Sunday the 3rd of May 2009

This weekend i had entered the Nigel Measom Memorial stage race but i was last reserve and simply would not get a ride.
I decided to do a long ride so i set off at 08:00am and rode aound the Banbury Star's 13 mile course before i met Rob so i effectively done an hour before i met him we then rode around the edgehill,shutford,epwell,brailes,radway bishops itchington,southam loop then continued with an edgehill hooknorton adderbury add on to give me grand total of 103 miles in 5 hours and 5 minutes 20.5 mph ave.

Reading CC road race 80km.

I like to race cant be doing with wankers who sit in so when i had the opportunity to break the field i took it.
I started whats called an echelon that effectively is done when it is particually windy it did the trick but left me knackered i clung on up the climb but again started the final climb on the final lap to far down the field to win but finished 10th so again if i had been in a strong position then i would of won or come very close so i know i am tacticly naive but i reckon that will come with races.

Bridgnorth Road Race 85km Norman Southall Memorial.

Bridgnorth normally strikes fear into the hearts of road cyclist as the terrain is normally quite tough so it was no surprise that this particular course was very challenging.
The bunch was met by an extremely cold morning so i decided to done full fingered gloves and knee warmers.
The race was quite an active one but there was a few superficial attacks that came to nothing so i decided that i would just be attentive and cover the moves.We did the first lap and nothing really happened this was good so it gave me the opportunity to check out the circuit as i have never done it before.
Lap 2 there was a few attacks that i managed to cover but it was the final climb of the lap that was going to be the decider a 5 switchback climb of 1:6 sections to the village of Brompton that was going to thin the field out.
Lap 3 (final lap) the first climb of the lap brought a stange episode i chased down a guy who was drifting off the front looked behind and we had opened up a good gap we decided to persevere we gained 30 seconds relitively quickly but after about 6 miles we got chased down.
The final 3 km i got myself in a great position then all of a sudden 40 riders crossed the double white lines to gain an unfair advantage i started the final climb almost at the back i charged up the climb and finished 15th if i had held my position were would i of finished....we will never know!!!

Great Milton Road race

Last weekend the 5th of April i raced the Great Milton Road Race as i said in my previous post i had every intention to attack from the drop of the flag and that is precisely what i did.

The flag went in and i went i was joined by a couple of riders but we where soon closed down these antics went on for a good half a lap untill it settled down.
The problem with Great Milton is the course isnt flat enough to deter the bunch from chasing so to be honest the like minded riders such as myself knew that we werent gonna get away.

Had a move on the 2nd lap that got about 20 seconds but with 5 km to go some guy clipped off when we got caught and the fucking bunch didnt chase him ironically he won......piss!!

Didnt race this weekend chose instead to do an hours tempo Saturday and 4.5 hours in the Cotswold hills today proper hilly taking in Broadway hill (bastard) loads and loads of hills in an around the cotswolds Saintbury hill (fucking bastard!!) was the toughest of the day but by the time myself and Calvin got back to Banbury we had done around 80 miles and were suitably knackered!!

New bike.

Here it is the new beast.



Having only ridden it for 4 hours i can say it is a real treat climbs beautifly cos it only weighs 6.9kgs.

Racing on it this weekend so full report to follow!

Bill Jinks Memorial Road Race.

After last weeks TT i was confident i could do a good ride at the Bill Jinks RR my weeks training had gone ok but the wind had been a factor thus resigning me to the turbo trainer for an hour and a half on Thursday.

Got to the race late....bad start!! So only managed a really short warm up 5 minutes....not enough!!

Race started like a bullet but i thought if i ride at the back i can warm into it anyway 10 riders clipped off the front and we didnt see them again 64 miles of chasing for fuck all!!

This will not happen this weekend Great milton RR hit em hard from the start and dont let them breathe!!

A5 Rangers 15.5 mile hilly

Last weekend brought a slight change to the scheduled road race programme were i decided i would do a 15.5 mile hilly time trial.

