During this 1.5 hour evening swim session Coach MT had planned some strength work and the various sets involved a lot of paddles and fins - we like all the toys! The Coach even had us doing backstroke and breaststroke with paddles on. We finished the session with some explosive 25m sets - dive start, kicking hard and sprinting for at least 10-15m (no breathing) followed by an easy stroke to the other end. All great fun! I was pleased with my performance and despite being the slowest swimmer in my lane (lane 3 of 6) I managed to keep on the toes of the stronger swimmers for most of the session.
So on to this morning...
I looked at my plan for the week and given that I may have to take my son to rugby on Sunday I decided to bring the long bike ride forward and keep the shorter brick session for the weekend. More importantly I wanted to try out my new winter bike - a Specialized Langster singlespeed / fixed road bike (pictured below).
The decision to purchase a singlespeed / fixed bike was driven by getting back to 'pure cycling' (no distraction from changing gears), easier maintenance and the 'wear and tear' on my carbon road bike during the winter months. In addition I had been told it is beneficial to training given that your legs take over from your gearing.
In order to get a feel for the new 'black stallion' I decided on the singlespeed option for the first ride. I was pleasantly surprised to find the gearing just about right for my normal commute - the route being relatively flat. For the few down hill sections I was not pedalling frantically but likewise I manage all the inclines without much problem. I have always enjoyed getting out the saddle and powering up the hills when necessary. My return route will be a little more challenging but I am not too worried.
The real test will come when I flip the rear wheel round to use the fixed cog. In this position as the pedals turn the wheel goes round (obvious - I suppose), however when one stops, either the pedal or wheel the other stops too - more interesting! The plan is to move to a 'fixie' after a couple of weeks once I have got a good feel for the bike. In this position, I should get this best training benefit and it should certainly help with my spinning technique.
For those who are interested in this bike set-up the Specialized Langster is a relatively affordable option. The new 2012 model is very nice but there is limited availability until January next year and it retails at £499. The new model is also a little more set up for track cycling and comes with track handlebars and no bar tape. I went for last year's model and got a deal at just over £300 for an ex-demo model (generally you can pick them up for £350-£399, or £250-£300 second-hand on eBay). The only additions I made were some entry-level Shimano lock-in pedals and a Specialized bottle cage. Other than that, good to go!
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