07/11/2008We arrived in Portugal at our ever-so-cure windmill, and decided to get everything unpacked before settling down for dinner. It had been a long day - journeying to Heathrow, flying to Lisbon, driving up to Assafora. I was tidying up the top story of the windmill, the one with the conical revolving roof, where the giant wooden windmill shaft itself connects up to the large downwards shaft that turns the mill stone that grinds the corn to make the flour. As I finished, I stood up. Bad idea, the sharp cracking sound in my ears, and the snap in my skull told me I should now be lying on teh carpet - so I did. I gingerly felt the top of my head - my hand came away like I'd just dipped it into a can of tomato sauce. I called out for Jayne. Jayne told one look and calmly told her my brains were poking out my head. I believed her. 
She telephoned 112 (Portuguese for 911 or 999), and after a long periods of mis-understanding, and repeatedly frantic calls on the phone trying to find an emergency English speaker (as my life ebbed away upstairs), an ambulance arrived. The medics took one look and calmly explained that I'd need to be transported back to Lisbon to the main hospital. I needed to know how bad it was, and when I asked they explained calmly that I'd need two stitches. Evidently, I had a short, deep cut, lots of blood, and no skull fracture. I'd been prepared for much worse, this sounded like great news to me. The hospital adventure is worth a separate story (imagine scenes for Mr Gilliam's movie 'Brazil'), but the medics (volunteers from Sintra - Mr Paulinho Serano and friends) was amazing, the two of them escorted me throughout the hospital as if I their favourite cycling superstar. A couple of hours later, and I was back in the windmill (now permanently stooping to avoid a repeat performance), slightly sore, and hoping tomorrow would be better. All of which goes to prove that cycle racing is one of the safest things I do. R. 11/10/2008Just like the obscure world of British business suits, cycling too has a largely un-written collection of style rules. Josh @ Pez broke the code of silence recently and published a few of the Euro cycling style rules, presumably ‘euro’ because the American rules of style are yet to be established. Some style rules come and go (and then come back again – like heritage wrap-around glasses). Some rules have passed me by, only to shock me with their near universal application just outside my consciousness. Actually, some rules I just made up – like never mixing American mountain-bike-brand componentry with real Italian components. This means (for me at least) no Specialized shoes with Campagnolo gears, or no San Marco saddles on Trek frames. I’m the only person I know who obsesses about such things. So, it was with some surprise that I slowly realised this month “the colour of your saddle must match the colour of your white-only handlebar tape”. This is the second new rule I learned this year – the other new rule is “the colour of your cycling shoes must match the colour of your white-only cycling socks”. Santa will have to fix my shoes, but today I fixed my saddle colour. The old saddle (Selle Italia Signo Gel Flow) looked like this after a year and a couple of crashes: 
My new saddle (Selle Italia Thoork Team Edition) looks like this: 
The new saddle is 140g vs 225g, thanks to it’s full carbon rails, and it’s no doubt reduced layers of gel and padding. For the financially minded, it cost slightly more £1/g to make this weight saving. Time will tell how well my bones will evolve to fit this saddle. R. 06/10/2008Second in a series of ‘lucky’ bike part posts. I didn’t like my other new skewers, sure they were titanium, and yes they were supposed to match my bike, but somehow their levers always looked, well, ungainly. The aerodynamicist in me was always saying the front lever in particular was sticking out into the wind, and slowing the whole bike in some immeasurable way. Here’s pic of the old new ones on my bike: 
So, what to do? Research and then buy a brand new new pair. I settled on the latest KCNC skewers. 42g each, hollow aluminium levers, and Ti rods. A chap in Taiwan was kind enough to post them out to me, all very straight forward – the KCNC’s seem unobtainable in the UK. The factory brochure says they look like this: 
On my bike, the new new skewers look like this: 
