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Today November 2023

joewein

joewein

Maximum Pace
Oct 25, 2011
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I only managed one significant ride in October, enough to maintain my Century-a-Month streak (month #134) but not much else. My daughter had her wedding on the first weekend of October, then I spent a week in Umbria/Italy with my wife (absolutely fabulous experience).

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November is not going to be so much better cycling-wise, even though it is a great season for cycling with all the autumn leaves viewing rides possible. Traditionally I had been doing a Chichibu ride in early November or late October, but this coming weekend I'll be busy on Saturday (we may be moving into a new home next year), then a trip by bullet train to Kanazawa for a conference for a few days. My only trip to the Japan sea coast was the coast-to-coast ride I did many years ago from Tokyo to Joetsu but I probably spent little more than an hour there then. Should be interesting to discover a new place!

With a bit of luck I will be able to ride the following weekend (middle of the month).

The weekend after that I already have a plan for some hiking with my family (wife, kids, son-in-law).

How was your October, what will you be doing in November?
 
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Nice going on #134 Joewein, and congrats on the wedding. The mileage in my October was a little under par, and I suspect November will be the same because I twisted my knee about a month ago. Since leg movement in cycling is pretty straight and doesn't twist much it doesn't really hurt much. However, it is taking its time in healing and I wouldn't be surprised if each outing is setting it back some. It is a shame because IMO November is probably the most beautiful and comfortable time to be cycling here. Depending on my knee I will either do some Zone 2 endurance rides, or devote more of the time to my Streamliner project.
 
Being away for four weeks from any bike or anyone else keen to ride a bike, having a road surface smash my glasses into my face (a true cycling accident, but surprisingly with no bike involved), a horrible cold, and laziness, all conspired to limit my October rides worth mentioning to Kazahari (via the mushroom centre) on the 26th and Yabitsu three days later. Kazahari was exhausting: I found while huffing, puffing and pausing that the cold I'd thought had ended, hadn't ended. Yabitsu was a lot better. So from here on my only excuse is laziness.

I'll go for a ride tomorrow.
 
My left knee was mostly ok during yesterdays Zone 2 ride, so I think tomorrow till be a bit longer. If so, November is going to be a good month.
 
3 day weekend. Spent the last few weekends heading up to Gunma for rides. Thinking that I want to stick closer to home and take a break from the 3 hr train rides one-way. So, maybe Yabitsu? Next weekend looks like rain, so I'd best get the miles/tiles in this weekend.
 
Spent the month cycling and camping in Ishigaki, Okinawa.
This is the beach campground. From September 21st to November 3 Rd. It's Friday now leaving for Yamaguchi.

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You need to eat them psychedelic mushrooms and then tour this place it's really famous place in Ishigaki.
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Today I'm packing up and leaving after spending 43 days you tropical Islands off of Okinawa.
 
hat and beard said:
つねさぶらう (pronounced つねさぶろう for some reason), but yes!
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Sorry, Mr Hat, and of course Tsunesaburō. I'm terrible at remembering the names (or faces) even of people I've met; I got one syllable right of the name of a bike I have never met, so I'll give myself a score of 1 out of 10.

My feeble old legs (currently recovering from Ashigara pass, yesterday) would appreciate Tsunesaburō's gearing.
 
Just something I came across in browsing the net, from a collection of reader photos in The Guardian. The caption:

Rhondda Cynon Taf, UK
'A rainbow forms on a view of Treorci behind a bend in the Bwlch mountain road. I'd ridden up the south and west sides of Bwlch mountain at this point, with the third ascent (from Treorci) to come and promising to be pretty cold and wet.'
Photograph: Mike Elcock
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Greetings from the indoor cycling lifestyle, which has been more and more reduced to 30-45 min training sessions, without much motivation.

This month I have been trying Xert, and I might stick to it till the end of this year before I decide which platform I'll use for half a year in 2024.

