Today's bipolar ride and 2 aims fulfilled

Saturday I was back at the velodrome for a 4 hr session during which it appears I actually sat on the bike turning pedals for 1hr 45 mins...3 sets of 3 catch ups..it took me 2 laps to catch the group each time, so therefore I did 6 x 500m TT with a rolling start, followed by 3 standing starts.

As a roadie/ sorta trackie, I just can't get my head around this sort of session..is it beneficial or just a colossal waste of time...I mean less than 50% of the session actually riding??..maybe I should not join the others sitting down chatting between sets..maybe I should stay true to roadieness and keep pedalling!

Today's training was on the road and was a ride with 2 separate characteristics ..1. the beginning, the end and anytime I was descending..which was when I was correctly dressed and 2. the climbing, which is when I was clearly w-a-a-a-a-y overdressed.

The temperature was low, it was foggy but the forecast said it'd clear and despite still suffering a bit from Wednesday's "Liz's special explosive training" ie jump lunges while clutching a 3kg medicine ball, I decided that another attack of Inverness road was on the cards..in fact I would go the "Full monty", which is a ride from the base of Inverness road to the Skyline Restaurant carpark . This description is copied from cycle2max (a great worldwide hill climb website) : "The highest climb in the Dandenongs, some of the grades are over 20% (25% on Inverness Rd) this climb, only 7.6km long climbs to the top in one continuous climb with only one very short downhill of about 20m. Only marginally longer that the 1/20 but climbs 200m more".

I had to capitulate again on the very last ~20m reeeely steeeeep section of Inverness and once off couldn't re-start and so had to walk a short way to find a suitable spot to hop back on safely before continuing up up up to the very top. By the time the red mist cleared from my vision I realised I was above the clouds and there was a very blue sky for me to enjoy....still fureeezing though.

Tomorrow is a bike free day and then its back to M Lash's garage for another torture session on Tuesday and again on Thursday . Racing this coming up weekend is a 3 day/4 race tour up in Benalla..in the north east of the state where hopefully it will be dry.

And the 2 aims fulfilled?
To get back to race weight...done
To ride no hands..done... this weekend on the track bike on sat and on the road today, although not yet confidently enough to unzip and re-zip my jacket and top as needed.

I think the only cycling (but not racing) aim left for this year is to become more confident on the rollers.......