Le Peloton #178

Can you see the dry asphalt? A miracle working waking up in the middle of the night, ride with heavy legs since yesterday and meet some nice people. Manage to hold Peter’s wheel up to Nacka Forum:

Then at the redlight at Storängen I dropped for real. Nils and Rille in the front today riding superfast, can’t believe how they can average 35,5km/h on studded tires…

Took a couple of shortcuts and ended up at Le Mond with tired legs, out of shape today. Tomorrow it’s restday and then hoping for better legs on Friday 🙂

At least I had a new kit today, team cx speedsuit matching my bike 🙂 #lookprogoslow today 😉

Map and stats: Strava

Le Peloton #176

Peter is missing in the picture from this morning. I felt slow on the way there after intervals on Tuesday, Le Peloton on Wednesday and intervals yesterday. But last day of riding this week before I head to my mum for Christmas.

It felt fast in the beginning, like last spring. When Peter went around Michael before Lillängen it felt faster. Christian and Claes passed me up to Nacka Forum and I dropped… Felt just like last spring and unmotivated I turned around in the roundabout instead of trying to chase back. Rode to Älta and the last part of the loop with the feeling my rear brake was rubbing, but I don’t think it did.

In Älta my watch died too so had to stop and start my phone to continue the Strava recording.

Back in Stockholm I got warm so even opened my jacket in the end getting a bit of spring feeling 😉

Then we had breakfast and the ride was just a memory and some K’s in the book.

Map and stats: Strava1, Strava2

At work I tuned my winterbike a bit. Got aware that my pedals have seen it’s best days (from 2008) so ordered a new pair of Crank Brothers Candy. Choosed the cheap and light 1, in pink 😉

295g and the way home felt much more stabile 🙂

the new places

It may be a grey wet winter like usual in Stockholm. Studded tires may suck. The darkness may make life a bit less fun when the sun seems like go down before it rises. The bikes may wear down faster than you can dream off because of all the salt.

But grey is also a color, suffering together against rolling resistance and water, feeling the skin getting harder.

There is a thing with Stockholm winter that makes you want to continue, in chase of the small beautiful moments that every season has. Finding that piece of sun:

Finding a new place like Stavsnäs with a great café and get some heat:

Finding that piece of clothing you really like when the weather get’s bad:

Yesterday we rode out to Stavsnäs with Claes as guide and Alexander and Oliwer as locomotives in front: Strava

Today I slept in, did a sunny ride to Älgö with Madde and Emil: Strava

We rode around a lake

I know my limitations and when it was talking about a 137km ride with start at 10 with fast people I thought of something else. Didn’t want to ride until the darkness arrived and didn’t want to bonk halfway.

Instead my best gravelguide Emile made a 73km route around Bornsjön which me, Emile and Petra started. Going along Mälaren in the beginning is always a success and the gravel at Bornsjön is really nice. Some singletrack to spice it up and walking down a never ending stair made the Emileroute complete. Always need to walk a bit and always need to hate some roots :p

Mostly beautiful and fun road with ice on one side, we did it English style and rode on the left side 😉 Even when all of us had studs.

First ride this winter where I got use of both my Café du Cycliste wintertights and innergloves too, felt warm and cozy in the beginning but a bit warm in the end. Started with a vest on but it gets warm when I’m out of shape so went off pretty fast 😉

All in all a great Saturday with some tiredness in the end and after Emile left home it was just Alex who joined in Slagsta who had some powers left 😉

Map and stats: Strava (I recommend to copy the route 🙂

Le Peloton #173

I’ve been riding Le Peloton in all sorts of weather. Once last winter it snowed so much I got too late to leave my backpack at work, it’s been soaking wet and really icy. And sunny and dry 😉 But today was the first time of my 173 rides it was just me.

All alone in the darkness, got a couple of small showers but small enough to get cover by my Café du Cycliste windjacket. So can’t even brag that I was hardcore 😉

After not been riding since last Thursday in Girona but had a busy time moving made my legs slow. Decided already on my way to Urban Deli to take the shortest roadloop around Älta and Storkällan. Did like that on the cycling paths as I was feeling so slow.

Made it to Le Mond and got saved by Kalle making the early start worth it.

And instead of stopping my Garmin at Le Mond I started it again going home for a shower, odd 😉

Map and stats: Strava

Sunshine rider

When it looks like this after you cancelled the first plan and slept 20min longer than the 2nd plan you don’t regret getting out. Around 0° C today but so beautiful and just perfect for riding a bike along the water. Rode out to Älgö and around before work and just enjoyed, not so fast and just me and my Diverge, and the sun 😀

I can really recommend getting out when the sun is out, and absorb all the d-vitamins when it’s mostly just dark.

Map and stats: Strava

Specialized S-Works Evade

This is me 13 days ago riding with my Evade helmet. The helmet I chose for the Norberg trip as it feels so great on my head and I think it suits me too.

I crashed but never felt anything from my head, no pains and I remember everything that happened. I knew that I touched the ground with my head but not more than that, no worries. Thought the helmet got scratched.

Today I got my bag back with my helmet. The helmet is broken in the foam and the plastic got a lot of dents where it ”touched” the ground. It made me scared. What if I wouldn’t have had a helmet, would I still be alive?

Always wear a good helmet you like when you ride your bike!

And thanks Specialized for keeping me safe!

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

40min

You become good at the things you train on. I’m not good at riding fast for a short period of time, a.k.a. intervals. When everyone is away on vacation I changed my riding plans and joined CK Valhall for their training today. The plan was to ride around Ingarö which felt in the right direction and not so far home if I got dropped.

Last time I rode to Ingarö with Valhall was on a Sunday ride and I got dropped 3(!) times before we reached Ingarö. No success.

Today I started with hitting a rock and puncture before we even left Sickla… Fixed that and the group was going again, was in front for some strange reason a bit. At Lännersta it started to go fast and I tried just to hang on. Went alright when the speed was even but the thing with standing up and cover a small gap wasn’t my cup of tea. Could manage the speed much better than before but without any bigger efforts. After Gustavsberg up to Värmdö Köpcentrum it felt like the speed went up and it became some gaps.

Dropped one wheel, the last group got passed and I couldn’t make the effort to hang on. Dropped…

Gave up and turned around, took a couple of pictures in Gustavsberg and rode home

So not so fast but it went better than last time I rode with Valhall to Ingarö 😉

Map and stats: Strava

Le Peloton #166

Do my arms look small?

Tired body, tired mind this morning. Started with the fast guys but before Duvnäs I changed my mind, wasn’t up to riding fast so took left up the climb. Took it easy until the 2nd group came. Felt nice to feel fast instead of just trying to hang on. Attacked in the end with Peter who took the sprint 😉

Ended at Le Mond in the sun as usual. Now time for an easy day tomorrow, last time was Monday last week 😉

Map and stats from this morning: Strava