Since our return from Cairns, I have spent very little time off the bike. Straight back into training as we have the Sunshine Coast Tour in less than four weeks.
We are still focusing on Strength workouts and Speed work, having introduced Time Trial efforts in low cadence and keeping the Spin intervals. With those workouts, we are also hoping to increase Anaerobic Endurance and improve pedalling efficiency. On Saturdays, if I am not working, I will do a club race.
This Saturday, it was a criterium at Murrarie. The Balmoral club has been running these races for years and it is the most popular club event in Brisbane. Because of its easy access and proximity to the city, it has become the place to go if you want a quick hit out... Known as the "Muz", it is not hard to see bunches of 60+ riders going around the short circuit and fighting for the line on the 100 m straight.
Trying to get away at Murrarie
Also, with a bit of convincing, I got my coach to agree that I should introduce some climbing into the program as one of the stages of the Tour is a 6 km Hill Climb. So, in the next few weeks, I will be heading to Dayboro to hit the Mt Mee climb a little harder. And no more Zupps for a while...
This year, with the Sunshine Coast Tour dates been changed to the first weekend of June, the road race calendar became a little packed for the May/June period. Just before the Tour, we will have four Open Events, including the Metropolitan Road Championship the weekend before. All hard races, which would take a few days to recover (at my age anyway...).
As I have chosen the Tour as a priority race for this year, I might have to skip a couple of races. This is the busy calendar for Open road racing in Queensland:
http://www.qld.cycling.org.au/new/pdf/2008_flyers/2008%20Road%20Calendar%2022.04.08.pdf
The weather has been fantastic, cold in the mornings but temperatures reaching mid-twenties during the day. As I have a few days off during the week, I can afford to get on the road at around 10, when the number of cars on the roads have also lessened.
Ok, off to Sandgate for some spin intervals along the beach, and coffee of course.
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
2 comments:
It seems like you have a great racing scene there. Good training ground for all the Aussies now kicking butt on the US pro scene.
Indeed. The good weather all year around helps a lot. Most of the young hot aussies come from the southern states, a matter of demographics I think. In the US, we have Jonathan Cantwell and in Europe we have Adam Hanson, both young queenslanders.
Post a Comment