The Aging Effect

I love numbers

One of my first memories is being a little blonde, blue eyed choir boy sitting in the Choir Stalls at St Edwards Church in Leek, Staffordshire and, during the sermon, factorizing the hymn numbers and testing them for primality.

So you can imagine how, many years later when I retired and bought a bike, how delighted I was to discover Garmin and be able to amass data streams of every variable imaginable from my rides. Of course, collecting data is one thing, turning that into information and knowledge is quite another.

My last post talked about Virtual Cycling brought on by the fact that my body needed a rest to recover from the stresses of my London 100 adventure. But now, after  two weeks of complete rest,  I thought it time to try and see if my knee ligament had healed. A young whipper snapper ( anyone who is more than 26 years younger than me falls into that category! ) had invited me to go on a slow, sociable ride with him and after I had examined his statistics on Strava it was obvious that he was in need of some serious education in cycling etiquette, namely the NECESSITY to stop at tea and cake shops. So I took it upon  myself to induct him to the Tea Shops of Derbyshire.

As an aside I have noticed that many of the younger generation that I ride with, zoom along, zipping past scores of tea shops without a thought of the calorific delights that lie within. I have decided it is my personal mission to rectify this failing in their lycra clad make up.

The ride itself was only 33km and the pace was a mere 22kph with 287m of climbing. But it was hard work. Indeed it was very hard work and demonstrated to me how just two weeks with zero exercise can cause an OAP's fitness levels to drop off dramatically.

Now it so happens that my companion is also a numbers nerd and has a Garmin Edge 800 like mine and so after the ride was over I thought I would compare his effort expended to my efforts.

Total distance  33.1 km and elevation gained was 287 m

                                          Me                                                         Mr D

Avg Power                        95 watts                                                   94 watts

Cadence                            81 rpm                                                     75 rpm

Avg Heart Rate                 137 bpm                                                  107 bpm

Max Heart Rate                 160 bpm                                                  136 bpm


Now there are many different algorthims for calculating one's Peak Heart Rate before you explode, and the most optimistic one for me gives a value of 169 bpm, so you can see from the above that I was approaching the limit whilst my companion was forever in tick over mode. It did seem to me that this demonstrated the aging effect on one's fitness quite dramatically.

What did surprise ( worry ? ) me though was that I had needed to expend so much effort and so I thought I would compare my performance this time with my Ride of a Lifetime, London 100, which was only a couple of weeks ago.

A breakdown of how my heart performed was interesting.

On the London 100, whilst the journey was obviously much longer, about half of the ride was spent at Moderate Level of effort with the other half at Tempo,  which for me means * race pace * . Only 3% of the time was my heart operating at threshold level and I would need to check but that was probably when climbing Leith Hill.

Compare  this to my Return to the Saddle Ride after 2 weeks complete rest

and you can see that 15% of the time I was operating in Threshold and the majority of the time at Tempo.

No wonder I felt it hard work!

So I have attempted to turn data into information, as for the knowledge gained; does it mean that I should have tried harder at London?

Virtual Cycling

I wrote a couple of weeks ago how my body was beginning to fall apart and how it needed a rest. However, by natural healing, or will power and adrenalin, it recovered enough for me to take part in the London100.
Following that event I started to revert back to my normal non-training regime and whilst I managed about 150km the following week, the knee ligament pain returned with a vengance so I have decided to have a forthnght  Off Bike to give it a good rest.

And so I am bored.

Very bored.

The only thing for it was to take up Virtual Cycling.
This involves reading about the adventures of others and deciding whether now is the time for a bit of cycle maintenence  and upgrade.

What I enjoy most is reading about the journeys that others have undertaken, the trials that they have encountered, the social history of the places seen and in this regard one of the best books that I have read for ages is

"The man with no Bike Clips : A Lancashire Cycling Year " by Alan Duckworth

This is not an account of the fearless exploits of a lycra clad road warrior but more the cycling rambles of a middle aged man exploring his local area and bringing back memories of his earlier life.

Compared to me of course, Alan is still a young whipper snapper but that does not prevent me considering the next addition to my cycle stable. The current stable comprises a couple of Mercians and a Specialized Sirrus Comp Hybrid so N=3.  However everyone ( except possibly my wife ! ) KNOWS that the number of bikes you need is N+1
A friend may soon be leaving Europe to live in USA and has asked if he goes, would I like his european bike as he has a virtually identical one already in California.

It is a Giaint TCR Advanced SL3 fitted with an Ultegra Di2 Group Set

Admittedly it is not yet fitted with the latest Garmin Vector pedals to give continuous readings of power generated output corrected for asymmetrical effort in each of one's legs, but I am sure he would throw that in as a minor upgrade.

You may wonder whether I really need an aero shaped carbon racing machine equipped with a Compact Groupset ( compared to the triples on my other bikes ) for my gentle Tea Shop Tours,  but when I rode the London100 , apart from Leith and Box Hills, I was permanently on the Big Ring making the Middle Ring redundant. So the case is virtually proven!

