Strava

What is Strava you ask? Well this is the official explanation - Today, Strava lets athletes all over the world experience social fitness—sharing, comparing and competing with each other's personal fitness data via mobile and online apps. Currently focused on the needs of avid cyclists and runners, Strava lets you track your rides and runs via your iPhone, Android or dedicated GPS device to analyze and quantify your performance. Strava makes fitness a social experience, providing motivation and camaraderie even if you’re exercising alone.

So what that means is if you have a Garmin device or an I phone or android phone you can track your ride and upload it to Strava - for free! As well as tracking your performance there is an option where you can select a section of road or track that will be timed every time you go over it. Strava shows you all of the other athletes who have covered the same ground so you can see how your time stacks up. Or go for a PR and try to beat your fastest time on the same stretch that anyone else's time for that section (that doesn't hide there ride or run).

Rider numbers increasing

It seems of late almost every time you head out for a ride you see a new rider you haven't seen before. With the numbers on the Thursday roll increasing slowly but surely it seems that cycling is becoming more and more popular. This was very evident at the coffee shop this morning with a good number of riders from a few different groups all turning up at the same time. As numbers increase so to does driver awareness of cyclists. Sure there are still plenty of tools out there that have to pass you about an inch away for whatever reason, but I have certainly not been abused as much as I used to in times gone by (yes I'm touching wood).

The Thursday roll just gone was well attended with 16 riders all up turning up for the ride. It seems that the addition of the extra half a lap is becoming popular as it allows the red mist to descend and the riding almost becomes racing. When this happens it's important you hold your line and don't chop and change all over the place if you don't know where riders are around you.....or there will be pain.

The I lost my Wife ride!

Not often you go out for a ride with your wife and you lose her......it happened today with Michael not realising the better half had already turned with some other riders and headed for the brew shop. It was pretty funny for everyone but Michael! :)

Weekly Wrap

It's been a pretty quiet week with no major races on at the moment. The Thursday roll saw 15 riders turn up even though a few regulars weren't present. Nobody was interested in taking the quick ride so we set out for the easy ride. By lap 3 without Craig, Graeme or I on the front the pace crept up and up, these are the people that speed up in overtaking lanes :) There was time for an extra half a lap so it was on, can't tell you what happened because I was ordering my first beer :)
This morning saw only a few turn out for the Saturday ride with Dylan, Craig and myself heading north to hook up with the M1 ride again. Luke came along for a spin to knock up a few k's and ended up on the back of the hitters group for a few minutes, clearly not too impressed with the pace....hehehe. The pace on the Hitters ride was fierce from the get go and by the time the group made it to the Krombit road turn I think it was close to half the size it was 5 minutes before! Once on the Krombit road the pace was turned up and I'm pretty sure the only time the speed dropped below 40 was up the hills....it is a seriously hard hit out. Craig lasted a little way up the road before he called it a day and I managed to hold on for a fair while but in the end I was afraid if I tried any harder I wouldn't be able to ride home and sat up. From the 20 odd at the start there were only 4 left at the end...enough said.

Sunday saw a big turnout with around 14 riders leaving the surf club at 7am. From all reports the 'Dealer' was dishing it out from the get go up Creek street; wasn't too long ago he couldn't go up at all!