Mar12

Boy Racer

Posted at 12:35 PM • No Comments

I did it! My first-ever race! Or at least, my first ever race since racing mountain bikes as a 16 year old. 18 years later and I decided to dip my toe into the world of road circuit racing. Strava data can be found here, but as I didn’t start it until into lap 3, I’m missing a few miles.

My first foray into racing was as interesting as it was exciting. On the one hand, my stomach was a big nervous ball of acid. On the other, I was practising positive mental visualisation of a strong finish! Wandering through the car park on my way to sign on and there’s people warming up on rollers, other people standing round with serious faces and serious legs and then there’s little-old me: Undertrained (probably) and pushing my trusty Cube (with a, shock-horror, triple chainset!) across the way. As I walk, my eyes are overtaken by the sheer volume of bike p*rn: Carbon wheels, carbon frames… And what looks to be a small child, pushing an S-Works Venge? Seriously, what am I doing here? Fortunately, I’m in good company, as MDCC has a good-sized contingent out today, including some other first-timers. There’s a big field for the 4ths-only race – about 60 or 70 if the rumours around the airfield are accurate. Fortunately it’s a wide, flat circuit that can easily accommodate that many riders.

On the line, we’re told that the race is being reduced to 45 minutes plus 1. That suits me in terms of overall effort, but I worry that it might push the pace up. The women go off ahead of us and then it’s our turn. I miss my pedal at the start and end up looking like a total newb from the off, sprinting to catch up with the back of the bunch when I do finally get clipped in. I catch back up, and settle myself in amongst the centre of the bunch. I look down at the Garmin: 25 mph – a decent clip, but doesn’t feel like too much effort in a pack of this size.

Down the back of the circuit, the wind becomes more obvious. I’m conscious of being boxed-in, but can’t find a way out in any direction. I concentrate on the wheel in front for the time being, surrounded by the thrum of carbon wheels on concrete. Ultimately I find a gap and look to move up the outside, my next newb’ mistake… I hit the outside of the bunch, move forward and then find I can’t move back in. I’m about 12 wheels back, on the outside and hideously exposed. At no time has the difference between bunch riding on a club run, and bunch riding as part of a race, ever become so horribly apparent. Ultimately some more people overlap me and I can tuck back in, safe in the centre once more. The horrible realisation hits me that whilst I might be competing, I’m certainly not going to becompetitive today.

Based on that, I try to concentrate, I want to pick out the stronger riders and observe. If I can’t be strong enough to ride on the front (for long) then I can at least try to get my brain around the tactical nuances of circuit racing. We pass the women on the finishing straight and into bend one, keen to see how the guys at the front respond, I take the corner wide and push for the front of the group. Henceforth, I shall refer to this as newb’ mistake number 3. I’m so obviously clueless, nobody even bothered with a “break right” call as I came through, though in fairness it was never my intention to break! Once again, I can’t force my way back in, and I find myself second wheel, just as the guy in front sits up to let me sail through. I find myself at 25mph, into the wind, with my heartrate trying to set a new PB for bursting out of my chest. I’m a little bit sick in my mouth as I sit up and pray to be caught. Shamefaced I return back to the middle of the bunch.

I settle back in, watching and trying to learn. The tactics intrigue me, but I figure that the only way to be sure of not being totally boxed in is to be near the front and the only way to be near the front is to be capable of taking a turn up there. The fitness definitely needs work. There are a few comings-together, but nothing serious and there are no crashes. Realising that I’m not in any kind of chance of placing, I try to enjoy myself, but also to work for my teammates – if I see a stronger rider exposed, then I try to come through and shield them a little. A few breaks go off, but nobody is organised enough to make one work – the breeze down the back straight sees to that. The bell goes, seemingly too early, and with it there’s the inevitable kick in pace. The speed creeps up to mid-30′s and stays there – I don’t have any problems keeping up in the bunch, but it’s clear that the stronger riders are better positioned and are starting to stretch out the bunch. I know in my head where I’d like to be into the final two bends, but maintaining a position in the bunch is a nightmare. My legs have got nothing left at the top end to push any harder: It’s like the end of a 2×20 on the turbo, only more brutal and it’s all I can do to not move backwards. Coming into the final 50 metres and my legs are on fire, all of my clubmates have passed me and I’ve finished in the bunch maybe 2/3′s of the way back, if not further.

