justcycling.myfastforum.org

SlowRower · Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 8:17 am Post subject:

Blowtorches and pliers are standard kit for a night out in our village. Some of the family trees are a tad straight for my liking, but there are worse places to live.

_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

Bartali · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 7730 Location: Hertfordshire

SlowRower · Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 7:34 am Post subject:

Headwind was right. Shorter time trials are the way forward. 200 metres or less strikes me a sensible distance. Smile

This week's "main event" was a 40k TT. It's the 4th time I've done this route in the last 2 months and clearly the first time I've fully committed. I was well and truly cooked as I turned into the final 4 miles into a stiff headwind. Ouch. At least I came out with a PB, albeit only by 12 seconds.

With what was left of my higher thought processes in the final stages I gave thought to why my heart rate on the flat on the road struggles to get beyond the high 150s, whereas on the turbo, the mid 170s are attainable (sometime unavoidable!)

The previous day's hill intervals suggested that a low heart rate once the road goes up is not going to be an issue!

Due to work commitments, other training has been on foot. My running route from work is like a mini mountain stage in a GT, comprising 5 climbs over 11k, the last two of which are a stern test of manhood.

If the "Fairway of Fornication" doesn't leave you f*cked, then the "Steps of Doom" will assure eligibility for Eunuch status, unless it's a particularly good day. Smile

_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

SlowRower · Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:20 pm Post subject:

I almost always train alone, other than the odd occasion when I get swept up by a club run. In Saturday's morning 8 mile run, though, my usual iPod isolation was disturbed by the appearance of a potential training partner.

Rejoice! I thought. Chance for some inane banter instead of Girls Aloud. (I'd forgotten to update the playlist on my daughter's "Shuffle" - honest, gov!)

Or not, as it turned out. My partner was the ghostly form of "The Man With The Hammer" and he was in an angry mood, as I had trained hard three days in a row, drunk too much wine, drunk too little water and not eaten any breakfast.

The last 2 miles seemed to last forever, and I discovered uphills sections that I never knew existed. I also found a few benches to sit on, courtesy of people wanted to be remembered as the resting place for numerous North Yorkshire a*ses, which was ideal at the time, but is actually a very strange custom. Why would you want to get someone to erect a bench, complete with plaque, when you've popped your clogs? Maybe "Herbert Harrison - Much loved by all" was a crap cyclist as well, who regularly keeled over during training rides and wanted to ease the pain of others in future years.

Altogether an unpleasant experience, the recovery from which involved around two litres of chocolate ice cream. Smile

Other than that, a solid week, with the emphasis on out of the saddle climbing, just in case I need a to sprint at the end of the Challenge, or more likely to deal with the sections where seated climbing just doesn't cope with the ADH gradients. Sad

_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

MAILLOT JAUNE · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 1189

SlowRower · Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:31 pm Post subject:

berck · Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 5:01 pm Post subject:

SlowRower · Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:05 am Post subject:

A largely uneventful week. No appearances of the Man With The Hammer, although my saddle broke.

The broken saddle is ideal, as it gives me another excuse for failure. I probably don't really need another one, but you can never be too prepared in this area.

I experimented with standing climbing for my entire session of hill intervals at the weekend.

For the first minute of the first one I felt as though I was dancing on the pedals like Alberto Contador on the road to Verbier, but quickly settled in some solid "Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers". Overcooked the start of the final one and slogged over the line dancing on the pedals with all the grace and dynamism of John Sargent in Strictly Come Dancing.

This could be good preparation for the Challenge, where I suspect there will be much scope for trying to dance whilst completely sh*gged. Sad

_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

SlowRower · Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 11:29 am Post subject:

There was an interesting article in the Times today, about the lure of photographers at mass-participation events. The final sentence is telling, particular the bit about wine. I had the vision before even turning a wheel in anger in training. Smile

"Every mass participation event these days has a commercial photographer to capture the fleeting glory of the competitors, picking them off one by one as they pass, and posting the images on the internet for purchase. No charity endurance challenge suffices without a record of the exhausted participants crossing the line. No bike race is a proper one without the chance to buy the pictures which, viewed through half-shut eyes, and in a dim light, and after a couple of glasses of wine, make you look exactly like Lance Armstrong powering up to L’Alpe d’Huez."

