A parched lawn – why doesn’t clover suffer from the heat as much as the grass does?
It’s got hot here in the UK – this week has been close to 30℃ – mid 80s℉. After months of complaining about the cold I wonder what is a reasonable period to wait before I start complaining about the heat.
To finish off a couple of weeks for training, on Friday it was up to London with a Saturday morning run and supper with friends in the evening, so it didn’t get any better.
On Monday a group of us (4 retirees and one who doesn’t work on Mondays) got out for a really good and sociable ride. It was 87km with 973m of climbing @25.1kph (54miles and 3192 feet @15.6mph).
It was a good example of yet another benefit of riding with others – it was a route I’d not have thought of … there is a danger of getting into a rut and just riding the same routes if you only ride by yourself.
I always reckon that if the climbing metres are expressed as a % of the distance in metres, anything around 1% is a hilly ride, anything around 2% is a seriously hilly ride and anything around 3% is mountainous. So, it was hilly by my ratings (my everest being over 3% and the Cinglé du Mont-Ventoux being about 3.5%).
Tuesday morning I ran with Mrs O and then I spent the day in London. After a run and nearly 6 hours of driving I did not feel like getting on the bike in the evening but managed to persuade myself to do 50km on the turbo in 1hour 03mins @ 47.3kph (31 miles @29.4mph).
Despite starting at 8pm is was very hot. I’m not sure if this is a personal best but my first drip of sweat appeared within 4 minutes.
Back on the turbo again on Friday to complete the 3 day block after a day waiting in for a couple of deliveries and having a fence erected and a hedge trimmed. A hard and hot 50km in 1hr 05 minutes @46kph.
Friday was back to the turbo (65km in 1h 22m @47.5kph – 40.4miles @29.5mph) and Saturday was very sociable, leading the club blue ride. It was a good attendance for the blue ride – 13 bikes, and a fairly leisurely 54km (33.5miles).
I did it on the Giant having found the Rose with a flat in the shed – at least it had the decency to go down after I finished Monday’s ride – but it confirmed that the Rose is the one to take to the alps.
I took the opportunity to do my 9th 3 day training block by getting on the turbo Sunday evening too – yet another hot and sweaty session for 42.9km (26.6m) in an hour.
It was horrible: one of the hardest sessions I have done for a long time …. much too soon after Sunday supper and a couple of glasses of wine. If I needed reminding, it’s got to be easy on the big heavy meals and alcohol during the day when I’m cycling.
All in all, a much better week for distance with 6 rides, a run and some serious sweating for England.
| 3 day training block | Distance | Week | Distance | |
| 1 | 150km (93m) | 1 | 271km (168m) | |
| 2 | 246km (153m) | 2 | 407km (252m) | |
| 3 | 160km (100m) | 3 | 319km (198m) | |
| 4 | 249km (155m) | 4 | Run 21+ m swim & gym | |
| 5 | 205.1km (127m) | 5 | 205.1km (127m) | |
| 6 | 225km (140m) | 6 | 280.5km (174m) | |
| 7 | 123.4km (76.7m) | 7 | 55.5km (34.5m) | |
| 8 | 187km (116m) | 8 | 123.4km (76.7m) | |
| 9 | 163km (101 m) | 9 | 369km (229m) | |
(an Old Man in Lycra) 