RideLondon-Surrey 100 2018 here we come!

My RideLondon ballot result came through yesterday. I was very lucky in the first year (2013) but each year since has seen the “Commiserations” magazine drop through the letterbox. However, this year I have a place!

RideLondon 2018 magazine

I’m both very excited and a little apprehensive. RideLondon 2013 was one of the best things I’ve ever done and I can’t wait to experience it again. The closed roads, the crowds, riding with so many people! However, it does mean I need to start training again more seriously. I had been planning on taking things relatively easy for a couple of months whilst I build my core muscles and general fitness. I think though that I need to start doing some longer rides in the meantime. I’m going to check my Strava log for 2013 to see what I did.

One thing I need to remember though is that when I got the ballot result in 2013, my longest ride ever at that time was ~40km. I did a 50km ride last week so in theory I’m in a better starting place. I’m also generally fitter. I probably weigh about a stone more though so need to watch what I eat for a while.

Zwift

I had a go at Zwift on Monday as it was snowing outside. It’s something I’ve been meaning to try for ages; I bought a USB ANT+ receiver a long time ago. My laptop is a little under-powered but thankfully it was up to the job. I went for a ride around London (including going down into a Tube station and riding through a tunnel!) I also had the indignity of being overtaken on a hill by a jogger! Foolishly I thought I wouldn’t need a fan as it was freezing outside, but I had to stop after 40 minutes as I was too sweaty.

I’ll definitely give it another go – I’m planning on doing an FTP test tomorrow. I’ll probably subscribe for a month or two until it gets warmer out!

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