Saturday brought a beautiful morning but slightly breezy to tackle the 15.5 mile hilly circuit in Towcester i got to the HQ and set my turbo trainer up in readiness for my intensive warmup.

The warmup in a Time trial is probably one of the most crucial parts of the race as in order to start hard you must already be up to race temperature ensuring you see race pace heartrates for a small proportion of the warmup.

The race started and the first 7 miles i really didnt get going at all plus riding into a headwind was quite hard when i turned off the A5 and headed towards Weedon hill the wind was more of a cross wind and i knew if i could just keep the rythum i had when i got to the last 3 miles it would be a back wind and i would be flying caught all the riders in front of me even a guy from the 1st event.

By the last section of the ride i was going well and nailed the decents so hard i managed a massive speed wobble so must of been going over 50mph i crossed the line in 38:31 only 20 seconds of my best for this course and finished 3rd overall so not a bad days work.

Sunday i did 4 hours and 15 minutes of base work which was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Another week another race!!

Its been a good weeks training thought as i was doing a timetrial this weekend i would up the anty by doing 2 tempo sessions and only 1 long ride.



The first tempo ride was Monday after 4 hours completed Sunday where i felt fantastic couldnt make the legs hurt i thought the tempo session would be very hard but surprisingly it went well averaging around 21mph for 1 hour pulse in the 150-160 zone.



Tuesday i did a long 3 hour ride keeping my pulse in the 125-145 zone i went on the Banbury Brailes Southam route which is fairly rolling average 18mph.

Wednesday did another tempo ride and was a tad quicker than Monday so pleased with that.



Thursday completely off then Friday 1.5 hours recovery ride with my ol pal Ian then copeous amounts of coffee afterwards.

Saturday raced a hilly 15.5 mile timetrial in Towcester will post the result when i get it Sunday should be 4 hours and providing the weather stays like it has been it will be a real pleasure.

This weeks training and race.

Today raced at the Milton Keynes bowl again a 51k crit in dry but blustery conditions.

Not a lap was completed when the attacks were coming thick and fast and it wasnt long before i was in the thick of it chasing down wheels and closing gaps.

Then after about 8 laps a move went up the road it had 4 riders in it and the gap opened quite quickly i left if for a while and then decided to close the gap i went across on my own and really had to put in a massive effort to bridge the gap but as soon as i made contact they wanted me to work immediately.

I lasted in the break about 20 minutes untill i blew and had to drop back to the bunch i never really recovered from the effort i made to get to the break as the break was really moving especially on the rise up to the finish line ultimately this break succeded so i was dissapointed having been there and getting dropped but unlike many of the 60 or so riders in the event i like to race!! i was pleased though that i had the power to get across to them but if i had reacted sooner and not had to put in the huge effort to get to them i really think i would of been fine.

Once i had recovered in the bunch i got in another move and pegged the break at around 20 seconds there was around 4 of us chasing then the other 3 decided to give up so i attacked again and tried to bridge the gap on my own suffice to say i didnt succeed but it was well worth a try.

I definately feel that my legs are coming every week i seem to be getting that little bit better so hopefully soon i will be writing to tell you about my first win....fingers crossed!

Training is going well with a tempo session completed and 2 base rides done 1 at 3 hours and 1 at 2.5 plus 1.5 hours of leg spinning yesterday and a race today so add that to the 4 hours i,m gonna do tomorrow suppose i would have done about 12 hours this week.

My training is somewhat different as it now involves a lot of steady base and hard races with a couple of tempo sessions thrown in for good measure.

4 hours tomorrow should be interesting.

Saturday @ Milton Keynes.

Saturday brought a dry but windy race at Milton Keynes bowl a 51km crit race with a full field of 80 riders.

Early season races are great they are a chance to see how all that winter training has paided off and blow out all the cobwebs.

Sitting in the bunch and just rolling round is a waste of time you might as well train as sitting in will only be like training at mid-upper level 2 so attacking is the name of the game making a real nusense of yourself as this opens up your capacities and makes you better next time (hopefully).

I raced like a lunatic for 40 minutes and then was cooked so rolled in with the bunch didnt place but know what is required now so onwards and upwards for next week.