So far, since my daughter was born, and I switched mostly to indoor training, I have tried:
  • Wahoo SYSTM
  • Wahoo RGT (dead now)
  • Zwift
  • TrainerRoad (aka TR)
  • Rouvy
  • FulGaz
  • TrainerDay
  • MyWhoosh
  • IndieVelo
  • Xert
Of all, I wish I could say that Wahoo SYSTM would be my first choice, but the lack of integration with other devices, such as Garmin watches, is keeping me from buying a one-year subscription. They still ask me to write down my swimming and jogging workouts. Also, the platform lacks the adaptive analysis that Xert and TR offer. I can't say I'll miss RGT, but it sure was a good value to have access to both platforms, and I was really hoping it would grow and become more populated. When they announced that you could run SYSTM's workouts on RGT, that was pretty cool, for those moments when you felt like riding with others. However, they didn't count that workout towards your monthly progress on SYSTM, which is something I didn't understand. I also don't understand the decision to push users to Zwift, since it still is a competitor to SYSTM.

Zwift is the king, no doubt about it. I have enjoyed it a lot, especially the group rides, i.e., the social aspect of the platform. But I mostly prefer to do structured workouts, so I don't need a virtual world for it. Also, since my time is quite limited, it was hard for me to join the group rides at the scheduled time, so that was frustrating. Although Zwift has its flaws, I have enjoyed it so much, that I don't have much to say about it, except that, it's not what I am looking for at the moment, when it comes to structured workouts that other platforms offer, such as TrainerRoad.

TR should be my choice for structured workouts. They sure seem to be the most advanced when it comes to it, but somehow, maybe because of the price, I am not ready to commit to it. I have used it for 2 months, and the adaptive suggestions according to my progress were a very cool feature. The software UI is quite nice and clean, and they appear to be a solid company. Their podcasts sure are cool. However, when I tried it out, I felt it was too much for me, and that that platform felt more directed towards Pros. I needed something more relaxed such as Rouvy.

Rouvy was a pleasant surprise and, next to Wahoo SYSTM, the second platform I've given most of my money and time to. Riding around the world, on "real" roads was awesome, and, no matter how slow you go, the video is seamless. I guess what I enjoyed about it was the feeling that I was doing a hard workout by just riding, not caring about hitting power or cadence targets, and, in the end, getting a higher average power than I normally would on structured workouts. They also offer group rides and races, and those were a lot of fun, but they lacked the social aspect. I enjoyed Rouvy so much that I wrote them with suggestions. Still, their UI sucks, but not as much as FulGaz.

FulGaz is in the same vein as Rouvy and, although they offer a 2-week trial period, I abandoned it after 3 days. I just couldn't feel the same engagement as Rouvy. Can't say much about it, except that I really didn't like it. If anyone uses it, let me know what you like about it. I didn't even check how much it costs, and I tried to focus on structured workouts on the platform, but it just didn't click with me. I guess for that, I could always try other platforms, certainly cheaper, such as TrainerDay.

TrainerDay is the cheap TR option. I've only tried for 2 days and I must say I was quite pleased with it. They are a copy of TR and they don't hide it. Their app design is quite good as is their website (much better than Xert, for example). They have a new option where you can train according to your heart rate, such as focusing on Zone 2. I haven't seen this feature on any other platform, and it is quite cool. Although they are cheap (500 yen/month), their workouts are mostly user-generated and they have been accused of "stealing" other platform's workouts. From what I've seen, they are aware of this and are trying to fight this, and are even in touch with their competitors, according to them. I might give them a try if my life schedule becomes more irregular since they are cheap. Although there are cheaper options, such as the free MyWhoosh.

