Time for an update!

It’s been a long time since I updated this blog, mainly because little has happened with regard to cycling. I’ve not raced since the end of June and, to be honest, I haven’t missed it. Life has been hectic enough to mean time for training has been limited – I’ve still been doing plenty of riding, but not really training (by training I mean hurting myself on the bike). So last night was the first time in a long, long time that I went on a hard ride – the Dynamo early Wednesday night ride, from Richmond Park to Chertsey and back. I’m only going to say two things about it – firstly I lasted in the main group for about two-thirds of the ride, and secondly ‘ouch’! Much fitness to gain over winter, and a few kilos to shed.

I awoke this morning to find out that Steve Jobs had died. What sad news – as someone who is not even an Apple evangelist it struck me that he has done more for personal device technology than most in this world. I struggle to think of someone who’s image is so closely associated with the products he helped develop and bring to market. He had become and will continue to be the face of Apple.

As a student of Ergonomics and Human Computer Interaction I had early exposure to what Apple innovations meant to users of technology, in particular the innovative approach of the GUI. I remember grappling with HyperCard at college, sitting around a Mac with several other students and actually doing rapid app development, not just reading about it. It was a fantastic way to learn about the intricacies of programming a user interface that would mean something to the end-user. When I started work in my first consultancy there was a ‘legacy’ Macintosh 512k that sat in the corner of the office that was still occasionally used. The 512 must have been produced at around the same time as the Apple ‘1984’ advert (that no one really understood) and yet here we were still using the device to play around on in 1995!

Bringing things up to date, I think I am one of a small number of people who doesn’t own an iPhone, an iPad or an iPod (I do have a Nano though). I’m sure that will change in time!

Can I have the bill please?

Some days I really cannot be bothered to update this blog with my lack of racing prowess. This isn’t one of those days, but the previous 15 or so were. So roll up, roll up, 4 race reports arriving in chronological order, in the fewest number of words possible:

Race 1, Eelmore closed circuit, about 2 weeks ago:
Shit.

Race 2, Hog Hill closed circuit, about 1 week ago:
Challenging.

Race 3, Eelmore again, about 5 days ago:
Frustrating.

Race 4, Surrey League Kirdford (not Alfold as advertised), one day ago:
Fruitless.

To give a little more flavour to the report, if each race were represented by a main dish they would be as follows:

Race 1
Lentil and chickpea bake. Finished just to be polite, even though you hate every bland mouthful.

Race 2
A massive porterhouse steak. Seems daunting at the beginning, but as you progress you start to think that you really could finish it and still have room for pudding.

Race 3
Roast beef with Yorkshire pud, roasted parsnips and all the trimmings. Ordered because you particularly love roasted parsnips. The kitchen is out of parsnips and they’ve substituted over-cooked, bitter chicory.

Race 4
Pork vindaloo (a properly pukka homemade one). Tastes great and has you going back for more, even though you know you’ll feel utterly spent the next day.

So four more races, no points gained. But my form and attitude improved through each one and by Race 4 I was really enjoying myself again. And as luck would have it, I now probably don’t have the chance to race again for at least two weeks!

Note to self:

You’re going to stick near the front tonight, right? Not off the front, not in the middle of the bunch, not at the back, but in the front 10-15 the whole race. The safe area where you actually enjoy racing. You’re not going to waste energy on the front – you’ll ride a smart race for once. OK, we’re rolling out – off we go. Remember, sensible riding, energy conservation, don’t get rattled by dodgy riding, don’t…

Hey, woah, what are you doing? No riding on the front I said, and yet here you are on Lap 1 dragging the whole bunch round. Alright, you’re only riding tempo, but stop it. Immediately. Got it?

Right, that’s better, back at 4th wheel. Let that guy go off the front, leave him to dangle, don’t get involved in chasing him down, just latch onto a wheel coming past and stay in the top 10. Good, you might finally be getting the hang of sensible racing. Stay away from the gobby upright rider and the skinsuit rider – remember last time? They were all over the place.

