Hi friends! I feel like I’m at a bit of a crossroads with my cycling journey right now, and I’d really love to get some feedback from some of y’all.
For background, I started getting into longer distance cycling events last year as a way to stay healthy and fit, especially since my partner and I have an 18 month toddler. Cycling is both a mental health and physical fitness outlet for me.
I’m riding a Surly LHT with 700x32 Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, so I’m almost always at the back of the pack. I am not part of a team, so I’m never able to draft behind people either.
Last year I completed 2 Gran Fondos, one of which was the Whistler Sea to Sky Fondo. Yesterday was my first ride of the year and despite spending all winter with TrainerRoad 3 times a week, my time was actually slower than it was a year before and I missed the cutoff time.
Granted, I had an exhausting week leading up to their ride, I got slightly drunk 2 nights before the ride which resulted in bad sleep, and then a toddler-induced bad nights sleep the night before the ride.
Needless to say, that was pretty discouraging, especially since my plan has been to try and go for even longer rides this year (a 157km ride on July 1 and a 200km in September). My partner wants me to back down from leaning into these fondo style rides (and the longer ones too obvi), and in my disappointment from this weekend I’m inclined to go along with that.
But here are my questions:
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How much should I read into my results this weekend? Could it just be chalked up to a hard week and a bad nights sleep?
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If I had a really hard day going for 120km on June 9, should I pull back on trying to go for 157km on July 1 and 200km in September?
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If anyone is a toddler-parent who works full time and engages in long-distance cycling, I’d love to hear how you make that work
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I’d recommend you don’t sweat the time at all. Unless you enjoy the competitive aspect and are willing to train hard, that is. Even then, I’ve witnessed people who are into racing get discouraged from cycling as they age and their results stop being competitive at a certain level. I like randonneuring because it makes you haul ass, but leaves you enough leeway to enjoy the experience as an adventure and a challenge. I have written a bit about a few rides, if you are interested.
I don’t think you can train for long distance cycling at speed whilst also being an equal and present parent. Between work, housework, and family time, there just isn’t much time left over. I love getting out for long rides at the weekends, but it’s just one long ride per week which isn’t going to get me prepped for a real race.
Never read anything into a one-off result. You need to see how you get on over multiple occasions to have any idea if there’s a pattern. Keep going! (Because by the time you’ve got more data points, you’ll also be fitter 😉)
