Tag: Tour de Victoria Training

Tour Wait

Well, my last big ride before the Tour de Victoria is done. Bill and I hit up the three big climbs of the Tour course. He turned off while I continued. I had planned to try and make 4.5 hours, but I fell a bit short. Kangaroo road was pretty torn up. Looks like they are planning on widening the road and lots of heavy machinery has been on the road. This has made the road more bumpy than normal.

Munns was as fun as usual. After that I headed out along Wallace, turned on to West Saanich, then turned right on Stellys X Road to take me over to Island View Rd, and Mitchell Farm. From there I started to follow the Tour route home, but realized I would go way over on my time, so I mentally figured out the quickest route home.

All in all a decent ride, but I was pretty knackered by the end. I don’t think I could have done another 40 km. Ride day could be interesting. I’ll rely on drafting and adrenaline to get me through.

Next week I plan on a short (ish) three hour ride on flat (ish) terrain just to keep myself limber.

Then the Tour. Can’t wait.


View Three Big Hills Sept 7, 2013 in a larger map


View Three Big Hills Sept 7, 2013 in a larger map
Total distance: 103.88 km (64.5 mi)
Total time: 4:19:56
Moving time: 4:05:01
Average speed: 23.98 km/h (14.9 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 25.44 km/h (15.8 mi/h)
Max speed: 64.07 km/h (39.8 mi/h)
Average pace: 2:30 min/km (4:02 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2:22 min/km (3:48 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 0:56 min/km (1:30 min/mi)
Max elevation: 256 m (839 ft)
Min elevation: -11 m (-37 ft)
Elevation gain: 1139 m (3738 ft)
Max grade: 13 %
Min grade: -12 %

Behind Ride

Apparently I am a little behind on posting about my rides.

This ride I did in Nanaimo. I think it was supposed to be 4 hours, but was just barely 3. I remember being unhappy with this ride.


View Nanaimo Tour in a larger map
Total distance: 75.43 km (46.9 mi)
Total time: 3:05:40
Moving time: 3:02:19
Average speed: 24.38 km/h (15.1 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 24.82 km/h (15.4 mi/h)
Max speed: 59.63 km/h (37.1 mi/h)
Average pace: 2:28 min/km (3:58 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2:25 min/km (3:53 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 1:00 min/km (1:37 min/mi)
Max elevation: 173 m (566 ft)
Min elevation: -3 m (-9 ft)
Elevation gain: 835 m (2741 ft)
Max grade: 12 %
Min grade: -11 %
Recorded: 8/18/2013 9:15AM

The next ride was a weeknight ride where I met a couple friends near the Johnson St Bridge and headed out to the observatory for hill repeats. I did three ascents of the hill, and could have done more I think, but we were running out of light. I almost got taken out by a dragonfly on the return trip. It hit me in the right shoulder, which caused me to twist a bit, then a blackberry cane hit me and snagged my jersey.


View Observatory Hill Repeats in a larger map
Total distance: 48.14 km (29.9 mi)
Total time: 2:20:42
Moving time: 1:55:12
Average speed: 20.53 km/h (12.8 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 25.07 km/h (15.6 mi/h)
Max speed: 55.25 km/h (34.3 mi/h)
Average pace: 2:55 min/km (4:42 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2:24 min/km (3:51 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 1:05 min/km (1:45 min/mi)
Max elevation: 225 m (737 ft)
Min elevation: -15 m (-48 ft)
Elevation gain: 630 m (2067 ft)
Max grade: 20 %
Min grade: -16 %
Recorded: 8/22/2013 6:04PM

The next ride is broken into two parts. I managed to hit four hours, but I had to extend my ride through parts of Esquimalt. One really nice thing about this ride was coming across a friend of mine as he as reaching his turnaround point on Martindale. He joined me for the ride back to downtown, which was nice to have some company on.