This weeks training and visit to Petes.

Another week, dosnt time fly when you're having fun!!

After my recovery ride with my pal Ian i took a day completely off ready for another slightly longer recovery level ride Wednesday.

Went out with Ian again and have to say i just dont know where 2 hours goes great laugh and a good route rolling through Swacliffe and epwell onto the Stratford road and a blast home Ian went home to get changed ready to come round my house after to check out my new ride (more on that in another post).

Good coffee and conversation soon brought round another hour and Ian had to go to meet his wife Dawn.

Thursday went to Petes for another assessment and a catchup and yet again that 3 hours just flew by it is a real pleasure making the trip to Yorkshire like minded people with a fixation on bikes is just superb i will publish my test results and new training schedule soon.

Friday an another recovery ride only an hour but disaster struck with Ian getting a puncture and unable take out his wheel due to it being a track hub (you need a 15mm spanner) so i belted home and got the car so he didnt have a slow trudge back into Banbury got to say it was a beautiful day though but we soon got sorted and got back home in one piece.

First race and recovery ride.

Well it soon comes around my first race of the season all the training and anticipation was soon reality as Sunday morning brought a damp but dry morning early doors.

I had a start time of 10:39 so i got to the HQ around 09:15 so i could set up my turbo and bike as to have a good warm up. As i started my warm-up 2 friends of mine turned up to offer support Ian wilkins an old friend of mine since school and lifelong cycling nut and Ian Duggan who is a really nice guy i dont know duggy that well but he's a good laugh.

With the warmup complete i pulled on my aero helmet and rode of to the start where my father in law and fiancee were waiting for me along with my ex boss and close friend Roger Bell.

All these great people were there to support me gulp,gulp.....i cant let them down gulp,gulp,gulp its was the most nervous i have ever been before the start of a race so here we go 5,4,3,2,1...GO!!

The cheers and shout from my friends was incredible a real lift so i headed off up the Stratford road towards sunrising hill.

Realistically i wasnt expecting to break any records but i had kind of said to myself if i can do a 57 i would be delighted forget the rest this is my first one which is always hard especially since i havent ridden my TT bike since last August or raced since then as well.

I climbed Sun rising a swept up the last 200 metres with the shouts of encouragement ringing in my ears for a moment i didnt think that my 57 was on but i blasted the final 4 miles and come in with a 57.53 so really pleased on paper it looks like i got spanked which indeed i did but it was my first race done with spoked wheels so it was just done for training more than anything else but given my previous history with this race i have managed to exorcise some demons and had enormous fun to boot.

The following day a went out for a recovery ride with Ian W a really steady hour to flush the toxins out of my legs and have a laugh and catch up with my ol pal got to sat it was the quickest hour ever chatting and laughing cant wait for the spring i reckon Ian will be bang up for some 3 hours rides cos his fitness levels are improving all the time.

Full throttle half volume!

Week commencing the 23rd of Febuary brought a slighty different tilt on procedings.
As i have previously written my normal schedule would comprise of a number of 2 hour efforts with some intervals thrown in and a high intensity turbo session mid week.

This week the idea was to reduce the volume by half but keep the intensity there this effectively gradually freshens you up but keeps sharp ready for my first race on Sunday.

The week itself went well with all my scheduled session being achieved Saturday was somewhat different as i normally do 9x4 minute hill intervals but as i was racing the next day a simple leg spinner for 1 our would suffice.

Hunger knock!

The Weeks training went really well so i looked towards the weekend efforts with a positive attitude.
As previously mentioned Fridays session was very rewarding and the first time i have put in an extra long hard session in the week since i started this training phase back in January.
So Saturday due to the dry conditions i decided to take my new road bike out for my 9x4 minute hill intervals to see how it felt the bike felt good..a little big but i think with a few more tweeks it will be fine the session went well, slow start but after the first 2 accentions of the Tadmarton golf course hill my pulse started to respond nicely to the effort.

