Mt Nebo Road

It was 3:30 PM when the alarm went off for the second time today. It did the same thing 12 hours ago, exactly, when I reluctantly got up to get ready for work. This time, I was going to ride my bike on Mt Nebo Road.

I should be rested after the one hour nap and keen to get on the bike for the three hour session. But no, I felt unmotivated and a bit down... or just tired. I looked through the kitchen window and noticed that the wind had picked up, a SE which surely would make the ride down from Jollys Lookout too cold.

The smell of fresh coffee woke me up again and helped me move away from that view. In the spare room, I put on some some warm riding clothes. Undershirt, warm socks, an old bib with holes from a crash, full length Skins on top, jersey and the thought of taking a gilet for the way back.

Back to the kitchen and to the coffee, to do the dishes seemed the right thing to do, I still had 5 min before the planned start of the ride. Plenty of time to eat something, I needed energy for the three hour ride. A banana with Nutela gave me what I needed, and quick. But the coffee made me hot and I decided to get changed, I was going to be doing some intensity work after all.

It was 4:31 when I left the driveway, not cold yet but cool. I had to rush if I was going to do even 2.5 hours today. That warmed me up and I arrived at the meeting point at 4:54, not that I was meeting anyone but I had luck with a few lights... and reached 66.7 km/h somewhere on Waterworks Road.

Another three minutes and I was pushing the red button to time the first 6.5 km of the climb. That was the part I wanted to do my training on, the rest of the 17 km (by my computer) was just a spin up the beautiful climb to Jollys.

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Time is 00'00" and the climb starts

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Mt Nebo Rd


A friendly reminder


One of the downhill runs


All out from here... 165 bpm.
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Mc Afees: 6.5 km, 318 m rise
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A good run today at 16'18", perhaps my best time to date. My average HR was 156 bpm, low because of the descents. More importantly, it was a good workout followed by another 300 m of climbing in this beautiful part of the world.

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View of Sanford Valley from half way up


Rises like this make for great
descents on the way home


Incline past the winery


Perfect spot for a sprint


Beautiful 1 km stretch before Jollys

Turn left and ride up for amazing views


Jollys: 17 km, 615 m rise

From there, it was a slow ride down in the dark, which I enjoyed very much. The temperature was 15 degrees and dropping fast but I was concentrating too much on the road to even feel the cold. I raced home from the bottom to finish the 60 km ride in 2h 15min. And feeling great!

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Note: Photos were taken on 13/8/09, earlier in the afternoon.

Still training for Grafton to Inverell and my new crankset.

Two more weeks are gone, and fast. They were Week 7 and 8 of the twelve week program I put together for my biggest cycling challenge - a 228 km race. And so far, it is all going well, really well in fact.

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The week seven, marked as a recovery week, ended with a race at Lakeside on Saturday morning and an easy ride around Mt Coot-tha on Sunday. The race was a lot of fun, the program read medium volume/high intensity which I translated into:

1. Ride out with friends

2. Try to initiate or participate in many breaks

3. Sprint for the Prime

4. Repeat 2.

5. Try to beat the sprinters

6. Ride home and recover

Not a winning formula, a smart racer can tell but it's what my legs need - good, high intensity workouts.

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HR: 151/170 bpm

Sp: 39/58.9km/h

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Following the program, the Sunday ride was high volume/low intensity. In a very civilised manner, Sandra and I left the house around 8:30 AM for our ride. Sandra had to finish her week with some strength training on the 2.2 km climb at the back of Coot-tha, all I needed to do was keep my HR below 137 bpm.

We picked up our friend Kris on the way and that helped as we chatted for most of the time, leaving Sandra to do her hard work.

I have to say that I had fun. First, I didn't have to time myself, or push hard, or spin or grind up the climb, all I needed to do was pedal with my new 170 mm cranks. THE new cranks!! Yes, they were fitted the day before and looked great! So my ride was about having fun.

Coincidentally, there was a bit of a debate on crank length in one of the local forums. It made the change fairly exciting as a lot of theories and formulas were thrown in, nothing really conclusive but informative nevertheless.

Before - 172.5 mm Ultegra

After - 170 mm FSA SL-K Pro

In my case, the shorter cranks were recommended by an expert. So, was a more forward and lower seat position and cleats with 4.5 degree float (replacing the fixed ones). The changes were all by a few millimeters and based on some careful measurements and my history of injuries.

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I will write more on the changes after a few more kms.

