If you have to choose, choose quality over quantity
My lungs feel my favorite way my lungs can feel. Every breath I take tells me the whereabouts of each alveolus. They feel raw, like they were scraped clean and opened up anew after a period of dormancy. Every breath tells me their exact shape and depth, where my lungs end and where my diaphragm begins. I feel high, as though my freshly cleaned lungs are letting too much oxygen into the system and it’s not quite sure what to do with it other than to make everything feel more Awesome.
Cycling is, unequivocally, without question, a drug.
At my back lies a winter of frustration; my training has been behind all year with me neither having nor making the time to get the hours in that I am used to. I’ve never been a thoroughbred, but this winter I haven’t even been a donkey. I’ve been a mule. It feels good to say it out loud, actually.
“Hi, my name is Frank. I’m a mule.”
“Hi, Frank.”
I’ve always favored the 2 hour ride over one, three hours over two, four over three. The best rides are sun-up to sun-down endeavors that have me crawling into the kitchen or pub for a recovery session. On one notable occasion I got off my bike and sat at the side of the road in the pouring rain, just to contemplate how I might manage to ride up the final steep ramp to get back home. (Spoiler alert: I finally arrived at the conclusion to climb aboard my bike and pedal up the hill, something that seems a lot more obvious in hindsight than it did at the time.)
I’ve become more opportunistic in my training since arriving at some basic condition through getting my head kicked in for nine days at Keepers Tour. Since then, I cherish those small windows in my schedule that allow for a quick ride and jump at the opportunity, even if it’s just for an hour. The shorter the ride, the harder the ride. No mercy. Stop lights? Interval to the next one, like some idiot Cycleway Hero. Climb? Hit it until the lights go out. False flat into the wind? 53×11 and out of the saddle until the legs turn into Jell-O.
Today’s ride was 90 minutes. Full gas, start to finish; I was a Cat 5 on Race Day, born again. If I was stopped at a light, it was a double-down sprint to make up for lost time like a dog let off its leash trying to catch up to where it would have been if it had been loose the whole time. Everything my mind asked for, my body gave. Everything my body needed, The V provided. Today was a reminder that if quantity and quality are on offer, take them both. But if you have to pick one, quality will go a long way to make up for quantity. I’d rather ride a little every day than not ride every day. And a short ride, done right, can put you in the box just the same.
In the immortal words of The Prophet, “Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.”
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@unversio, @Teocalli
Get fucked.
Am actually going to be doing this sort of thing now;short sharp* commutes in with a bit longer ones home every now and then.
Of course long rides will still be on the agenda(did a 100k last Sunday) as there are a few sportives booked(Cambridge swarm,Suffolk spinner and etape London are some I'm doing);an all day-er has also been talked about at some stage.
*well less blunt.
@Teocalli
Didn't anyone see the Rule #52 violation? 2 different bidons... and if this picture represents a short ride, then double whammy "Two cages can be mounted, but only one bidon on rides under two hours is to be employed". Or is the black one on the seat tube a container for tools? Yet Frank's jersey pockets do not seem to be too full? Am confused...
@Teocalli
or someone who is trying to spear things.
A lot of sprinters go for a similar shifter mounting position. Is Frank a sprinter? I know that Sprinter = "can't climb" but I hadn't realised that "can't climb" = Sprinter.
It would make me quite happy if it were so.
@KogaLover
I think the rearmost bidon is cut down to take his spare tubular.
@fenlander
The Tour of Cambridgeshire could be a good one, a lot off people riding but it's closed roads. Flat Out in the Fens is good if you don't mind the chance of 240 km of flat with head winds.
@Chris
Yeah, I thought about the tour but having no car makes it a pain to get to and I've used my hotel budget for the etape London;also have our club sportive which should be happening in october.
Live in the fens so I'm used to the winds,well as used as you can get to them anyway;our club road captain had the best psychology about riding in strong winds,you just use them as a training tool(and take advantage of any tail winds).
Mind you any windless days have seemed few and far between so far this year.
@fenlander
I thought you lot in the fens were supposed to be hardmen? Is that not what your club name Hard Riders refers to?
It's only 50km from Ely to Peterborough.
@Chris
Doing a charity ride the end of June from South Ockendon to Newcastle Upon Tyne over 3 days. Are the flat lands really that bad? Used to riding along the North East coast so winds are an everyday occurrence. Day 2 is the longest and flattest, Peterborough to York.
@Chris
Well I did think about doing that but to be honest the real reason is it's close to me and the vmh's anniversary so for my own health I booked the swarm later in the month instead which I will be riding to.
The hard riders thing is the early season TT.