Best fun I’ve had in ages. I’m back again on Sunday for another go!

Feb21

Planning The Season

Posted at 4:12 PM • No Comments

I’ve just had to spend a bit of time trying to get some planning done for the remainder of the year. Despite wanting to take part in as many activities on the bike as possible, it just doesn’t make sense from either a physiological or financial perspective.

Up to this point, the major focus has been on my two chosen sportives, The Dartmoor Classic and The Northern Rock Cyclone, coupled with an endurance challenge inbetween. However, a recent conversation with a friend of mine has also convinced me that a few longer rides in the interrim may also serve as good training (not to mention the fact that I enjoy it!). With that in mind, my provisional entry list for the year ahead is now looking like this:

And looking at that list, it seems to me that I’d be better off getting out and doing some riding RIGHT NOW, rather than sitting in front of a screen!

Feb20

Fast To Be Slow

Posted at 10:01 AM • No Comments

One of my biggest issues of late has been speed. Not the lack of it, but quite the opposite in fact: I’ve been going out like a train, only to find that I run out of fuel long before I’d like to. This weekend’s mission was simple then: To ensure that I went out on a long, steady ride to get some longer miles in my legs and to practice pacing myself better. I had planned a lovely, if slightly over-optimistic, 80-mile route earlier in the week that I wanted to attempt.

Due to other family plans, I only had Saturday to train over the weekend. The forecast had fully prepared me for rain, but looking out of the window and spying sunshine amongst the clouds gave me cause to smile, force down my breakfast, and be on my way at my first opportunity. As I gently propelled myself along the lanes, the sun crept out and all was well.

As I pedalled, I kept an eye on my Garmin, making sure that my heartrate stayed comparatively low and whilst telling myself to pay no attention to average speeds! Within a short space of time, however, the Garmin betrayed me: Having only covered 15 miles or so, it decided to try and turn me around, and route me back towards home. Buoyed by the unexpected weather and keen to get some decent miles in, I cancelled the route I was navigating and decided to wing it.

The first part of the ride passed more-or-less without incident and before I knew it I was at 30-ish miles and was starting the first “serious” climb up towards the Southern edge of Dartmoor. My route had deliberately gone in that direction as it’s also where I’ll be riding in the Dartmoor Classic and I wanted to investigate the roads. As the road turned towards the sky, the sky itself decided to turn dark and open on me – a steady, miserable, drizzle that made it difficult to see anything, with glasses or without. As I was navigating without a proper route, I was relying on road signs to keep me heading in right approximate direction.

As I arrived up the hill into Yelverton, the rain started properly and seemed set to stay that way. My initial route had me travelling to Tavistock, before tackling the infamous Pork Hill climb back onto the moor, but given the weather and not fully appreciating how close it was, I decided that discretion was the best course of action and I pushed on up the hill towards Princetown.

On the way, I met a lone mountain biker pushing his bike the other way, up the hill and into the wind. As he got closer, a broken chain being clutched in his hand explained why he was pushing in such miserable weather. I slowed, offering the use of my chain tool and when the gentleman explained that he didn’t know how to use one, we stopped and I provided a practical demonstration! Five minutes later, sheared chainlink removed and the chain repaired, the gentleman was once again on his way much happier at not having to walk.