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Week 7: 257km/10h35min

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Last week was another build week, basically with longer rides and more intensity. I had to prepare myself for the Club ITT Championship as well so the week was set to be fairly busy.

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Mon - Recover and fit TT bars

Tue - Easy ride/test bars

Wed - A few more heart beats/try the TT course

Thu - More beats again/test new cranks climbing

Fri - Easy and coffee/adjust bars
Sat - ITT Championship/remove bars

Sun - 160 kms ride

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It can't get more fun than that...

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I have ridden on the road they were having the ITT so many times on my way to Mt Mee that I can tell where all the pot holes are but it is different when you have to ride it flat out, do a U turn in the middle of the road and head back even faster without collapsing before the finish line. Off to Dayboro on Wednesday.

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Closeburn ITT course

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It worked out well. I tested the bars on the hills which led to a couple of changes and I timed myself (54'+) which gave me an idea on how much harder I would have to go to get to my goal - under 51'.

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The Thursday ride was to Mc Afees, I wanted to test the cranks and needed a bit of intensity. The 6.5 km/318 m climb on Mt Nebo road is good for that with its short sharp pinches and descents for a bit of recovery.

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HR: 153/160 bpm

Sp: 22.9/61km/h
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Two good things came out of the ride. One, the cranks are good. Perhaps the crankarms are not as stiff as the Ultegra but I am comfortable climbing with them, on and out of the saddle. Two, I was very close to my best time to Mc Afees at 16'57", that was without killing myself.

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Friday was a recovery day before the ITT, I fitted in a short coffee ride and a siesta before going to work in the afternoon. All good, apart from having to do a late shift the night before a race. I didn't get to bed that late, 1:00 am I think, but the stress of getting to sleep quick so I can get enough rest always keeps me awake for a little longer.

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The ITT day was great. I was dragged out of bed by the smell of fresh coffee made by Sandra, had a small breakfast, jumped on the bike and rode 23 km to the start. Perfect warm up!

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The race itself was like any time trial. I went as hard as I could go or thought I could, overtook a few (couple in my division), got overtaken by a rider who started 1' behind and finished fairly strong in 51' by my computer. That was enough for the second place in my group and 6th or 7th overall.

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I am happy with the result and my time but I keep asking myself how much faster could I have gone with a time trial bike, helmet, wheels, suit, etc... There is only one way to find out, isn't it?

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Sunday ride was the perfect ride. Met a couple of friends in town and went for a 100 km ride in an area that I haven't been before. Rolling hills, good roads, no traffic and a cloudless sky. We average 30 km/h, good pace also.

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I was short by a lot of kms so meeting Sandra and doing another 45 km after having a coffee break back in town saved the day. It also put me in a state of tiredness that I haven't felt for a while. I think a case of dehydration and hunger.

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Week 8: 462 km/17h00min

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Recovering for the last 24 hour. I have been wearing compression tights, eating and drinking well and had a good sleep. Woke up today with a Rest HR of 45 bpm, weight around 65 kg. Ready for another big week...

Training and racing: 1030 km and a bike fit later...

One thousand and thirty kilometers, that's what I have ridden since my last post, three weeks ago. Less than a third of the kms the riders in the Tour de France raced. And lets not go into average speeds, course profiles, etc... I also did lots of TV viewing in a couple of those weeks, setting up an odd sleeping pattern to be able to watch most of the stages and also work and do everything else that is part of our day to day lives.

In the three weeks, I have been building up the kms and have been having a lot of fun on the bike. They were weeks 4, 5 and 6 of the twelve weeks program for my first Grafton to Inverell race. I managed to fit in four races with satisfactory results, with the exception of the Jon Brooks Memorial where I punctured 12.4 km from the start and didn't finish, shortening my week by 80 kms, or a couple of hours.

Week 4 - 199.8 km/7h59min
Week 5 - 365.0 km/14h17min
Week 6 - 464.8 km/16h24min

This week is a recovery week and I chose to take two days off the bike as I am treating a small injury on my right leg, caused by some bad cramping while racing on Saturday. The race was the Cunningham Classic, well known for strong cross winds and 845 m of climbing, the course taking the riders over the Cunningham's Gap and from Gatton to Warwick.

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I planned for a conservative race after the KOM as I had decided to ride back the 96 kms, adding some needed kms to the legs. This approach really had to be put in place as the person with my extra drink bottle didn't make it to the feed station... Another challenge, racing the remaining 45 km with 500 ml of water, my recipe for cramping.

