Final training for Real Women Duathlon

Today Mum1 successfully completes the rigorous training set by myself  as punishment

for Mum1 having the idea of entering the duathlon (from now on I am the only one allowed

to have ideas) and is rewarded with coffee and cake.

Mum1 is inexperienced in coffee drinking and can only drink it watered down in some

kind of strange concoction with chocolate.

I find it hilarious when she asks the cafe staff not to put in a full shot of coffee.

Mum4 takes a spin around her backyard

Mum4 finds time to put her bike through a set of
stringent tests by circling her back yard twice;
skillfully avoiding obstacles thoughtlessly placed by
other members of her family.

Bikeonmum3 - Commuting to Work

This week has been all about biking to and from work.  Each day I have gotten up at 5.15am with the aim to get out of the house and on my bike by 5.45am.  Biking to work at that time of the morning is easy, except for the traffic lights at Kilbirnie (by St Pats) that don't seem to register that you want to turn right unless another car comes up...what is that!!!!  Most of the time I ended up running red lights so I am thinking of complaining about that.  Coming home most nights around 7pm and luckily its still daylight, so thats not so bad.  Only got drenched twice this week, and was able to get most of my clothes dry at work except for my socks and shoes.  Not sure what I can do about the shoes, but I will now carry a spare pair of socks at work as I dont think there is anything worse than putting on wet socks.

So the key learning for me this week is what does a girl wear over the colder months in Wellington if I am going to continue commuting to work and/or bike in the weekend.  I think long bike pants, thermals under by bike shorts or leg warmers are the choices I need to look at.  For the top half I think layers will probably do it, plus the investment of a waterproof cycle jacket.  And dont forget that warm beanie under the cycle helmut, long gloves(not halves) and possibly shoe booties.  So probably not a huge expense and most of it will probably last awhile.

Of course the other choice is to hit the "spin" classes at the gym and setup the "stationary" trainer in the living room....however wheres the fun in that. 

Napier Field Trips

Highlight of the week for me was the excellent charity (proceeds to Chch) mtb ride 
and bbq organised by Gavin Brock, bikeonmums mechanic of choice (or Mr Brock as
he prefers to be addressed) of Soul Cycle Repairs, Napier.
A good research opportunity to see if a mountain bike is a necessity. Apparently with my
own bike, according to the brochure I can 'dial up the plushness for hitting the trail' whatever
that may mean. I know it doesn't mean I will be able to keep up with an
8 year old or ride over teeny tiny tree roots.
I read in a GT catalogue that has found its way to my desk that some bikes are not capable
of being ridden off road.

Earlier in the week I visited the excellent Maraenui Bilingual School in Napier as part of
one of my day jobs working for Bike On Charitable Trust.
Mum2 works here and she reports that she has lost weight -obviously a huge amount, and that
she is fitter and happier. The happier part is hard to judge as she always seems to be happy.
The kids at this school are fabulous and big fans of the school pump track built by
Dave Gordon, Baywide Dingoes, Napier.

This week Mum1 was taken on her first field trip to Soul Cycle Repairs. I thought it was
time Mum1 had a proper look at all the accessories it is possible to buy. Things started
well but I was soon overcome from a combination of the dreary music and information
about sealants. Mum1 does not notice as she has seen a pink bell. I am of course thrilled
that Mum1 and Gavin discover they share an interest in vampires.

Bike On Mum 3 - Tui Brewery Here I Come

Well it’s the week of my first cycle event, the Bush Cycle Tour in Mangatainoka.  The lead up was a quick dash on Thursday night about 54km from work around the Miramar Peninsula up to Happy Valley and back.  Reasonably good ride but it got dark very quickly and my lights are not that strong which is a problem around the Peninsula, might have to be another investment there in the future.

Moving on to actual race day, we got an early start from Palmerston North as we had not registered.  I had entered in the 60km which started at 9.30.  Felt a bit nervous as I lined up and wasn’t made any better when the Start Marshall started going on about the dangers of the hill after Hamua!!!! As readers will know I have developed a bit of an aversion to going down hills.

It was a really nice sunny day and no wind. I told Tim that if I could get back between 2 1/2 – 2 3/4 hrs I would be happy.  The race started and the first 5 km was about getting into a rhythm with all the other riders.  At the first hill just outside of Mangatainoka, I went up too fast and felt a bit sick…lesson learned here - pace myself.  From here through to the second hill about 20+ km’s it was pretty straight and flat.  Once I got to the big hill it actually wasn’t that big and certainly no worse than Brooklyn Hill in Wellington.  Going down, I just kept feathering my brakes and kept yelling to myself to slow down.  It seemed to work and I got through OK.

After this I managed to settle myself into a group of four others for the next 20+km.  We all took turns leading from the front and we managed to keep the pace going at circa 28km/hr.  There were 3 guys in this group and you can really see the benefits when you can travel behind someone.  I have to thank the Revolve ladies for teaching me to travel in a group, move up to the front and also keep close to the rider in front.  A couple of times I dropped back slightly to take a drink and then I had to sprint back to catch-up, but it was worth it to get a bit of wind protection. 

