Base miles

Winter is time for putting in the hard graft. If you want to reap the rewards come the summer, then you should be piling on the mileage now. Over the past 3 or 4 years I have been used to annual averages of over 150 miles a week, regularly topping 200 miles by the end of the Sunday ride. In two years I only rode less than 100 miles in a week 3 times  - each time while on holiday. (Even then I'd always managed some miles while away!)

However, taking on a new business has meant a steep learning curve and lots of extra hours planning and dealing with the inevitable paperwork. So in fact owning a bikeshop has lead to much less time on the bike. A commute of 10 minutes each way, instead of an hour hasn't helped either!

Sunrise on the South Downs before work

As a result I have only topped 100 miles over seven days, 6 times since mid August when the whole purchase process kicked off. My goal for the new year was to try and structure my week to hit the 100 mile goal for the first time in 6 weeks. I started well with a 3 hour MTB ride on Monday, my day off. I grabbed what I could during the week, before waking up early and splashing around for 90 minutes before work on Saturday. I totted up the totals - 99.8! Oh, well! I could roll up the lane Sunday morning and notch up the last few yards.

Then came the opportunity to join the boys for a longer Sunday morning social. At 8.30 I rolled down the lane into the drizzle. My legs immediately felt heavy, having ridden the previous day. It was a sobering thought that only a few months ago I used to think nothing of a daily 35 mile commute. I joined the others and toiled away at the back of the group, destroying myself by taking the occasional turn on the front of the group.  

It is obvious my fitness has suffered in the past 4 months as time in the saddle has reduced. In the short term I am not going to have the same opportunities to ride that I had in the past, but this week has proven it is possible for me to maintain a sensible level of training, enjoy time on the bike and hopefully not embarrass myself come race day!

Sunday social!