About Training & Racing... and another bike!!

Training

The blog is also about training so I will put down the stuff I am doing at the moment. As I said before, the sessions are all an attempt to stay fit (and sane) and even gain some kind of form for when I get back on the road again. It seems like that day is still months away, that making it hard sometimes but at the end of the sessions, I feel better.

Tuesday
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- All out Efforts of 2'30"; 2'; 1'30"; 1'; 30" (same recovery time) x 2 set
Time: 1h30m
Virtual Dist: 32.9 km
AvHR: 112 bpm
MaxHR: 162 bpm

Wednesday


- High Cadence Efforts of 3' x 8
Time: 1h52m
Virtual Dist: 40.8 km
AvHR: 105 bpm
MaxHR: 159 bpm

Thursday


- Easy spin
Time: 2h
Virtual Dist: 47.2 km
AvHR: 93 bpm
MaxHR: 127 bpm


Racing

Or no racing I should say.

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Another great event will be happening this weekend, the Fusion Criterium. Perhaps what might become in the future, the biggest Criterium Race in Brisbane. It is new so the organisers haven't been able to run all grades this time around but they are putting three big races (A grade, B and Women) with some really good cash for grabs. The sign-in is on race day but all riders were asked to nominate themselves by sending an e-mail to the organisers. A list was put together with over 60 names in each of the men's events. Huge!!!

After seeing my name on the list, which has more than 60 riders, I got really excited with the prospect of racing again and got me thinking how much I enjoy racing. I am missing it! On that, I also started asking myself how important can racing a pushbike be to someone...

In the last few years, cycling has become a very important part of my life. Sometimes, I must admit it, the most important part of my life. I can think of many reasons for doing what I do, what I call my little obsession:

1. I was a late starter in the sport so I had to do a lot of work (cycling) to catch up and become a little competitive;

2. Everything I do is in a kind of excessive way, can't help it;

3. My partner loves cycling as well. It helps the relationship when we can both talk bikes at the dinner table.

Then, in a more general way, there are health benefits and the social aspect of it. I drink much less alcohol and more Green Tea nowadays and I don't smoke anymore. I have met some really nice people, some really cool too.

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Put all these together, add some amazing addictive chemical reactions that happens in the body and I am hooked on cycling.

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Since I hurt my shoulder, I have spent a lot of time and energy trying to decide if I should enter the races. I missed most of my main events this year and I won't be there on Sunday. It is the right thing to do. There is always next season. Hopefully...

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Another Bike...

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Another important aspect of cycling is the chance of using some really simple and interesting equipment. They can be as high-tech as we want (wind-tunnel tested, electronic shifters, hydro formed tubes, etc) or really simple and not very different from the bicycles ridden in the beginning of last century.

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I like it both ways. I can see the beauty in all of them, being how passionately they have been made and how fast they can take you to the top of the climb. On that note, I chose to post this beautiful example of simplicity and craftsmanship... it does look fast also. Also, because of the man behind the process. No, I don't know the guy and only found his web-site a couple of days ago. But I am so impressed with the whole thing that I need to share it...

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Gellie Custom Bikes