Riding around

[bob_summers]

I think the tour so far has been sorely missing Contador & Schleck, but yeah that TT was amazing to see. Froome looking very strong though, must be quite frustrating for him as I bet he feels he can win it! Was good to see Millar get the stage yesterday.

You're still getting quakes, are these related to the big one last year? Has NZ always suffered from quakes?

[Alistar]

Yeah, all the GC guys (except perhaps for Froome ) just don't have the snap of a Schleck and the Contador. Nibali looks the best of them, but then again just not that much better up the hills than Wiggans and Sky to do much lasting damage.

I'm sure they'll try to unsettle Sky, in stages 16 and 17. Would be much more exciting if other GC guys could isolate Wiggans, take some time off him, and have it up to Wiggans to win it in the TT. Nail-biting stuff no matter where ones loyalties lie. But just can't see it happening. Wiggans and Sky just seem too strong.

Yeah went to bed before the finish but was really pleased Millar won.
Stage 10 to me has been the highlight so far. Voeckler with stuffed knees and his constant surges seemed to be doing a lot of the pace-setting and towing, and still wins after riding himself to a standstill. Not the most efficient style etc... But how on earth did Voigt get back to the break and end up 3rd? Forget about physically, just shows how mentally tough some of these guys are.

Yeah the local mag 4.9 was related, but the mag 7(very deep luckily) up closer to Mr C wasn't. NZ's pretty active on the EQ front. But usually pretty small, or big and deep, or in unpopulated areas so no one really notices. Seems to be that certain areas get some quite big damaging EQ's every ~80 to 100yrs or so. Others like the Sth Alps or Wellington area get massive ones every 3 to 500yrs so one is unlikely to experience them in a human lifetime. Trouble is like anything people forget after a few generations. It seems stable now, and when their parents and grandparents were growing up so people naturally assume "we don't get EQ's here" or whatever.
Where I grew up, up North, we only got a few EQ's I can remember( a couple of 5's) but nothing damaging. So the chances of being in a certain area that gets affected by a major EQ is pretty low.

[Alistar]

Highest ever July temp 21.7C on Sunday so cool to get out in ss's. Rode out to Purau first so I couldn't pike. Feeling pretty good passed a guy in my vegan top so all good. Went a few k's past my house on the way back and bang! Think the tube blew a hole in my sidewall Lucky I had a boot in my bag of tricks and the hole wasn't too big so reckon the tyre's not completely poked. Started getting cold while fixing my tyre. Biked home then re-inflated the tyre,got another tube and put on my polyprop. Found out later the temp dropped 10degrees. Hmmmm...

Good ride up the B and to Rapaki and back, and my tyre held up fine. Started getting that pre-bonk feeling, all clammy and drained, losing focus and no power so pretty slow on last hill.

28mins Purau and back
17:50 bastard
5:10 last hill

67.95km 2hrs39:49 25.5Av 71.2Max
17 35 46 150A 177M

[bob_summers]

Pretty good description of the bonk! Do you get those even when fuelled well? I occasionally do & haven't really figured out why, curiously only ever on rides later in the day, usually solo. My theory is they're linked to concentration!

[Alistar]

Yeah doesn't seem to matter how fueled up I am. I still seem to bonk after the same amount of time/distance/hills for any given fitness. Sucks! It's like food doesn't work at all for me on the bike unless my HR is about 120. Maybe I don't ever do enough training(>300km/week) to get efficient enough? Or my lactic acid removal ability just sucks!
Have to remember that the brain works on glycogen too, but concentration is a biggy. I usually go to sleep and miss the moves, or forget I'm meant to be racing and actually care when people are beating me when times get tough. Think its a type of defense mechanism...

Man all this tdf watching has made me a write-off. Have to stay up to 3 to 3:30am to see the finish as I just get a stream over the interweb, and ASO seem great at shutting down any interwebby highlights over 2mins30

Fucken hell those Sky boys must have found "the elixir". Destroyed everyone and then Froome looked "fresh-as" and just pissed he wasn't allowed to drop Brad as well, take even more time out of Nibali, and go for the stage win Good work by Liquigas trying to turn the screws, but they only seemed to end up beating themselves up

[bob_summers]

Well it wasn't my favourite tour, but it was engaging and despite cries that Sky bored their way to victory it was amazing to see such dominating riding. I'm not their (or Wiggin's) biggest fan but it's just sinking in that Britain(in name at least) has put a rider on the top step (or top two) of the TdF. It's someone else's sport! I used to think it was as likely as winning gold in the ski jump in the winter Olympics!