And it would have the added advantage, it being constructed out of Carbon, that there would be zero rusting risk if I were to take it down to the local shops to do the shopping.

Need more be said ??

Ought I to acquire it?

Is any extra justification needed to persuade my wife the merits of this essential acquisition?

Week 12 Day 7 The Big Day..Prudential London Ride100

And so, after weeks of training; those rides in the Derbyshire Peaks in the depth of winter, the pain of the hills,  the suffering in Rutland, the cadence and interval training practice, the hours spent in the saddle, it all comes down to this.  In front of me lay 100 miles of the roads of London and the Surrey Hills. I have tried to stick to the training plan and I went to the start with an act of faith that having still not ever ridden beyond 130 km, the plan said that the adrenalin on the day would take me through.

My Mercian cleaned and loaded, I was ready to start my challenge of a lifetime and head to London

and get ourselves registered onto the Starting Rosta which was at the Excel Centre just across the river from the O2 Centre.

Worried about the logistics of getting to the start on time we had booked into a hotel close to the Olympic Park and that became Race HQ for the event. ( As an aside when my son asked me to join him on a            * ramble * around London on a father-son ride it was just a saunter, as time went on the missives from the organizers started changing in tone,, event- sportive - teams - business relay races etc  with the pressure on my usual tea shop tour meander pace increasing considerably )

And so the night before we had our final pre -event checks, with particular attention to my  nutrition needs

and getting all the numbers attached to everything that stayed still long enough

And so to the event. We were one of the last few to leave the starting gate, the last wave, V,  at 08-00 and this had caused us further concern as there was a 4 km neutral zone before the Official Start and as the first time cut off was at 40 km we were concerned that our race would be over before it had properly begun

In the event we proved to be well on track and my trusty Mercian must have had the shock of its life as the Big Ring was in constant use, and indeed remained in constant use throughout 90% of the ride. Previously, before I started on training for this, the Big Ring was something to look at, talk about and admire, certainly NOT to use and definitley out of the question whenever the road went upwards. As it was I only changed down to the Inner Ring on Leith and Box Hills; all those practice rides in the Derbyshire Peaks turned out to have conditioned me well.

I knew from past experience that stopping for a rest can be fatal as my legs want to shut down and rest so I did the entire 164 km without stopping apart from the need to reload my pockets with food from the saddle pouch.

Leith Hill proved a challenge, not only in its length and gradient but because of the bike pushers and those riders whose legs suddenly gave out and stopped in the middle of a very narrow ride on an 18% incline. Overtaking proved difficult and slowed me down but I kept on pedalling and eventually was rewarded with some stupendous views.

( Thanks to Andy Wright for permission to use both this and the next image )

The stream of cyclists seemed endless and you could see the look of exhileration on their faces as they crested the final summit .

With Leith and Box conquored it was time to turn to home and though there was a final nasty surprise as the road ramped skywards out of  Wimbledon before I was soon  finally entering the Mall with the crowds  cheering cheering.

And then it was over, 7 hours after leaving the Olympic Park I was back outside Buckingham Palace. I had sent my son on ahead as we reached the start of the Surrey Hills as I did not want to hold him up but he was waiting for me at the end

Team Roberts had made it !

And this was what it was all about

But of course the real winner was the mental health charity Mind for whom we had raised over £2600 and as I cycled down the Mall it was those who I knew that needed their support that I was thnking about.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement over the last weeks and months, without you I doubt whether I would have kept going, especially in those cold dark days of winter.

The Last Lap

Following the travails described in the last post, this week I have been back on the bike and was pleased to find that both my knee and butt seem to have recovered, or at least recovered enough so that I can ride. The Plan for Beginners  that the London 100 organizers  sent me called for one last endurance ride before the event and this was successfully accomplished, and so now I am on the last lap.
After training since January I have now covered 4423 km, climbed 33294 m, which is the equivalent of climbing up Mount Everest four times,  and expended 100925 calories. On the days when I was resting from the bike I have been swimming and covered a distance of 45 km.
The plan does call for some arduous effort up until the Wednesday of this week but I suspect that it was aimed at people far younger than me so I am going to rest more and just go for a gentle tootle around to-morrow before concentrating upon cleaning the bike and fuelling up.

I am doing all this to raise money for the mental health charity Mind and would like to thank the almost 100 people who have rallied to my cause and raised ~ £2500... now I have to do my part.

For anyone who would still like to sponsor me, and there is a free recipe booklet entitled

 Cycling Food on the Go - Recipes for Success

for everyone who does make a donation, however small. The recipes in this booklet have been contributed from friends around the world and each recipe comes with a little story of just why the recipe was special to them. If you would like a copy just go to

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/teamroberts

Week 10 Day 4 and I am falling apart :-()

And it was all going so well.

I have this year cycled  4261 km, climbed 32387 m and expended over 97382 calories

I have worked on my climbing, and refuelling at the top with jelly babies, I have felt more comfortable and got quicker, even in the land of the Derbyshire Peaks which hopefully compare to the streets of London.

And then on Wednesday I felt a slight twinge behind my right knee. Worse, with the weather so hot I have sweated more and despite taking so many precautions I have developed a couple of saddle sores.