Finally we were back at the Tui Brewery and though I was trying to keep an eye on my computer, I knew I was slightly ahead of my estimated arrival time.  Was therefore not surprised that hubby and friends were not waiting at the finish line with streamers and balloons.  As I crossed the finishing line, I was just really pleased I had made it.  I removed my timer device and then walked my bike up to the tui girls, but took lemonade instead of a beer.  I finally found Tim and friends sitting in the beer garden and they looked a little surprised to see me so soon, actually more like shocked that they had missed me crossing the finish line!!! That’s ok I will be able to dine out on that for a while.  The asked me how I was and I think my reply was something along the lines of “I need ice” for my bottom.

In summary the ride took me just over 2 hrs (official result follows) for a distance that was just under 60km, it was a good introduction to a cycle ride on a nice day with good roads and I benefitted from skills learned over the last 2 months.  I am pretty proud of my efforts as its not bad for someone who has only been cycling for 2 months. 

The Bush Cycle Tour March 13

Mum3's fan club discuss how long Mum3 will take to ride 60kms and whether there will be
time to visit the Tui Garden bar for a coffee.

                                                  Bike On Mums promote Bike On. (unpaid)

Proof that Mum1 can run and Mum4 can read.

 

A video taken of the elusive Mum1 running. 

She is difficult to spot as she 

only wears black and insists on running in the shadows.

But she can be heard laughing. 

I don't know what is funny about running.

Exciting news at BikeOnMums HQ as Mum4 agrees

to accept delivery of her Explorer but she can't resist

mentioning that she really wanted a HUDSON3.

She said she couldn't wait to test the bike out

but would finish reading her bike catalogue first.

I gave up waiting.

Bike On Mum 3 - Bush Tour Approaches

Haven’t entirely been feeling myself this week so its been a bit of a slow week cycling wise. Though I have run twice, I only managed to get in a couple of rides to and from work and with the weekend weather first thing in the mornings both raining and windy I did not go out at all.  That’s a bit of a surprise/disappointment that I did not force myself to go out, as I had even “mapped my ride” which was to be about 60km in preparation for next weekends Bush Cycle Tour in Mangatinoka.  On the other hand I don’t have a lot of wet weather gear for cycling and wasn’t about to risk staying wet on a bike for 2.5 hrs.  So I will feel the pressure this week to get a longish ride in somehow.  On a funnier note a recent trip to the supermarket normally finds me picking up and buying a womans magazine, but not now, this chick picked up and bought the latest NZ Road Cycling magazine…oh how times have changed.  Loved the article about Hawkes Bay and what great photos

Bike On Mum 4's bmx skills

Mum 4 has not been in any hurry to collect her new bike.. we here at
Bike On Mums HQ are not surprised as Mum4 is known to take her
own time about things.
Also Mum 4 needs to be enticed away from her hobby of precision BMX riding

Meanwhile the training for the Real Women Duathlon continues with a few technical
issues with our bike computers. I know mine is set incorrectly because I set it.
Mum 1 however believes hers records the speed correctly but not the distance.

She is still riding too fast downhill with no regard for her personal safety at
something like 8 kph faster than me. I wonder if she is trying
to have an accident in order to avoid the running training or is she simply
had enough of me talking to her. I think I talked tonight non stop for an hour- impressive.

Mum 4's Bike arrives

Good news for Bike On Mum's as Mum 4's bike arrived today.
Mum 4 will either be very excited or regretting agreeing to join us.
But its too late now Mum 4.
Once you agree to join there is no backing out.

A very nice man from Jamis (and his driver) kindly assembled the bike.

Assembly is always greatly appreciated by Bike On Mums.

Real Women Duathlon running training began this evening. Bike On Mum1
has pretended that she can't run but this is not true. She is fast.

Bike On Mum 3 - Work and Balmy Palmy

Sunday 27^th February,

As signalled in my last entry, work has been completely full-on. The past couple of weeks have been a little light in terms of biking due to this commitment, but I have continued commuting by bike when I have not been laden with folders to carry to and from work.

However this recent weekend I had a family reunion to attend in Palmerston North, I took my bike with me and went for a tour on Sunday morning. I had arranged to meet my sister-in-law but unfortunately her bike was non-functioning and I had to cruise on my own. I biked the Aukoutere route out to Ashurst and then back into Palmy, a ride of about 35km which was a fairly straight flat ride with only a few hills. As this ride was made up of two long flat and straight sections I kind of see how those aero-bars in front could be of use now as it does seem like a natural position for long stretches. What was interesting was the number of bike groups out in Palmy from 8 AM although they seemed made up of mostly male riders (perhaps the girlies went the other direction). The bike went well and I am now mastering drinking while riding and the main issue now is trying to get my bottle back in its little holder without me wobbling all over the place!!!  Tim angled my seat a little lower in the front as I have been having trouble with a sore rear and front end, unfortunately it didn’t seem to help much . . . might have to look at new bike shorts now as well to see if that’s the problem. 