2013 might hold the interest more. It's a climber's parcourse, might see some orange jerseys up in the mix. Euskaltel will start next season with a bigger budget and a relaxed policy on recruiting only Basque riders. If only there wasn't a TTT!

[Mr. Cleetus]

Allllllll your log is looking almost as bad as mine!!! What is happening to us?!?!

Are you sure it's actually bonking and not, errr, just hitting the end of your fitness?

[Alistar]

Yeah it wasn't a nailbiter but I still really enjoyed the tour. Sky made it look easy, but they were just riding on the front at such a consistently high speed when they turned the screws no one could attack out of it, without risking blowing up and losing minutes.

Yeah amazing really. I'm sure the general British public has no real idea about what Wiggans and Froome achieved. To have 2 athletes as good as them in the same generation is pretty incredible. I think Kenya is pretty high above sealevel which some attribute to helping Kenyan athletes having a bit of an edge, so I'm sure it did Froome no harm! Also it was a very clean tour I think with athletes starting to realise its too risky (in the most part) cheating. Countries with a culture of not doping( always some that cheat everywhere though), perhaps now have a bit of an edge over countries which just see it as a necessary evil?

I Know Mr C! I've become too lazy watching lots of cycling but doing basically doing none myself!

Good point Mr C. Yeah I haven't actually bonked proper for awhile. Usually I just add 30mins onto my "fitness range" where I know I'll bonk if I keep at the same intensity, through experience. Hit my range at 1hr57 today and very close to bonking at 2hr20.

Bit of sun today so after getting back form my daughters netball took the opportunity to get out for a ride, rather than waiting for tomorrow that probably will be cold and overcast.
2 weeks since my last ride today so knew it would be tough. Legs had a bit of a shock getting back into it, but at least my heart lungs and legs were all on the same page, rather than one feeling good and being limited by the other. Strong Nor ' Easter today so felt like a headwind for 80% of the ride. Air was quite cold tho so hands got quite cold by the end in failing light so wish I took gloves.

30mins Purau/home
47:47 gebbs
55:13 1st cattlestop
1hr14:45 top Bastard(strong NE)
2hrs to Rapaki and back to SOK
2hrs03:38 Govs
5min56 last hill (ouch!)

2hrs40:46 63.91km 23.8Av 70.4Max
31 34 33 145A 177Max

[Alistar]

Been enjoying the Olympics. Annoyed I missed the team pursuits as too many late nights meant I had to get some recovery in GB incredible in both mens and womens looking at the times. 3 or 4secs faster in each at that level is just amazing. Think we need to clone a few more Jesse Sergents to do any better...

Cool windy Nor' east day today. Guts a bit funny from last nights dinner. Left a bit late after helping the son make vegan pikelets for brunch and planting my Garlic Headed up to the Summit Rd for some rides in the clouds. Couldn't see much and was a bit worried about getting cleaned out by the boi racers that hoon around there. Struggled to get under 20mins for the big B. Quite strong headwind which didn't help. Glad I took my gloves this time. Just went back via the Summit Rd and Gebbies, making sure not to come a cropper on the slippery corners/ cattlestops. Always glad I've got my Vreds on when its like that though as pretty grippy tyres, unlike what the women were riding on in the triathlon last night

13mins flat
24:12 top Gebbs
44:02 top big B
1hr4:50/1hr5:40 SOK( toilet detour)
1hr19 Rapaki
1hr31:32 SOK
1hr58 to top of big B
4:35 last hill- what a difference a week makes

Forgot distance
2hrs25:25 56.67km 23.3Av 70.5M
28 36 34 145A 180M

[bob_summers]

You took a detour for the toilet? Need to work on your peeing on the move skilz
Unless it wasn't to pee, in which case ignore me!

MMMM homegrown garlic! I've been eating a clove or two raw every day, and you really appreciate the good stuff when it's raw. What's a pikelet??

[Alistar]

Ha!Ha! Sorry just can't do it. I have tried but my cultural conditioning just doesn't let me Anyway was just a driveway up from the main rd to the SOK toilets so pretty much en-route.
Didn't realise the whole things been fenced off and shut down though Usually a tourist spot and cafe in a nice old stone building. But lots of places have been shut down recently including our 5yr old local library(2weeks ago) due to hidden EQ damage. Have to drive all the way across town now as all the others on our side of town been shut too. Sucks!

Reminds me...70% of buildings in the CBD have been demolished now. Crazy stuff. You think when people from overseas have an EQ, they clean it up and everythings back to normal in a few months once the cameras have something else to report on... Even in NZ some people have no idea. A friend of mine had a friend from up North coming down to stay. She couldn't pick her up as busy so her friend said "No problem, I'll just take a bus into the city(centre) and check out the shops for a few hrs"! My friend joked she should have just said ok and left her to a rather large reality check

Yeah can't beat fresh garlic just pulled out of the ground!