View 8/25/2013 7:17AM in a larger map

View 8/25/2013 7:17AM in a larger map
Total distance: 104.68 km (65.0 mi)
Total time: 4:02:02
Moving time: 3:57:04
Average speed: 25.95 km/h (16.1 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 26.49 km/h (16.5 mi/h)
Max speed: 59.93 km/h (37.2 mi/h)
Average pace: 2:19 min/km (3:43 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2:16 min/km (3:39 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 1:00 min/km (1:37 min/mi)
Max elevation: 246 m (806 ft)
Min elevation: -15 m (-50 ft)
Elevation gain: 1186 m (3892 ft)
Max grade: 17 %
Min grade: -38 %
Recorded: 8/25/2013 7:17AM

Lastly we get to my ride this past weekend (again in two parts). I had wanted to hit somewhere between 4.25 and 4.5 hours, and I did it on this ride. I managed 116 km, but more importantly to me, I maintained an average speed of just under 27KM/H. I consider this excellent given that this ride was 100% solo. On ride day I need to maintain about 28 KM/H to hit my 5 hour goal. Again, for this ride I had to extend it a little through Esquimalt to get in the time.


View 8/31/2013 7:55AM in a larger map

View 8/31/2013 7:55AM in a larger map
Total distance: 116.11 km (72.1 mi)
Total time: 4:25:09
Moving time: 4:19:08
Average speed: 26.27 km/h (16.3 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 26.88 km/h (16.7 mi/h)
Max speed: 60.46 km/h (37.6 mi/h)
Average pace: 2:17 min/km (3:41 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2:14 min/km (3:36 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 0:60 min/km (1:36 min/mi)
Max elevation: 250 m (819 ft)
Min elevation: -9 m (-30 ft)
Elevation gain: 1178 m (3866 ft)
Max grade: 14 %
Min grade: -12 %
Recorded: 8/31/2013 7:55AM

Average Blood

Last weekend we were camping, yet I still got out for my ride. From Rathtrevor I rode South to Nanoose and did the Fairwinds loop. A friend of mine joined me on my assurance that it wasn’t hilly. Note to self: the Fairwinds loop is hilly! My friend dropped off after one lap, but stuck out three laps before riding North again. My goal was to hit four hours, but I only managed a little over three. The upside was that my average speed was higher than normal.


View Camping Ride Aug 4, 2013 in a larger map

Total distance: 82.25 km (51.1 mi)
Total time: 3:05:48
Moving time: 3:03:16
Average speed: 26.56 km/h (16.5 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 26.93 km/h (16.7 mi/h)
Max speed: 93.45 km/h (58.1 mi/h)
Average pace: 2:16 min/km (3:38 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2:14 min/km (3:35 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 0:39 min/km (1:02 min/mi)
Max elevation: 105 m (345 ft)
Min elevation: -8 m (-27 ft)
Elevation gain: 1262 m (4140 ft)
Max grade: 28 %
Min grade: -38 %

This past Wednesday I gave blood, so I wasn’t sure how I would do for my Saturday long ride. The plan was for Sue and I to head out and for me to show her the Metchosin section of the route. We did that, then before turning towards Munn’s Sue headed home, while I continued. After Munn’s I headed toward home since we had family visiting, but I managed to extend it a little to reach 95KM. Not bad for three days after donating blood. My average speed was a little lower than normal, but that was in part due to riding with Sue. I pushed a harder gear while going slow, and the burn felt pretty strong for a long time.


View 3 Hills Aug 8, 2013 in a larger map


View 3 Hills Aug 8, 2013 in a larger map

Total distance: 94.54 km (58.7 mi)
Total time: 4:02:24
Moving time: 3:56:58
Average speed: 23.40 km/h (14.5 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 23.94 km/h (14.9 mi/h)
Max speed: 62.66 km/h (38.9 mi/h)
Average pace: 2:34 min/km (4:08 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2:30 min/km (4:02 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 0:57 min/km (1:32 min/mi)
Max elevation: 249 m (817 ft)
Min elevation: -13 m (-43 ft)
Elevation gain: 1090 m (3578 ft)
Max grade: 18 %
Min grade: -10 %

Pavement Ideal

My Tour de Victoria training has been a little topsy turvy the last few weeks. After the great ride I had on July 7, I was hoping for more of the same.

The following weekend we had a lot of plans that didn’t line up perfectly, which meant I was in Nanaimo, and only had a few hours to ride. A couple people told me about the loop around the Fairwinds Golf Course, and looking into it, it looked nice.

