Fight for your right

The shape isn’t coming, the beautiful rides with great people aren’t coming to you. You have to get it yourself and get in the right groups knowing the right people and knowing the right roads.

I joined a cafécycling ride from Le Mond today with Emil and some other fast cyclists. Me and Emil have been riding lots of times together, last time he dragged me around Race Across Skåne. I’m used to be in the front of these rides and can attack Emil on uphills and downhills if I want.

Today I started with cake at Le Mond to be extra fast downhill:

We had the best autumn weather there is, love Sweden:

And sure I was in the front a bit but mostly like this:

The feeling when you try to push on but it doesn’t work, or when you attack on a climb and the heart rate goes like a rocket and you drop again. Emil says he doesn’t got any top but sure his tempo is hard enough to just hang on to. 😉

Except I’m in bad shape and not used to being the one sitting at the back trying to hold on sometimes it was a magic ride. Mostly asphalt but some nice gravel too, and some tricky:

And I’m still taking it a bit easy and not want to crash again so soon. Takes time to be able to ride as fast as the bike can go in a group, on gravel or in the descents.

It’s all a mindgame riding a bike. To dare go fast, to be able to get a bit loose on gravel or on a singletrack. And not giving up. To think you’re good enough to ride with the fast people and to think that the suffering ends just when you get home again.

To help my mindgame today I had great friends (new and old), favorite weather and cool socks (cool but warm as they are merino):

If you think text doesn’t mean anything without numbers, here is the numbers: Strava

Annonser

Le Peloton #171

Yesterday I did some Le Peloton cxloop and Instatraining in the wet with Patrik and a couple of fast guys

Today was a new wet day:

And darker as Le Peloton starts at 6 o’clock. I tried to put some color on it. It started alright and kept on going alright. I tried to ride hard but didn’t have the turbo on and got followed by a guy almost the complete short loop. At Erstaviksvägen they became 2 as another guy didn’t know the route. 2 keeping my wheel and I just dreamt of dropping them 😉 but not in my shape…

My alrightride went at a lower effort and heart rate compared to last Wednesday but also shorter time. Faster and easier 😀

Map and stats: Strava

Celebrated with a nice breakfast with a perfect egg (thanks Kalle) and a selfie in the sun:

Did I mention my Diverge rules? And the feeling of going over roots, fast, on a wet gravelroad with 50mm high carbon wheels feels pretty cool too. 😀

Le Peloton #170

”The biggest influence in enjoying your ride, or not, is your state of mind. Some days you can’t wait to fight the elements, other days you just want to hide under your duvet. We all know how it works.” – I R I S

Got that in an e-mail today and it felt so perfect to describe this morning.

It was wet, was raining a little from the side and my motivation floated away on a leaf. I had a plan of riding easy with Emil and after going full gas up the first climb he waited for me and we rode together more or less to Erstaviksvägen. Stopped for fixing our handlebars and I decided to once again go for the shorter loop, Emil went on with the full loop.

It was such a day I wanted to ride in one way but my mind didn’t. I may not be overwhelmed by the result but it hopefully made my mind a little stronger going out and I would have regret if I didn’t go. I hope for a dry ride next one 😉

Map and stats: Strava

Then we had breakfast and all mistakes was gone 😉 And I did something strange while Kalle took a picture of us and a bottle of parts:

Le Peloton #169

Last Peloton I did was the 26th July, a long time ago so going back today felt new ;).

I was dark, I knew almost everyone and we had lights and knobby tires. Feels like really long time ago. Last time like this was in the spring on a Specialized Sequoia. Now on a new bike never been in the beautiful forest before. A dreambike worth waiting for.

Sometimes the wait is almost better then when you actually getting the bike/thing you wait for, then it feels like it’s all over and you start thinking of something new. Something ”better”. When I finished my Diverge yesterday (more about it in a blogpost soon) and rode home in regular clothes it felt like home.

I wanted a new Diverge last autumn but it never came. Now when it came I got an S-Works thanks Specialized Nordic and Specialized Concept Store Stockholm. It’s built with so much perfection I got a bit depressed not getting the best bartape in time…

To have such a masterpiece and be able to push full speed at a Le Peloton CX is a special thing. 38mm tires, bad legs and out off shape made it different compared to last time.