Sunday i did my usual session 3-4 hours with 5 minute massive gear efforts i did 3 hours and 30 mins with the first 2hours 20 being really strong but around the 3 hour mark i got a huge hunger knock so i turned round and went home.Given i have done consecutive hard days i think i should of taken out some form of sustinance to get me round the final circuit.

Like i have mentioned in previous posts training is compound so the more you do and the more consistant you are the better it is the same has to be said about your food consumption the more you do the more you have to eat not just on the bike but after as well especially when the going is tough as elevated calorie consumption can continue upto 16 ours after your session has finished so suitable re-fuelling is essential.

If you have never had "the knock" its a very forgetable sensation and not one i would recommend and it affects lots of people in many different ways some get double vision some get monochrome vision some even get really angry i just feel and look like a babbeling wreck on the road so if you ever see me riding at 11mph and frothing at the mouth you know whats happened.

This weeks training.

Fantastic the snows gone and my colds gone..well the worst of it anyway and i feel well enough to commence proper training again.
I did have a brief trip out Sunday to do the reliability trial but it was a pointless exercise i was still recovering from my cold silly really i should of known better.
So i took Monday off to make sure that the worst was gone and cracked on Tuesday.
I did the progressive session with a 5 minute race pace effort 2 hours of good effort it was hard but managed it ok surprisingly well considering. just over 40 miles covered.

Wednesday did a 2 hour hilly ride which took in the climbs of the Knowl and sun rising i went out to Ettington to check out the hardriders route which is fairly lumpy it turned out to be a good session climbed the hills ok no where near the top end of the block probably the small ring and the 16 sprocket. Thursday took completely off.

Friday did the progressive session again felt good big gears good power legs felt a bit tight to start with but soon loosened up and the last 5 minutes at race pace were very good managed to climb the hill going towards Banbury on the Overthorpe Road on the 53x15 at race pace hard but felt really good don't know what it is about that climb but i just love it.

My Dog Basil!

If you've never met him then heres a few pics of my dog Basil.He's a Jack Russel terrier but unfortunately shows his affection by pissing on you.....nice!

Top pic is a rareity he's sitting still!!

New Clothing kit.

The F1-13 bibshorts from Assos not team issue but the stretchiest most comfortable shorts you can get you've really got to feel the weight and see the quality to appreciate them...superb!!

The GIRO Ionos helmet. Lance Armstrong uses one....well if its good enough for Lance.....

De-Feet Armwarmers snug fit good looks ,good value and warm what more do you want for £15

I know this is a bit sad but a new pair of socks De-feet Air-e-ators best socks you can get

New Dura gloves again by De-Feet i saw a guy wearing a pair of these at a road race in 2007 and thought what a great idea.Thick enough to keep out the cold when racing but thin enough so you still have feel of the bike resonably priced as well.

This is an old road jersey circa 2004 but the new design is very similar with the exception of a couple of sponsers. The new ones havent been made yet but the new team clothing company is an American one called Verge and by all accounts the quality is exceptional.

I thought i would check out this new kit from De-Feet the pic above is a pair of Slipstream over shoes.They are predominantly cloth which is unusual but they are very snug fitting and used in the late winter (dry) early spring just to keep the cold of my feet and to give a bit if aerodynamics not that aerodynamics are that important in road racing.

Sickness.

The worst thing for a cyclist is having good legs and feeling really good but having outside influences stopping you doing what you love doing.

With the racing season only weeks away the last thing i wanted was a winter snap that confined me to the shed and then just when i thought we were seeing the other side of the snow and ice i have been struck down with a heavy cold and a sore throat.

Like i stated in my previous post training with a sore throat is absolutely out of the question so all i can do now is rest and let this run its course and hopefully i will be back so i dont miss anymore session before the first race on the 1st of March.

No mans land!!

Started the week with a rest day after 3 continuous on the rack.

So Tuesday did the simulated through and off which was the best yet i saw 54mph in the sprint which equates to 923 watts (my machine only goes up to 999 watts) really pleased with that cant do many of them but at that effort you dont need to the idea is to just show your system the hard efort without pushing to far and to long.

