Before the New Year, it was my ride up Haleakala. At present, it’s Keepers Tour: Cobbled Classics 2013. Before Haleakala, it was one of the various Cyclocross races and before that the Zoo Hill Time Trial. The targets change, but throughout my life as a Velominatus, there always seems to be a goal looming over the horizon which spurs me on. Training, for its endless nature, is like painting the Forth Bridge in Scotland: it takes a year to paint and you have to paint it every year.
In contrast to my opinion of painting a bridge, training is something I fundamentally enjoy. Lucky for me, I love training for the sake of training; I don’t feel any compelling need to do a particular ride in any particular time. What I do feel, however, is the need to do any particular ride in a better time than I have previously. I’m fortunate to delight in the process of finding form and fitness, of getting better. I love seeing the improvement; I love setting incremental goals and reaching them through the elementary process of working towards them.
Cycling, in this way, presents me with an incredibly rewarding outlet for that bit of my nature that lives on seeing marked progress. In every walk of life, things are complicated. The deeper we wade into any endeavor, the more embroiled we become in the mechanics of staying afloat – to say nothing of actually moving towards an end. Yet, Cycling is simple; put in the work and the results come.
The more complicated my life gets and the more conflicted my priorities, the more I find I love Cycling for its elemental simplicity. Set a goal, make a plan, follow it. There is no one to look to but yourself. There are no external dependencies. There is only the endlessness of The Work.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@brett
YES! This is exactly how I feel. I've done exactly two sets of intervals in my life & I'm still pissed I bothered. I played lots of organized sports growing up & also at uni & four years of an arsehole for a coach caused me to finish my final season & essentially turn my back on that sport. Cycling is now my lifetime sport and it's great to just do it because I like it, without a schedule, a regime, and someone yelling at me.
I love training rides but I'm with you - just ride & don't overthink "training."
I'm definitelynitty definitely in the "needs motivational targets" camp, especially in the winter and at least until I've found some form and the guns start to lay down a proper barrage rather than the soft nerfy shit they're producing at the moment.
it's not that I don't like riding in rule 9 weather, it's just so much harder to drag my climbs like a battleship carcas out of a warm bed when I know that not only am I going to be colds and wet (an eternal battle regardless of how much I'm looking forward to a ride or thstalemate of the weather) but, more importantly, that I'm going to be doing it badly.
Once I start finding that form it gets so much easier - there's a lot to be said for @Barracuda's "As a rule, the more I ride, the better I feel and therefore the better I fell, the more I ride."
Intervals and structured training certainly seems to suit me, being able to do short, intense sessions (often on the rollers) fits well with family, work and commuting and allows me to enjoy longer rides when I do get some time. Without the shorter sessions, I wouldn't enjoy the the longer rides and the while thing would probably fall beside the wayside.
@Chris
That's very good, and I can identify with it.
I've done structured training in the past--when I was training to outrun the cops--and it worked well, but now I just try to make sure I get a couple of high-intensity efforts in during the week and then long slow miles on the weekend (usually a fun day with the VMH). And spend the winter eating Vitamin D and doing any sort of riding I can motivate to do.
What I need is a goal for the spring to adequately frighten me during the winter.
@PeakInTwoYears
Last year that was the Keeper's Tour but unless I sell my downhill bike in the next few days and convince Mrs Chris that spending the proceeds on KT13 is a great idea, I haven't found it yet.
@Chris
I've long felt that the surest sign of good form has less to do with power and endurance or even the capacity to recover quickly from an exertion. Instead, for me, form has everything to do acquiring that higher threshold for pain. When I can look forward to hurting myself and relishing in that moment. That's when I know the fitness and form are on track...
Mmmm. Training. As I was asking @gaswepass last night, does anyone know where you can buy a "Home Tonsil Removal Kit"? If I can get scaler911 Jr's out sooner than the scheduled date of the 21st, I can get back to sitting on the bike, instead of sitting around the house with a febrile kiddo.
@scaler Wow that's old school. Didn't know they still did tonsilectomies. Meantime may I suggest topical application of brandy, or bourbon.
@Steampunk True enough, the ability ability to not mind increasing levels of pain does come with form but I quite often find that when I'm really lacking in form my legs start to give out before the pain become too much. I think that is an indication of a lack of power possibly resulting from generally riding at a high cadence all the time. Low cadence intervals seem to be working at the moment but it's early days.
@scaler911 Have a word with @Dr C, I'm sure he would be able to talk you through it on skype.
@Chris
Re cadence: spending time on the mtb this winter, I'm turning the pedals slower and (I think) finding a wee bit of increased power. Now if only my knees don't complain too much...