Started in front, let Magnus pass before the gravel started and in the first climb at Lilla Sickla a lot of people passed me, I didn’t want to blow everything in the first climb. I pushed on as hard as I could and it felt hard, with a high heart rate but working legs and body. In a climb after the 3rd bridge Johan passed me, he haven’t been passing me in over 2 years… In the longer not so steep climb I tried the speed on my Diverge and flew by Johan like a rocket :p Blew up with a peak heart rate at 191 but it was fun. Then we had to stop and step over a big tree laying over the road and while having trouble clicking in my roadpedals Johan passed me and disappeared. I was alone again but pushed on good. Decided to take the shortest loop and sat a PR on a Strava section chasing Stuart who was in front of me but never caught him.

The futureshock did an amazing job down back to Äventyrsbanan and in some way I was smiling.

Passed the finish and rolled a bit easier to Le Mond for breakfast. I wasn’t so fast, I was suffering as much as I think this was the hardest Le Peloton this year according to suffer score 😉 But I’ve been longing so much for this. Push to my limit on a bike working just as I want it to work and feeling light. Even not being able to eat breakfast properly because of lactate acid in all of my body I was happy, this was a big win for me 😀

198 Watts and 174 in average heart rate on the Le Peloton CX shortest loop today. Extra fun with a Quarq tracking my progress with my left leg too. Not 50/50 yet but could have been worse. Map and stats: Strava

Sunday Funday

Going out feeling like Maud Kaptheijns today, fast from the start. Or something like that. Did an easy spin with lower tire pressure in to Le Mond and had a fika with Emil while waiting for Emile. Jimmie came and Kalle sat down too so felt like a usual Sunday. Except I rode 10km before instead of 110km 😉

After a long fika and talk about important stuff me and Emile headed to work for me to pick up my swimpants and then over to the forest. Emile turned home on his short ride and I rode the first half of the CX loop to Erstaviksvägen on my way home. Really beautiful with the autumn colors:

And while riding slow I had the chance to enjoy it even more. My 38mm Specialized Trigger gives great confidence and my Diverge is like a dream on the gravelroads 🙂

After Erstaviksvägen I got out on the asphalt and headed back to Duvnäs and towards home, beautiful afternoon:

Really looking forward to ride longer and enjoy this more 🙂 But first some rehab and tomorrow I’m back at work. 🙂

Todays ride: Strava

Le Peloton #168

This morning I held a speech for 40 cyclists. It wasn’t long, well prepared or loud but it was. Then we rode fast, a bit too fast for me for a part in the middle. Like this video:

I took a shortcut, a KOM and a friendly cold breakfast at Le Mond.

Map and stats: Strava

Le Peloton #167

Another early morning. Yesterday to Älgö felt hard but I hang on. I think my body doesn’t like to rest too much. Today after a hard ride yesterday it was up to speed. Took it easy on the warm up and didn’t take any turn until after Nacka Forum. Became a hard one as Filip had attacked. Easy on Järnvägspizza and tried to hang on to Östervik. The climb that ruined my rides with stiff legs so many times before this year.

Today they worked, could advance and go up in front after the climb. The Lightweight Lizard was back.

In stationsbacken back from Fisksätra a few riders rode away and got a gap. I went up and did my best to chase back. Back at Storängen and after the hole group got stuck behind a slow bus to Sickla it was time to give gas again. Felt good but when I came to the top on Hellasbacken there was a new gap to 4-5 riders. A long one. I felt good and got the stupid thought of attack up to them, ended halfway with my legs standing straight out. Caught by the group again and we chased together until we got all back in Älta.

A new gap in Storkällan and I was up trying to chase again.

Got last in the sprint and it felt like the hardest training so far this year. I may not have been the fastest but I felt the ability to dig deep and ride hard. A feeling I’ve been missing for a while. The feeling when you finish and don’t know how to sit upright on your bike and when you think if you even will manage to eat some breakfast 😉

I was able to eat an waffle at Le Mond 🙂

Map and stats: Strava

My bike performed perfectly today too even that it never gets enough love:

If I was satisfied with the morning ride I did another fun ride after work. Emil asked if I wanted to do a short mtbride. I was up if I could ride e-bike and it was okey. Maybe wrong style with clothes and helmet but the Turbo Levo FSR 6Fattie is a really fun toy:

People can thing whatever they want about e-bikes but the Turbo Levo makes the heaviest legs feel fine and it floats over every root and rock. 😀