Planet Rugby Forum

nardol wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 9:31 am

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 8:19 am

nardol wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 8:13 am If you want to lose weight you should actually do some weights.

It allows you to hit a different joint and muscular group while the legs knees etc recover and the increased muscle mass will increase your base metabolic rate.

Even old school sit ups and core strengthening exercises are beneficial.

I'm 99kgs and a former backrower so spent a lot of time in the gym in the past and still carry a lot of my rugby bulk. My FTP is around 3.2 w/kg so I'm ok with my leg power (not so happy with the denominator . . . . ).

When I do weights I find it wastes my legs and means that I'm a lot less powerful out on the road. Ideally I think I need to bump up the cardio to drop the weight and bulk, but still get in quality climbing sessions to avoid losing too much gas.

Once I get this fondo out of the way I'll probably return to the gym to improve the power again but I'm 9 weeks out from my event so want to keep the training quality high while dropping as much weight as possible.

Ah 9 weeks... Different scenario ...

I saw someone mention the rowing machine which is good but its very similar to cycling with extra back thrown in in my experience.

Swimming - as suggested - is great for sore joints and still getting exersize in. Try playing around with different strokes to see whats easiest on your shoulder. Backstroke?

Id love to have the time to get a 2 month block in and go for a full regime like you. Whats the fondo?

Its a struggle with 3 kids aged 6 and under. I'm out at 5am at the weekends to get 3-4 hours in before having to be back for 9-10 for family stuff. But I enjoy it and the missus is usually kind enough to let me slink off in the afternoon for an hour's nap so that I'm not totally smashed all day. I've been supplementing the weekend efforts with an hour of Zwift/running each day during the week, and usually take Friday off to keep the legs fresh for the weekend.

I'm doing the Maratona in the Dolomites. 138km with 4.2km of climbing. The Giau looks an absolute brute

Its a struggle with 3 kids aged 6 and under. I'm out at 5am at the weekends to get 3-4 hours in before having to be back for 9-10 for family stuff. But I enjoy it and the missus is usually kind enough to let me slink off in the afternoon for an hour's nap so that I'm not totally smashed all day. I've been supplementing the weekend efforts with an hour of Zwift/running each day during the week, and usually take Friday off to keep the legs fresh for the weekend.

I'm doing the Maratona in the Dolomites. 138km with 4.2km of climbing. The Giau looks an absolute brute

No f**king way



What an absolutely fabulous thing to work towards. 99kg with that amount of climbing will be beastly. Good luck and enjoy! The two climbs at the end after a good few KMs look like a proper kick in the gonads.


You flying out with all your kit in tow?

Cheers. Hence why I need to drop another 5-6kg in a hurry! No more beer and chocolate until after the event

Yeah the Giau will take some effort but apparently the one after is the one to watch out for as you are so shagged after the Giau.

Yes taking the bike. A few lads in the group are renting out there but I'd rather not take my chances in case there is an issue with the rental.

4 weeks out and I'm getting to the point in the build up to an event where I'm just bored and sick of training for it .

Did 3200m climbing on Wednesday which was the most I've done to date but given the geography of where I live, the longest climb was 5km at 5% so I'll get a serious kick in the arse when I have to face the Dolomites .

Post event I'm going to head back into the gym in a bid to get my power up for the winter zwift season/next year IRL. What kind of weights training benefits cyclists? Low rep/high weight or high reps/low weight? I assume the former but seems to be a lot of conflicting advice out there.

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Fri Jun 03, 2022 8:45 am 4 weeks out and I'm getting to the point in the build up to an event where I'm just bored and sick of training for it .

Did 3200m climbing on Wednesday which was the most I've done to date but given the geography of where I live, the longest climb was 5km at 5% so I'll get a serious kick in the arse when I have to face the Dolomites .

Post event I'm going to head back into the gym in a bid to get my power up for the winter zwift season/next year IRL. What kind of weights training benefits cyclists? Low rep/high weight or high reps/low weight? I assume the former but seems to be a lot of conflicting advice out there.

I acknowledge it's not very exciting but keep doing the 5k, 5% climb over and over and you'll be fine. IIve trained for 2 Etapes based in Lincolnshire.

johnstrac wrote: ↑Fri Jun 03, 2022 2:18 pm

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Fri Jun 03, 2022 8:45 am 4 weeks out and I'm getting to the point in the build up to an event where I'm just bored and sick of training for it .

Did 3200m climbing on Wednesday which was the most I've done to date but given the geography of where I live, the longest climb was 5km at 5% so I'll get a serious kick in the arse when I have to face the Dolomites .

Post event I'm going to head back into the gym in a bid to get my power up for the winter zwift season/next year IRL. What kind of weights training benefits cyclists? Low rep/high weight or high reps/low weight? I assume the former but seems to be a lot of conflicting advice out there.

I acknowledge it's not very exciting but keep doing the 5k, 5% climb over and over and you'll be fine. IIve trained for 2 Etapes based in Lincolnshire.

This. When I went to the Pyrenees, the lads I was riding with kicked my arse up and down. The terrain I live in is a lot tougher than the Wicklow rides they'd been doing, but they'd been doing the miles and I hadn't.

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Fri Jun 03, 2022 8:45 am 4 weeks out and I'm getting to the point in the build up to an event where I'm just bored and sick of training for it .

Did 3200m climbing on Wednesday which was the most I've done to date but given the geography of where I live, the longest climb was 5km at 5% so I'll get a serious kick in the arse when I have to face the Dolomites .

Post event I'm going to head back into the gym in a bid to get my power up for the winter zwift season/next year IRL. What kind of weights training benefits cyclists? Low rep/high weight or high reps/low weight? I assume the former but seems to be a lot of conflicting advice out there.

I wouldn’t worry too much about not being able to do long climbs during your training. Climbing is just being able to maintain a certain power (RPE or HR if you don’t use a PM) for the required duration, you can train that anywhere. Good core strength is a bonus but not essential.

I just completed back to back road and gravel race in Colorado with multiple 40 minute climbs and all my training was done in Houston, which is flat as a pancake and at sea level. You’ll be fine.

So I've been on a family camping holiday in the Cote d'Azur and have rented a bike for the last week. The place is like a cyclist's wet dream. Glorious roads, nice steady climbs and great views, all with 32degree weather. I managed a trip up to Ventoux on Friday which was epic. I expected it to be harder but once you are out of the forest and into the lunar landscape its grand. Would highly recommend it if you are in the area, great buzz about the place.

The only issue I've had is that I've had 2 punctures in a week. Both on descents. One into the hairpin in the forest at Ventoux at 40kmph (shit my pants, took me about 40mins to fix it while I was being eaten alive by flies ffs), and another one today. The common denominator is that I've been on the brakes on a descent in the mid day heat, so the tyre rims are blistering hot, especially with the old school brake pads producing even more.

My own bike has disk brakes and I'll be using it on my fondo which will have some long, dicey descents in the mid day heat. Will I be less likely to get a puncture with the disk brakes than the old school brake pads?

Disc brakes don’t heat up the rims, so it shouldn’t be an issue. If you do get any flats, it shouldn’t be related to the heat.

Did 35 miles in the hills in sweltering temps yesterday, I got to the one shop on the route and guzzled down a half gallon of water and a coke, and still tipped the scales 3lbs lighter last night. I was halfway up the first climb of the day and regretted not going up the shadier side of the valley.


I know the roads here pretty well, so only needed to touch the brakes on one of the descents.

Folks, I've just set up a pediction game for the Tour de France on Superbru...

Pool's name is the standard "Plan et rugby".

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Mon Jun 20, 2022 3:58 pm So I've been on a family camping holiday in the Cote d'Azur and have rented a bike for the last week. The place is like a cyclist's wet dream. Glorious roads, nice steady climbs and great views, all with 32degree weather. I managed a trip up to Ventoux on Friday which was epic. I expected it to be harder but once you are out of the forest and into the lunar landscape its grand. Would highly recommend it if you are in the area, great buzz about the place.

The only issue I've had is that I've had 2 punctures in a week. Both on descents. One into the hairpin in the forest at Ventoux at 40kmph (shit my pants, took me about 40mins to fix it while I was being eaten alive by flies ffs), and another one today. The common denominator is that I've been on the brakes on a descent in the mid day heat, so the tyre rims are blistering hot, especially with the old school brake pads producing even more.

My own bike has disk brakes and I'll be using it on my fondo which will have some long, dicey descents in the mid day heat. Will I be less likely to get a puncture with the disk brakes than the old school brake pads?

Hot rims from excessive dragging of rim brakes do not cause punctures. However, they can cause the tyre to blow off the rim, particularly on old cheap Chinese carbon rims that were made with resin that softened with heat and caused the bead hooks to fail.

Need to tech advice.

My old bike that I had on my kickr core has finally packed in. I recently bought a new bike with a 12 speed 10-33T cassette. My old scrapper bike was a 12-28T so I need to change the cassette on the trainer. The problem is that I can't find a 10-33T cassette for love nor money.

I don't really know too much about tech specs of bikes so I'm looking for advice as to what type of cassette I can put on the trainer that won't totally fvck my bike when I stick it onto the trainer. Can I get away with an 11-34T or will that not work? Or does need to be exactly the same?

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Sat Jul 30, 2022 6:18 pm Need to tech advice.

My old bike that I had on my kickr core has finally packed in. I recently bought a new bike with a 12 speed 10-33T cassette. My old scrapper bike was a 12-28T so I need to change the cassette on the trainer. The problem is that I can't find a 10-33T cassette for love nor money.

I don't really know too much about tech specs of bikes so I'm looking for advice as to what type of cassette I can put on the trainer that won't totally fvck my bike when I stick it onto the trainer. Can I get away with an 11-34T or will that not work? Or does need to be exactly the same?

As a guess I think an 11-34 would be okay.. you might need to adjust the limiter screws on the gears or put up with either slipping gears or not being able to use either end though.

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Sat Jul 30, 2022 6:18 pm Need to tech advice.

My old bike that I had on my kickr core has finally packed in. I recently bought a new bike with a 12 speed 10-33T cassette. My old scrapper bike was a 12-28T so I need to change the cassette on the trainer. The problem is that I can't find a 10-33T cassette for love nor money.

I don't really know too much about tech specs of bikes so I'm looking for advice as to what type of cassette I can put on the trainer that won't totally fvck my bike when I stick it onto the trainer. Can I get away with an 11-34T or will that not work? Or does need to be exactly the same?

I would have thought a 12 speed 11-34 would be ok on the trainer with a bike set up on the road for 10-33. You could always adjust the settings in Zwift or whatever so that would don't need to use the extremes of the cassette anyway.

Had a slide on my Canyon ultimate cf SL 8.

My first slide on a carbon bike. Going about 32kph as I was sprinting away from a standing start (according do gps) and I didn't keep enough control as my rear tyre caught the gutter at side of road. Scratch on the rear derailleur (metal part)and on shifters break levers on steering wheel. No damage on any carbon parts visable with the eye. I caught most of the impact on my left shoulder hip and elbow. Prefer it that way too tbh for the expense.

2 questions:

Anyone take a spill on a carbon bike before and what did you look at?

How do you know if you have a broken collarbone or other shoulder damage? I have movement but its very sore. Now the adrenaline has worn of it's gone from sore to hurting when I manouvre arm above head and flex to the other arm.

Be shit if I'm out for a few weeks, i did a 130k ride better than I ever have before. Conditioning was really starting to come along.

nardol wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2023 1:52 pm Had a slide on my Canyon ultimate cf SL 8.

My first slide on a carbon bike. Going about 32kph as I was sprinting away from a standing start (according do gps) and I didn't keep enough control as my rear tyre caught the gutter at side of road. Scratch on the rear derailleur (metal part)and on shifters break levers on steering wheel. No damage on any carbon parts visable with the eye. I caught most of the impact on my left shoulder hip and elbow. Prefer it that way too tbh for the expense.

2 questions:

Anyone take a spill on a carbon bike before and what did you look at?

How do you know if you have a broken collarbone or other shoulder damage? I have movement but its very sore. Now the adrenaline has worn of it's gone from sore to hurting when I manouvre arm above head and flex to the other arm.

Be shit if I'm out for a few weeks, i did a 130k ride better than I ever have before. Conditioning was really starting to come along.

If your arm goes above your head it's highly unlikely it's a collar bone. I'm curious about this "steering wheel" you mention and it's "brake " lever.

Thinly veiled “I have a Canyon Ultimate” post.

If you’re worried about the frame, call into a bike shop that sells expensive bikes, and ask them if they inspect them; if they don’t do it, they’ll have someone who they contact to do it for them.

If you have movement in the shoulder, you should be ok. See how it feels after a day or 2.

johnstrac wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2023 11:19 pm

nardol wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2023 1:52 pm Had a slide on my Canyon ultimate cf SL 8.

My first slide on a carbon bike. Going about 32kph as I was sprinting away from a standing start (according do gps) and I didn't keep enough control as my rear tyre caught the gutter at side of road. Scratch on the rear derailleur (metal part)and on shifters break levers on steering wheel. No damage on any carbon parts visable with the eye. I caught most of the impact on my left shoulder hip and elbow. Prefer it that way too tbh for the expense.

2 questions:

Anyone take a spill on a carbon bike before and what did you look at?

How do you know if you have a broken collarbone or other shoulder damage? I have movement but its very sore. Now the adrenaline has worn of it's gone from sore to hurting when I manouvre arm above head and flex to the other arm.

Be shit if I'm out for a few weeks, i did a 130k ride better than I ever have before. Conditioning was really starting to come along.

If your arm goes above your head it's highly unlikely it's a collar bone. I'm curious about this "steering wheel" you mention and it's "brake " lever.

It's scratching along the shifters / brake levers.

I'm going to remove the bar tape to inspect the bars now you've mentioned it. Thanks.

DOB wrote: ↑Mon May 08, 2023 12:56 am Thinly veiled “I have a Canyon Ultimate” post.

If you’re worried about the frame, call into a bike shop that sells expensive bikes, and ask them if they inspect them; if they don’t do it, they’ll have someone who they contact to do it for them.

If you have movement in the shoulder, you should be ok. See how it feels after a day or 2.

Good tip, thanks

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cycling/65889729

Geraint Thomas just got another 2 year contract with Ineos. Both surprised and elated. Love my G! Maybe not another GT but hopefully another classic before he closes his career.

One of the hottest girls on the planet, and not just in professional cycling

https://www.instagram.com/puckmoonen/

Rohan Dennis charged over his wife’s death. Always been a massive fuckwit with anger issues. Not charged with murder at this stage though. Could well change.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-31/ ... /103275894

MvdP spat at the crowd yesterday. Apparently after having beer and or piss thrown over him.

Crazy about Dennis. 2 kids adds to the tragedy.

He’s apparently been released on bail, which doesn’t sound like something a judge would do if he had deliberately set out to kill her. At the same time, is it normal for Aussie police to charge the driver so quickly in these cases? Usually we get a “the driver, who had not been drinking, remained at the scene and is helping police with their inquiries” type statement.

DOB wrote: ↑Sun Dec 31, 2023 1:29 pm Crazy about Dennis. 2 kids adds to the tragedy.

He’s apparently been released on bail, which doesn’t sound like something a judge would do if he had deliberately set out to kill her. At the same time, is it normal for Aussie police to charge the driver so quickly in these cases? Usually we get a “the driver, who had not been drinking, remained at the scene and is helping police with their inquiries” type statement.

Lawyer types will know more. Maybe charged ASAP with a lower level crime so his passport can be taken away and he can't go anywhere? I'd imagine it takes a while to collect enough evidence to determine whether it's likely an intentional charge would stick.

Bindi wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2024 2:49 am

DOB wrote: ↑Sun Dec 31, 2023 1:29 pm Crazy about Dennis. 2 kids adds to the tragedy.

He’s apparently been released on bail, which doesn’t sound like something a judge would do if he had deliberately set out to kill her. At the same time, is it normal for Aussie police to charge the driver so quickly in these cases? Usually we get a “the driver, who had not been drinking, remained at the scene and is helping police with their inquiries” type statement.

Lawyer types will know more. Maybe charged ASAP with a lower level crime so his passport can be taken away and he can't go anywhere? I'd imagine it takes a while to collect enough evidence to determine whether it's likely an intentional charge would stick.

Jumbo Visma are all cold hearted killers....

My first thought was that he was texting at the wheel and ran her over

nardol wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2023 1:52 pm Had a slide on my Canyon ultimate cf SL 8.

My first slide on a carbon bike. Going about 32kph as I was sprinting away from a standing start (according do gps) and I didn't keep enough control as my rear tyre caught the gutter at side of road. Scratch on the rear derailleur (metal part)and on shifters break levers on steering wheel. No damage on any carbon parts visable with the eye. I caught most of the impact on my left shoulder hip and elbow. Prefer it that way too tbh for the expense.

2 questions:

Anyone take a spill on a carbon bike before and what did you look at?

How do you know if you have a broken collarbone or other shoulder damage? I have movement but its very sore. Now the adrenaline has worn of it's gone from sore to hurting when I manouvre arm above head and flex to the other arm.

Be shit if I'm out for a few weeks, i did a 130k ride better than I ever have before. Conditioning was really starting to come along.

Go back to the local bike shop you bought it from and get them to… oh wait

Carbon can take a good bit of abuse. I still go aluminium for my mountain bikes though.

Anyone here tried an E Bike or is that anathema to you cycling purists? I have been mountain biking on and off for the past 10 years and own two bikes. A Scott Scale hardtail and a Trek Remedy full suspension bike. Both great machines. The hardtail is for more cross country or bike path/gravel riding and the full sus is for steeper, rowdier trails.

Anyway we decided to buy my wife an E Bike this year so that we can do some trail riding together. There's simply no way she can ride the same trails as me without the assistance of an E bike. We were able to get a really good deal on the bike in the link. Way more bike than she needs in terms of suspension, geometry, dropper post etc but I figured it would be a nice comfortable ride for her as well as double as a bike I can use from time to time as a few of my mates have bought E bikes the past couple of years so it would be good to be able to join them and keep up with them on the hill climbs.

https://flowmountainbike.com/tests/avan ... t2-review/

Anyway I hadn't ridden it yet until this Xmas break. Holy moly what a Beast this machine is. There is a ride I like to do each year from my beach house in the Coromandel that takes about three hours return and involves a couple of very tough, steep hill climbs. Doing the return trip involves going up and down each hill twice and by the end I'm absolutely spent. I decided to try out the E bike and was absolutely amazed. This thing just allowed me to fly up the hills whilst still enjoying the ride and absolutely loving the downhill. On the flat you still have to pedal like normal but the assistance means it is like sitting on a spin bike at a steady pace and never really working too hard. There are 4 different power settings from Eco to Turbo and they provide different levels of power and use the battery at different rates. Eco is the most economical and you still need to use the gears as you would on a normal ride. So you don't necessarily go faster you just don't work too hard. But if you use the Sport or Turbo settings I was able to fly up the hills much faster than I could ride them naturally. I completed that normally 3 hour ride in 1 hour 45 minutes. So whilst I think I will continue to do the majority of my riding on my normal pedal bikes this thing has definitely opened my eyes to the benefits of E Bikes and they definitely have their place. They may assist your ride but you still have to pedal and you still get exercise. It may not be for the purists but for more casual cyclists it sure beats the hell out of sitting on the couch.