The necessary donation made to the karma bank, and glad of the brief break, I was back on my way through the wind and rain and struggling on up the hill. It was around the 45 mile mark, my legs were heavy and everything I was wearing pretty much saturated with water, and I thought I was probably going to have to have another brief stop and something to eat. Just as I was slowing to pull over, almost imperceptibly, I felt something behind me. It was a strange feeling, a gentle caress like the touch of a lover, zephyr-like and barely-there. Suddenly I realised: It was a TAIL WIND! That most mythical of cycling beasts, I had been battling it’s better-known cousin, the Headwind, most of my way round. Now my route had swung round to the point that I was able to take full advantage, and it provided just that extra little dig to get me over the summit and once more on my way.

The rest of the route passed wet, though without incident. I knew that due to routing issues that I wasn’t likely to hit my 80 mile target, but as I passed through 54 miles, I allowed myself a smile for beating my previous longest ride of this year. I was planning on dropping down to Moretonhampstead before following the road back through Bovey Tracey and home. On descending a hill, I suddenly recognised the turning that would cut a slight corner and take me back to Hound Tor, before the seven mile descent to Bovey via Manaton. At this point, everything I was wearing squelched with water and the idea of a shortcut seemed like a great plan, so I took the turn with a smile.

Legs aching, but not totally mangled, I spun out the remaining miles relatively easily and ever-so slightly drier as soon as I’d descended from the moor. It wasn’t until I dismounted that I suddenly realised quite how much work I’d managed to put in! My legs hurt, and the Garmin had pinged just past 70 miles travelled. Bike cleaned and put away, I headed for the bath, mopping up behind me as I went, mission definitely accomplished!

Feb17

Idea Rich, Time Poor

Posted at 3:10 PM • No Comments

OK, so it’s time to start another post where I bemoan the lack of time I’ve had to train effectively, not to mention a certain amount of to-ing and fro-ing over my aims for the season. Since Monday this week I’ve been hit by a bout of the “meh’s”, and I’ve only managed a paltry hour on the turbo by means of a recovery ride, not to mention some knee pain that has been keeping me from wanting to push myself out too much.

Although not strictly this week, it was Sunday’s ride that pushed me ever-so slightly to the brink. With the best of intentions I headed out up the moors, tackling a monster local hill, dodged the icy patches and generally feeling quite pleased with myself. The issues began when I stopped for a premature coffee stop, before heading out into a headwind and an unknown hill of monstrous gradient. My legs were quickly filled with concrete and all desire to continue deserted me. Knowing that I was time-limited, I cut the ride short and headed for home. It wasn’t until I was most of the way back that I discovered that my mudguard had been providing a little extra braking assistance along the way!

However, on a more positive note, the weather seems to be improving again. I’ve got a long old ride planned tomorrow that will hopefully blow away some of the cobwebs and increase this month’s mileage, but more importantly than all of that, my best friend Matt has got himself his first road bike! Despite having fewer than a hundred miles under his tyres, he’s already prompting me to do some daft stuff (like riding the coast to coast in less than 24 hours!) and filling my head with ideas of things to do.

Tomorrow’s ride will make a lot of things better, I can feel it!

J

Feb3

Bike Fit – Koolstof Coaching, Exeter

Posted at 2:53 PM • No Comments

I’ve mentioned it in a previous post, but I just wanted to revisit my bike fitting session that I had with Koolstof Coaching in Exeter last weekend.

The fit was purchased for me earlier in the month as a birthday present from my girlfriend. I’ve never had a bike fit before (although I know of their purpose), so I’m a bike fit virgin! For those of you who don’t know, the whole point it to have a professional set up your bike precisely for your body, goals and style of riding.

I went along recently to have the business done, and to see where adjustments could be made to improve my riding. I met (another!) James at the “shop”, though he said that as a business, Koolstof are far more concerned with coaching, performance management, etc. We sat down initially to discuss the type of riding that I do, along with the hours that I normally put in and my goals for the coming year. I told him that I typically have 6-8 hours a week to play with, have just started to train with a bit more purpose and also that I was hoping to start racing at some point this season.