Wednesday looked really positive with the sun shining and the snow melting i decided to train on the road for the first time in over a week.

Decided to do the progressive 130,140,150 session as i thought the side roads would still be icy and if i stick to the mains i would be relatively safe.Went up the Warwick road with no probs a few little patches of ice but nothing to drastic had to pick my way through Edgehill but on the whole wasnt to bad.
Got to the Stratford road but decided to turn around as the sun was in my eyes and i could not see where i was riding so the idea was to go back along the Stratford road down Sun Rising out to ettington which i thought would be great as i will be racing on this road and up the hill in the beggining of March.

Everything was fine untill i got between the turning for Shennington and the top of Sun Rising hill as that 300 metres or so must be the cross over between councils or as some affectionally call it "no mans land" or the bit that no council will take responsibility for.

The upshot of this meant i ended up on my arse and having to ride home gingerly having not completed my session.....bugger!!

A crap fortnight has come to a head now as i have woken up with a stinking cold and sore throat so training is off or at least untill the throat infection subsides.

My coach has alwys drummed it into me that training with a head cold is fine but training with a sore throat is an absolute no no.It can not only make you very ill it can ruin your life permanantly reactive arthritis is a typical downside of training with a sore throat so do not do it!!

Taking the time to recover now will make all the differance and make you a better rider for when it really matters.

Sunday 08.02.2009

Well the ice and snow are still around so back in the shed on Sunday.

My schedule is normally 3-4 hours with big gear efforts but as the turbo comes into the equation you would typically half the volume because of the "non stop" nature of the rack.

I did 2 hours but to be honest i could of done more maybe 2.5 but more is not always the way so 2 hours was ample.

I felt good but its not the same as the road.

Saturday the 07.02.2009

Another day another session in the shed. This is completely going against my training schedule but when the roads are treacharous then the rack is the only resort.

I thought i would see how the 9x4 minute hill efforts would be like on the rack wasnt really expecting to much but to be fair i was pleasently surprised.

I decided to use resistance 7 on the tacx turbo which is only 2 nothches off max but due to the fact the gears will get 1 sprocket bigger everytime a set is complete i thought it would be progressive enough to get a decent tear up.

Have to say the session is best done on the road but today was an excellent session the only change being instead of starting on the 17 sprocket i started on the 16 and went down to the 12 then back up 9 in total. Every set i exceeded my target (O.B.L.A 164bpm) and knew i was there or there abouts as my cadence was around 60rpm when i was on the 12 sprocket.

Like i said previously this is predominately a road session but when you simply cannot get out on the road and doing nothing is not an option then this session will blow out a few cobwebs.

If the icy conditions continue then Sundays session will have to be 2 hours in the shed with big gear efforts should be different.

Snowed in!!

Well so much for a couple of days of snow and back to it eh!!

More ice more snow and back into the shed for the same session as i did on Wednesday this has thrown my training schedule completely out of the window but in times like these when a hint of creativity comes in and of course not to panic and feel confident in what you have already done.

Most club level cyclists tend to panic and try to train more and fit extra into there schedule,this is of course the wrong thing to do so providing you have trained consistently for a couple of months reducing the volume for a week will do you no harm whatsoever it allows the body to adapt and for the training process to come fully on board.

Adaptation is a key part of any training schedule as the body never fully gets the benefit of the training you have been doing so far this week even though its been the rack the sensations i have been getting are quite positive so can't wait for the 1st of March when i will be doing the Banbury star hardriders time trial a 23.5 mile hilly event that takes you down sunrising hill and back up again so should be really interesting.

The Rack!!

When the weather is shit what do you do?

Well thats when plan b kicks into place and the turbo trainer gets dusted off and you retire to the shed .

Cyclists worldwide have affectionately nicknamed the turbo "the rack" not just because of its relentless nature but also because it can be mind numbingly boring!!

So as the weather has turned for the worst and riding on 23mm tires on icey roads isnt really an option i decided that my progressive session would be done on the the dreaded aforementioned.

