Just two seconds
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Well, after watching this inexperienced old lady trying to beat times that feel like a oneāway tripā¦ hahahaā¦ perhaps the best way to explain the situation is through a short WhatsApp chat that came to me like a glove. I shared a screenshot on my status, and a young cyclist replied.
You have to pick up speed from the railway line. The segment goes all the way to 100th Street. So you need to keep going after climbing the hill until you reach the river bridge.
Thatās from over there, where the royal palm is in the background on the left. Iām in the opposite lane, trying to capture in photos the feat I was supposedly about to achieve.
A bit of background for anyone who didnāt read my previous post.
Who is Hunyaris, and a note on speed and peace
You can see the climb further ahead.
Ok, thatās loud and clear. Itās extremely tricky because there are factors like that downhill afterwards to merge onto 100, and you have to brake since 100 has the right of way.
I slowed down on the segment because I had to overtake a man riding a bike with a box on the back, and there was also a car behind me. I imagine when the man saw me putting in the power there, he must have exclaimed something like, āwhat a crazy woman!ā
And he says:
Iāve got 31 seconds and I donāt even show up in the top 10.
The guys are really tough, I told him.
But try it once youāve got more than 10 km under your belt, and within those 10 km do two 20āsecond sprints. You need to train intervals to improve.
Of course, I didnāt really understand much at first. Later on, when he explained more, I got it: the idea is to increase speed after 7 or 8 km riding at a comfortable cadence, then recover for two or three minutes, and then do another 10āsecond sprintā¦ and so on. š
On the post which is automatically published on Hive through Strava with my alternative account (@traininglog), @enraizar left me a comment Iāve already seen ā he said heās glad Iām alive. That really made me laugh. š¤£
The relationship between Miss Strava and me is complicated. She claims I went out pedalling at 5:59 a.m., which couldnāt be further from the truth. I left my house at 10 a.m. I overslept today. My intention was to leave at 7 a.m. Noā¦ thinking about it, if I had gone out at 7, she would probably say my training and that failed attempt on the segment happened at one or two in the morning. Madnessā¦ Iāll have to change something in the settings ofā¦ I donāt know where. š¤·āā
There you have it! I improved by two seconds, hahahaā¦ how awful. Iāll give it another try next weekend.
To wrap up this post and add a bit of colour to this whole madness I got stuck in my headā¦ hahahaā¦ let me tell you that before attempting that effort, I cycled all the way to the Sport City. I was doing a warmāup beforehand, you know. And I came across this street vendor with a cart who sells vegetables, fruit and imported grains. Imported, he told me ā none of this is produced here in Cuba.
And by the way, itās expensive. To give you an idea, he sells tomatoes at 400 CUP per pound ā though one of those tomatoes must weigh two pounds, hahahaā¦ lemons at 700 CUP per pound, onions roughly the same, and potatoes as well. The exchange rate of CUP to USD was set a few days ago by the government at 410, and on the street itās 435 CUP.
I had my lunch already prepared and I just heated it up as soon as I got home.
Original content by @nanixxx. All rights reserved Ā©, 2025.
Every image I include in my posts is mine. When itās not, I credit the source in a caption.
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Probably not the best moment to do a time attack when you're having a cold! š
In the video (thanks for the subtitles!) you said I was going 26... and I thought OMG up hill that's amazing! and then you said and I went down to 17 š
It's the same here with the wind, sometimes there's so much wind I'm down to 17 or 18 so now, when there is a lot of wind I do a zone 2 training and I use a different set-up on my cycling computer so I see total distance and not my speed, since it's not important in zone 2 training, I'm only getting frustrated when I see the low speeds haha.
When you're hungry at the end of your training, you should probably eat more before the training or on the bike on longer rides.
And I think improving your own time by two seconds is awesome!
Itās true, I hadnāt thought of that until the very moment I said it in the video. I donāt know, I just felt full of energy.
Yes, that really bothered me. The guy who saw my WhatsApp status says I need to go faster before reaching the foot of the hill. I was going at 34 km/h before tackling the hill. Soā¦ I donāt know. Iām going to need a week of leg strengthening with squats and that sort of thing. š¤£
Oh, noted. I only had coffee and some biscuits.
š Thanks for the encouragement!
Super cool to see you on the go, Super Gal :)
That was so special I got the headphones out, managed to turn them on (an ongoing mystery and, perhaps, today resolved) and jack them into the old borrowed no built in speakers desktop thang.
How cool!
And to hear you for a change.
Keep on practicing.
And now I shall think about going to do some Yoga and picking up my training again...
*thunkin' hard
šš Thanks for calling me Super Gal. š So, are the headphones working now? Perhaps the Universe worked its magic, through your good vibes when you saw me smiling there, and things got fixed at least for that moment hahahaā¦ that happens.
The best thing you can do is to take up again those things that do you so much good.
I saw that āthunkā means āgolpe sordoā in Spanish. So I like this way of saying it, it sounds more intense, as if itās striking your thoughts a littleā¦ š¤ nice.
:D
You are though! Super Gal <3
Ah - when I say "thunking" I mean myself we humans can be so stoopid in our thunks. More like the Buddhist phisosophy (typo intended - I have become entirely irreverent to all of this insanity we thunk is "Life") of "The Dream / Delusion"
And now I must go and look up "golpe sordo"
BrB
What nostalgia to see this route... My aunt lived in Alta Habana and seeing these views reminds me of my annual trips to Havana, always passing through there, along 100 and Boyeros...
Hello, these dates are like that, they make one feel nostalgic hahahaā¦ just kidding. When are you coming to Havana?
I wish I could go soon!
The important thing is that you climbed that hill!!!! I would have died on the way hahahaha dead but dead!!! hahahaha you didn't have any breath left.
Nothing like that is produced in Cuba? Nothing?
Thank goodness you had your food ready, I would also die of hunger after resurrecting.š¤£
š¤£
About the things that the man with the cart sells, well, there are people who import goods. He says that everything he sells is imported. You can tell the difference in the size of the products. But yes, of course those things are grown here too. And I suppose there are farms with high-quality produce, since some farmers have direct contracts with hotels and sell them their harvests.
Iāve been wanting to visit that kind of place or farm for a while. Letās see if I plan better for the new year, because theyāre usually far from the city. And you know that most of the time Iām on my own, so itās complicated.
For some time now Iāve been eating a lot, really a lot. I think it has to do with the efforts I make on the bike. My body asks me for plenty of food.
Buenos dĆas Avecilla. š
Mi abuelita me decĆa: hay que hacer caso al cuerpo, entonces si te pide comida es porque la necesita, grandes esfuerzos, grandes comidas.... proteĆna y vitamina C!!
Buenos dĆas - tardes! jajaja
š¤
I don't really care what Miss Strava says... my dear @nanixxx, you overtook a man on a motorcycle and scared a driver... Well done!!
Un abrazo muy grande!! š¤
No, š un hombre en una bicicleta con un cajĆ³n detrĆ”s en la parrilla. Eso me hizo aminorar la marcha que llevaba entrando a la loma, y el auto que venĆa detrĆ”s...que no sabĆa lo que el conductor iba a hacer, si intentar adelantarme.
No importa. El mejor resultado que tuve fue la diversiĆ³n y eso es suficiente. Disfrutar de mi propia compaƱĆa, reĆr y luego compartir aquĆ se sintiĆ³ bien.
Un abrazo muy grande, @enraizar.