Le Peloton #179

I’m starting to see a pattern here, like last year…

We all made it to breakfast so the rest is history we can forget about, at least me. A great breakfast at Le Mond 🙂

The history: Strava

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 #177

Today I wasn’t first to Urban Deli. Petter came first, then me and then Martin.

When the clock showed 5.59 Peter came so 4 today. Rode together in the beginning with Peter being the strongest on studs, I took a turn on Järnvägspizza (the hole one), no one passed. Until we turned into the ”climb” and Petter attacked with Peter on his wheel, and they rode away from us without studs… Martin was strong up the climb but then he mostly hang on to my wheel. Took the shortcut in Älta and a PR. Martin took a turn on Flatenvägen and then it was just to keep it as fast as possible until the finishline. Thought I would blow up a couple of times today but kept it together and even with being dropped it was a great morning effort 🙂

Breakfast alone at Magnus Johanssons bakery:

Until Peter came who had been waiting a bit after the finish if we where behind. So ended up being just 2 at the breakfast

Good food and really close to work afterwards. And my body felt a bit tired until lunch, just like it should be after a Le Peloton 🙂 And heavy legs on the way home 😉

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 🙂

Le Peloton #175

Like usual Stuart was a bit late so just 7 on the picture plus me taking it 😉 3 rode short and 5 of us rode the the standard short Le Peloton roadloop trying to hang onto Nils wheel. In the beginning it was Nils, Magnus, me, Sebastian and Oskar. I made a gap up to Magnus on the top at Nacka Forum which I covered down to Storängen where I dropped again and Sebastian and Oskar passed me. I tried to get back and was on Oskar’s wheel half of the Järnvägspizza until the corner and climb came and they disappeared…

Short version is that I was weak today. Rode alone and took the shortcut in Älta. On Flatenvägen Nils and Sebastian caught me and I hanged onto the small uphill before the sprint, good 2nd effort for me.

It’s hard pushing all you got and feeling it’s nothing and everyone sailing away, maybe need to go to the gym a bit…

But we all got breakfast and smiled again 😀

Map and stats: Strava

After work I heard about the opposite, good legs but no air. My friend Eva rode up a mountain in Himalaya earlier this year with 3 others and Skoda and they made a video about it:

Got to see it this evening and hear the story behind it. All thanks to Skoda 🙂 How it is to ride with such thin air that made it hard to breath. Also met a lot of nice friends and people making me motivated to explore more of the beautiful world we live in 😀

Le Peloton #174 and The Road Book

Today it came, think it’s the best photobook I got so far. Pictures and some short highlights from this years Women’s road racing. Super pictures by Balint Hamvas (the man behind Cyclephotos) and Sean Robinson. It’s been a big year with many exciting races and some new rockets starting to shine. No matter if you know every women pro cyclists or doesn’t have a clue, if you like road racing and beautiful pictures on stylish cyclists I can recommend you to get your own copy: Velofocus

Not so pro, and not so warm was my morning today, doing Le Peloton, with others:

Sure, it was just 3 of the 8 starting (Stuart missing on the pictures) riding together but we got to ride our bikes for an hour and ending with a cozy breakfast talking about victories and cheese. 😀

Map and stats of my changed shortest loop, was so icy at some places so took the asphalt back: Strava

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

Le Peloton #172

Woke up 5.05 this morning hearing the raindrops fall fast outside and the wind touching the trees. Thought about turning around and sleep another 3h and skip Le Peloton, but then I thought again is that it will rain all day so if I skip Le Peloton I still will be wet going to work.

Stood up, changed to warmer clothes than I planned yesterday and left to Urban Deli. Just 4 on the picture but we ended up with 8 riders. As I don’t like riding in the rain nor am I good at it I changed my plans and went for riding on the road (cyclingpath) around Älta instead of through the muddy lakes a.k.a. gravel roads and just get annoyed.

I wasn’t riding fast, I wasn’t smiling but I did ride and I did get to Le Mond for a nice breakfast with the others who had punctures, dropped chains, dropped people and other happenings in the forest.

Not every ride is on top but every ride is a ride. And no matter how wet and dark it is. Riding through leaves is fun and like the yellow cycling paths full of leaves making the asphalt less urban 😀

Map and stats: Strava

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: