I love riding my rollers... I mean, as far as riding a trainer is concerned anyway. Tonight was my third ride on the rollers in such a long time and it is coming back to me pretty quickly.
Can ride no hands again...
... and can get out of the saddle and stretch.After riding the rollers a few times now on both my fixed gear and geared bikes, I can remember the pluses and minuses of each type of bike on rollers; fixed gear helps maintain momentum in your pedal stroke so you don't have those "dead spots" that can cause the dreaded lunging that can send you flying across the street into parked cars, and geared bikes allow you to coast and relax a little, as well as change gears to increase/ decrease intensity. The fixed gear just feels easier to me. The single gear can be a little tiring when your legs are starting to get worn out, but that's kind of the whole point of training.
I did, however find out that I can do ILT (Isolated Leg Training) exercises- pedalling with one leg- with the fixed gear, I just can't get clipped back in. I'll try the geared bike tomorrow night and see how that works. My Colombian friend Al, in Switzerland, sent me this video... and I doubt I'll ever be able to do that... but I have to find out.
(Editor's Note- I have come to find out that Al is not Al, but is another AL instead- "upstate New York, not Switzerland. Although I do enjoy Toblerone". Both Als have already contacted me to clear this up, so now I have two friends named Al. )
Since Beth is into numbers, I thought I would provide some...
Not that you can read it, because my flash is so white hot, but the tape reads 65cm... or 25.5". It's not quite the same as the "freak legs" of years past, but it's still growth.
Little by little, the legs are coming back. The crazy travel schedule keeps it hard to maintain any kind of consistency in my training, but I'm hoping to at least get fit enough to not get so destroyed at our local Tuesday night race series at the track this year. I got pretty much slaughtered last year and I want to show up competitive this time. Plus, they've been holding my medals at the State Masters Track Championships for a few years now and I'd like to bring'em home this year.
Ok, it's late... I gotta get some sleep now that the post-workout adrenaline is wearing off.
Tim
(All photos courtesy of Masi-Son, Andrew.)
I did, however find out that I can do ILT (Isolated Leg Training) exercises- pedalling with one leg- with the fixed gear, I just can't get clipped back in. I'll try the geared bike tomorrow night and see how that works. My Colombian friend Al, in Switzerland, sent me this video... and I doubt I'll ever be able to do that... but I have to find out.
(Editor's Note- I have come to find out that Al is not Al, but is another AL instead- "upstate New York, not Switzerland. Although I do enjoy Toblerone". Both Als have already contacted me to clear this up, so now I have two friends named Al. )
Since Beth is into numbers, I thought I would provide some...
Not that you can read it, because my flash is so white hot, but the tape reads 65cm... or 25.5". It's not quite the same as the "freak legs" of years past, but it's still growth.
Little by little, the legs are coming back. The crazy travel schedule keeps it hard to maintain any kind of consistency in my training, but I'm hoping to at least get fit enough to not get so destroyed at our local Tuesday night race series at the track this year. I got pretty much slaughtered last year and I want to show up competitive this time. Plus, they've been holding my medals at the State Masters Track Championships for a few years now and I'd like to bring'em home this year.
Ok, it's late... I gotta get some sleep now that the post-workout adrenaline is wearing off.
Tim
(All photos courtesy of Masi-Son, Andrew.)
9 comments:
Sorry Tim - I'm a different Al; upstate NY, not Switzerland. Although, I do enjoy Toblerone.
Gosh that's a serious pair of legs, mine never get larger, they just get stronger, I have no idea how that happens, but it saves on buying new shorts all the time!
i know that there is a 'sprinter' slam in here somewhere, but the team is just glad you managed to come out of the haze and re-discover your true calling [love].
question...
as a non die hard lycra wearing roadie why do you where lycra when training on a roller? i underastand the benefits when riding on the road (although i never wear lycra, even on my road bike)
Non-lycra roadie; The Lycra is what I know best, as I have been in Lycra (and wool before)for the past 26 years. That said, the freedom of movement is better, the overall comfort better and the padded chamois all make for a better riding experience for me. Not saying what you do is wrong, just saying it would be more uncomfortable for me.
So long as you're riding, brother, I'm happy to see you riding.
non-lycra roadie- because i tell him too or he gets fined for not wearing the team kit, which brings me to the vintage team becher+ kit he is wearing in the pic's. that will be 33 more minutes on the rollers. now go ride.
now THAT is gay...
in the words of the immortalized SNL skit "How much you bench?"
OMG! Okay, here are a couple of tests. You know you are getting too fat when you can't wipe yourself anymore, and you know your thighs are getting too big when your knees disappear.
At least the knee thing is justifiable if you get those shiny metal things that hang around your neck. :)
Must be difficult to maintain the balance or not? Would love to try this one time. :)
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