Always loved grinding the big gear out of the saddle, grunting away at a slow cadence. But my legs aren’t as young as they used to be, so in an attempt to rein back some sort of bankable form out on the various MTB event courses I’ve succumbed to the spin. For the spin is the only real way I can get back the sort of reliable wattage I need from my body to fill the gap where a deft hand in the tech sections is not enough to bring in the sort of result I can be happy with.
The ‘Bay ride last week I used the Spin in the climbs & to bridge gaps & it worked well. Finishing the 217kms kms fresh enough for just a light meal & a spot of gardening in the evening.
This weekend I thought it best to turn my back on the Beach rd lemming express & head north into the hills. I rode a north/east route a year ago to Warrandyte & back, which I remember had a good mix of climbs, with the tail end of the ride full of descents & tapered rolls to home. I rode out on my own pretty late – 10am – and encountered a lot of traffic, on roads like Doncster Rd & Diamond Creek Rd which I really didn’t enjoy very much at all, the low-light of the trip. It was along way across town to go for me, & probably not the best route for any Western suburban riders, but it’s what I knew & figured I’ll put this one down today & try something else next opportunity. 80-odd kms. Felt pretty tired with the amount of climbing & descending. Oh yes, I did the spinning thing – stayed in the low gears on the climbs, seated & spun. Worked well, kept the cadence over 90 as much as I could. Almost got the knack of it.
Westgate dirt crits 23rd October was a hoot, dry, kinda hot & a big turn out. Log-jam early on the first lap, but I was able to make passes throughout the laps. Even though I’m still last third of the B grade field, I looked back on it as a good effort & worth the roll out there after work.
Big MTB events coming up, the Gravity 12hour 8th -9th November & the 24hour @ Forest on the weekend of the 29th-30th November. The Anthem is prepped with a fresh groupset – cogs/chain/cables. I’m feeling good too, so it should pan out well.
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