The ride back was a valuable test, and having done it by myself gave me the confidence I needed to believe I can finish the Grafton to Inverell race in September. There are a few more weeks to go and lots more training, with at least another three 180+ km rides ahead.

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In between now and then, we will have the HPRW ITT and Road Race Championship and a few club races. I won't be racing the 2009 State Championships as the budget for racing has been made a little tighter this year.

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Bike Fit

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Because of some physical issues I am having and with the intention of getting a more efficient position on the bike, of course, I had a professional bike fit done. By professional, I mean the bike fit was done by someone who is a specialist on the subject.

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As I expected, the major changes were on seat height and crankarm length. After a bit of research, I am now the owner of a set of 170 mm long carbon cranks. I have been a big fan of the Ultegra set, advocating that no cyclists at an amateur level would need anything of a higher level (crankset or group set, as a matter of fact) but found the carbon set for the same price on the net. Why not, I thought.

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New saddle was the next recommendation but that will have to wait as this is becoming an expensive business again... Is anyone interested in sponsoring a masters level cyclist?

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Next week, I will be testing the new carbon crankset and will have the last changes made on the bike. Looking forward to come back here and report on some amazing speed gains...

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Ciao for now!

Building up the Ks, recovering and following the Tour de France

Monday. It's marked as an off the bike day, a rest day.

I do feel that a day off would be the right thing to do. I am tired after a solid week (my standards here!), tired after watching most of the TdF stages at night and tired from getting up too early to go to work.

The funny thing is, part of me tells me that it would be good to get on the bike. Something like an easy spin on the rollers. Another part says the contrary, that I am tired from the lack of sleep and should rest. It is hard to make this decisions sometimes, as both options have their benefits.


Training

Some good sessions in the week that ended yesterday, including a couple of efforts at Coot-tah and a fast 83.5 km ride. I say fast because I had a nice tail wind for the first half of the ride and fast again as I raced frantically to get home and to work on time. Typical of my late morning rides before late shifts.

On the weekend, and with some assistance from friends, I managed to ride to Elimbah, north of Brisbane, race a club handicap and ride back home. All of the 155 km in a fast to very fast pace. Great riding day!

Surprisingly, I got up early on Sunday, on time for the Zupps ride (I had to get more kms in anyway!) and that's never an easy bunch ride. To top up, Sandra and I met after that and we rode to Southbank for breakfast. Another 4 hours on the saddle when I got home. Another great riding day!

Here are the graphs:

Wednesday: Mt Coot-tah for strength workouts

Saturday: Three laps, handicap race

Sunday: Zupps, 15 kms of race pace

Time: 14h 35min

Dist: 425.5 km


This week, I will drop the volume back a little as I have a couple of races coming up. Saturday, HPRW will be running the club crit championships, this year run in age groups. Then, on Sunday, I will be off to Mt Tyson for the Jon Brooks Memorial.

Plenty of recovery needed after that!


Recovery

There was a lot of emphasis on recovery over the weekend as well. A good diet before and after the training, ice on the legs and a hot baths on both days. There was also a new pair of compression tights on the weekend. I truly believe on these garments, these are my third pair (I have old Skins). Perhaps not the single answer to a good recovery but certainly a great help. But you have to wear them for a long time.

More on how good these are soon.

The Tour de France

As much as I enjoy watching and reading about the Tour, the teams and the riders, what goes on in the media and with the cycling forums around here makes me wonder what people's interests really are.

When Australian riders, S. Gerrans and A. Davies got dropped from their teams, the folks in this country went completely mad. More so in Simon's case, a TdF stage winner, diffusing a harder blow which , triggering what some described (and some encouraged) as pure anger.

There were insults directed to Gerrans team mates, team managers, bike manufacturers, the Spanish population, etc... I was shocked with such a show of narrow minded nationalism, when most of us didn't even know why he was sent home.

At the time, I was afraid some Spanish restaurant in Melbourne was going to get torched. The old call for an all Australian team was again mentioned in the media. Something that hasn't been seeing in the Tour for 70 or 80 years...

OK, there is room for a bit of patriotism here but what about the Tour, what about the twenty teams and their 180 riders. Does anyone around here know that Thomas Voeckler & Mikhail Ignatiev defined all odds and beat all the teams to Perpignan? What about Brice Feillu, the 23 years-old who won a mountain stage in his first Tour de France?

