Level Training - waste of time for a normal cyclist?

[Fugazi]

Steve vRS said:

I tend to head towards either Frodsham or Alderley Edge. I've been up Shaley Brow and Parbold Hill a few times but I've got to get through Warrington to get there which is a pain.
Steve

Sorry to hijack the thread but I've been up Shaley Brow more times than I care to remember and is one of my favourite places to include in my summer rides. On paper it doesn't sound bad with an average gradient of something like 6% over a mile but it's deceptive and most of the hill is a gentle half mile climb at the start. But once you reach the golf club and all you see is a tunnel of trees and what seems to be a vertical wall of tarmac, it hits you hard .... Then just when you think you've conquered it and it levels off around a bend, it rises again to 9% for another 200 metres. There are steeper and longer hills, but it's a slog everytime, although looking on the Strava leaderboard the average speeds going up there are mental.

[MC Bodge]

Fugazi said:

Sorry to hijack the thread but I've been up Shaley Brow more times than I care to remember and is one of my favourite places to include in my summer rides. On paper it doesn't sound bad with an average gradient of something like 6% over a mile but it's deceptive and most of the hill is a gentle half mile climb at the start. But once you reach the golf club and all you see is a tunnel of trees and what seems to be a vertical wall of tarmac, it hits you hard .... Then just when you think you've conquered it and it levels off around a bend, it rises again to 9% for another 200 metres. There are steeper and longer hills, but it's a slog everytime, although looking on the Strava leaderboard the average speeds going up there are mental.

Growing up at the North end of St Helens, Shaley Brow was always a big challenge for us on our hefty mountain bikes as kids. I've not ridden it for a long time. I might take my bike next time I visit my folks.

The descent was more fun, though. (48.5 mph on a Raleigh Mustang, racing my mates ) There used to be a gravelly left bend/"kink" in the road, with a big stone wall on the outside, near the house further down than the golf course. It was straightened out in the early-mid 90s presumably to prevent more crashes.

[Steve vRS]

Well my Garmin has died and has been sent back to them for replacement. This means nothing is being measured- speed, distance , HR, cadence etc.

So I am measuring my rides via an iPhone in my back pocket, forgetting about levels and going like fk.

Not scientific but fun

Steve

[BadgerBenji]

Steve vRS said:

Well my Garmin has died and has been sent back to them for replacement. This means nothing is being measured- speed, distance , HR, cadence etc.

So I am measuring my rides via an iPhone in my back pocket, forgetting about levels and going like fk.

Not scientific but fun

Steve

Just call it relative perceived effort