Go for a ride or two just purely for fun, whether that’s a chilled out roll with friends or a total smash fest. Don’t make it about specific training and trying to stick to zones etc, just get out there and enjoy it and remind yourself why you love cycling.
Nice video! Fellow Spring blues sufferer, had a really bad cold but made myself get out and do the miles, which has probably prolonged it. I think planning a nice route to a destination, where you stay the night, then ride back home the next day. On your own ,or with a group. , Great training for ultra bikepacking events. And better than doing a loop where it's easy to do a sneaky short cut to home! (tho' I'm sure you don't do that) Last weekend , up North , hearing the cries of the Curlews, and Lapwings over the moorland was wonderful, and the thought of seeing a red squirrel (I didn;t) seemed to envigorate me. Having a challenging event to train for also provides motivation. The fear of failure, not completing the ride/race is huge (for me) . It's the first year I've set myself a challenge that I think i may not be able to achieve. But if you've done all the hard work, preparation, physically and mentally, success is more likely. It can be a lonely journey, so going out with friends on some rides really helps. Good luck with your preparation for your June race, and look forward to hearing about it!😎
Thank you for the great comment! I have actually planned an overnighter to Wales in the coming weeks, a chance to get a few more miles in than normal and a nice Premier Inn breakfast! When I entered the Pan Celtic I didn't know if I would make it to the finish but I did. Just starting it is a big thing and I'm sure you'll do great, just watch out for those midges and keep moving forwards.
I’m definitely the same, I got in some really good structured training in the first part of the year, but the last month or so I’ve really be struggling for time and motivation. But like you now the sun is out a bit I’ve got a couple of good rides in and a chain gang tonight and getting my mojo back
On that note, I know you did the Southern Divide on a MTB, were you happy with this choice? Is there any particular advantage to a mtb or gravel bike on this route? It seems to be about 60% or more on the road, so I would think the gravel bike will be better overall? I’m planning to do it on my gravel bike which is a Topstone carbon so has a bit of built in compliance on the rear end and a redshift stem, currently running 47mm Teravail Rutland, but also have 45mm Schwalbe G-One R if the weather has been dry.
I think it's a route where each bike has its pros and cons. I didn't actually have a built up gravel bike when I did it. My mtb was also set up to be fairly quick with aero bars etc. but the main thing was I was comfortable on it. So if you're comfortable on the gravel bike it's probably the right one. There are big stretches of road and overall nothing too technical. The bog of doom in Dartmoor (which isn't all that long) will be a bit stop start no matter what bike you take!
Because it's so long the advantages of each fade away a bit and it really comes down to the comfort part, if you can sit on the bike and keep going that'll allow you to cover much more ground
@@CycleXplorer ok thanks. I’m sure you are right that any small advantages of any kit choice are probably nothing in comparison to having a bike that you can keep going on for long periods without too much pain and fatigue. I get quite wrapped up in equipment setup and optimising stuff to be lighter or more aero, but really it should be mostly about gear that keeps you going.