I guess it doesn't make the domestic headlines.

This piece started without much bearing. Now, I feel inclined to write something witty to finish it off. But waiting for some divine light will give me time to read and re-think what I wrote and very likely stop me posting it... Ah well, nothing too serious!

An easy Recovery Week, what's next?

In my last post, I wrote that I didn't have any events to aim for this year and that I was just enjoying the riding and racing. Well, that has changed, it had to change! I have now chosen three races for this year, three A races as they call them.

They are races in which I have little chance of finishing with the top riders but I am going to enter them for the experience and the fun. By saying that, I don't mean sitting there and taking easy, just hoping to finish.

The first event is on the 12th 0f September, a 226 km race from Grafton to Inverell (NSW). It is the longest one-day race in Australia (I think!) and one of the toughest. There is a hard 17 km climb after 65 kms and an undulating terrain once you are on top of the Great Dividing Range -altitude 1000+ m. Then, it is kind of down hill all the way to Inverell as the graph shows...
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For this race, I've put together a nine-week training program based primarily on information found in Joe Friel's book. The fact that I have never ridden that distance and only had done 120+ rides a few times will make it interesting, and difficult. I know someone in the club that has raced it more than a dozen times so I will be trying to find out more about the race in the next few weeks.

Then, eight weeks later, I am hoping to race in the World Masters Games in Sydney... and why not? It is going to be a huge event and I don't get a chance to race for the rainbow stripes often. I haven't decided if I will do the crits and the ITT but I aiming for the road race which will be at the Eastern Creek Raceway. That in itself will be something new and exciting.

For the third event, I am planning to return to the Victorian alpine region this year to race my third Tour of Bright. I missed out the last two because of a holiday overseas and my incident with a van last year and didn't get to try the somehow vicious climb to Mt Hotham. But I heard (and read) a bit about it and have enough madness in me to have a go.

In between those three, there are lots of club races, open events and the QLD Championships to keep me busy and the legs turning.

Training

The first week of the training was mostly for recovery from the last few races, including the Scenic Rim the weekend before. I did add a couple of high intensity rides to a total of six sessions (including a session on the rollers).

Time: 10h 50min
Dist: 266.6 km

The training week ended on Sunday with an easy ride with Sandra. She needed to do a couple of hours as well and had asked if we could ride over the Samford Range and the back roads of Highvale . Perfect, but we left home a little late in the afternoon and been a Sunday, the speeding traffic put me off going up the range. We took the dirt track that runs parallel to the old train line and did most of the riding in this beautiful countryside, located just a few kilometers from Brisbane.

Friendly locals

A steep road revisited...

...same road

This week things will get a little harder and the rides a little longer. I am planning to race another club handicap at Elimbah, 50 kms north of Brisbane. I am just hoping to get a bit of rest in the next three weeks as well, Le Tour is on and staying away from the TV till the early hours is not an easy thing to do.

We will see.

Training and more importantly, a few races in the last 29 days...

Another interesting month, a month full of fun.

It has been a time to have fun on the bike, so no hard training. The weeks have been anything in between 145 and 260 km. I included a few TT sessions, all very short, so I wouldn't stress my body too much and used the weekend races as high-intensity sessions. All about having fun and catching up with friends.

I have a couple of reasons for that. First, I hadn't made any decisions on what events I wanted to peak for this year. Second, I want to have a different approach to training/racing this year, concentrating a lot more on recovery, diet and off the bike activities.

Training has been mostly at an easy pace, even when doing hills. I have used sessions at Nebo, Clear Mountain and Coo-tah just to work on climbing techniques, trying to go a little faster without going harder. The exception was the day I took Sandra's Powertap mounted Mavic Pro wheel for a test on Mt Nebo road.

Now, I have some idea of my power output and will be able to access any changes after doing another test in a couple of months. Another thing I learned, and that has to do with equipment, is how much softer the Mavic Pros are, compared to the Mavic Ksyrium SLs I have been training on. I noticed the difference as I climbed as well as cornering at speed on my down down the mountain... With 32 spokes perhaps the softness is on the Powertap hub.

The racing

This year, and after my stint off the bike, I have gone back to racing B Grade in club events and Masters B (or Cat 3) in Open events. I discussed the move with a club official and we agreed that it is the right decision due to my circumstances (and age!). Obviously, this decision can be re-accessed later in the year and if I ever get to the level I was 12 months ago, I might get moved up again.

