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philphillyphilip
@Nef
So, last weekend I was exhausted. The alarm set for 5am was silenced, I woke an hour later with a banging headache, and my epic ride was abandoned.
This week I was invited out by a mate from work, so cycled 10 miles and met them at the start just south of Leeds.
A nice rolling 45 miles with the group followed, with a great cafe stop before peeling off for a solo ride back towards Leeds. I’d inadvertently picked a lumpier than expected return leg, and after a few solid shifts on the front of the group (and everyone showing a reluctance to take the front with the headwind blowing), I felt pretty sapped as the winds blew on with no one to hide behind.
Nevertheless, I made it back to Leeds with about 70 miles on the clock and fancied going for the century. It’s been over a decade since I did my one and only other century (on a fixed lo-pro, lol), and I’m not really doing many miles or much exercise at the moment due to injury. But I gave it a punt, scraped myself round, and I’m just really chuffed to have done something that felt meaningful amongst a fairly chaotic life at the moment.
The sun also grilled my arms into a convincing Polish flag.
Main notes: reapplication of chamois cream throughout the day = much increased comfort.
Eating more than you think you need = feel A LOT less depleted at the end.
Adding more protein mid ride seems to help with muscular fatigue.
You can go further than you think if you’re stubborn enough.
Everyone laughed at my Carradice, until they were hanging on to the back of it.
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