No way. I started road cycling in March (59 y old). Once a week (and not every one), going step by step, from 60 to 115 km, through bike lanes and roads you already know with Chain: Alcobendas, Tres Cantos, Colmenar, Soto, Miraflores, Canencia, Rascafría, Morcuera, Navacerrada My goal was less than 4h. I did 3:58 (~1100 out of ~2000). My feeling is that you can directly point at Big QH. I'll keep you up to date.
The weekend event (QH+TR) is like a «big bike fest». It's much more than a popular race (8500+2000 raiders). My brother in law and my sister have been attending it for the last 15 years or so. I couldn't understand why until this year. Apart from the personal challenges, cyclists and their families from all over Spain gather around Sabiñánigo to share their passion and meet once a year to talk to other aficionados and “foreros”. On Friday evening, roads near Sabiñánigo are packed of cars carrying road bikes (and MTBs with slicks as well). Considering the race itself, have a look at this account.
Thank you Peldez. I´m not thinking of doing it in the short term, but I wanna have a story to tell, a encouraging video to show... There are houndreds of them all over the internet. This one is certainly inspirational to all womenl!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMJMkLomQOo YES, SHE COULD! Love it. Long vid, 2nd and 3rd part of Paloma´s Challenge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6C7c6laOnk&feature=plcp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4WWQUZWnWs&feature=plcp Pd.- I´ve never gone to Navacerrada pass by bike ;-) By now It´s out of my league...
Pedro Lanseros (aka El Almirante), other of the QH official video stars, is around here. Going up from La Navata (Galapagar) to Navacerrada pass, and further to Cotos one (~70km roundtrip), was my last training session prior to TR Easier than Soto-Miraflores-Canencia-Rascafria-Morcuera-Miraflores-Soto.
Wow neither you nor El Almirante is as inconstant as I am. That´s why you´re getting in 2013 QH start lane and I´m not… I have been almost a week without riding my bike. I draw back in laziness when it´s raining, my bike parked for 7 damned days in a row. Not the best to get in shape I presume… :crybaby I Think I have to go for a quick ride at the count of 100 starting from now. 99,98,97,96… See you!!! ;-)
You've got to ride regularly (or at least run), especially if you've got QH in the back of your mind. Last Sunday I went to Miraflores-Morcuera with the 7picos gang. I've gone to la Morcuera on the dirt road several times, but was unaware of the single tracks along the way. Below is a pic: we actually rode down a little stream, not just crossed it. That's snow on the right. Let me tell you, it was pretty fricking cold, especially when you get your feet wet. Vocabulary note: if you prefer not to use the more offensive 'fucking cold', you can soften it to 'fricking cold' or even 'freaking cold'.
Nice pic there Chain!!! :saltarin I have some problem here. No word seems too offensive to me. Of course I know what the rhetorical difference is but not even the F… word sounds rude to me! At first sight even the most offensive word sounds fair if English (or Spanish in your first years in Spain) is not your mother tongue. It´s by translating that kind of words to your own language when you realize how vulgar they are. (Some of them are by far more offensive in Spanish – e.g. Son of a bitch-) Anyway, No offense ahead when it´s obvious to all it´s cold out there! ;-)
So on our last ride there was a guy doing stuff that took my breath away. You can see he's got all our attention. It was pretty cold but I tell you I was sweating bullets.
oh deary me !! Why is it so cold? I´m back to Madrid from a weekend in Barcelona where the weather was mild and kind and what do i get ? This chilly wind and so. I´m just wondering when would i ride again miss it so much. Catching up with all your posts, i ralize there´s a new biker in town, isn´t it? Welcomed tarmac rider! I see the very of you are too fond of long distances rides why do you love them so much? I don´t come to see the pleasure in a reckless ride when all becomes dull and painful
I usually ride trekking trails with my wife around Galapagar. I see three differences with tarmac longer distances cycling in bigger groups: better chances to enjoy sight/rest/food in more distant/varied places, feeling the wheels/shoulders of the grupeta cooperative lads, and have the opportunity to pay attention to your breathing, heart, rithym, flow
In winter, Madrid´s colder than Barcelona, you should know it!. That´s the Mediterranean effect on coast cities. All in all I prefer this dry cold weather rather than a warmer humid one like that in the Barcelona area. Better for cycling! Well, in my case it´s not long rides what truly motivates me. I started from scratch to actually phase in my performance no matter either distance or kind of bike. As a newbie cyclist, I firstly wanted to boost up my performance to secondly know what kind of bike I like the most. And yes, I truly agree on Peldez´s feelings when on a road bike. But of course I agree on yours when on a MTB. So I´m lucky enough to say no ride becomes dull or boring when I´m on my roadie, trekkie or MTB… It´s not about the ride itself or where it takes place, it´s all about your feelings. Though not a good rider I DO love road biking… :biker
Here's another pic of me really having fun on my bike. It was taken last Sunday on the 'Trialera Casa Quemada'. I've just been riding moutain bikes for about two and a half years.
hi! Shame on me for not being so easy-going in riding terms! Another question: are you really such a newbie? i can´t believe it, actually i was thinking that both of you have munched thousands of kilometres and now i ´m wrong! Before you ask it i´m on the biz since 2k7 though perhaps i´ve been riding even before toddling
I've actually been on bikes on and off for my whole life, but now I've really been bitten by the mountain biking bug. In fact yesterday I did Cercedilla-Fuenfría-trialera Majavilán-Fuenfría-Schmidt-Whistler, and bits were captured on video! This is one of the toughest spots along Whistler. In fact, you can see that I bow my head in prayer first and ask the bicycle gods to be good to me, ha ha ha. [video=youtube;Tod3kf_foT0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tod3kf_foT0&feature=youtu.be[/video]
Wow! la2 Nice vid of you in action with no priests or ambulances by your side to come to the rescue in case things go wrong. It´s not a prayer to be recited what it´s needed before getting down like that in the footage… You need spoken Word of God mate!!!. :twisted: On the contrary, I´ve been into cycling for about 20 months now. Can´t emulate Chain´s most dangerous adventures in the Sierras. :-?
hiya! nice ride, those roots seem really tricky! Sure i have to try it asap it´s challenging. It´s been worth a little prayer looks pretty steep, it ruins your balance and momentum right before entering the roots , let me say you show not much of confident but you really deal with it what in fact, is the point so congratulations bloke! Give yourself a chance and do it. Otherwise you´ll regret it forever, i bet you´re not lame
Inter, go to the dark side.... :twisted: ha ha ha Here's the other video from yesterday's ride. It's right at the beginning of Whistler, you're pretty much still in the Navacerrada pass. You can hear that I need a bit of encouragement for this one as well. [video=youtube;1iSiga1guRc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iSiga1guRc&feature=plcp[/video]
Yeah! Lovely technique there Chain!!!. When you say dark it is darkest what you mean. You really like to go to where black thnigs are. Oh boy, that´s not my colour but I like to know this is how you actually get the most of your rides. That´s what your enduro bike is made for, congrats on getting confidence in such tough scary -worse than they seem- spots. :???:
Did some bike maintenance. Changed both front tyre and inner tube of my road bike. Check this out. Is this supposed to be all inner tubes or just unexpensive shit tubes?. Perfection doesn´t exist but this Kenda tube is rubbish.