Got to say though the hour i did went unbelievably well culminating in a full 5 minutes at race pace i saw 100rpm+ on the 12 sprocket and averaged over 450 watts so really pleased.

But beleive me the novelty will soon wear off so lets hope the snow and ice clear soon so i can get out where i belong....on the road!!

Sunday 1st Febuary 2009

After a tough weeks training attempted my scheduled Sunday session.

I set off with my pal Ady around 08:30am and felt ok considering the efforts from the day before.We had a tailwind for the first hour which made for some fast sections especially when doing the massive gear inervals.

Ady managed to get to the otherside of Milcombe before finally droping off which is a big improvement on last week but from Hook Norton all the way to Marston st Lawrence i had a block easterly headwind that was blowing in directly from Siberia.

I pushed on and eventually did the full 3.5 hours.

Its time for a rest now so taking Monday and Tuesday completely off the bike which could be a blessing in disguise given we have had 6 inches of snow so looks like the turbo trainer is going to get a good blasting over the next couple of days.

Last Sunday and this week so far!!

After Saturdays nightmare with my front chainring went out on Sunday to do my 3 hours+ with 5 minute massive gear efforts.

My mate Adrian came out with me we met up at 08:30 and set off! I explained to Ady what i was going to do and he decided he would also like to try.

Got to sat Ady did a superb first hour but his lack of training soon took its toll and he dropped back to ride at his pace.

I managed 3 hours and 20 minutes but to be honest i could of done more but i took heed of what my coach said and limited the amount by only increasing by 10 minutes or so each week.

The week so far has been good i have managed all m scheduled sessions,yesterdays simulated through and off was a bit flat but you carry on regardless.

Just finished my 9x4 minute hill efforts at 164bpm best session of this so far felt great all the way the wind was blowing up the hill but regardless of that legs felt strong.

Sundays session is same as usual might try 3.5 hours this week.

New bike.

Note the large headstock a classic Ridley trait!!

Heres a few photos of my new ride theres a few things to change to get the position just right

Top left..Dura Ace 10 speed should be hassle free with smooth shifting.

Bike maintenance.

Hill intervals today 9x4 minute efforts at 164bpm everything was going great untill i tryed to engage the 13 sprocket then all that i was experiencing was massive chain slip.
I was to annoyed to investigate there and then so took the lon route home at a good brisk pace to try and sort it out.

It turned out that i had completely buzzsawed my front chainring thats what happens when you ride nothing but the big chainring and change your chain but dont check your sprockets.

Buzzsawing is when a chainring loses its profile and each tooth ends up pointed (like a buzzsaws) thus making the chain jump.My fault lesson well and truely learnt!!

3+ hours tomorrow 130-140 with 5 minute massive gear efforts....cant wait!!

Wet ride.

Wednesday off.So here we go again!!
2 hours progessive heart rate starting at 130bpm and increasing by 10 beats every 40 minutes so culminating to 150bpm but the last 5 minutes is a full on race pace effort.

The weather was awful rain and wind were the order of the day but serves me right for not taking full advantage of the beautiful day that was Wednesday.

The session itself went really well i reckon i am averaging around 20mph thats with warm up and cool down so pretty good for this time of year.

Tuesday 20th January.

After the weekends efforts i took Monday as a rest day so i could be relatively fresh for the shortest session of the week on Tuesday.

The shortest session is also the hardest with a flat out sprint required every 20 seconds i can normally do 4 per block and around 4 blocks but its a real killer so much so i've had to take Wednesday off as well but normal service will be resumed Thursday with 2 hours progressive heart rate on the road.

As i have taken my allocation of rest days i must now train 4 days straight...should be interesting!!

Sunday 18th January 2009.

After Fridays and Saturdays antics i was intigued to see how the legs felt today. The session was effectively a base ride but every 10 minutes i was to drop the gear into the biggest sprocket (12) and roll this along for 5 minutes with my H/R just climbing into the high 140's but no higher than 150bpm.

