Training Ride
RICHMOND PARK

... the day started at 7.30am (Saturday...), peeling myself out of bed after a late night having enjoyed watching footi at The Den (Millwall),- now... looking outside the window - heavy rain showers... as predicted.

Undeterred and knowing that Damian will probably already be on the road coming down from Ruislip I got myself and bike ready. Todays' goal was to ride 50 Miles as a group (or 7 Richmond Park laps).

The bike was still in unrideable condition due to the little tyre explosion during this week. With new tyres ordered but not yet delivered I had to drive myself and bike to Richmond. Thankfully the traffic wasn't too bad at 9am. I got to Richmond Park by 9.30 where I met Deuan in the park cafe, near Roehampton Gate, Damian followed shortly after. We had tea, talked quickly about the weather forecast and practicalities for the looming 1000 Miles challenge - 22 times today's distance of 50 Miles through known terrain.

Jorrin arrived within 5 min too , holding my tyre and spare inner tube in his hands. I was looking forward to riding today as the new Mavic wheel set was now complete:
- Mavic CXP 33 (strong, durable, good weight),
- Shimano Ultegra hubs (should do the trick),
- Sapim Laser Spokes,
- Bontrager Race Lite tyres
- Veloplugs (instead of rim tape)
- cost incl. build: £300



Compared to the original set-up:
- Double wall Euroline (pretty tough, go through everything - but quite heavy)
- Shimano RM40 (they do their job well)
- regular 2mm spokes (black)
- Schwalbe Speed Cruiser (pretty puncture proof tourer)
- Rim tape

Its quite amazing how the ride changes from having upgraded the wheels. Acceleration is greater, rolling resistance is down (from touring wheels to racing wheels). Saving weight at the right places was very important. I wanted a wheel set that was durable whilst being light weight. Replacing the spokes with lighter ones, swapping veloplugs for rim tape and all other modifications made quite a difference in performace. I was able to keep up with Jorrin and we managed a steady and fast pace around Richmond park clock wise. I was less tired and had more energy on the up-hills.

The heavy duty touring bike, able to carry 25 Kg on the rear rack, myself, front pannier - transformed into a little butterfly - well, you know what I mean.

Today was also a good day to practice drafting: "Drafting is a technique with which bike racers can save energy at the expense of the riders in front of them. This phenomenon lies at the heart of bike race strategy." You can read more here:
http://bikeracing.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_importance_of_drafting_in_a_bicycle_race

Another important training exercise today was to improve pedalling cadence aiming for a smooth spin at between 85-100 rpm (pedal revolutions per minute) which is much more efficient - and easier on the legs, especially the knees. For more info see "Cycling Performace Tips @ http://www.cptips.com/tech.htm

Today was really a nice training ride and I can feel that with the right bike, motivation, and more training - the 1000 Miles Challenge will be met head-on 22nd May 2010.

stay tuned...