Pikelets are basically a pancake mix with less liquid and more oil and sugar. Make them into large biscuit size. Probably called something else in some areas. Like a smaller version of Flapjacks(American)?

[Alistar]

Streetview is an amazing thing as accidently stumbled upon it the other day while looking for a tyre place. Thank goodness they went all through ChCh before the quakes, as have got a great historical record of an inner city which now doesn't exist. Quite a surreal concept considering it was completed only 3 or 4yrs ago. Quite an emotional trip down memory lane.

Had 151mm of rain, or close to 6" in 3 days starting last Sunday (my biking day). Great for our water tank, as if it wasn't for that downpour we wouldn't have made it through Spring! Reckon it'll set us up for the year. Waters like gold when you're running out! Ground is still saturated though and we had lots of small slips around the hills as well as a new stream running through our place into the neighbours. A large EQ now wouldn't be good. However no signs of those recently. Lots around but too small to feel.

Daughter had her semi-finals of netball on today. Got a ride in with a friend which gave me an excuse to bike in and watch her in town. Late of course so had to motor. Trying hard but going average speed. Heart/lungs the main limiting factor. Went hard up Dyers averaging about 180bpms but could only manage 15min14 which is cruising speed when fit My poor heart! On the flat was about 174bpms but again not particularly fast ~ 33km/h. Missed nearly 2 quarters but at least got to see the last half. Unfortunately were beaten by a very slick team who kept the pressure on and forced mistakes. Great game even if on the wrong end of it, so went down 23-18 which was pretty good considering. Girls were a bit upset and a few tears at missing the final but playoff for 3rd next week so all is not lost.

On the way home was poked so had to go slow with no detours so I'd make it ok. Got passed by a few lackies up Dyers I'd usually smoke (one nearly choked trying to say hello as he went past), but had no option but to let them go so a very slow 23mins20 at the top. Oh to be fit again....

15:14 Govs to SOK ~180bpms Av 186bpms max!
23:20 Dyers
There 1hr04
Back 1hr16

2hrs20:05 54.3km 23.2 Av 69.8M
Z1: 13% Z2: 26% Z3: 60% 156A 186M

Oh yeah been doing a few press-ups every couple of days too. Took awhile but up to around 25 or 2sets of 20 with good form . Quite proud of myself then asked my son how much he could do and the little(not so little) bugger is up to 50, and he's quite sporadic with them. Hmmm...

[Alistar]

Been a bit lax with teh p-ups so have plateaued and haven't progressed. Added in a few planks for good measure. Man I was hopeless at those to start off with. Was shaking like a leaf after about 20secs! No wonder I've got lower back/ G.medius issues etc. Some serious weakness there. Oh well at least I'm addressing the issue a little anyway.

Great day today! Nearly 22C so nice to be able to break out the ss's Kept my ego in check today and made myself stay in my HR Zones. Reading this Jo friel book atm and guessed my Lactate ThresholdHR, which through experience pretty much know where it is, without doing a test or anything. Kept within that nearly the whole way which was pretty tough as I'm so slow at that level atm. Right down into the 8km/h's which normally I'd never contemplate letting myself on those 11%max climbs.
Anyway worked a treat and had no loss of power at the end, and felt really good. Usually I'll go waay over LTHR trying to keep "reasonable to me" speeds in the 1st half, then suffer, and slow right down towards the end. Only 2hr hilly ride but at my level of fitness at the moment thats quite challenging.

13:50W
17:54/18:12BG
26:06TG
48:08 22:02 for the Bastard so hitting rock bottom there!
1hr8:45 SOK
1hr33:54 SOK
Last hill 4:20

2hrs08:48 50.2km 23.3Av 81.3Max(would have gone a bit faster but stupid cars in the way)
23 33 41 148A 176M

[bob_summers]

Jeebus Al, what gearing do you run to get these 80kmh+ top speeds!!

[Alistar]

I'm just really good at spinning

But seriously, I did mention Dyers was steep though aye? Trouble is its nearly always a head or X-wind due to the way the hills bend the wind so speeds are usually limited to about 70 to 75km/h. Possible to hit 90(never quite got there) I reckon in ideal conditions, but it'd be a race before you ran out of safe road.

Forgot that I took the kids mtbing and did another nice easy 15km on Sunday avo. They've felled the 1st few k's of the forest so the 1st bit of track I've got so used to over the years is consigned to history. Be interesting to see what they put back in its place...