The weather has turned...lots of rain this weekend and showers are in the forecast for next weekend. With that in mind it was time to break out the single speed for the first time this season.
In some ways I like to ride the single speed...it's simple, builds both power and aerobic capacity and works on my spin. The only real downside is that I get bogged down on steeper hills and struggle when the pace really picks up in the pace line...but that just makes me stronger for the first part of the race season.
This weekends group ride was 43 flattish miles, with just a few short rollers so it wasn't a hard ride by any means. I however did have issues with my wheels. My single speed is a cheaper bike and hence came with cheap wheels. Last year I broke several spokes during the winter and this year started with a bang.
About 5 miles into the ride I heard a "Pop" and knew the sound all too well...broken spoke. Since I was already on the road with a 32 spoke rear wheel it wasn't too big of a wheel. I loosened up the rear brakes as much as possible and continued on the ride.
About 30 miles into the ride I hear "Pop"...another spoke down, again on the rear wheel. This one was a little ways away from the front and actually balanced the wheel out a little.
Then with about 5 miles left on the ride I heard a big "Pop"...this time coming from the front of the bike. One of the spokes on my 3 year old Neuvation M28's pulled through the rim...so that wheel is completely shot now.
So, one ride...43 miles and 3 broken spokes...a great start to the winter riding season. I'm going to be shopping for some new wheels before next weekend so I'll be ready to ride again and be able to put the power down again on the shorter climbs.
I'm about 2 weeks into the new training program and so far, so good. My legs are a little sore today but nothing that won't be gone by tomorrow. I feel like I'm starting to drop a little weight which is a good thing...so I'm hopeful the shorter more intense rides will be a good thing this winter.
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