The fit proper started with measurements being taken – both me and the bike, before getting the bike hooked up to the turbo/computer and getting me doing a gentle 10 minutes so that he could watch how I looked whilst I was riding. Apparently my back has good shape, but I look tight around my hips/IT band… More on that later. Whilst I was pedalling away, I was also hooked up to a SpinScan analysis machine – basically it monitors power through the whole of the pedal stroke to check for dead spots. It starts off looking horribly wonky and peanut-shaped, but as you become more aware of what you’re doing, you smooth out your pedalling and towards the end I was hitting close to 95% efficiency. As a relative newcomer to the sport, it was a real confidence boost to be told that my pedalling is “freakishly smooth”!

More measurements followed: Various body angles and positioning in relation to key points on the bike, before hopping off. Shoes were done first – cleats adjusted to my foot position. I’ve always thought that I’ve been moderately toe-out, which seems to be the case. Turns out that the angle of my cleats was pretty good, but the lateral alignment needed moving a good way back. The process continued – minor adjustments being followed by jumping back on the bike and pedalling away on the turbo to see how the changes effected things.

Ultimately, as things turned out, I was way too far forward and a good distance too low in my saddle height. This is because I’d been horribly aware that my arms seemed to be holding too much weight when I was on the turbo. As it happens that moving me in the opposite direction was the way to go! Other minor adjustments were made with my bar/lever positions. One of the things that impressed me the most was that James was always very clear in distinguishing between changes that would be genuine improvements, over things that he thought might make a difference. He also outlined what I might expect from the new position and the potential next steps once my body had adjusted to the new riding position. I was told that if I wanted to get even lower/racier then my next steps will be to remove some spacers up front and to add a longer stem. The only other reccommended change was to consider replacing my saddle to something with slightly stiffer rails.

Post-fit, we talked about stretching and off-bike exercises – particularly relating to the fact that it looked like my IT band and hamstrings looked a bit tight. I was told that paying close attention to this could see further improvments in my pedalling efficiency. A full report was emailed through to me after the fit, detailing everything that had taken place, and follow-up steps.

The following day I took my bike out for a brief ride over some hills – just under 37 miles in the end. It felt like a different bike. Granted, I’ve also changed shoes/pedals, and the week before was a very low training week for me, so I can’t attribute performance gains solely to the bike fit, but it felt very good. So far this month I’ve been averaging ~13mph over the Devon hills. Yesterday saw me hitting 15mph average, with the first two thirds of the ride at nearly 18mph before Exeter traffic slowed me down. Riding position felt very fluid and comfortable and my legs felt very happy for the effort that I was putting out. Also, there was hardly any neck/upper back ache at the end of the ride – something that I always used to be troubled by.

Short synopsis: A great service. Knowledgeable staff, who take the time to distinguish between changes that will genuinely make a difference over changes that might be worth considering down the line. There was no hard sell either – I went in worrying that there was potentially going to be a whole list of components I “needed” to change. In reality, I was told that there were a couple of things that I might want to consider in the future. At only £45, for nearly 3 hours work, compared with other bike fits I’ve seen costing considerably more, I’d also say that it represents exceptional value for money.

Jan30

Resolve

Posted at 12:27 PM • One Comment

With the end of January more-or-less upon us (and having not blogged in a good, long time), I thought now would be a good time to review to goals that I’d previously set myself, to see how I’ve managed in my ongoing quest for fitness and also see what else has changed over the course of the month. With that in mind, let’s review my aims:

