I also think the experience of an endurance mindset can be very helpful. I know my IM mindset has helped with the ultras and I’m sure it works the other way around.
On my recce last Sunday, the folks were amazed that I have done IMs, they couldn’t wrap their heads around it. Which seemed odd, because I was breathing out of my arse and watching them bound up the climbs like mountain goats!
There is something to it though as a trained body will mean nothing if if you don’t have the mental strength to push through and IMO, the slower the pace (cycling or running) the more it’s true.
I guess by that same token we’ve earned our cornflakes in the preceding years. By building that base over years and years, you can rest on your laurels in the future, as long as you keep ticking over.
Similarly i did that mara on a whim last Nov. Went 2.51 or whatever on very little training, if you can even call it that. But when i started running and stuff for my first tri in 2010, whilst being a pretty fit guy from a lifetime of sport, i still vividly recall the very first time i ran 5km at sub 4 pace. Not much quicker than that mara time a decade or so later.
and catching up on @FatPom 's post above. Yes totally agree that the mindset is really important too. Drawing from that inner reservoir of mental strength that we all on here possess.
theres one near me, was the Catford CC reliability ride, one year it went up 10 times in price, had a catchy name and logo of a devil, same course, same everything, open roads. Still a great event, but attracts more idiots now
I’ve got a few guys I ride who will not race, so occasionally I do a Sportive with them. No idea what it is about racing which puts them off but they like the medal/food/etc. you get for your £40.
I don’t do bike races but the sportives I have done in recent years cost about £35. I know I could just ride it and I am not botherd about gtting a medal but as I mentioned it’s a good excuse for a social ride, often with people I don’t much chance to ride with.
I ride with a bum bag and stack it at the last feed station… it don’t grow on trees
Next years training partner does loads of sportives, he thinks there races, and has a big van… I can see myself doing a few to be honest . Medal medal medal !!
Track league is a fiver, get a 10km WU scratch, half neutralised, and 3 other races, usually things like a devil, win and out, sprint scratch of say 2km, points, maybe full scratch its usually 2 to 2.5hrs of on / off eacing , about 45min -1hr of track time. Bargain and unwritten rule of no disk or deep wheels. Obviously bikes make little difference on the oval as well. Opens are similar price and they have prize money also (£20 or £25 quid a win)
Yes, but at VCL who are the club at Herne Hill you can rent a bike for the season, no extra cost. They are crap Fuji Track which my commute fixie was, gearing is a little low so bit spinny but great to get into the sport. Dolan is only £700 as well so owning a bike isnt extortionate. Many have drilled fork so ride to track remove front brake, race brake back on to go home!
Used to do that when going to Salford under Spaghetti junction, got pulled once for not having brakes, although I did, used to have a bmx lever near the handlebar stem, he didn’t notice, just saw a lack of hoods on the bars and assumed
Dont know if FP agrees but I find it the safest cyclesport, apart from cross maybe. The indoor velodromes are a bit nerve racking the first time you ride the top of the bend and look down but as with climbing, dont look down outdoor are tame.
You have no brakes so you just hold a wheel and watch the cranks of a couple riders in front, due to fixed wheel there are rarely any sudden pace drops, although sometimes in novice groups you get a bit of concertina effect into banks as they dont hold cadence as well but soon rectified with a few “shouts of encouragement” Easy enough to manage, if you gain anything on the axle in front take a small amount of height.
Riders have to go through accred at every track (indoor is national) so whilst some morons get through, generally there’s a minimum amount of talent unlike cat 4 crash fests full of super fit Traffies/Zwift racers.
Agree with that. It can look more mental than it is, although I’ve never done a full field madison, that truly does look terrifying to me.
You get a feel for what the minimum speed is to hold the slope really quickly and becomes automatic. The hardest part in track is regulating the speed of an acceleration, moving up without firing off the front.
The hardest part off the track is stopping with panache
Ive done madison, but not in a full on competition it is hard. Its all about observation watching the wheel, watching for slower riders and your team mate. We used to do a training drill called Shauns Game where youd all ride above the blue and a 3 or 4 man team would ride the black. Each lap the front man would move up above blue to float and nearest to group would drop on back. It was hard work but was all about watching the group to drop down on time.
outdoor are tame.