I had to head out along the highway from my Mom’s, turn into Nanoose, then follow the loop. I did one loop pretty easily, and realized it was going to be a short ride, so I did a second loop. With the second one in the bag I headed back to Nanaimo. Nearing Lantzville I realized my short ride was going to be too short, so I did what I could to extend it a bit.


View Nanoose Training Ride TdV July 7, 2013 in a larger map
Name: Nanoose Training Ride TdV July 7, 2013
Activity type: cycling
Description: –
Total distance: 54.96 km (34.1 mi)
Total time: 2:09:21
Moving time: 2:06:39
Average speed: 25.49 km/h (15.8 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 26.04 km/h (16.2 mi/h)
Max speed: 59.67 km/h (37.1 mi/h)
Average pace: 2.35 min/km (3.8 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2.30 min/km (3.7 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 1.01 min/km (1.6 min/mi)
Max elevation: 98 m (323 ft)
Min elevation: -13 m (-42 ft)
Elevation gain: 995 m (3264 ft)
Max grade: 22 %
Min grade: -13 %

Rather short considering the week before. The next weekend I didn’t even ride at all since I had come down with a cold. Bummer.

Instead, on Tuesday I managed to get out mountain biking. To make up for the lost training ride, I rode out to the dump where I was to meet up with a few other guys. The ride out to the dump wasn’t too bad, but the fat knobby’s don’t roll so well on the pavement. By the time I got to the parking lot I was pretty gassed, but with no time to rest I had to hit the trails to meet up with everyone. Part way through the ride I asked around if anyone had some spare room since I was either going to ride home, or finish the trail loop, but not both. Thankfully I got a lift.


View Dump Ride From Home TdV July 23, 2013 in a larger map
Name: Dump Ride From Home TdV July 23, 2013
Activity type: mountain biking
Description: –
Total distance: 24.54 km (15.3 mi)
Total time: 2:37:13
Moving time: 2:08:24
Average speed: 9.37 km/h (5.8 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 11.47 km/h (7.1 mi/h)
Max speed: 49.09 km/h (30.5 mi/h)
Average pace: 6.41 min/km (10.3 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 5.23 min/km (8.4 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 1.22 min/km (2.0 min/mi)
Max elevation: 343 m (1125 ft)
Min elevation: -8 m (-27 ft)
Elevation gain: 921 m (3021 ft)
Max grade: 16 %
Min grade: -30 %

Nowhere near the distance of a road ride, but tiring just the same. Plus it was hot out, and I wasn’t 100% over the cold either.

Now to today. I started off the ride, not entirely sure where I was going to go. I knew I wanted to hit Munn’s and I knew I wanted to hit 4 hours, but everything else was up in the air. I decided I would hit Ocean Blvd too, then last moment decided on Lindholm. This meant I would do the three killer hills on the TdV course. Nothing like a good challenge.

I did those, then got onto Wallace Dr. At this point I saw that I was 3 hours into my 4 hour ride and still heading out of town. Not ideal for sure. I crossed over towards the ocean as quick as I could then took the Lochside Trail back. My legs were knackered, and my quads cramping anytime I stood on the pedals. Still I pushed hard to be home around the 4 hour mark since Sue was going out to a party.


View Victoria Ride TdV July 28, 2013 in a larger map

View Victoria Ride TdV July 28, 2013 in a larger map
Name: Victoria Ride TdV July 28, 2013
Activity type: cycling
Description: –
Total distance: 100.95 km (62.7 mi)
Total time: 4:08:24
Moving time: 3:59:45
Average speed: 24.38 km/h (15.2 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 25.26 km/h (15.7 mi/h)
Max speed: 62.15 km/h (38.6 mi/h)
Average pace: 2.46 min/km (4.0 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2.38 min/km (3.8 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 0.97 min/km (1.6 min/mi)
Max elevation: 244 m (800 ft)
Min elevation: -28 m (-92 ft)
Elevation gain: 2243 m (7361 ft)
Max grade: 53 %
Min grade: -86 %

Not too shabby, but if I want to break 5 hours for the TdV, I will have to get my butt into gear more. 140 KM in 5 hours means a 28KM/H average.

