that here. As it turns out I’m running two events in parallel and keeping up with both is why I’m working significantly harder than I would usually be.
This is no bad thing – putting in the extra effort isn’t something I’m against.
On the race front, I’m really enjoying the regular competitive aspect and have had 3 memorable events so far. I’m looking forwards to stage 4 this week. The interesting thing from Stage 3 was in managing to stick with the front of the race as we crested the first (of two) climbs. That’s a first for me and whilst I couldn’t hold on until the end, it gave me a good idea of how much more I need to give if I ever want to contend for a top 10 finish.
The other big ride this week was Stage 5 of the Tour of Makuri Island where we took on Makuri 40, a new route that takes in the ‘old’ and the new of Makuri.
Pushing those extra 10km was more than I’d usually do, and I felt it too. Perhaps there is fatigue in the legs at this point, but that didn’t stop me setting a new PB for an hour. So yeah, pleased with that, too.
However I paid for that effort with the saddle sores. I knew I had them already from last week, but this week they have gotten far worse. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve been using my cheap bib shorts more now I’m indoors, or because I’ve stopped(!) using my chamois cream pre-ride. Or perhaps it’s simply because indoors the sweat factor is like 10x what it is outdoors.
Obviously the answers here are:
- Use some cream to take down the swelling
- Take a couple of days recovery (enforced due to work commitments)
- Wear my better bib shorts, and use chamois cream.
Hopefully that makes for a more comfortable riding experience, as right now I’m in pain.
As I say though, I’m enforced off the bike until Tuesday anyway as I’m working away – hence the early publish on this post.
Plan for the week ahead is see out Stage 6 of the Tour, complete Race 4, ideally do the make up ride for Stage 2… oh and throw in a bit of Zone 2 for recovery somewhere in between?
Is that too much to ask?