I have done similar sessions in the past but not quite as early in the season as this so i set off at 08:15 this morning with the plan being 4 hours my coach had said to me not to underestimate this session as it is quite tough so he suggested starting with 3 hours and gradually increasing week on week untill i am doing 4 hours or more.

I thought i knew best so with 4 hours and a route firmly entrenched in my head off i went.
The first 2 hours were superb really strong and my thoughts were "piece of piss this" but then around 2.5hours just after another 5 minute effort my legs completely went i will go back to my coach eating a large slice of humble pie.

I will try and do 3.5 hours next week but rest assured when i can achieved 4 hours+ of this session i will definately be in superb condition.

Saturday the 17th of January.

After Fridays session came my specific power session which i do on the Tadmarton golf course hill (Broughton side not Milcombe side).

This session is 9x4 minute sessions on the 53 chainring ranging from the 17-13 sprockets and back up again.
Thought i was going to struggle a bit this morning after Friday but the session went really well despite having a block headwind blowing directly down the hill.

Did all 9 sets and cruised home afterwards 1 hour 45 mins in total and felt quite strong 4 hours tomorrow with 5 minute big gear efforts every 10 minutes so we will see how the lega stand up to this but its effectively a base ride so should be ok.

Training so far.

I mentioned in my last blog that Friday was the start of a 3 day training block starting on Friday with a 2 hour hilly ride with 10 second hill sprints at the top of every climb.

I went out around 09:00am after provisionally sorting the route out in my head.I decided to go out on the Tadmarton road due to its rolling nature and the 2-3 good hills that they can provide.

I kept my H/R between 135-145 bpm on the flats but was scheduled to lift the effort on the hills to OBLA (164bpm) then with the crest of the climb in sight i have to put the gear in the 12 or 13 sprocket and sprint for the final 7-10 seconds.

This is quite a demanding session so the first proper climb of the day is the climb upto Tadmarton its self not so steep but quite long this went ok so decended the other side and started the long steepish climg upto Swacliffe.This was more challenging and i soon began to think i had bitten of more than could chew.

The next hill was the climb out of Brailes towards Lower Tysoe resonably long but not quite so steep i think the severity of Swacliffe made this feel a tad easier and my sprint effort was excellent.

Ever pushing on i rode to Lower Tysoe and sprinted the steep dig just before the village where i rode quite a long flat affair all the way through the Radway and took the back road to the intersection with the Warwick Road where camp hill awaited.

Up and over camp hill and attempted the sprint but its a 10% climb so it took me a bit to get the gear over but get the gear over i did and blasted right to the top. A hook left towards Avon Dassett and a turn right at the bad bend took me towards the British Waterways site at the bottom of Farthinghoe village.

Two more good climbs and 2 more sprints and i was back on the Southam road blasting back to Banbury.

Good session but next week i think i will drop down the hill at the Hanwell turn and use the climb past the Moon and Sixpence just to include one more climb which will make it a perfect session.

Days off!

Part of any good training schedule is an element of rest,its not just about pounding everyday you need to bring the traning adaptation on board and this can only be done through rest either sedatary or active.

Sedatary rest is completely off the bike while active recovery is a uba steady ride to flush out toxins and any metabolic waste that can accumilate in the body with reapeated hard training this is typically done during the racing season.

I have just had 2 days off back to back just cos i felt i needed it but now comes the tough part 3 hard days consecutive you can have the sweet but now comes the sour!!

Took the opportunity to give my old winter training bike a wash down this morning as this winter has really took its toll.The build up of shite was embarrasing and it took me a full hour of scrubbing to get it looking half respectable a quick squirt of WD40 and a good blast of teflon on the chain and she's now ready for a good blasting tomorrow 2 hours hilly with hill sprints......hmm nice!!!

Next training block.

January already and onto my 2nd block of 8 week training.

As i mentioned in my previous blog i am quite advanced fitness wise so both me and my coach have decided that "faint heart never won fair maiden" in fact faint heart never won fuck all so the plan is to put a fair layer of icing on the cake ready for the cherry to be put on top when i start racing in March.