Comparison Great

What a ride today. The weather was perfect, sunny, but not too hot, a slight breeze, but not a strong head wind. The only thing I should have changed was selecting my route ahead of time. Well, I had a general idea of where I wanted to go, but I should have planned it better to ensure that the distance I wanted to hit was doable with my route.

My main goal was to hit Munn’s Road for the first time this year. I went straight from my place out the Goose to the turn off to Munn’s. I made it up to the top without too much trouble which pleased me a lot. Sure the last pitch before the summit hurt and was slow, but I did it without stopping. Ross Durance Lake Road was easy in comparison. From there I went out Wallace until I hit West Saanich. Here is where better planning would have helped. I went left, changed my mind, and back tracked to Wallace until I crossed the highway. I knew that if I headed to town, my ride would be too short, so I went left towards Sidney for a quick out and back. It worked, but wasn’t the best option.

I passed MItchels Farm when I noticed that there was a large bird on top of a telephone pole. At first I thought it was a turkey vulture, but as I got close I realized it was a Bald Eagle. When it moved I saw that it had a rabbit in it’s talons. I stopped to try and take a picture, but before I could get my phone out and unwrapped, the bird flew away.

I continued on feeling pretty strong through Mount Doug, and up Ash. In fact I was feeling pretty strong the entire day so far. Past Willows, through Oak Bay, then up and over King George Terrace I went. I zipped through downtown, then over the bridge. As I was heading along Esquimalt Ave I noticed that I was pretty close to breaking 100K, so I took a slightly longer route than normal to eke out as much distance as possible.


View July 7, 2013 TdV in a larger map


View July 7, 2013 TdV in a larger map

Total distance: 102.97 km (64.0 mi)
Total time: 3:59:19
Moving time: 3:55:02
Average speed: 25.82 km/h (16.0 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 26.29 km/h (16.3 mi/h)
Max speed: 84.22 km/h (52.3 mi/h)
Average pace: 2.32 min/km (3.7 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2.28 min/km (3.7 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 0.71 min/km (1.1 min/mi)
Max elevation: 300 m (984 ft)
Min elevation: -29 m (-94 ft)
Elevation gain: 2384 m (7820 ft)
Max grade: 41 %
Min grade: -52 %
Recorded: 7/7/2013 8:37AM

My bike computer recorded 99.3 KM, but my phone recorded more. Also, my phone says my max speed was 84 KM/H, but the bike computer recorded 62.8 KM/H. No idea where the difference came from.

At home I ate some lunch, had a coffee, and recovered a bit. Good challenge today, and this has left me feeling pretty good about the Tour de Victoria.

Next weekend I will be riding in Nanaimo, so we will see what kind of a ride I can string together.

Waterfront Night

Last night Sue and I each got out for a ride. The plan for me was to ride after Sue, and I wanted to do about 1.5 hours. I went along the waterfront since it was such a nice day out.

On the out leg I could see that my average speed was pretty high. And I wasn’t pushing hard enough to warrant such a speed. Immediately I knew that the return leg would mean a huge head wind. I remember my speed was over 30 KM/H was I was heading towards Clover Point along a flat section.

I made it to Arbutus and Finnerty road in 49.45 minutes. Turning around I braced for the worst, and once I got to Cadboro Bay Village I could feel the wind starting to pick up. Sure enough, by the time I got to Willows Beach, the head wind was pretty fierce. It got steadily more and more worse as I got to Ross Bay, and the hill from there to Clover Point was pretty slow. As I passed Clover Point I looked fown to see myself doing 20 KM/H in the same spot where previously I was doing 30 KM/H.

It was sure a good work out on a beautiful night.


View July 3, 2013 TdV in a larger map

Ocean Spinning

I got out for a nice little 2.5 hour jaunt on the road bike yesterday. It still amazes me how far you can go on a bike in a short amount of time.

I took the Goose out to Colwood, then went past Fort Rodd Hill, up Ocean Boulevard, the out to Metchosin. Form there I took Happy Valley Rd back into town. I made a small detour near the hospital to add a bit of time, then got back on the Goose for the return leg home.

My knee felt pretty good the entire ride, and climbing Ocean Blvd showed that I need to work on hills a lot. I did find that I need to watch my effort level though. More than a few times I realized that I was slowing spinning along, not putting in much effort. That’s not going to get me in shape! Having a riding partner definitely gives me more motivation.