  • January detox – Loads of people take one on and so I thought I’d pay more attention towards what I’m putting in to my body. With the exception of a gentle bye that I’m going to allow myself around the time of my birthday, that means no alcohol over the course of the month. RESULT: Moderately successful. Alcohol has by no means been eliminated, but intake has been dramatically reduced and largely limited to just the odd one-or-two drinks. Some treats are essential for mental stability if nothing else!
  • Base Miles, or more precisely, base hours – Naturally, the January weather can’t be relied upon, so I’m not going to set a mileage target just yet. What I am going to aim for is a range of turbo sessions to enable me to build some base fitness at the very least. I want a minimum of three hours at endurance pace, preferably with a couple more hours of higher-paced or interval workouts. Obviously, whenever it’s possible, I also want to get in a longer, proper, weekend ride too. RESULT: Again, pretty successful. Some mornings have been more difficult to drag myself out of bed, but I’ve managed to spend a decent amount of time in the saddle, and fitness gains are noticeable. As of today, I have a combined mileage of just over 333 miles for the month, with two-thirds of them outside.
  • Weight loss – By the end of January, I’d like to be back (or at least very close) to my pre-holiday weight of 95.2kg. That’s going to mean that I need to put myself on the scales in the morning to see just what damage has been done up to this point. RESULT: SMASHED! As of this morning, I’m currently sitting at 92.8Kg – about a single pound over 14.5 stone. Loss has been slow, but consistent and despite paying more attention to healthier eating, I’ve not been without treats from time-to-time. I now don’t own a single pair of trousers that aren’t too big for me!

So, as we can see, the trend is largely successful. I’ve been a little disappointed some mornings when I’ve not been able to drag myself out of bed to spend an hour on the turbo, but I really don’t think that I have cause to be too upset; the overall trend is an upwards one! I’m already starting to think about my goal-setting for February.

Aside from that, there have also been a number of other positives to take away from January:

  • Getting bike fit: One of my birthday presents was a professional bike fitting session at Koolstof Coaching in Exeter. I’m going to discuss this in greater detail in another post, but suffice to say my riding position is now optimised and I’ve also been informed that I have a “freakishly smooth” pedal stroke!
  • New shoes: Another birthday present was some new, carbon fibre-soled, shoe-porn-tastic, Lake CX236 cycling shoes. Stiff and responsive, I like to think that they also make me just a little bit faster.
  • Unseasonable weather: Until this last weekend, it’s been positively warm. OK, so there is potentially some snow on the way, but the temperature at least haven’t prohibited any training activities.

All things considered, I’m very happy at the progress that’s being made. I’m looking forward to setting new targets and building upon this over the coming weeks of February!

J

Jan17

Blue Monday / Brill Birthday

Posted at 3:15 PM • No Comments

Yesterday was “Blue Monday“, the January date when we are apparently supposed to be at our lowest emotional ebb, post-Christmas. Regular January blues aside, it’s not something that I would particularly subscribe to as I have the positive countermeasure that today is my birthday! I like to think that I’m not doing too badly for a 34 year-old…

That aside, and before you all rush to buy cards, presents and bling bike kit for me, I’m also feeling pretty good in pursuit of my training goals right now too. Following on from a December that was largely filled with missed training sessions and general lethargy, January has seen a much more positive start to proceedings. I’m even in credit at the V-Bank! So far, I’ve logged 196 miles since the 2nd of January (road and turbo combined. Road mileage is 145 miles) and I’m well on my way to  achieving my early-2012 goals as discussed in an earlier post. Already I’m over a kilogram UNDER my pre-Christmas weight and I think that it’s also fair to say that I’m also racking up the training miles quite nicely. The detox element of the plan is maybe not being adhered-to quite as I imagined it would – however 90% of eating is still healthy and with that in mind, I don’t honestly have a massive issue with the odd tipple here and there – especially when it’s certainly reduced compared to the previous intake.

Aside from all of that, my girlfriend has been exceptionally generous in paying for me to have a professional bike fit at Koolstof Coaching. I’ve had a few minor niggles with my riding position from time to time and I think having someone take a professional look over my riding position will be an extremely worthwhile investment. I’ll be heading over on the 28th and I’ll be sure to report back on how it all goes.

Jan6

Affirmations

Posted at 2:06 PM • No Comments

- There is nothing to drink other than water (aside from the occasional cup of tea or coffee).

- I am not hungry. I just think I am.

- Every hour spent on the bike, every pound of weight lost, every drop of sweat I shed is a fraction lighter, or a fraction faster.