There goes one of your clubmates...yes, of course you should let him go. Ride tempo on the front for half a lap to give him a chance. Don’t try and catch his break, no, I said don’t...hey, what are you doing? Just because another rider popped off the front you don’t have to...oh I give up!

Right, so despite all my advice you’re in a break, aren’t you? Idiot. It won’t last, no matter how much effort you put in, no matter how much you’re shouted at by others, because it’s too early and the pack behind is rampant. You’ll just tire yourself out, but go ahead, you’re obviously not paying attention, are you?

OK, so the pack is less than 100m behind you, time to knock it off, have a drink and recuperate for a moment. Didn’t exactly cover yourself in glory on that break, did you? Back to Plan A, stay near the front, expend minimal energy. There you go, back at 8th wheel, nicely done. Just stay there, try not to slip back, watch out for gobby guy again, keep it together, let others chase the riders popping off the front.

No, I said don’t slip back. Concentrate, you’re nearly at the back of the bunch. Pedal, faster, move up now or you won't be able to again until the next lap – missed it. Try again in a few minutes. Wait for the rise of the hill, OK now, go go go! NO! Not on the outside down the back straight, the bunch will swerve again and you’ll have the door closed on you. Oh well done, you wasted all that energy to gain 2 positions. Brilliant! Get your breath back and try again in a lap.

Pedal, pedal, push – right, you’ve done it – near the front of the bunch again. Five laps to go – good timing. Now concentrate and, whatever you do, under no circumstances will you...stop that! Was it really worth chasing him down? You’re tired now aren’t you, and the bunch are racing properly. You’re slipping back, keep pushing. Watch out for the guy in the middle of the bunch, he’s dying – go left. LEFT! NOT RIGHT! See, you can’t move out there because of the stream of riders coming past. Well done, you’ve just gone from 5th to near-last in the blink of an eye. That’s your race over sunshine.

Next time you really should listen to me.

Hillingdon Masters, 18th May

Hillingdon. Turned up. Raced. Went home.

Or for a full and frank report that really captures the excitement of the night, see below:

Hillingdon. Turned up. Circuit was wet. Raced. Bike got dirty. Went home.

Rock and a hard place

Well, I’ve done two more races since I last reported, neither of which were terribly successful. The first was another of the Eelmore 3/4 races, so an hour churning around what has become my least favourite circuit. Round and round we go, slow into each hairpin, sprinting out of it, always in sight of everyone on the pan-flat road. I think I’ve finally come to the point where I can no longer be bothered with Eelmore – you have to have serious stamina and a lethargic bunch to get away (it does happen occasionally) and I’m never in a good position for the sprint because I’m so hesitant on the final corner. It isn’t difficult and I’m happy to take it at speed, but I’m always worried about less skilful riders. There was another crash on the final corner due to some dodgy handling, and another CCB rider earlier who seemed to flip his bike on the straight. That’s the second time this series that one of their riders has fallen on a straight piece of the circuit!

Last night was the second Vets series at Hillingdon (mix of ages across E1234 categories) which should have been a safer event. It was certainly more fun, partly because I know some of the riders there and partly because the riding in these Vets races seems to be quite feisty. I spend a lot more time near the front of the race (positive mental attitude) but suffered from my efforts in the windy conditions towards the end. Ever mindful of what can happen in a large group at Spillingdon I decided to sit out the last lap by coasting round at the back of the bunch. If you’re not in the top 20 or so on the final lap with such a big bunch there’s next to no chance of moving up into contention and I just don’t think the risk is worth it. Plenty do though, it would appear. There was a big pile-up on the final lap in the back straight. About 10 riders went down, some quite heavily. Robin from Dynamo was one of them – he’s only just come back from a crash-related injury and seemed to have broken his collarbone – terrible luck. Another Thames Velo rider looked badly hurt and there was plenty of damaged carbon. I narrowly avoided skidding into a prone AndyL from the Wheelers and had to swerve again to avoid a fallen rider in a TeamGB skinsuit who ignored my shout to stay still. Hopefully all those injured will recover soon.

