Welcome to the power hour
Welcome to the power hour.The weekends are for us the warriors who need their cycling time.The long hard weeks that modern life dictates for plenty ends on a Friday evening,and for some,plans are hatched to grab a long cycle ride or two away from the responsibilities of a mundane office job that bores your exercise levels.You possibly think of cycling more than what you should be,and even try to get out of Friday evenings drinks with friends to make your weekend riding that bit better.

The cycling plans for weekends are created well before the week ends.The great rides.The idle coffee moments when life is appreciated and enjoyed.And a sneaky few kms turns into the best moments of the week.
But…
I rarely ride long at the weekend and thats when the power hour becomes necessary.The wheels turn for only an hour and the time is really precious.The bigger and longer rides for me happen during the week.Its possibly because of a hangover of doing shift work in the NHS and grabbing life and time,and when a Wednesday was the new Monday and Sunday evenings were the new Friday.The old days.Other reasons during the weekday riding longer is because of family life and trying to be a good parent.Its my weekend.Actually I am mostly encouraged to get out of the house by my loving family so it can be girls time.After breakfast in bed of course at weekends.There is a small cost to everything.I suffer little for my art usually.
The weekend rides here in SA tend to for an hour.The roads tend to be populated by a few crazy and speedy drivers and then the MTB comes out.Its less risk in the vineyards and single-track than the roads around here.I love the feelings of a road bike and its grace on well surfaced roads but sometimes its great to have a great classic power ride on the mtb,all full blast and trying not to get lost at the same time.Actually getting lost and finding a new single track has its own special voyage moments.You create a circuit that is fun and you go for it.The challenges are the surfaces and as road rider by nature its can be a nervous experience,but after a while it gets better.Its about motion.MTB power hours have knees and speed please
I always wonder if an hour on a bike can have meaningful value.At the end of our days, will it add up as the cycling gods count up the “bonification” hours?I am a firm believer if the bike ride allows you to smile,say hello to others and you get better and more comfortable then its time well spent.I have got into the habit of trying to pre-plan my circuits but somedays the wind can play havoc.Tomorrow the “power hour” might happen and it might not.The 3 day block is road at the moment so maybe i will have to take my chances.The road bike and the wind make strange bed fellows.
In our of cycling needs an hour is there.Shame if we dont use it wisely.

