Knock, Knock

I'd had this weekend penciled in as the start of serious Marmotte training for a while (this is not to say that the Hellfire sportive was some kind of 'leg loosener' however).

A gorgeous early winter day greeted me on Saturday, so off I went to Richmond Park with no goal in mind other than to practice cycling at a higher cadence. The cadence sensor on the bike wasn't quite set up right, so the reading was occasionally a little intermittent, but I returned an average of 83rpm, which is pretty much the centre of the zone I was aiming for. It felt slow speed-wise, but apparently that's normal and the pace will return once I get used to the new technique.

Today I headed out in the direction of the Surrey downs. This lasted only a couple of KM's though, before I had to turn back to the house to retrieve the water bottles I'd left behind! Liquid refreshment in place, off I went again. Felt good all the way down to the first climb, Ranmore, but as soon as the climb began the legs felt tired and devoid of any real power. I put the bike in a low gear and span away at a very slow speed, all the time wondering if I should call it quits there and then and head for home.

Once at the top, I pedalled along Ranmore common and ate the sandwich I'd brought with me, and began to feel a little better on the descent down Critten Lane. Consumed an energy gel before the 2nd climb, Crocknorth Rd, and began to work my way up the 15% slope. Again, there was nothing in the legs, and at times it felt like I was going backwards.

Once up on Ranmore Common again, my speed picked up as I pointed the bike towards Box Hill. Another energy gel before the start, then I was onto the climb. I'd resigned myself to the fact it was going to be slow, and indeed it was as many cyclists went past me on the ascent. After that, it was the 30km home, where my lack of energy became a full-on bonk. Getting the knock is a horrible experience, and my legs turned to jelly and my mind went blank - not good in London traffic. My last ounces of energy and autopilot got me home, upon which I consumed my weekly intake of calories in one sitting.

Chris Froome bonking on Alpe d'Huez in the 2013 TdF - unfortunately I had neither a team car or a Richie Porte to get me food in the Surrey Downs!

So what went wrong? Well I'm not sure. Maybe I was feeling tired from Saturday's ride. Maybe I still hadn't recovered from the Sportive last week. Maybe I hadn't fuelled properly over the weekend. Maybe I need to lay off the booze for a bit. My suspicion is it's a combination of all of the above.

Still, stats for the weekend below. Nice to feel like I'm getting some real miles under my belt.

Distance cycled: 146km
Time on bike: 5hrs 56mins
Average speed: 24.5km/h
Total climbing: 1,623m