One more sleep to go ...
Hi again everyone,
First I’d like to say a horribly belated but nonetheless extremely grateful thank you to the fabulous treemice, and Susan, Dawid, Jessie & Aimee M. for their donations. treemice saved up for ages and made an incredibly generous donation to both the Fisher Research Center and the Alzheimer’s Association USA. This brings the total raised for Alzheimer’s research to £871! Thank you so, so much.
Today’s test ride went pretty well, and I’m so glad I did it. Just from that round trip of 13km or so, I learned that I should cycle the whole way on the smallest ring at the front (much less taxing on the legs); I should find my breathing rhythm and try to stick to it as much as possible; even if I think I can cycle faster/on a harder gear, I shouldn’t succumb to the temptation because the hardest inclines are still ahead; I need to drink enough; I need to monitor my heart rate; and I need to take rest stops.
This all sounds pretty elementary stuff, but I’m not very accustomed to mountain cycling, and also I’m a little more competitive than is good for me sometimes :$
Another thing I noticed because I left later this morning was that the sun, even very early, already has sharp teeth. I got uncomfortably hot very quickly and returned a sweaty mess, surprising for a short ride (relatively) early in the day. I am now thinking I will try to leave between 5 and 6am, so as to maximise the early morning cool air and shade. It would be lovely if I could make it through the woods and some of the lower moonscape before the sun really hits.
Okay, that’s it for me now. I’m going to nip down the hill to post this, and the Glorious 25th of May post, and then it’s off to bed.
Excited, nervous, looking forward.
Thanks for listening!
Camilla
_______________________________________________________________
About Lilac to Ventoux
About me
How you can help
Re-posting always appreciated - just click the button below. Thanks!
First I’d like to say a horribly belated but nonetheless extremely grateful thank you to the fabulous treemice, and Susan, Dawid, Jessie & Aimee M. for their donations. treemice saved up for ages and made an incredibly generous donation to both the Fisher Research Center and the Alzheimer’s Association USA. This brings the total raised for Alzheimer’s research to £871! Thank you so, so much.
Today’s test ride went pretty well, and I’m so glad I did it. Just from that round trip of 13km or so, I learned that I should cycle the whole way on the smallest ring at the front (much less taxing on the legs); I should find my breathing rhythm and try to stick to it as much as possible; even if I think I can cycle faster/on a harder gear, I shouldn’t succumb to the temptation because the hardest inclines are still ahead; I need to drink enough; I need to monitor my heart rate; and I need to take rest stops.
This all sounds pretty elementary stuff, but I’m not very accustomed to mountain cycling, and also I’m a little more competitive than is good for me sometimes :$
Another thing I noticed because I left later this morning was that the sun, even very early, already has sharp teeth. I got uncomfortably hot very quickly and returned a sweaty mess, surprising for a short ride (relatively) early in the day. I am now thinking I will try to leave between 5 and 6am, so as to maximise the early morning cool air and shade. It would be lovely if I could make it through the woods and some of the lower moonscape before the sun really hits.
Okay, that’s it for me now. I’m going to nip down the hill to post this, and the Glorious 25th of May post, and then it’s off to bed.
Excited, nervous, looking forward.
Thanks for listening!
Camilla
_______________________________________________________________
About Lilac to Ventoux
About me
How you can help
Re-posting always appreciated - just click the button below. Thanks!