Pretty good summation of e-bikes.
Haven't tried an e-bike but after a few years away and not riding so much I came back to town and everyone I was riding with previously plus a few more , 20 odd, have e-bikes of various standard. All of them are older than me and some aged terribly in those three years. So first and foremost e-bikes mean they're still out there riding. Best part for me is the track we use or can be fast and flowy so riding a standard bike is great to push me to keep up. The women probably seem to get the most confidence in being able to keep up.
So not for me yet but despite the cost there's worse wastes of money out there, but I reserve the right to abuse riders with my totally arrogant and holier than thou attitude at any time TBF though I've encountered the odd complete ass that deserved a bollocking, for instance pushing past my moko on a single track, and I do wonder on the degradation of single tracks by hard out riders. But all n all they are fantastic machines and that one does look good/capable.

I have an e-Cargo bike and it’s the f**king business. I can do school runs and NOT have to deal with all the traffic on the way home, and not be a sweaty puddling mess when I get back, like I was with the acoustic cargo bike. I can go do errands all around town and come home fresh as a daisy.

It’s restricted to 20mph, and has about a 30 mile range, maybe more. If I want to get a better workout, I can crank down the assist level. It’s a game changer. My car stays parked for days, sometimes weeks, at a time now.

Although I currently have no intention of buying an ebike anything that gets people out and exercising is a positive thing.

Purists/Gatekeepers should normally be ignored anyway

Ebikes not for me and thought they were stupid however my wife got one and it allows her to hit the hills with me and keep up and even smash me if she wants.

It's great for facilitating group rides with diverse ages genders ability etc

As I've said earlier in this thread, eBIkes are for the weak and pathetic.

Anyway, I got one about a year ago. A Trance X mtb (which is now de-restricted). Also just bought the same bike in normal pedal version (though with electronic shock and fork damping).

Big difference between the two due to the 12 kg extra weight. I like both, though I crash a lot more on the eBike. Climbing difficult single track on an eBike is awesome. The workout you get obviously doesn't compare though.

Bindi wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 1:48 am As I've said earlier in this thread, eBIkes are for the weak and pathetic.

Anyway, I got one about a year ago. A Trance X mtb (which is now de-restricted). Also just bought the same bike in normal pedal version (though with electronic shock and fork damping).

Big difference between the two due to the 12 kg extra weight. I like both, though I crash a lot more on the eBike. Climbing difficult single track on an eBike is awesome. The workout you get obviously doesn't compare though.

Oooo, look at High-Tech Hector here!

I've got three motorbikes of varying ages and none have electronics associated with the suspension.

MungoMan wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 2:33 am

Bindi wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 1:48 am As I've said earlier in this thread, eBIkes are for the weak and pathetic.

Anyway, I got one about a year ago. A Trance X mtb (which is now de-restricted). Also just bought the same bike in normal pedal version (though with electronic shock and fork damping).

Big difference between the two due to the 12 kg extra weight. I like both, though I crash a lot more on the eBike. Climbing difficult single track on an eBike is awesome. The workout you get obviously doesn't compare though.

Oooo, look at High-Tech Hector here!

I've got three motorbikes of varying ages and none have electronics associated with the suspension.

It’s a bit of a gimmick but does make the bike pedal better. It was very expensive to buy a bike with it specced, but the market has collapsed post-COVID, which is great.

Some pretty positive feedback re E Bikes.

Must confess I am now pretty excited about taking it out on some of my favourite trails and putting it through it's paces. The up hill assistance will be welcome on days when you aren't 'feeling it' fitness wise. Will be interesting to fly up the hills then enjoy the downhill. One observation is that this thing weighs a ton compared to my other two bikes so it won't be as nimble and flickable on the descents. In fact with the added weight, ample suspension and 29er wheels it felt a bit like a tank ploughing through the gnar downhill. Glad we 'overbiked' my wife so much that I can reap the benefits of this shared new toy. My first instinct was to get her the most basic, budget friendly hardtail. Glad we didn't.