The programme is hard with a sting in the tail in all the sessions that are scheduled.On Saturday did 9x4 minute hill intervals with my pulse around my OBLA (onset of blood lactate accumilation) 164/5 bpm. These are done on progressively harder gears starting on the 17 sprocket and going down to the 13 then back up again,all seated and all on the 53 chainring.

They went really well they were hard but satisfying.

I decided not to do anything Sunday as i wanted to start the week fresh ready for the 5 sessions that has been scheduled into a 7 day cycle.

Just finished my simulated through and off by far the shortest session of the week but by far the most brutal 10 seconds flat out sprint followed by 20 seconds hard just sprint as many times as you can around 4 for me and do around 3-4 sets managed to see 181bpm on my pulse which is very high for me and only managed 3 sets so will try and do the full 4 next week.My coach said that if i could do more than 4 sets i wasnt doing them hard enough on this mornings evidence i will definately agree with him.

2 hour road session tomorrow.....can't wait!!

See you on the road sometime,

Tony B.

Great day!

Everyday is a good day! That has been my pilosophy for a long time now you must always try and take a positive no matter how small and insignificant it may seem because before you know it your cup will be half full and not half empty.

Sometimes your day is full of positives and these are the best! Take for example this Friday (09.01.09) Hooked up with an old school and riding pal for a steady ride around the chilly oxfordshire countryside. Its been a good few years since we last rode and we had arranged to meet at the golf course on the Warwick road regardless of weather and conditions (just like the old days).

We hooked up at 09:30 and went for a spin it was as if we had never stopped riding together.The hour flew by then we went back to my house for a coffee and a chat before we knew it it was nearly 14:00 and we had to say our goodbyes.

Great ride, Great day!!

Tony B.

Today at Pete's

Today went to see my coach Pete Read to assess my current fitness levels and pick up my new bike.

The test went well with a big improvement in aerobic fitness about 10% which for this time of year is a vast gain but the bit i was most happy with was my weight and fat coverage .My weight was 82.5kg's with 16% fat which is a drop of 3% from my last test in November.

So all in all everythig looks to be heading in the right direction and really looking forward to get my next training block which i will receive tomorrow so full up date then.

Oh yes and my new bike its a Ridley Damocles with full Dura Ace but more on that in future blogs when i've actually riddden it so report and pictures at a later date.

Anyway thats it so far,

See you on the road some time,

Tony B.

Training so far.

Hello to anyone who is taking time to read this blog.It is my intention in 2009 to post all my training updates and my test/racing results and full reports during the 2009 season.

2008 season was a bit of a let down really trained really hard during the winter so expectations were high but never really delivered PB'ed over 2 distances but never really got going,so both me and my coach (Pete Read) decided that a change of direction was required.

I have always had a love affair with road racing but as i was concentrating on time trialing my love affair had to be put on the back burner but now it has been rekindled and the training so far this winter has been geared around road racing and my enthusiasm and hunger are well and truely back.

I firmly believe that a change is as good as a rest and this will make me a much more complete rider.

The training this winter has been interesting but not that much different from previous winters the only exception being lots of sessions that involve a change of pace which is quite testing but enjoyable nonetheless.

volume has been kept to around 10-12 hours a week so nothing ground breaking but most of the sessions have been based around quality so a typical week of training looks something like this....

MON- 5 on 5 off ( seconds that is ) up to 15x4 min efforts with h/r around 155bpm.
TUES- Road session upto 2 hours 145-155 bpm with flat out 5 second sprint every 6 mins
WED- Big ring ,small ring upto 2 hours
THURS- Strength session 53x12 seated flatout 10 second hill efforts 1 hour.
FRI- Off or easy ride 2 hours
SAT- Long steady ride 3 hours
SUN- Long ride 3-4 hours h/r 130-140bpm attack hills (optional)

I am going to see my coach tomorrow (Thursday 8th Jan 2009) for my latest test to assess my current fitness levels and pick up my new bike.

I will post another edition of tomorrows antics tomorrow.

See you on the road sometime,

Tony B.