I wondering whether I should have bought silver ones now, but hey ho, there’s always next year. Now, I’ve realised much too late that my handlebar tape is supposed to match my saddle (this is one of cycling laws like “Always wear white socks on the bike, but never wear them off the bike”). So, in teh next luck part instalment I’ll be revealing my brand new saddle. R. 29/09/2008I like things on my bike to be just so – no rattles or squeaks, nothing loose, nothing ugly. So, you can imagine the levels of despair that descended last month when I realised one of the alloys bolts on my bike had started to corrode (or whatever it is that alloy bolts do) – it had turned a whiter shade of pale, and looked ugly. There was nothing else for it but to replace completely with a nice strong, and most importantly shiny, titanium bolt replacement. A couple of quick measurements (13mm long for Campagnolo Chorus rear brake mounting bolt), some clicks on the interwebs, and a few days later it arrived. That’s enough excitement for one night, sleep safely my gentle reader. R. Here’s the old bolt (yuk!): 
Here’s the nice shiny new bolt (yum): 
26/08/2008Race Preparation: Very Poor. Excuses: 1. Went jogging during race day (5 miles), first jogging in five years. 2. Slept badly all week 3. Lower back sore all week 4. Missed out on my long ride on Sunday 5. Ate badly today (too much pasta too late) 6. Made beginners mistake in the race, went off the front for the first two or three laps, burning off extra energy early, while everyone else was resting behind me. Result: Fell off the back of the bunch sometime in the middle of the race. A couple of hundred meters behind them at the finish. The Race: shortened to 20 laps Data Analysis: - Heart rate elevated, power down (I guess that mean one thing: fatigue) - Power to HR drift: under 8% (that means I raced within my limits, probably too much so) - Intensity: 79% (that means I was practically coasting around the circuit, a good race performance should really be closer to 100%) - Speed 38kmh average (good, but over a much shorter distance than a fortnight ago) The Data:
Duration: 34:06
Work: 412 kJ
TSS: 35.5 (intensity factor 0.791)
Norm Power: 221
VI: 1.1
Pw:HR: 7.9%
Pa:HR: 1.64%
Distance: 21.595 km
Elevation Gain: 232 m
Elevation Loss: 235 m
Grade: -0.0 % (-3 m)
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 619 201 watts
Heart Rate: 128 181 174 bpm
Cadence: 29 118 89 rpm
Speed: 12.8 54 38.0 kph
Pace 1:07 4:41 1:35 min/km
Altitude: 40 55 48 m R. 19/08/2008 
Photographer: Eric Hands Aggh, trained, recovered, rested, slept, ate, warmed up – only to be greeted with a wet circuit and a friendly “It’s off mate” by racers leaving the circuit. Fitness (CTL) = 64 [almost fit enough to race] Fatigue (TSB) = +13 [well rested] I felt like I could’ve been famous tonight (proving that I’ve elevated the level of “the game inside my head” somewhat). Never mind, there’s one last Crystal Palace race next week – weather permitting. Let’s start the whole weekly cycle [sic] again, beginning with training in the morning.... R. 13/08/2008Thank-you to Simon for his donation of race pictures! Apparently I have an air intake problem when I’m racing, I’m gulping in each shot. R. 
Hillingdon feels so easy, but the data looks remarkably similar to Crystal Palace, which feels like murder. R. 26Jan2008 Hillingdon 7th Cat4 (159 watts):
Duration: 54:38
Work: 521 kJ
TSS: 67.9 (intensity factor 0.863)
Norm Power: 242
VI: 1.52
Pw:HR: 66.24%
Pa:HR: 10.99%
Distance: 33.01 km
Elevation Gain: 194 m
Elevation Loss: 192 m
Grade: 0.0 % (2 m)
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 835 159 watts
Heart Rate: 114 190 172 bpm
Cadence: 33 129 95 rpm
Speed: 0 54.7 36.3 kph
Pace 1:06 0:00 1:39 min/km
Altitude: 16 28 21 m
Crank Torque: 0 97.3 15.9 N-m 12ug2008 Crystal Palace 7th Cat 3/4 (194 watts):
Duration: 50:32
Work: 587 kJ
TSS: 59.2 (intensity factor 0.839)
Norm Power: 235
VI: 1.21
Pw:HR: 26.05%
Pa:HR: 2.01%
Distance: 31.233 km
Elevation Gain: 335 m
Elevation Loss: 341 m
Grade: -0.0 % (-6 m)
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 882 194 watts
Heart Rate: 120 187 168 bpm
Cadence: 31 126 92 rpm
Speed: 0 55.7 37.1 kph
Pace 1:05 0:00 1:37 min/km
Altitude: 38 57 48 m
Crank Torque: 0 95.7 19.7 N-m 12/08/2008I did it Lady and Gentleman (my two readers), 7th place, 3 points to add to my Cat3 racing licence. After only 5 years (or is it six) of trying (sometimes not very hard). Last week’s race had been rained off (so I did a two hour chaingang training session with the club instead), and I’ve been allowed to ride for 3 hours each Sunday albeit at a relaxed pace (70% effort). Plus I fixed the niggling gear skipping problem (new bottom bracket ceramic bearings, new chain, new cassettes on all wheels). Plus I’ve been sleeping 8 hours of more a night, plus I''ve been eating properly, including my hour-by-hour race day diet (and no, I have been taking any illegal drugs). Plus, because I thought it would rain and the race would be cancelled again, I didn't ride my carbon wheels, just my Eurus w/ ProRace2 lights and latex tubes. And all of that seems to have paid off. I got a great start, straight into the top 5. I stayed with the leading bunch for 5 laps. I got pushed wide at the hairpin twice onto the grass,losing places each time, that I was quite easily able to re-gain. I deliberately held back conserving energy. And, then my oxygen-starved brain forgot the