So that’s two races, two back of bunch finishes, and three crashes. To some extent you can say “Oh well, that’s bike racing” but I’m increasingly of the view that there are some extremely careless people out there. I’ve seen more crashes already this year than in the last two or three years and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing. So why are there so many crashes now? Partly I’m sure it’s down to increased numbers on some of the circuits that allow you to be sucked round in the draft of a massive bunch, irrespective of your fitness. That will always mean more riders who think they are in with a chance of glory in the final lap of a crit. More riders are an overall positive sign though, meaning that the sport’s popularity is rising.

I’m sure lack of experience comes into it as well. I’d expect to see some crashes involving youngsters (late teens/early 20’s) who have a different approach to risk in the bunch. They tend to learn quickly though, and usually they show a good standard of riding anyway – they simply take a few more risks because they are fearless. Alright, I’ll admit I’m quite envious of their lack of fear!

The riders I now worry about are the older riders who seem to have recently come into the sport. They don’t seem to be lacking in fitness, but they are simply not experienced in a bunch and take risks without having the benefit (that the younger riders have) of really quick reactions. I can’t help feel that if they only got out more often in chaingangs with their clubs they would develop the skills required to be safer in crits and road races. Last night I felt calm and relaxed at the front of the race, even though I was working hard. In the middle of the bunch I felt nervous and unhappy, even though I was putting in very little effort.

More than anything I’m now worried that I’m becoming increasingly hesitant in the bunch and would rather put in massive efforts to stay on/near the front or drift around a few metres off the back. Perhaps I need some more chaingangs rather than races, just to prove to myself that cycling in close quarters can be a safe and rewarding experience…

I've posted a photo (thanks LCS) which, for a change, shows me actually putting some effort in on the front! Looking at it I'm thinking that I might need a longer stem - I've been feeling a little cramped on the bike in races recently. I also need to loose a couple of kg that have snuck on recently. They must have been hiding in the bottles of wine and at the bottom of the bags of cashew nuts!

General racing

Quick updates from the last two races:

1) Hillingdon Vets, Wednesday night. Quite fast, large field of mixed-ability old codgers (I include myself in this description). Stuck around the back, found it impossible to move up. Finished at the back. Not even a decent workout really. Spend half the time seeing how far I could get whilst breathing only through my nose! Good race though, fairly disciplined and friendly. I'll be back...

2) Milland Hill 3rds, Saturday. Got caught in the split on the second lap, from then on there as no getting back on. That final part of the hill is a killer for the fuller figure - stomping on pedals at walking pace, front wheel jumping off the ground, just to get up the hill. Enjoyed churning round the circuit in a smaller group much more after the split. Great course, interesting profile and good marshalling. Finished near the back, which is enforcing an already-too-prevalent habit. The Gilbatron (TomG) won, great ride, not that I saw or contributed to the win at all.

Oh well, onwards and (I am sure) upwards...

Eelmore 3/4, 13th April

The first race at Eelmore, under grey skies with rainclouds scudding across the horizon. Fairly strong headwind down the home staight, chilly and inhospitable weather. The evening didn’t start well with the organisers realising that they had been locked out of the circuit (well, for car access at least) so we all had to park in the car park and trudge all the way down the gravel path to the sign-on point.

The 3/4 race saw a large turnout (the biggest I’ve seen at Eelmore) of around 55 riders. It made for a nervous opening, with many seemingly inexperienced racers vying for position on the first few laps. I made sure to stay at or near the front for the first part of the race and stay out of trouble. It also meant that I could take the corners at speed and not have to sprint out of every corner, as is required if you ride near the back of the bunch.

