The best of times, the worst of times

The funny thing about me and cycling is that I keep being confronted by the same issue over and over again. With me, it's always about eating!

This week I was fortunate to be able to cycle to and from work on Wednesday and Friday. I'm not going to say too much about it. A round trip of around 40 miles each day, difficult to vary, occasional wind, cold and dark to start, lovely by the time I get to work, could have cycled all day. Bit hard in the evenings, straight after a day's work, manic drivers, hill climb on the way home, gets the miles in.

My times are definitely getting better, I positively zoomed in yesterday morning and it sure helps that it is now light. I find cycling so much more effective when you can see where you are going. I have great lights, but nothing beats daylight.

Each of the four rides costs about 1000 calories in energy terms. On Wednesday I made sure i ate loads during the day, and was able to post a respectable ride home. But yesterday I didn't really eat as much, had a busier day, and by the time I was halfway up to the airport I had bonked. The slowdown is then exponential, I then lose any residual light, which makes for a slower descent down Wrington Hill, and a mid 13 mph time.

I'm trying to slim down slowly in preparation for the Pyrenees, and so far it's working, having lost about 5 lbs since Christmas, most of the lost weight being fat too. But it's a fine line to tread to maintain effectiveness and power, I just have to fuel up when I'm riding and eat sensibly when I'm not.

The other idea I have is to ride at lunchtimes for an hour. There is a steep hill south of Bristol, it's about 18%, and I could do a 40 minute loop three times a week, which would help with the climbing. Will be great when warmer weather comes.

Going to do a solo leg loosener tomorrow, but here's Charlie from my commuting rides:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/26197812
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/26197824
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/26197830
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/26197841

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