I have it on good authority that the upper slopes of ADH are awash with Froggie Lensmen at certain times. They'd better have safety glass on their lenses when I come past, as I'm not pretty at the best of times and after an hour of intense aerobic exercise, my face can shatter double-glazed Pilkington K-glass. Smile

_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

SlowRower · Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 1:20 pm Post subject:

Now for the proper update. I know it's the highlight of a lot of folks' weeks...

It's only 2 weeks until race day. Realistically, there's not much that can be done to make me faster, now, so I'm just hoping I avoid illness or injury.

Elder daughter came down with what matched all the symptoms of Swine Flu at the weekend, but a dose of Calpol and an early night did the trick, without further needless depletions of the Nation's stock of Tamiflu. So, illness bullet dodged.

A few of injury bullets dodged as well:
- Broken saddle replaced with the one off my Barry Hoban road bike. Bazza may no longer be the winningest British TDF rider, but he will at least be going up ADH this year.

- Detoured into a ditch to avoid a fast moving Chelsea Tractor. A few stings, but better than the alternatives.

- Nearly fell off whilst practicing my victory salute. Combining Bertie's pistol shot with the Usain Bolt archer pose was beyond my basic levels of coordination and a nasty speed wobble ensued. Smile

I think it did look pretty impressive until then. Smile

4 bike sessions this week, plus a 7 mile run this week. The hill intervals on the bike were good, despite experimenting with a higher gear. (Won't be trying this again any time soon. Shocked

) Recovery pace is now faster than tempo pace in May.

I've also been doing a bit of "visualisation", covering the most likely scenarios on race day:

- Mate buggers off into the distance and I next see him when he's tucking into an ice cream at the top

- Mate buggers off into the distance and I next see him collapsed by the road side near turn 15. I ignore him and cruise to victory.

- Mate sets off just too quickly for me, but I wheel-suck none the less and die a horrible death.

- Mate sets off nice and slowly, so I wheelsuck and sprint to victory in the final 100m

- I set off steadily and quickly distance my mate. Soon catch up with Astana out on a training ride. Wheel suck for a while before landing one on Armstrong saying "This one's from MJM!" Distance Astana and sign professional forms with Saxobank at the top.

- We both set off, realise it's actually a stupid thing for men of our age to be doing, return to base and spousal derision, before going for a pizza.
_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

SlowRower · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 3:43 pm Post subject:

Scary thought - this time in a week it will all be over and we'll know whether speedhumps and railway bridges are good preparation for major Alpine climbs. Smile

Fine tuning has gone well...

My last hill intervals session saw a best for both individual and collective times, by quite some margin.

I also clocked a best by nearly a minute for my normal training loop.

The only downside is that my favourite bib-shorts fell apart and have been binned.

Only a night on the ferry and two days in the car with the kids to endure before the serious business commences.
_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

Spoo · Joined: 24 Sep 2008 Posts: 286 Location: Oxford

Did it ever take place then? After all that build up no race summary
_________________
It is better to try to the utmost, fail and be visible rather than wait and hope

berck · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 6:06 pm Post subject:

Yes, what happened? I was thinking about this the other day.

SlowRower · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 1:32 pm Post subject:

I'm still on hols at the moment. The challenge took place and it was the Lanterne Rouge for me! 71 mins to the finish by the bridge. 77 mins to the official finish. My mate was around 3:30 faster. Full report on my return. Be warned - it will probably take less time to climb the hill than read it!
_________________
EPO is for wimps. Proper cyclists go faster on beer, curry and porridge.

Bartali · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 7730 Location: Hertfordshire

Good ride nevertheless and second place still gets you on the podium! Wink

Spoo · Joined: 24 Sep 2008 Posts: 286 Location: Oxford