Halfway through I made my main mistake – taking a breather near the back of the bunch. With the number of riders in the bunch , the speed on the back straight and the bunching on the headwind straight I found it really difficult to move up again. The bunch was not depleted at all (Eelmore is rather like Hillingdon in that with a big bunch it is almost impossible to get dropped) and some riders were showing signs of erratic riding. I get more and more pissed off when I see riders in the bunch, out of the saddle, looking behind them and swerving all over the place. You are not pros!

Just as I was starting to move up with about 5 laps to go I got caught behind a crash on the top hairpin – one rider had wobbled and taken down another VC Meudon rider. I just managed to avoid his bike as we all sprinted to get back onto the back of the bunch. At 2 laps to go there was another more serious crash on the home straight with about 4 riders coming down. Again this seemed like a totally avoidable crash that was probably down to inexperience, probably from just one rider who took out three other unfortunate riders. It’s fair to say that at this point I gave up, sat up and coasted the final two laps – no way was I going to get up the front from mid-bunch in a group of about 50 without exposing myself to far too much personal risk.

I think over the last few years I’ve seen one crash at Eelmore on the hairpin. In one race this year I’ve seen two crashes. I feel that standards in races generally are really slipping and I have to say that I put the blame squarely on riders who seem to have little experience of group riding. Riders who want to race should have plenty of chaingang miles under their belt before they even contemplate turning up on the start line. It’s an important fact to remember for existing club riders too – we all benefit from making the group rides as inclusive and welcoming as we can.

House!

Well it certainly feels like summer out there at the moment. It will be a rude shock when the spring weather returns and the arm/leg warmers have to come out again, but for the moment the whole of London is enjoying an early respite from the long, cold winter we’ve suffered. And predictably, with the rise in temperature, the aircon in the office has packed up!

It’s funny how the rise in temperature makes you remember all the sensations from summer riding. Bottles of water that warm up within half an hour, the dry ragged throat from commuting too fast down the Embankment in heavy traffic, the splat, splat of bug-hits on your face as you go past hedges and bushes by the side of the road – all sensations that are strangely welcome after a winter of picking through ridges of frozen slush, clothed in three layers of windproof attire with gloves so thick that you can barely change gear. Roll on summer!

I’ve done no racing since my last update – as usual the rash of early season races ends and there is a fallow period before the crits all start up. I’m as yet undecided whether to go for Palace or Eelmore this year as the main mid-week race. Both are infinitely preferable to Hillingdon though! Hog Hill would be good too, but it’s just to much of a schlep in the evening and I seem to have nothing but bad luck there – broken wrist, broken wheel, etc. Thankfully my Enve wheel has been returned from Wheelbuilder.com in the US – it needed a brand new rim, which was rather expensive, even with the crash replacement discount. Can’t recommend Wheelbuilder highly enough though – quick, friendly and professional. All I need to do now is do justice to the fantastic set of wheels.

The non-bike related news is that we have finally got a house. After several attempts on other properties where we were outbid (significantly outbid as well) we have finally purchased a house in Wimbledon after a protracted negotiation period – from initial offer to exchange was nearly three months of nail-biting, faffing, firing solicitors, finding and hiring new solicitors, juggling finances and dealing with the mortgage companies. It finally all came together last week so we celebrated with the bottle of champagne that has been chilling in the fridge since January! Now begins the process of engaging builders, sourcing kitchens, deciding on windows and room layouts and sorting out the garden and storage. At some point I’ll have to seriously start considering bike storage as well. There’s a lot of work to do over the next 5-6 months before we are able to move in. Exciting (and expensive) times!

Hog Bloody Hill

My hate affair with Hog Hill continues...

Mission to get over to Hog Hill for the 3rds/4ths race on Saturday – it takes so long to get there! Turned up with 10mins to spare, after obligatory faffing realised I was late to get to the start line. Joined in at the back of a fairly big field just in time. Fields at Hog Hill always make me feel old – av. age must be about 12.

