Training

February 22, 2019

Normally we don't do anything special to get physically ready for a trip, outside of our normal daily short rides - not more than 15 km. Strangely, when we are actually on a tour, all the little chores going undone at home are distant and never thought of. But if we are at home, then an extra hour spent bumbling along local cycle ways is an hour of chores being left undone.

This time, the procedure was going to be different. With the need to continue rehabilitating Dodie's knees, we thought to cycle 40 kms on road daily. But the weather had other ideas, and rudely dumped a foot and a half of snow on our region. That produced these forlorn training photos:

Not much chance to van away to a better spot.

Now of course there are always those more intrepid than us. So having driven to our favourite cafe, we opened the paper to see the reaction of at least one other cyclist:

No, not for us. We just put Dodie back on the trainer, where she has racked up (150) kms. in the last month. It's not much, but at least we have planned a fairly easy start for the actual tour. In fact we used the time to work out the trip planning. We retired under this and got down to it:

Nothing helps focus the mind on the open road like being buried.

What we came up with as we deliberated under all that snow will be revealed in the next post. But meanwhile there is one more development along the lines of training. We drove out through what turned out to be a temporary further snow storm for Dodie's pretty much final x-ray and visit with the orthopedic surgeon, who has come to be known to us rather comfortably as Dr. Dina. Dr. Dina said the x-rays looked great. Then she grabbed each leg and wiggled this way and that - yes! glued on straight and bending well! Dodie walked out of the hospital then like her physio had counselled - head high, back straight, like a model.

We are still not able to take it all out on the open road. But one thing we know from the as yet un-reported planning sessions - in one month we will be crawling around the Bodensee in Austria, no matter what.

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Michel Fleuranceoua, hard to believe from here ....
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5 years ago

Mike AylingI read somewhere that Nordic/XC skiing was good cross training for cycling. You certainly have enough snow to ski on.

Mike
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5 years ago

Bill ShaneyfeltCheering from the sidelines!
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5 years ago

Suzanne GibsonCircling the Bodensee sounds like a great start!
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5 years ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesTo Mike AylingWe could also do Alpine skiing, or ski jumping from the roof. Honestly, though, the stationary bike seems the better choice.
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5 years ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesTo Suzanne GibsonIndeed, the Bodensee is a good training area to begin with. Fairly flat, pretty and not too great a distance between stops.
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5 years ago

Tricia GrahamWe are in Brisbane at the moment far too hot to cycle with well over 30 each day
Your trip looks as if it will be great am really interested to hear where you intend going in the Czech Republic. Once again you will be home again before we venture to Munich
Ciao
Tricia
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5 years ago

Sue PriceSo excited to know we will have your new adventure to help us get through the inevitable post tour blues!
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5 years ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesTo Tricia GrahamWe are just going to shoot through on the Greenway, with no visit to any Cesky's. We might have a chance to intersect with an old aunt who will be passing through Prague, but we might have to hurry to get there.

We plan to go home for June 1, but return to Austria at the end of August. When will you go to Munich? Which direction are you thinking to go from there?
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5 years ago

Tricia GrahamTo Steve Miller/GrampiesWe get to Munich late July then head to Saltzburg then on the Alpe Adria to Grado onto Venice and follow the Po to Turin then to Nice along the coast to Arles. The Canal de Midi etc To Bordeaux then find our way toParis and fly home early October. Looks as if once again we will miss each other perhaps one day. In the meantime we are off to Egypt and Jorden but not biking
Have a great trip
Tricia
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5 years ago