plan, the red mist descended, and I launched myself out of the hairpin when the rest of the bunch was sleeping. I shot into the lead, overtaking the bunch at what seemed like warp speed to me, shouting "woah hey" with joy. Obviously, when normal brain-service resumed, I realised my beginners mistake, and let 10 people go round me on the hill, so I could rest again. I'd done 10 laps with the bunch, and then 15, and then 20 laps. I'd never been this far before. My winter experience at Hillingdon started to pay off. I prepared for the finish with ten laps to go. Spotting each corner round the circuit, working it all out in reverse. If I needed to be outside on the last corner, then I needed to be inside on the second last corner, and so on ,and so on,and so on. As each lap passed, I tried my moves out for practice. They seemed to be working, I was sure now I'd finish in the points somewhere. Disaster struck on the bell lap. I was busy in dream world practicing my finishing positions, when I heard the god-fearing sound of scrapping, graunching rubber, carbon fiber, lycra and flesh (in that order). I looked across to my right to see mayhem breaking out. Someone went down very hard, and someone else ran into them even harder. The bunch split left and right around them, like a flock of seagulls round a pylon. I ran. The last lap was nervous. I stuck to my planned positions, someone went for a break near the top of the hill with two corners left to go. My legs stayed with them. I hit my final corner in exactly the right position, and sprinted for the line. Made a few places up, and hit the line for 7th, my best ever result at Crystal Palace, actually, my only ever result at Crystal Palace. I can't wait for next week, I'll feel like Superboy for days now. I have a two more hard days training to come (100 miles plus), and then four days tapering on holiday in Wales. I'll will be back at Crystal Palace with anger for the last two races. Computer says: My Power output is currently ranked: not even good enough for Cat4! My fitness: 61 (Chronic Training Load, Training Stress Score/Day) - barely good enough to go racing My fatigue: -9 Training Stress Balance (not fully recovered at all) Tonight's Effort out of 100%: 84% - just cruising Average Speed: 37.1 km/h - slightly faster than my last few races Maximum Power Output: 882 watts - my best since March 2008, my race form is returning slowly. Sprint Speed at Finish Line: 55.7 km/h - I've another 10km/h in the tank somewhere. Entire workout (194 watts):
Duration: 50:32
Work: 587 kJ
TSS: 59.2 (intensity factor 0.839)
Norm Power: 235
VI: 1.21
Pw:HR: 26.05%
Pa:HR: 2.01%
Distance: 31.233 km
Elevation Gain: 335 m
Elevation Loss: 341 m
Grade: -0.0 % (-6 m)
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 882 194 watts
Heart Rate: 120 187 168 bpm
Cadence: 31 126 92 rpm
Speed: 0 55.7 37.1 kph
Pace 1:05 0:00 1:37 min/km
Altitude: 38 57 48 m Hopefully, some kind pro out there has pictures of this glorious 12th August. R. 30/07/2008Result: - lapped once by Cat3 bunch, almost gave up, and then caught a pair of old friends, and stayed with them until they out-sprinted me for the finish. Excuses: - forced onto the grass twice, second time was able to entertain the crowd with a nice display of two-wheel drifting on a road bike.- a skill not easily mastered. Lost several places on each field trip. - plagued by mechanical failures of sorts – my gears keep on slipping while sprinting out of every corner. I lose several more places each time this happens - I’m still only running one ceramic bearing in my bottom bracket, the other one arrived too late this week for the race. State of Mind: - positive, I refuse to let Crystal Palace beat me for another year, I have four or five races left to prove I can hold the Cat3 bunch. Next week: - New chain (and new block if needed) and testing to make certain I don’t suffer skipping gears again - Install the last remaining ceramic bearing, who knows maybe it will make a difference - Smart training (turbo-trainer interval sessions of one hour plus duration) - Smart commuting (really heavy wheels, alternating cadence drills and sprint drills) - Never say die to the bunch, hang no matter what what muscle groups is trying to say no. data: Fitness (Chronic Training Load): 60 – nearly fit enough to race, 70 is required Fatigue (Training Stress Balance): +3.4 – neutral, not rested, not fatigued. Entire workout (221 watts):
Duration: 1:02:37
Work: 832 kJ
TSS: 88.8 (intensity factor 0.922)
Norm Power: 258
VI: 1.17
Pw:HR: 9.77%
Pa:HR: 4.1%
Distance: 37.392 km
Elevation Gain: 398 m
Elevation Loss: 404 m
Grade: -0.0 % (-6 m)
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 700 221 watts
Heart Rate: 111 179 168 bpm
Cadence: 30 130 86 rpm
Speed: 0 52.4 35.8 kph
Pace 1:09 0:00 1:40 min/km
Altitude: 32 50 41 m
Crank Torque: 0 94.5 25.3 N-m |
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