It’s August and it is time for a summary of the past few weeks.
In July I recorded 2,081 kms of cycling during 32 activities in 69 hours.
That seems like a lot, but if you consider that I slept at least three times as long, it’s not too bad 🙂
I traveled to Valkenburg twice, once with an overnight stay, so that I could cycle more.
The second time I was washed off the bike in the morning by a heavy storm – when it cleared up later, I immediately felt stuffy due to the high humidity…
It was a warm month anyway – the wind of course remained a pain in the ass and did not provide any cooling.
The result was that – due to quickly evaporating sweat, which you don’t really notice – I had to deal with cramps twice.
Even 1.5 liters of isotonic sports drink for a ride of an hour or two was not enough.
Anyway, seeing the South Limburg hills again was a relief, after the mind-numbing rides through the polder, where the only consolation is that pounding against the wind also makes you strong.
At least, that’s what I thought…
Although the list of PRs on Strava during my rides in Valkenburg and surrounding area looked impressive, the times were on average less than what I had hoped/aimed for in advance.
Sometimes only a few seconds, but still.
So it turns out that climbing is a completely different discipline – I already knew that, of course, but the lack of hill repeats is not helping.
This was also because I had no “goal” this year – an stupid expeditions into the high mountains, so nothing to train for.
I mean, I have been simulating hills on the Tacx, but my Flow really needs to be replaced if I want to take it more seriously.
Next year I hope to be able to demolish myself in the high mountains again and I’m waiting for a nice offer for an i-Genius Multiplayer 🙂
Even during a Granfondo like LBL 2013, or the “Ardennes Classic” as it is now called, my “polder model” proved unable to withstand the altimeter pressure.
After around 30 kms I was already close to giving up, because breakfast had not fallen well. My mouth was permanently dry and I was feeling cold.
But I think it was the Chambralles that killed me…
“quvHa’pa’ Hegh” * obviously, so the remaining 140 kms (!) were quite an ordeal, but I finished.
Because the Stockeu had disappeared from the course, I was still able to record a PR on the Wanne.
On the Redoute I held back a lot, so that wasn’t too bad either.
The top of the Redoute is about 130 kms in, with ~40 to go, and I was unfamiliar with the new final of this tour.
It was new for me, as I missed 2012, and it is no longer a mainly downhill into Liège.
Due to construction work, the Roche aux Faucons could not be climbed as intended this year, but the detour via Esneux and Neupré was challenging enough.
When at one point I thought, “Shouldn’t I be in Liège by now?”, the Edge displayed 152, so I still had about ~16 to go.
Luckily from 154 to 158 you can literally drop like a stone, before the final almost flat kms…
For the Strava “PowerBar Take on the Tour” challenge I clocked 2,242 kms, making me the leader of the 107 Sufferfest participants.
Nationally, I didn’t get any further than 27th place (out of 1,533), but of course I can’t compete with people who ride 42 rides and over 4,100 kms in 33 days.
And I’m not talking about pros.
Overall, so worldwide, I finished 565th (out of 42,247) – 1st place went to an Englishman who clocked up over 7,400 kms in 31 rides…
It’s all good, but I get it that there are many (cyclists) who do not participate in that “nonsense” (challenges, segments, KOMs).
I sometimes get motivation from it, but ultimately it’s about challenging yourself.
As long as I don’t fall or get hit by a car, that pleasure is still very much present during most rides.
It is a pity that the ANWB is using the summer twilight period to tar and feather “sportive cyclist” and to propose banning them during nice weather weekend days.
When I rode my laps during winter and in the freezing spring, I heard nothing (anymore) about heated cycle paths or the – otherwise mandatory – gritting of them.
You don’t hear or see any of the “recreational touring cyclist” on their – often – electric bicycle during that time.
Or the joggers, who prefer to start working a bit later on their excess pounds.
Although just after New Year, there is an increase in the number of joggers walking in the way, zig-zagging and stumbling, but that only lasts for a week or two.
In any case, what the ANWB has achieved is that I am now even more often called a drug snorting retard.
Despite my attentiveness, careful restraint, polite ringing and, if necessary, throwing myself into the dirt off the path…
* Death before dishonor (Klingon)
