We had an brilliant ride out on Sunday morning. It is only the second time that I have cycled during the weekend with warm sun and encouraging air temps. This is our normal Sunday loop that is between 50 and 60 miles depending upon any small variations that we make to the route. There are several climbs that get your attention. The first is a long slow grind between High Wycombe and Stockenchurch. This is a 5.7mile stretch of which two thirds is probably uphill with a mile and a half needing some commitment. The gradient is not quite steep enough to get you standing on the pedals but the distance is enough to get your heart rate up to max by the crest. I have a new Garmin (Edge 500) gadget on my bike that measures all manner of things. It is the size of a match box but contains a GPS, Altimeter, and sensors that measure speed and pedal cadence (pedals revs per minute). The rough guide to your max heart rate is 220 less your age. In my case this is 220 – 55 = 165 and although I used to be able to get my heart rate up to 182 on the rowing machine a couple of years ago I think 170 is a good working max for me now.
The route takes us out through Turville and up to Christmas Common with a much steeper hill through an idyllic country lane. David gets to show his climbing prowess on these types of hills and manages to leave me for dead. There is a great pub at the top of the hill called the Fox and Hounds but we have not managed to get beer and serious cycling to work well together – yet.
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