J

Jan4

Turbo Powered

Posted at 6:00 PM • No Comments

You may have realised from some of earlier posts, but after so long complaining about the weather, and being lucky enough to have received some vouchers for the fabulous Wiggle online bike emporium for Christmas, I’ve finally got my hands on a turbo trainer for some indoor training efforts. Despite missing the original delivery and having to collect the rather substantial box from the depot instead, I was excited enough that it felt a lot like Christmas all over again.

Setting it up took a little time, but not as long as the online reviews would have had me believe. The enormous box contained a slightly smaller one, along with the usual mini packets of Haribo that Wiggle always seem to send as a sweetener (so to speak). Top Tip: Don’t munch on the sweets immediately – put them with your cycling kit, as they fit nicely in a pocket and are great for a little sugar/carb hit when you’re out on a ride! Whilst the instructions weren’t great; a little time and a little patience were all it took to get everything together and running smoothly.

The end result looks something akin to a torture device. In fairness, having used it now, that’s not too far from the truth!

Turbo Trainer Setup

I’m now looking into getting some of the videos from The Sufferfest - They’re high-intensity, cycling-specific workouts and are designed to produce increases in power and stamina, all while using licenced footage of actual bike races to keep your brain otherwise occupied from the pain that you’re going through! The only real trouble is choosing which of the videos are going to be of most use to me in my ongoing training! Beyond that, I will also be using it to build base endurance during the darker, wetter months so that all of last summer’s fitness doesn’t entirely escape me.

J

Jan4

Data Management

Posted at 4:50 PM • No Comments

Sport these days has become a little bit geeky. Sports science has evolved to such a degree that any realistic training plans utilise technology in order to measure performance and any associated gains. I’m fortunate enough to train with a Garmin Edge 705: A fully functional GPS cycle computer supporting a whole host of information, and providing me with a whole bunch of statistics. The trouble is knowing how to effectively utilise the information to maximise my training efforts.

They say that knowledge is power. The key here is converting raw information into useful knowledge.

There are a whole range of applications available to help you manage the information, ranging from full-blooded, hardcore training applications, to more social ride and route logging. The difficulty lies in knowing which of the applications will fulfil most of my requirements (in no particular order):

  • Relative ease of use – I don’t want to be manually configuring loads of different options files. If an app gets down to the micromanagement level, then I want it to be possible to hide the more complex features.
  • Customisable metrics – Most (if not all) of the high-end pro’s these days ride with power meters that cost thousands of pounds. I don’t have that luxury. If I don’t have one, I want to be able to use other features as a mode of tracking progress.
  • Customisable progress tracking – I want to see how I’ve progressed over the last “x” days/weeks/months, whether that be by distance covered, or speed increases. Ideally I want to be able to configure my own personalised test workouts that will reflect this.
  • Sociability – I like being able to share my rides with other people, both for interest and for a healthy competitive element…
  • Privacy – …But I don’t want them knowing everything about me, or finding out where I live.
  • Forward planning - I like being able to plan events into the future, in addition to seeing what I’ve done, as it’s a great motivational tool.
  • Value for money – If I have to pay to use it, then I expect the functionality to be proportional to the price.
  • Mobility – This is more of a “nice to have” than a “must have” thing, but an iphone/Android app is nice to have for on-the-go updates

So, just who are the contenders whom I want to process my data for me:

Garmin Connect: Garmin’s own logging software, and only works with Garmin training computers. Allows direct uploads from your Garmin device. Pros: arranges all of your activities by date, with pretty graphs showing things such as speed, cadence, heartrate, etc. Also allows direct comparison between two activities. Cons: The interface is pretty, but difficult to get anything useful out of in terms of progression. The goal-setting function is a little clunky and not very granular. Also, the privacy features seem to either be off or on, but nothing inbetween. The overrall impression that the emphasis is on recording, rather than targeting progress.