MyWhoosh is another competitor to Zwift. They are free and they are from the UAE. As someone who has lived in the UAE, I have mixed feelings about it, but I'm not gonna get into it. I just have to say that, most of the times I've used this platform, I would hide the activity on Strava. They have revamped their platform recently, and their menus are one of the best that I've seen - like a game. This is something that I don't understand why platforms such as Rouvy don't emulate. Right from the start, when you choose your user, simple metrics are given, such as distance and time. Speaking of games, it is best to have a powerful computer to run this thing. Anyway, they have money and are trying to replace Zwift with official competitions, etc., but I think the real competitor to Zwift is indieVelo.

indieVelo is, so far, the best competition to Zwift. It is similar to Zwift in everything, but lacks the users, more workouts, and "worlds" to ride in. As far as I know, this is a one-man development project, and it will become paid in the future. "They" are trying to emulate everything that Zwift does and are adding other features, such as wind direction to affect the riding physics. The UI is quite expansive, but ugly, in my opinion. Just like other platforms (RGT, MyWhoosh), you will be surrounded by a lot of bots, with fake names, such as a Japanese rider named John Marcelo. Anyway, since I prefer structured workouts, I have decided to once again try a structured workouts platform such as Xert.

Xert is what I am now using. The website is ugly, the app not so much, and I can't seem to find many workouts. But the selling point is that this platform adapts to your progress, i.e., you don't need to do a ramp test to get your FTP and suggested workouts. It syncs with Strava and re-analysis every time there is a new workout, including running. The main page will display, among other things, your Adaptive Training Advisor, so you can see how your progress is doing. This is something that I feel that other platforms lack: a main display of your progress, so you can assess how it is affecting your ability to move to the next stage. I confess that I still don't know how to use the platform, but there are a lot of YouTube tutorials provided by them. But then again, who has the time...

The time to ride outdoors. That's what I want!
 
Screenshot 2023-11-11 at 10.53.01.pngStill not much riding this month, other than local errands like grocery shopping, tax office, etc. Another weekend to be filled with tasks related to moving to a new home next year...

But I got my invitation to the Bonenkai (year end party) of AJ Nishitokyo, my randonneuring club (yes, it's that season already!) and in the process noticed they have reopened the order process for their club jersey. I know some of you here were interested in it previously. I love the classic Japanese looking design.

Orders can be placed online on the Champion System website until December 11 with shipping in January. I want to get a winter jersey because last time I ordered one that turned out too small because the sizing was different for summer and winter models (club cut vs. race cut kind of thing).

See here if you are interested.
 
rarirureroberto said:
TR should be my choice for structured workouts. They sure seem to be the most advanced when it comes to it, but somehow, maybe because of the price, I am not ready to commit to it. I have used it for 2 months, and the adaptive suggestions according to my progress were a very cool feature. The software UI is quite nice and clean, and they appear to be a solid company. Their podcasts sure are cool. However, when I tried it out, I felt it was too much for me, and that that platform felt more directed towards Pros. I needed something more relaxed such as Rouvy.
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Have you tried TrainNow?
You don't need a training plan if that's not your thing or too much of a commitment. You simply launch the app and pick one of the three suggested workouts. They are adapted to your skills, taking your workout experience into account.
 
OreoCookie said:
Have you tried TrainNow?
You don't need a training plan if that's not your thing or too much of a commitment. You simply launch the app and pick one of the three suggested workouts. They are adapted to your skills, taking your workout experience into account.
Click to expand...
I think when I used it when I opened the app it would give me some suggestions. Not sure if it is the same. I do believe that TR is the most professional platform for cyclists. Maybe one day I'll commit to it.
 
Went over the handlebars on November the 10th.
Totally my fault.
Bust a few ribs and my left wrist.
Think I got too complacent.
Was on 278,100KM during my 25 years in Japan and was hoping to knock out 280,000KM (7 times around the world) by the end of the year.
Ribs seem to be getting well pretty quickly despite the initial pain......the wrist area is a little finicky.
Stay safe out there!
Will never takes things for granted again.
 
Forsbrook said:
Went over the handlebars on November the 10th.
Totally my fault.
Bust a few ribs and my left wrist.
Think I got too complacent.
Was on 278,100KM during my 25 years in Japan and was hoping to knock out 280,000KM (7 times around the world) by the end of the year.
Ribs seem to be getting well pretty quickly despite the initial pain......the wrist area is a little finicky.
Stay safe out there!
Will never takes things for granted again.
Click to expand...
Get well soon
 
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