Training Log Archive: iansmith

Long ride to Barrie and back. My route was to go out on Bathurst and Route 54, then return via Route 39, a bit on Yonge, and Bayview. Routes 54 and 39 were both more pleasant than Yonge, which has considerable traffic.

I set out at 3:30a to minimize traffic near Toronto and enjoy the still night. I carried 3.75L of fluid in a backpack bladder and a bike bottle, 400g of M&Ms, and a couple bars for food. I slept quite poorly the night before, but I was eager to log the kms. The ride out was delightful; the temperature was cool, and the roads were blissfully solitary. I stopped roughly every hour - at 1:04, 1:59, 3:20 in Barrie; 4:23, and 5:26. These 5-10 minute stops to stretch, eat some food, and update Katie on my location did wonders. I drank fairly regularly from my bladder, which was a weak gatorade solution. My 18L backpack also contained two spare tubes, a tire lever, bike pump, CO2 inflator + cartridge, and a set of allen wrenches.

I got to Barrie after 88 km in 3:20 of biking at about 7:10 AM, a 2:16/km pace or 26.4 kph. I would have liked to go faster, but I am not overly displeased given the hills and the need to ration my strength for later. Barrie itself was gorgeous in the morning light, and I stopped for twenty minutes to eat and enjoy the moment. I definitely didn't feel as wasted as I did at the halfway point of my 200 km excursion on May 16. I was a little sluggish at the start of my return trip, but I settled into a nice groove. The sun started to bear down on me in the last third of the trip, and I was less comfortable and sweating profusely. I did apply sunscreen at the halfway point.

By the end, my places of discomfort ordered by severity were (1) seat, (2) hands, and (3) right hamstring. Apart from the hamstring, my legs felt fine, and my energy level was decent. Hopefully seat and hands can be solved by a new saddle and core respectively. This is a big improvement from my similar May 2, 150 km outing, and I can only improve with focused training and experience.

It also turns out that a 100+ km ride is a great way to knock off monthly mileage goals. Big lesson of today is that sun = bad; ride as much as possible at night during the summer. One open problem is food optimization; while M&Ms are great, diversity is advantageous. Salty sandwiches definitely appeal as the session goes on, and the cheeseburger I ate on May 16 was spectacular. I may try some real food, like a tortilla sandwich.

Total time was a little less than 8 hours, i.e. about 50 minutes of rest. I was definitely tired at the end, but I felt like I could have continued after a break. Given a longer period (say 16-24 hours), I am curious what the ideal mix of cycling bouts and rest bouts is to maximize distance traveled.

C • Optimize 7

Bike ride with Katie! We purchased a bike helmet for her today, so we decided to grab a bike from the bike share and go for an easy Sunnybrook loop. We had some technical difficulties with the bike share, but were eventually able to obtain a bike. As with Hubway in Boston, the Toronto bike share bikes are built like tanks - rugged, but heavy. There was foot traffic on the Donlands bikeway, and the objective was a pleasant ride rather than going fast.

C • rather than going fast 2

Conditions were just about perfect for a fast time, and I was still 1:50 too slow. The morning was a cool 15 C, and traffic was very light in the predawn light. I put a solid effort to break 30 kph. Many of the red lights at minor cross streets weren't triggering, so I was able to sustain my pace longer than is typical. There were a few stops, and a couple times where I slowed to try to hit a light with velocity. Despite the cool air, I was very warm from exertion by the end.

It's surprising that I was 54s down on the pace at 8 km despite the stop at Eglinton, though perhaps I just wasn't warmed up. I averaged 31.2 kph for kms 8-24, but that's still glacial. The red light on Overlea Blvd is my nemesis, as it seems to turn red just as I'm pulling up to it.

3x1 minute plank because my cycling posture is weak.

I saw a double rainbow shortly after a brief drizzle at the start of my ride. I also raised my seat a substantial 2 cm, and my position felt more comfortable at the end of the ride. It seems to be easy to underestimate dehydration on a bicycle, especially in cool weather - the steady headwind leads to very rapid evaporation. As I have been doing for the past week, I rode with a 750 mL bottle of weak gatorade and finished it during the ride. For longer rides, I recently purchased a new 3L Platypus bladder to replace my broken one.

I passed a cyclist near Bayview and Finch, but I either overestimated the speed gap between us or he was holding back, as he hung onto me until I turned East on John St. We waved as we parted, as comrades in the casual cyclist fraternity.

On this route, I especially enjoyed the southbound leg on Birchmont Rd/Village Parkway. While it was only a one lane street in each direction, it had a clear bike lane, minimal traffic, and some long stretches between stops. It is an ideal route for this intermediate length circuit, though impractical for the short 30-35 km outings. Averaging 30 kph remains an elusive goal, though I am hamstrung by the frequent stops at lights and stop signs. A cursory glance at the GPS track suggests I stopped about 35 times on this trip - once for over a minute. Between braking and accelerating again, it's quite possible I lost 15 minutes. Still, it was a pleasant and productive outing.

Bike is holding up mechanically, but I will soon need some routine maintenance and cleaning. Brake pads are becoming increasingly urgent, and my seat continues to sag on both sides.

C • 30 kph 2

Leslie St - Steeles - Bathurst rectangle. Leslie was pleasant (albeit with numerous stops) and may be a useful alternative to Bayview. Need to raise my seat.

Feeling tired from the heat.