Lap One – starting at the back meant I was on numpty alert and there were plenty to get past. One guy had a bike with a clunking noise like a lorry – surely you would notice that and fix it?

Lap Two – terrible cornering on the fast corner, spot another few numpties to avoid, down the hill, swoop round the corners at the botttom in the middle of the pack. On the straight at the bottom two idiots decide to dance, collide and swerve all over the place. Idiot One manages to ride away, Idiot Two swerves into my front wheel, his rear skewer scything away like something out of Ben Hur. Cue horrible noise – scrape, ping, scrape, ping, ping, crunch, ping, ping, wheel totally gone, just manage to stay upright and that’s the end of my day. My (still very new) Enve wheel now has 5 broken spokes and is about as true as a banana, but thankfully the rim seems to have escaped damage.

Really pissed off – all that effort for 1.5 laps of racing. Had a hissy fit and refused the offer from organisers of a replacement front wheel.

Edit: no, rim isn't OK. Small cracks in carbon, back to USA for crash replacement scheme - costly but a bit cheaper than a new wheel. I'm wishing evil thoughts on the idiot who swerved in the first place and caused all the damage.

Dunsfold 3rds, 6th March

Ah, back to road racing, and back to Dunsfold – one of my favourite road courses. We had three other Dynamo riders in the first major race of the season, up against strong teams from (in particular) Addiscombe and Kingston Wheelers (the organisers, who had flooded the field with about 11 riders in a Dynamo-style points mission). I quite like the fact that we no longer field the biggest teams in races as we don’t get moaned at so much now.

Weather – chilly but bright (and, more importantly, dry) with fairly light wind. Preparation – poor. We spent the night consuming cocktails, wine and overly expensive food to celebrate my wife’s birthday week extravaganza (as she insists on calling it) so I think it would be fair to say that I wasn’t feeling on top form come 7am on Sunday morning!

We set off at a fair pace and before long a break of about 8 riders had gone. They didn’t build much of a gap initially but, over the course of the next 2 laps, they started to remain out of sight for longer periods of time. This is always problematic (out of sight, out of mind) so a few of us went to the front to up the pace and begin the slow process of dragging them back. I knew that the Addiscombe riders in the break were handy, and also that AndyL from Wheelers was up there, so the ‘engine room’ of the break was well served.

After about two and a half laps of solid effort the break was caught – unfortunately in the process I had tired myself out a little too much. I still haven’t got the balance right between trying to drive the pace and sitting in to recover, and was continually worried that with only 3 or 4 of us working in the bunch we might never catch the break. With hindsight I should have realised that the break weren’t working too well together.

So there I was, resting mid-bunch after some quite concerted effort, thinking “I bet another break goes, should try and get forwards” when another break went! Final lap, stuck mid-bunch, no chance of getting over to it, game over for this non-sprinter. I rolled over the line around 20-something – two of the ‘Mos got in the top 10, so not a bad outing overall.

So on the one hand it was a good workout, I felt I raced reasonably well and can certainly ‘read’ races better that a few years ago. On the other hand I do too much work to benefit others, so I’m not really much of a racer!

And in other news, one of my sons told me that he didn’t want to go out riding on his bicycle on Sunday afternoon because a) it was cold, and b) he was scared of falling off. On the one hand I was relieved that I didn’t have to go on a post-race bike ride, but it doesn’t reflect too well on me, does it?!

Time passes...

Where does all the time go? As usual, my planned (cycling) activities have taken a back seat for some altogether more important tasks, mainly work-related. On the plus side we are also creeping towards a house purchase which was agreed in principal at the end of last year (which means that I may just achieve one more of my 2010 goals, albeit a little late). We have also organised and run a school parents’ quiz, which was a lost of fun! I think the evening went really well, with the one or two obligatory hiccups, although these went largely unnoticed by most of the teams (partly due to the large quantities of alcohol involved).

