Austria road trip

Route Planning :-)

An outline of first 3 stages of the route is here   the plan

I’ll add more as I get the time 🙂

t-8 Longest ride of the year – 280k

mixed week, with 3 c ommutes (150k) followed by 100k with the missus on Saturday, and a 200k audax. Needed to ride 40k there and back.

Went steady for the first third, then hammered the last third. a bit of a tail wind helped, but I ended up with a 5th overall on a 18k strava segment, which was unexpected, but matched how I felt, (i really strong)

Could easily have added on for 300k, but did not really have anywhere else to go 🙂

Tried a front bar bag for the first time to carry food and kit. fueled the ride with 2 salami sandwiches, 4 hot cross buns, and a egg and bacon baguette from a handy sandwich sshop in Tring 🙂

A good day

t-9 – recovery

Had an easy week after the TOW.

So easy I did not get out at the weekend. Oh well

Tour of wessex report

Generally going pretty well…. and feeling stronger while not destroying myself, or running out of motivation

Tour Of Wessex… getting there
245k ride there – towing a trailer, with tent, kit, sleeping bag. I’ve used it touring with the missus…
It was tough with the trailer – like riding with a parachute. And the further SW I got, the more rolling and hilly it got. I hit andover, salisbury plain, etc etc
Stopped for a sandwich at 90k, emergency mcDs at andover, then on
10.75 hrs (ie slow), tent up, then straight for a Chinese takeway

Tour of wessex
Rode solo the whole way, going easy on the hills, (300w cap on hills) and 200 ish on the flats. Everyone came past me on the hills, and then I promptly overtook them again on the flats

Camped every night
TOW first day 6.5 hrs – fine – should have added on but had a pint with my end of ride burger. Got bored in the evening. Fuelled the ride with jaffa cakes..
TOW second day 6.6 hrs- fine, got wet in the last 2 hours.. stodgy jaffa cakes….. 😦
TOW third day 7 hrs – the biggie, with 3000+ m climbing. Faster than everyone one on the flats in the first half, (stupidly) leading groups or riding off the front of them… a little (too) hard but I felt very good against the headwind

Climbing – ok, but then exmoor just went on, and on, and on. Thats quite tough Got through it, but throttled back a bit and crawled home

10 k to get to a hotel, (a bit of luxury)

Getting home
235k, felt like I was climbing the whole first 2/3. OK on the flats but not much left in the legs. Granny gear on most of the climbs. another slow 9-10 hrs.
sandwich / chocolate milk near salisbury plain and 2 chicken pies,coke and donuts at frimley. Fuelled rest with harribo.

My fat adaption obviously need work

Rode mod hard in the TOW – not max but I was not hanging around either.
It was not survival getting home, but there is not much left in the legs. Took a long time to accelerate on the flats, and while climbing in the granny gear was easy, trying to go faster was not happening.

So a good 5 days training. Ive learnt a lot, about pacing, charging kit on the go, having food ready at hand, washing and re-wearing kit etc, and how nice a shower is after a days riding