Bike On Mum 3 - Its February

1st - Rode to work and used my trainers not bike shoes, sort of got gears, feel of bike and positioning all different. The road bike is considerably faster than my mountain bike. My round the bays route to work is circa 5-7mins faster.  This will take some time to get my head around the balancing of everything, need more confidence, Showed off my new bike to everybody at work which was good.

2^nd - Rode home around Miramar Peninsula; getting a better feel of the balance but couldn’t get the gears moved down to smaller cog . . . had to walk up part of Tio Tio Rd - aagghh. I am missing the simplicity of running!!!!!!!!

3^rd - Turns out I had the left hand gears all wrong in my head . . . once Tim showed me it was all good . . . biked to work today with left foot in cleats and right in a sneaker . . . must look odd but its all about getting confidence up at the moment. Still having confidence issues riding down the hills where there are cars and bends etc.  I could probably walk down hills faster than I bike down. Tim reckons that I will wear out the brake pads in about two weeks due to excessive use. Biking home in big wind, nearly got pushed off bike around town and then biking past Cobham Dr. Have to come to grips with the balance of that and went faster and leaned against wind . . . freaked out again. However, got to bike up Otaki St as was raining now by this stage and that was a lot faster/easier than in mountain bike . . . so that was a win and I got my left gears to work J

PS: I don’t like buses and trucks. Someone said “Did you see how close that bus was”? See it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so close I could have licked it.

4^th - Biked to work today with left foot in trainers and right in cleats again; practised getting right foot in and out and did so easily, so think I can go out on Saturday wearing bike shoes on both feet with some confidence. Windy but liveable. An observation - my weight has dropped slightly by about 1.5kg’s however as I haven’t been running/situps/arms if feel more loose in the tummy and arms so once I get more confidence on the bike I will need to get back to running/arms/situps again but for the moment I need to concentrate on the bike.

5^th - Revolve group ride day today. Group meet at 8am and headed off to Eastbourne on the main road. Ashley talked me through the do’s and don’ts of cycling with traffic going at 100km and got to say it was nerve wracking; wind was a normal southerly with light showers. We travelled in single formation. Ashley also gave me great advice on the gears I was in - basically make sure I stay in the lower cog, and move the rear gears up and down. This was important – previously (when staying in the big front cog) it seemed like I would go fast, catch-up to the group, and then slow down and not pedal. Staying in the small front cog means that I have been able to maintain a constant rhythm (or cadence as they say in cycling circles). So I spent time practising my rhythm, which will take time to get used too. I was also encouraged to stay with the bunch and perhaps get in the middle of the group a bit more. Got lots of other tips about riding in a group, i.e. at lights stay with the group, drafting etc, hand signals while pedalling while turning a corner (which is definitely scary), and staying close on the wheel of the rider in front (which is scarier than hand signals). We stopped in at Days Bay for a coffee and then headed back to Wellington. I was telling everybody about my 1 foot in trainers, 1 foot in bike shoes training . . . they must have thought I was mad. On the return trip I followed Ashley’s advice and moved ahead of the back riders to the front thinking that would be the middle, well the front group took off and I followed thinking the others would too and they sort of didn’t, so was left with this main group at the back on the motorway . . . eventually the back group caught up so we mostly all rode into Wellington together. I think I should have done my time at the front of the group but I lacked the confidence to do that. I noted that there was a lot of debris on the road so you have to have your wits about you.  So a great ride and I continue to get more and more useful advice. That was a big thing going on the main roads.  It was a flat ride circa 60km. And even met someone I went to school with which was great. 

It was good to get Saturday's ride in as I am about to start a month-long intensive project at work which will severely  curtail my riding. Will definitely update if I get anything interesting done.

Bike On Mum 3 - It Is Here & It Is JUICY

January 31^st – I wasn’t in the greatest mood when today. It had been a long hard day at the office. I walked in our back door and there right in front of me was my new Kona Lisa RD. And yes, it was JUICY. It had arrived by courier in the morning and Tim had it all assembled and ready to go by the time I arrived home. I suspect my irritability was a bit to do with the fact that I had been expecting my bike, but Tim told me it hadn’t arrived. Usually he can’t keep a good secret, so it was a wonderful surprise when I walked through the door and there it was in all its glistening splendour. I saved a bit of money getting Tim to assemble it, and he had it fully accessorised as well: bottle cages, pedals, seat bag with tools and a tube, bike pump, and lights. What do people do when they don’t have their personal mechanic at home - go to a shop I suppose. I went out for little ride, got freaked out as pedals were quite different as were the gears and brakes etc. Tim caught a bit of that on video before I told him to stop. The camera does not lie and Lycra is not my friend . . . no need for a spare tyre when I have one around my middle…