I managed to get to Hillingdon again for one of the late Winter Series races a few weeks back. It was a return to the Hillingdon I know and do not love – windy, crowded, the predictable near-crash on the final corner, the almost-more-predictable placing in the middle of the bunch for yours truly. Why does Hillingdon suffer from such bad riding? I’m convinced that it is the fault of the circuit when run anti-clockwise that makes it so easy to hold on in the bunch and wait for the sprint.

Training is still ongoing, hampered slightly by a dodgy throat. Hopefully I’ll be fighting fit for the first road race of the year on the 6th March, although it’s the night after my wife’s birthday celebration so I may be feeling a little the worse for wear! Should be interesting…

First race of the year

Hillingdon. Bleugh! Not my favourite circuit, especially not with a raging wind howling down the back straight. The 3rds race on Sunday was an extra date in the Imperial Winter Series (I can never make the Saturday ones) to make up for the three cancelled races caused by the heavy snowfall at the end of last year.

This was always going to be a fitness-tester for me, so I was relaxed and carefree dawdling up to the start line. It was good to see that there was a women’s race on there too. I don’t know why the number of womens’ races seems to have declined over the past few years as there always seems to be plenty of enthusiasm when they are on.

Anyhow, the race – sprint, corner, swerve to avoid dodgy handling, coast, sprint – ah, this was the Hillingdon I remembered! The wind meant that breaks of ones and twos were unlikely to stick, but I still tried my best when I saw Andy from Kingston Wheelers jump off the front. Unfortunately after I caught him and did a turn we realised that no one else had the slightest intention of coming across.

The final laps were the usual slow-slower bunching, expecially on the back straight, with the exception of a 16yr old who popped off the front and stayed out there to claim the win. I’d had enough by the final lap and decided to go to the front and pull the bunch round the last half lap, sacrificing sprint chances to ensure a safer finish. Without properly sprinting I just managed to hang on for 10th spot, so as a fitness tester I was reasonably pleased. The new Enve wheels were awesome as well – snappy and aero.

If only I was able to get to more races…!

