backyard foolery

So for the nonce my time in the saddle is all about improved cardio fitness. No pointless flogging myself for hours on the road. It’s got to be short, sharp, sweaty and all about fighting for breath and recovering as quickly as possible.

In the morning I spend considerable time fooling with the old banger set up on the Tacx stationary trainer. Fooling myself more likely. The back wheel is not making consistent contact with the roller. I remove the ancient 27-inch wheel; the tyre is lumpy and strangely seated. The amount of visible sidewall varies by about three quarters of a centimetre. Taking it off and reseating it in the rim is of no avail.

I clean the six-sprocket cluster instead and decide to take it to the bike shop to see what they advise. My own advice is to replace the 27-inch with a cheap 26-inch rim. The problem will be getting the old cluster onto a new wheel.

Then it rains.

I finally bounce out onto the road in the early evening, covering 44.38kms at 29.3kph average. I choose small gears and keep a high cadence, usually over 80 and often over 90. This keeps me breathing hard; exactly what I want. If not for the crappiest piece of road surface in the county—about four kilometres of it coming into Ascot—I might average above 30.  

I can’t start the seven-week program until I resurrect my heart rate monitor. I got the backing plate of the wristwatch but replacing the battery is a job for a jeweller.

I’m happy with today’s ride. I pushed it hard and it felt good.