Saturday 31 March 2012

March Ride Stats

My best month ever in the saddle in terms of miles covered - a new personal best of 551 miles/886km.


Stepping up the amount of time spent in the saddle was a key objective for me for during March, I particularly wanted to make sure I clicked over 1,000 miles for the first three months of the year and make up for the poor January start of 204 miles.

Things that have helped push things up have been recovery sessions on the wattbike aswell as a ride to work and back of sixty miles this week.  I've also got up an hour earlier on a Saturday and Sunday to get an extra hour in the saddle - basically,  increased commitment.


Looking back, prior to getting back in the saddle in August 2009, I hadn't ridden more than 100 miles on a bike in the last twenty five years, I hope this inspires others to get started, have a go and demonstrate that it can be done in between the other pressures that life brings.


Month to Date
Mileage- 511 miles
Ride Time - 35hrs 56mins
Climbing - 9,681 ft
Avg. Speed - 14.6 mph
Avg. HR - 140bpm
Avg. Cadence - 82rpm
Calories (estimate) 20,081
Ride Ascent Ratio (Ascent/Miles) -  17.9

YTD
Mileage- 1,066 miles
Ride Time -71hrs 32mins
Climbing - 21,951 ft
Avg. Speed - 14.6 mph
Avg. HR - 136bpm
Avg. Cadence - 82rpm
Calories (estimate) 40,728
Ride Ascent Ratio (Ascent/Miles) -   20.8

9 comments:

  1. Hi Phil, 511 miles is an impressive distance for the month. I managed 366 with personal best climbing total of 37262ft - that's the Peak District for you:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good miles Phil and exactly what you needed with the London to Paris approaching.

    After i had to pull out of the Wiggle Cheshire Cat the amount of time i tried to squeeze in on the bike reduced by quite a bit and my goal was to get back on the bike as soon as the clocks turned.

    So because of this my March numbers, compared to everybody else, isn't huge but considering these were done in pretty much the last week i'm happy with them. I managed 144 miles. This was helped with commuting home from work (21.5miles).

    My goals for the year on the bike are to cycle over 100miles per week in a single month and to also do over 100miles in on ride. I would have achieved this final goal if i could have taken part in the Cat.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Phil. Nice going! I completed my first 100 mile sportive around a hilly Bath yesterday - 1800m of climbing in 6hrs 37mins (riding time)... and no stopping aside from the from the 3 scheduled breaks. I've flicked onto your blog numerous times in the past 18 months since I started riding and found it really useful - from Chamois Cream & saddles to zone training and wattage!! So, just wanted to say a BIG "THANKS" for making the effort to do it! Training continues - I'm going for the Dragon GranFondo in 10 weeks, so no let-up allowed!

    ReplyDelete
  4. MCLK,

    Some big ascent there, well done indeed. I'm now putting my monthly ascent/total miles in my monthly ride logs, to give some indication as to how hard the profile has been.

    Using the same formula, yours would be 101, which is very hard miles by anyone's measure! That's the thing with cycling, it's not always about the distance, it's about the quality too.

    Phil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Phil,

      Yes, there were some punishing rides this month. A 74 mile Audax with 8000ft of Climbing and a Sunday ride out to Holmefirth, then over Holme Moss to Glossop and back to Sheffield via Castleton, totaling 7762 feet.

      I've gone back through last months ride log looking at the ascent/total miles figures, the lowest was 79.5 and the toughest 117.8!

      I read a lot posts by cyclists wanting to do more climbing but for me I'm at the stage where I'd quite like to try some flatter rides to see how they compare and the effect they'd have on my average speed.

      Matt

      Delete
  5. Carl,

    Don't worry about your miles mate, build them up gradually, when time permits. It took me a while to do my first 100 miler, you'll feel great when you complete it. Keep pedalling!

    Phil

    ReplyDelete
  6. Simon,

    That's a great time for your first 100M, particularly given the profile of climbing. Well done indeed!

    Thanks for continuing to read the blog, it's appreciated.

    Phil

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Phil,
    Impressive mileage there. I was wondering whether you'd ever entered a road race? The reason I ask is that I've entered my first race in a fortnight, and I'mm looking for any advice. Cheers, Dave

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Dave,

    Re; Road Racing

    No, not done any road racing, so can't be of any help there. Good luck!!

    Phil

    ReplyDelete