Saturday, September 30, 2006
28 September 2006 Kirroughtree
Another 7 Stanes location ticked off the list.
A happy juxtaposition of work commitments allowed me to stay overnight in Dumfries & Galloway (stayed overnight at the Ellangowan Hotel, the "Green Man" in the original The Wicker Man movie) and have an early morning session round Kirroughtree.
Kirroughtree is very nice - more mixed woodlands than is typical in our forests and although there had been torrential rain for hours the night before, the actual trails weren't at all bad. Puddles in places of course, but generally the trails had drained very quickly.
I stayed to the blue routes, partly because I'm nursing a shoulder/rib injury from kendo on Monday, but also aware of the need to work the rest of the day and therefore not maim or disfigure myself. Did all the optional loops plus the taster loop to make up a reasonable distance. This combo takes you down at least one man made section of trail a second time which is a nice chance to try and remember what's coming next.
An evening spent reading "Mountain Bike Like A Champion" didn't do any harm - especially concepts like looking ahead at where you want to go and using only peripheral vision to watch the wheel and immediate obstacles. Also looking further ahead the faster you're moving. D'oh.
14.76km, 95m total elapsed, of which 83m moving.
A happy juxtaposition of work commitments allowed me to stay overnight in Dumfries & Galloway (stayed overnight at the Ellangowan Hotel, the "Green Man" in the original The Wicker Man movie) and have an early morning session round Kirroughtree.
Kirroughtree is very nice - more mixed woodlands than is typical in our forests and although there had been torrential rain for hours the night before, the actual trails weren't at all bad. Puddles in places of course, but generally the trails had drained very quickly.
I stayed to the blue routes, partly because I'm nursing a shoulder/rib injury from kendo on Monday, but also aware of the need to work the rest of the day and therefore not maim or disfigure myself. Did all the optional loops plus the taster loop to make up a reasonable distance. This combo takes you down at least one man made section of trail a second time which is a nice chance to try and remember what's coming next.
An evening spent reading "Mountain Bike Like A Champion" didn't do any harm - especially concepts like looking ahead at where you want to go and using only peripheral vision to watch the wheel and immediate obstacles. Also looking further ahead the faster you're moving. D'oh.
14.76km, 95m total elapsed, of which 83m moving.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
23 September 2006 Traquair Cross Country
Neil and I on the 7 Stanes XC course at Traquair, near Innerleithen
20km, 600m climbing, graded mainly red with some black.
5 hours total.
Upsides - 5 hour session is a good endurance build.
We're closer in fitness than the last time we did this route. That time I hardly saw Neal at all, this time he still climbs faster (higher gear) and longer than I do, but not so markedly ... and I do the downhills faster. Dunno how much that is recent practice, how much new bike.
Downsides - the number of riders who passed us, though most of these in the first half so we suspect they were only going up to do the downhill.
Both getting cramp towards end.
Spill count - Neal 3, me 1.
20km, 600m climbing, graded mainly red with some black.
5 hours total.
Upsides - 5 hour session is a good endurance build.
We're closer in fitness than the last time we did this route. That time I hardly saw Neal at all, this time he still climbs faster (higher gear) and longer than I do, but not so markedly ... and I do the downhills faster. Dunno how much that is recent practice, how much new bike.
Downsides - the number of riders who passed us, though most of these in the first half so we suspect they were only going up to do the downhill.
Both getting cramp towards end.
Spill count - Neal 3, me 1.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
16 September 2006 East Lomond
Gradually extending this course.
Added a few minutes flat warmup through GilvenBank Fields, then up to Coul and through the edge of the woods to Pitcairn.
Turned right at the top of the forest and picked up the path to the relay station.
Aha - technical uphill. Bad combination, much work needed in this area.
Before hitting this section, I was something like 45min elapsed time, 39min actual pedalling. By the time I reached the relay station this had become 75/45 or something stupid like that.
Mainly because of my rule that says if I should (theoretically, ultimately) be able to ride something, I won't push up it. I think it's the only wau I can get an accurate impression of progress on routes like this one.
So this was half an hour of finding it difficult to get going in a low gear on loose ground uphill, managing to ride a few feet then coming off again. But I got there, then cycled round the side of East Lomond (I'll leave the actual summit section for later) to Craigmead, then back on road to Leslie, then paths via Whinnyknowe and Foresters Lodge to home.
Overall times weren't helped by taking a wee tour of the limekiln remains rather than catch up with a walking family on a steep/narrow section ahead. Interesting also how what used to be (er, up to 10 years ago) very sharp rocky twintracks are now almost completely covered by a layer of hard packed green.
Lessons learned:
1) get in the right gear at the start of steep climbs - or learn how to/get a bike that can gearshift under load.
2) drink more. One problem with the hydration bladder is that it's hard to monitor how much you're drinking. Need to develop a feel for how much each drink is using.
Suffering: Cardiovascular, side of knees, tops of thighs - all in climbing.
17km, 135m elapsed, 90 actual.
Added a few minutes flat warmup through GilvenBank Fields, then up to Coul and through the edge of the woods to Pitcairn.
Turned right at the top of the forest and picked up the path to the relay station.
Aha - technical uphill. Bad combination, much work needed in this area.
Before hitting this section, I was something like 45min elapsed time, 39min actual pedalling. By the time I reached the relay station this had become 75/45 or something stupid like that.
Mainly because of my rule that says if I should (theoretically, ultimately) be able to ride something, I won't push up it. I think it's the only wau I can get an accurate impression of progress on routes like this one.
So this was half an hour of finding it difficult to get going in a low gear on loose ground uphill, managing to ride a few feet then coming off again. But I got there, then cycled round the side of East Lomond (I'll leave the actual summit section for later) to Craigmead, then back on road to Leslie, then paths via Whinnyknowe and Foresters Lodge to home.
Overall times weren't helped by taking a wee tour of the limekiln remains rather than catch up with a walking family on a steep/narrow section ahead. Interesting also how what used to be (er, up to 10 years ago) very sharp rocky twintracks are now almost completely covered by a layer of hard packed green.
Lessons learned:
1) get in the right gear at the start of steep climbs - or learn how to/get a bike that can gearshift under load.
2) drink more. One problem with the hydration bladder is that it's hard to monitor how much you're drinking. Need to develop a feel for how much each drink is using.
Suffering: Cardiovascular, side of knees, tops of thighs - all in climbing.
17km, 135m elapsed, 90 actual.
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