3 minutes

Spin faster. This turbo’s making a bit of a grinding noise. I can hear it even over the headphones and with the music cranked up to max volume. I wonder how hot the rear tyre is getting? That plant needs watering. Bizarre, so much rain and this thing looks dehydrated. I feel dehydrated. Cold beer? Why thank you, that would be lovely, but you see I’m half-killing myself here for…ummm… for another 135 seconds. You see I’ve already done 45 seconds of this last interval, and I’ve been at this for 50 minutes now. Maybe some water? No, I’m too out of breath to be able to drink. If I stretch down to my bottle I’ll back off the pedals a fraction and won’t be able to get spinning back up. My average power will drop by a watt at least. Why does this matter? Watt does it matter. Ha ha delirious laughter if I had the breath to make a sound. Am I dehydrated like that plant? Pineapple slices. Wow, that would be good, juicy pineapple. Here comes the chorus, let’s try and match the cadence to the beat. Christ that’s hard work. Hey, my average just went up one watt. Maybe I could slacken off a tad in the last 5 seconds now. God, last five seconds, how long do I have left? What, still 2 minutes? I’m nowhere near halfway through this interval. I’m at about 35%. That’s a total fail. What did we have to get to pass exams at school for O-levels? Pretty sure it was 55% minimum. Right, I won’t look down at the CPU until I’m at least 55% into this interval. That’s…ummmm….hang on…100 seconds, roughly, which is…urrrm…1minute 40 seconds. Why is maths so bloody hard on a turbo. Will I get to hear the best bit of this song before the end of the session? If I look down at the CPU before 1 minute 40 seconds I will erupt in a ball of flames and fail the interval. No question. Can I switch my mind off and stop thinking. I’ll try. That’s it, just listen to the music. I’m pacing Wiggins up the Ventoux climb. Crowd screaming, I’m trying to breath through my nose and keep my mouth shut. Hey, this is no big deal, look how easy I’m taking it. Jesus, was that my heart skipping a beat there? Now it’s galloping. This can’t be right. Am I imaging this? If I look at the CPU though I’ll fail the interval. Did I say that? I think I did, about 20 seconds ago. No, my heart’s really galloping, I’m sure it’s going about 200bpm, something’s not right, better check. Just a quick look, not at the time but at the HR. It’s … oh, that’s alright, it’s 174. No need to panic or call an ambulance. 1 minute 55 seconds! I looked. I honestly didn’t mean to, but I did, and now I have I’m so happy. Nearly 66% done. I’ve passed my O-level. That’s a grade…what, would that have been a B or a C? No matter, by now it’s only 60 seconds to go. This song is bloody going on and on. When’s the best bit – is it after the next chorus? I think sweat has dripped into my ear – the right hand earphone sounds really bassy. This right hand cleat needs sorting – my foot keeps wiggling around on the downstroke. Hey, a gust of wind. That was nice. Keep stomping, keep stomping. If I get to the crest of this imaginary hill before the end of the chorus I just need to floor it for 30 seconds. Ham sandwiches, with loads of English mustard. Next to a cool slowly flowing river. Lemonade, ice cubes clinking in the sunlight. If I look down and have less than 30 seconds to go I will be so happy. Shall I have a peek at the CPU? No, not for another 10 words of this song. What the hell is he singing anyway? Why scream about a mosquito? That must be 2 minutes 30 seconds now. Yes! I’m over halfway through this last minute of the last 3-minute interval from hell. I’m possibly halfway through my life. God, that’s worrying. Why does life pass so quickly but turbo minutes pass so slowly. Was there any whisky left in that bottle from Christmas? I might have a nip after this. Here’s the best bit of the song. If I don’t look at the CPU until this best bit is over I reckon I’ll be at 2 mins 58 seconds. Thump, thump, thump, soaring, pounding guitar, screaming vocals, the quick stuttered fade-down and I must be done, on…what…shit! 2 mins 50 seconds. Push, push. What’s that thudding? Oh, my heart. If a tile fell off the roof right now it would probably land on my head. Man found dead in garden, bike wheels still spinning, surrounded by small chips of terracotta. Like one of those school questions – a man in the middle of a cornfield but none of the corn has been trampled, how did he get there? Parachute didn’t open. Why do I keep thinking about school? My legs are on fire, my throat feels ragged, let it all stop … 2 minutes 56, 57, push harder, I’m leading Cav out for the sprint, faster, 58, don’t slow down, 59, my work is done, yes! 3 minutes! Take that, you bastard turbo, victory is mine. Uuurgh, my legs are trembling. HR dropping beat by beat, I’m going to spin until it gets back down to 120 then I’m off. I hope there’s some whisky left. Pint of water and a small whisky – perfect. It’s what Tom Simpson would have done, I’m sure. And maybe a small square of chocolate.

Happy New Year

Well it’s been a while! The customary post-Christmas increase in mileage has begun in an attempt to shed the extra kilos (3kg to loose by the beginning of March) and get back to the weight I was last autumn. I’ve been looking at my training schedule as well (home-produced) to try and emulate the autumn period where I felt I was going pretty well. Last year my form seemed to desert me in July and August and I’m keen to avoid this happening again.

So, long-ish cold, windy, wet rides will be the order of the day. I’ve extended my commute as well to take in the Embankment route instead of a more direct A3 route. Along with increasing the distance by 2 miles in each direction it has the additional benefit of having far fewer traffic lights. I feel as though I an a free spirit on my bike again, rather than being constrained by the signals developed to slow the flow of traffic into London.

Christmas was spent in India with family and it was lovely to leave snowy cold weather for 27 degree sunshine, even if my break was cut short by 3 days due to delays in the outward journey. My wife took some great photos of their trip to a wildlife park (having family in senior positions within the Forestry Commission helped to get the kids up close and personal with some tigers) which I’ll post on here soon, just to prove that I’m not all about cycling!