View MAY 25, 2013 TDV Training in a larger map

Bonus Workouts

Saturday the weather wasn’t supposed to be that great, but I wanted to get out on my bike any way. Thankfully the weather cooperated and I didn’t get rained on.

My plan was to get out for 2 hours, and I had hoped to get to Cadboro Bay Village. I hit the time mark, but ended up going past where I thought I was going to get to. Bonus!

My kneed felt pretty good for most of the ride, though for a small section on the return trip I started to feel something that had me worried. I stretched a bit, and it seemed to go away.

It is lovely to be out on my bike these days, and I hope that I can keep it up. I am looking forward to getting on the the hills and doing some hard workouts!

The only downside was that I saw a car turn in front of a cyclist, and the cyclist struck the passenger side of the car. Down the rider went. Yikes. Thankfully she was ok.


View TDV 2013 Training May 11, 2013 in a larger map
Total distance: 52.22 km (32.4 mi)
Total time: 2:04:59
Moving time: 2:03:11
Average speed: 25.07 km/h (15.6 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 25.44 km/h (15.8 mi/h)
Max speed: 61.70 km/h (38.3 mi/h)
Average pace: 2.39 min/km (3.9 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2.36 min/km (3.8 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 0.97 min/km (1.6 min/mile)
Max elevation: 328 m (1075 ft)
Min elevation: -46 m (-150 ft)
Elevation gain: 1745 m (5727 ft)
Max grade: 102 %
Min grade: -31 %

Delicious Dam

Lat Tuesday I hit the pool for another swim workout. I am feeling pretty good in the pool, but now I want to work on my leg strength, so I think for my next swim I will grab a board and just kick for a few hundred metres. This particular swim though I manged 800.

After the swim I felt the delicious drained feeling. My body certainly got a workout. I’ve decided that I also want to learn how to do the flip turns. Of course, after seeing Rick Mercer try them, maybe I will hold off a bit 😉

On Friday I managed to get onto the trainer for a hard workout. After a five minute warmup, I alternated pushing a hard gear at slow RPM’s with a 1 minute recovery window. That sure got the heart rate up, but at the end of it, I didn’t feel like I had done much work. I should have ridden longer, but unfortunately that was all the time I could squeeze in.

Yesterday, while in Nanaimo, Sue and I got out for a nice ride. We took the parkway trail from Mom’s house and headed south. I pushed a pretty hard gear as much as I could. My goal is to build up my legs strength in training, then when the Tour de Victoria is on, I can run in a lower gear with higher RPM. We’ll see how that plays out.

As we went through Colliery Dam Park, I thought my bike felt a little off. I glanced at the rear wheel and thought it looked a little low. Sure enough, it was going flat. We emerged from the park, and I set about fixing it. With no spare tube (I had to put the spare on my bike earlier), I patched the hole, and used my CO2 to fill the tire.

Thankfully the patch job held or I would have had to call someone for help. The weather for the ride was pretty nice too. I was glad the rain held off, and we even had some sun along the way.

Some time when in Nanaimo, I’d love to figure out some nice roads to ride on so we can get off the parkway trail. It’s OK, but there are some brutally steep sections, and isn’t really that scenic.

Fried Trainer

Yesterday I headed out for a ride with D. He brought his fast bike out, which had me a little intimidated. Sure enough, he outrode me pretty much everywhere. This could have been demoralizing, but instead I am taking it as a cue that I need to get better prepared for the Tour de Victoria. I have three months to get ready. I have to step up my training.

The ride was just over 60KM. On the return trip my legs were starting to feel a little fried. I did not managed my nutrition while riding very well, which may have played a part in this. Instead of following the water all the way back, I parted ways with D, and tried to find a quicker, and flatter, way home.

It was at this point that I really started slowing down. I just had no power left in my legs to really keep rolling. Here is the route.



Find more Bike Ride in Victoria

Back at home I scarfed back some food, then grabbed some water and sat on the front step in the sunshine. Gorgeous. I can’t wait to get out and ride again next weekend. Before then though I plan to hit the pool for some lengths, and get on the trainer once too.