Today the weather has remained dry so I set off on my Trek Fuel EX8 mountain bike for a ride to Healey Nab. Unusually, I had no particular plan for my ride, which is not good for training or improving fitness. I wanted a relaxed ride so didn’t set any targets but just getting outContinue reading “Mechanical mayhem.”
Tag Archives: strava
A wet fartlek!
Fartlek is a Swedish word meaning speed play. The aim is to ride continuously, taking it easy on some sections of the ride whilst working hard in other parts. You need to recover from the bigger efforts so by riding in this way you can improve your ability to recover. This will always be importantContinue reading “A wet fartlek!”
Putting the effort in.
By analysing my last 2 mountain bike rides using the app. Strava I found that I was riding rather slowly for much of the time. I’d like to improve my fitness so this clearly isn’t good enough. Last time out I was obviously still fresh towards the end of the ride because this was theContinue reading “Putting the effort in.”
Rivington Pike.
If you asked a local mountain biker for a good placec to ride, they’d more than likely say “Rivington”. Rivington itself us a tiny hamlet but is often used to refer to the West Pennine Moors where Winter Hill at 1,498 feet is the high point. On the western flanks of the hill lies RivingtonContinue reading “Rivington Pike.”
My boat, in windy conditions.
Today was beautifully sunny with temperatures of around 16 celcius. A mountain bike ride was tempting but since the weather is unlikely to be so good for much longer I thought it more prudent to sail my pedal powered dinghy. The forecast was for some strong and gusty winds. I’ve sailed the boat in windyContinue reading “My boat, in windy conditions.”
Adding spice to a ride.
I didn’t have much time to ride this morning but after 3 days was keen to get out on my mountain bike. After a few days with heavy rain the trails would inevitably be muddy which would mean more time was required to clean the bike afterwards. A fairly short blast on the canal bankContinue reading “Adding spice to a ride.”
Electrolytes and water.
I’ve always pursued athletic disciplines but have rarely given nutrition much thought. In my early 20s I can remember running in the mountains of the English Lake District for over 5 hours with no carbohydrate loading, no food along the way and water provided only by the mountain streams. I have occasionally made sure I’mContinue reading “Electrolytes and water.”
Full steam ahead.
I’m trying to train harder since I realised that I’ve allowed my fitness to decrease since last year. Due to the funeral of Her Majesty the Queen and a rainy day yesterday I’ve had a 4 day break but got back to training today in my pedal powered dinghy. The problem with working hard inContinue reading “Full steam ahead.”
Proper training.
I’ve identified that I’ve lost some mountain biking fitness this year and am determined to reverse this trend. I’m trying to get out more often and make sure that when I’m out I’m working harder. I think I’ve got into a habit of spinning the pedals quickly but often with insufficient torque or turning force.Continue reading “Proper training.”
A boat trip and thoughts for the future.
Since realising that I’ve allowed my fitness to fall, I now want to make sure I get some real training value from every exercise session. 2 days after a high energy mountain bike ride I took my pedal powered dinghy down to the Leeds/Liverpool canal to sail for an hour. The sun came out asContinue reading “A boat trip and thoughts for the future.”
Mountainbiker 