I have NEVER cycled 100 miles and at my age I suspect fitness soon evaporates and this worries me with the event only now 2 weeks away.I am treating the sore with hydrocortisone which seems to be having a positive effect.. I wonder if one can comfortably wear padded under shorts under padded bib shorts..I may be forced to try it for after all this effort I WILL compete at London.

I have heard that the streets of London are paved with gold and I am dying to see this sight.

I live in fear of the monster of Box Hill and its friend Leith Hill which at 2.1 km long and with an average gradient of 6 %, peaking in stretches at 17% will be my hardest challenge.  When attacking these monsters I will need encouragement,  which will be provided by my domestique ( my son ) and also by some visual stimuli as I ascend the climb.

I will be looking out for these, and a big Thank You to Andrew Wright, Countryside Manager for the National Trust for this area,  for permission to use his photographs

and at some point it would be nice to see

and though on the day I will be too rushed, this epitomizes my total ethos to cycling

Wish me luck !!!

Beginning to dream...

Only 23 days to go to my cycling challenge of a lifetime.

And I am beginning to dream.

In preparation for this day I have this year

Cycled a total distance of 4122 km
Climbed 31067 m
Swam 41.3 km
and been seated on a bike for over 207 hours

I suppose that I have two big worries about this challenge. The first is , at my age and with my level of fitness, am I just physically capable of cycling 100 miles, ( 162 km ) on a single journey. And the second worry is will I be quick enough. It is not a personal thing here but more of a worry that I will let others down and get in the way of the proper cyclists who are competing in the Prudential London Classic who ride after us but on the same course.

I received my final instructions this week and in a way these worries have dissipated. This is because the organizers have introduced a set of cut-offs so that those not up to the pace will be pulled out thereby ensuring that the proper cyclists are not disadvantaged. They have also introduced a set of detours so that those near, but not quite the pull out mark, can be sent on a slightly shorter route. With these instructions then there are safeguards for Old Age Pensioners like me in the event that we find it all a bit too much.
The start  times seem to be organized with military precision. There are two starting points before the courses combine after 6 km with 19 waves leaving each point and from what I have heard from others, people will be leaving every 2 minutes. With 20000+ riders that should be some sight!  I think I must be the last person leaving the starting gate as my time is 08-00. That surprised me a little as I said that I was aiming at completing the course in 7 hours 30 minutes ( compared to the 9 hours maximum permitted ) and I thought there might be one or two people who had estimated a time a little slower than me..
The story of the tortoise and the hare springs to mind :-)  Speedy OAP !


For one of the training sessions this week, the plan called for an hour's run at a Zone 2 moderate heart rate on a flattish course. As I sped through the quiet Derbyshire lanes with the sun shining and the fields and hedgerows flashing by I began to dream that I had escaped the peleton who were riding on a flat stage in Brittany in the Tour de France that day.. Head down, legs going in a perfect harmony, this was bliss and epitomized the joy of cycling

(  Though this image is not of me but a picture I took at the Belper 25 mile TT last weekend )

Can I now dream of cycling down the Mall on August 4, the 100 miles completed, and the Challenge conquored?

Getting Ready for the Last Lap

The training plan for my challenge in the inaugral  London 100 mile Charity Ride at the beginning of August called for one last big effort and last weekend was the summit of my training efforts.   At 130 km it was my longest journey ever and was accomplished non-stop; the event itself of course requires another 32 km on top of this but the plan reassures me that riding in a group, plus the adrenalin of the day, will make up the shortfall.

My annual statistics now stand at

Total distance cycled this year = 3937 km
Total ascent climbed = 29357 m
Longest journey = 130.4 km

Encouragingly my average pace has also increased significantly  ( by 30% since the beginning of the year ) and if I can keep it up for that extra 30 km I should be OK, especially as I will have my son riding with me to carry the load ( I hope!! ) and provide encouragement.

Just looking ahead at the activities called for by the plan shows that I am now beginning the tapering stage to the big day, and I am thankful for that for my body is feeling a little tired and I now need a rest day after a long , fast ride.

This blog has also reached a milestone with over 10000 views from 25 countries across the world. I find that quite amazing.

I am doing this ride in order to raise funds for the mental health charity, Mind, but there are also many other worthy causes and to-day I was privileged to meet two ladies who are cycling for Great Britain in the World Transplant games to be held in South Africa in a few weeks time. One has had a liver transplant whilst the other has had a kidney replaced and now both do a tremendous amount of work to publicize the need and benefits of Organ Donation. Are you signed up to support this cause?

They were seeking a photo to be used in some local publicity campaign and I was happy to help. Naturally I arranged to meet them at a local tea and cake shop...cyclists  needs their nourishment!

If you would like to sponsor me on my challenge then you can make a donation at

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/teamroberts

Any donation, however small, is very welcome and as a mark of our gratitude we will send you a pdf copy of our special booklet  ' Cycling Food on the Go - Recipes for Success '  which contains both recipes and stories from around the world

Thank you.