I ordered the exact same gear cassette as is on the new bike to fit to the trainer, but the next day I got impatient and fitted the one off the bike to it. Yup. No more grinding. What a dumbarse! Years I was cursing that trainer, and it was just the wrong size gears for the chain. I did a ride one day, then a ramp test the next to set my fitness. There were about 10 increases in wattage resistance, and the trainer tracked them all. That’s saved me £400, I don’t need a new trainer.
Also on the cheap, that free cycling app I started using a while back, MyWhoosh, has really upped it’s game.
It’s got the boring blocks of effort (bottom of screen) from Trainer Road, the social aspect (other real people to race against, go on group rides with) and the pretty graphics of Zwift, the text encouragement/ distraction of Sufferfest, it connects to my trainer and equipment, has training plans, and it’s free. Amazing. I’ve started a fitness building plan. I’ve only done the first day but it might be too easy. I might jump to the next level if it doesn’t get tougher.
I’ve fitted my new saddle to the bike. It’s supposed to be a period of adjustment to the weird design and new sitting position. I don’t find it too bad so far.
I’m quite happy with the riding position of the bike. I’m still adjusting the seat height/ fore and aft, but straight away the bike plonks you into a pretty reasonable aero position.
A bike fitter would probably swoon at that picture, and it’s not extreme aero, (and I’m too fat) but that’s a fairly straight back, the straight line from my hips to my shoulders has roughly half my body on either side of it, and I did an hour’s training today and barely moved off the tri bars, so it’s sustainable.
I’m not getting all of my runs in as per the marathon plan, but I figure small (4 or 5 miles) straight after the swim is punishing them enough to keep me run fit. Also I’m trying not to overdo it as I still have the sore knee. Because I don’t want to do a long run after a swim I swapped my days. Long run today (Sunday) then I can swim, go the dentists, and ride tomorrow. The long run was supposed to be 17 miles, the knee thing said not to go too fast on it, so I decided to do a few hills instead.
That was TOUGH! But I had enough in me to make it home without any worry of quitting.
Then I did an hour on the bike trainer. It was hard to motivate myself to start again, but the session was surprisingly easy, especially for a fitness building plan. As I say, if I can stay on the aero bars for virtually the whole session, after that beasting on the run, it’s too damn easy.
I have a cunning plan with the swim. I book it in advance. They fine you if you don’t attend booked lessons, which you have to pay before you can go again. So I book it when it’s no stress to me, then when the session is due and I’m massively resistant to going, I have to. It’s worked so far. I’ve found another video on swimming. It looks great the way the guy does it. Lots of gliding, few strokes/ kicks, but still fast. I need to master it.
Tomorrow I have to set up my pushbike for riding to work. *sigh* I don’t want to. I love my motorbikes, and winter is ending so it’s finally approaching nice weather to ride them, but it’s free training, and apparently I need all the bike training I can get.
I have to get around to working on the two project motorbikes. When I’ve sorted the Honda 550/four I think I’m going to sell it, and, once I’ve got the Harley running reliably, the Honda VFR750. I just need to commit the time and effort to them.
Later,
buck.