Endomondo: I share a little bit of love for Endomondo, because I used it before I got my Garmin and I still have over 600 riding miles logged to it. Using the useful little iPhone app, I could track a good range of stats on my rides and you can even include more by purchasing an ANT+ dongle for your phone with a range of compatible accessories such as heartrate monitors, etc. Pros: Shows a range of progress over time, such as maximum distance covered, times to cover particular distance, average speed and other things like that. With a compatible phone, it’s also free, so doesn’t require a (potentially) costly cycle computer. Finally, the privacy settings are far more granular, so you can control over who sees what. Cons: No goal tracking at all, so it’s not possible to maintain a record of what you’re working towards. The progress tracking is useful, but not customisable, which is a shame though not a massive sticking point.

Strava: Another online/mobile app based platform and judging from the love it gets on cycling forums at the moment, it’s a popular one. It utilises some popular themes based on some social networking sites and that seems to be it’s popularity. Pros: Introduces competition between users by introducing “segments” on the map. Every time someone uploads data taking in a segment, your time is compared against other riders and added to a leaderboard. It also does the same thing for hills in it’s King of the Mountains competition. It’s a fun way to train against others. It’s privacy settings are well refined also, allowing you to specify a radius around a particular postcode that will not be shown. It means that you can even share the map of your ride, without people seeing exactly where you live/work. Cons: As a serious training tool it’s not the strongest. It’s great for the fun, competitive element, but that conversely has the potential to impact on proper, targeted training. To allow use of all features (such as customisable leaderboards and guestimated power output) requires a subscription. There is also no real goal or progress tracking.

Training Peaks: This appears to be the big man on the block. Training Peaks is the web/mobile application, but there is also a sister app called WKO+ that also runs on the desktop and seems to be used by a large number of pro/elite athletes who are after some serious number-crunching power. As would be expected, however, these functions come at a cost! Pros: Highly customisable, right down to measuring training stress and monitoring food & calorific intake. Graphs are available for pretty much everything. Training plans can be configured and scheduled in advance and there is also a virtual coach function. Cons: A premium account at $20/month (nearly £13) is required to use a lot of these features. A certain degree of knowledge is assumed (which is fair, given the power of the software), so getting everything set up may take some time, though there is also ample help in form of videos and forums on-site. Once again, social sharing and privacy are available, but not in a particularly granular way.

Golden Cheetah: Something of an enigma, this one. I’ve been using it for some time and I know, deep down, that I can utilise it; but something seems to be holding me back. It’s an open source application that, on the surface, appears to have a lot of the functionality of Training Peaks, but without any associated cost. Pros: Again, highly configurable with a wide-range of metrics and serious training functionality built in. Supports a variety of power meters for those who are able to afford one. Completely free of charge. Cons: Documentation is lacking and as a result can be a bit of a faff to set up. I need to be able to dedicate some time to it to acheive properly. Seems very much power meter orientated, so you can’t help but feel like a bit of a pariah if you don’t have one. Entirely based on the desktop, so if you need portability it’s necessary to install to a USB stick (which might not actually be a bad thing anyway).

Sport Tracks: I only stumbled to this one very recently and as a result I haven’t had a chance to properly look into it yet. It certainly wouldn’t be fair to compare it to the others, so I’ll report back when I’ve had more of a play with it.

And the conclusion, such as there is?

I can’t comment on the training function of any of these applications just yet, as I need more time to evaluate them with a greater amount of data. Training Peaks seems great for the “money no object” crowd, but I can’t help but feel that I could get very similar results from Golden Cheetah (and potentially Sport Tracks), given the time to get used to them. As far as simple online logging and socialising goes, I think that Strava is going to win that battle, based on it’s fun competitive nature, along with it’s well-developed privacy controls. It’s still a shame that no one app does EVERYTHING well yet, but I think the way forward is going to be a “serious” app for day-to-day logging and training analysis; along with Strava for the more fun side of things, though uploaded less frequently.