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.
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Friday, 20 February 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, 14 February 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, 12 February 2009
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.
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.
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, 7 February 2009
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.
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.
Friday, 6 February 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
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!!
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!!
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
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.
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.
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