The Metropolitan Championship - 69 km Road Race, Mt Alford

That was my third open event for 2009, this one in a course that I was was thought I could do well. I finished 4th in the State Championship in 2007, in 2008 I dropped a chain and never saw the bunch again. This year, I did everything right for most of the race, helping to cover a few attacks, closing gaps and saving a bit on the last lap, positioning myself close to the sprinters as the bunch reached 3 km to the finish. With 800 m to go, I took advantage of the slow pace and attacked in a solo effort but died within 200 m of the line. Made it to the Pub first, if that counts... top 15.

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Av Speed: 35 km/h
Av HR: 153 bpm

HPRW Club Race - Hill Finish (1 hour), Lakeside

Another one of my favourites, this time with a hard up hill finish. Worked hard, felt good, chose a good wheel for the finish... but got stuck on the inside without room to go anywhere. Too late when I found a gap, finishing 6th!

(last 39 min)

Av Speed: 38.6 km/h

Av HR: 153 bpm

HPRW Club Race - Handicap Race (40 km), Somerset Dam

The idea to do this race was to go out to give the legs a spin and have fun before the Avanti Classic, next morning. It is an area of Brisbane that Sandra and I didn't know so even driving there was already a bonus. The course was out and back on a hilly terrain. Starting 3min before Scratch, our group got reduced to 3 riders in the first 4 km (I think). Unfortunately, it did become a hard race after the turn around as we spotted a solo rider trying to get to us... Check this video of the race.

Av Speed: 35.9 km/h
Av HR: 159 bpm

Avanti Classic - Open Handicap (80 km), Lowood

With a 11 min advantage and five or six strong riders in the group, I did think we had a chance of staying away. I changed my mind after someone told me in the first 5 km that I was going to fast for the group... It is hard to change my mind sometimes. I kept going, taking long turns, trying to talk others to do the same. Some did, some just sat there. I didn't mind, it was all training for me. That was my second Avanti Classic, last year I cramped badly when going really strong, so this year I tried to drink as much as possible but ended up getting dropped in the beginning of the second lap as I struggled to get one of my biddons... Silly really, perhaps I was wasted anyway. I did join other groups, including the Scratch but failed to hang on, riding the last 10 or 15 km with another three riders and finishing in just over 2 hours - 67th place.

Av Speed: 40 km/h
Av HR: 152 bpm

HPRW Club Race - Criterium (50min + 2 laps), Nundah Circuit

Legs were feeling fresh with only two rides for the week, including a few intervals at Jinker and a recovery ride with a few folks from work and the V Australia Team. Nundah is always a good place to catch up with friends, the warm up laps being perfect for pre-race chatting. The race turned out to be fast, I managed to get away from the bunch with three other riders after 30 min. We kept the speed high, with a 35 sec gap at some stage. At the end, I lead out the sprint to finish 3rd.

Av Speed: 41.1 km/h
Av HR: 155 bpm

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Tour of Scenic Rim - Road Race, ITT and Kermesse Races, Boonah

The RR was 45 kms on a really, really hilly course (16 km of climbing). The "highlight" been a 450 m climb at 9% at the end of each lap. It was a course which suited me well, a top 3 finish was truly in reach. That was not to happen as I spend too much energy fighting for the KOM points with a U17 rider and had little left for the last lap - 10th place.

Av Speed: 32.5 km/h
Av HR: 154 bpm

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The 12 km Time Trial from pub to pub was on a down hill course and the later groups had a nice SW wind helping for most of the way - 15:57.67 for 9th place. Aero bars next time!

Av Speed: 45.4 km/h
Av HR: 158 bpm

The Kermesse was a 7 km loop which included a few hills as well. Nice! I was well prepared for it and had planned to get away at some stage, only way to steel a few seconds. I knew I was going to be one of the marked riders but had no other choices. I tried my luck twice but didn't have what it takes to get away and stay away that morning. Still, quick change of plans and I was hanging on to some strong finishers wheels for a couple of kms and rough corners... Battled on and finished 3rd.

Av Speed: 37.9 km/h
Av HR: 149 bpm

The overall result was a bit of a mess and after a lot of rightful and unrightful changes, they gave me a 6th place. I guess we just have to be thankful for having events like that in our backyard...

I am now in the middle of a recovery week. As I have now set some goals for 2009, next week I will start an eight-week (crash) program in preparation for the Grafton to Inverell, my first A race for this year. More on that and my other events next time.

Safe riding!

The week: The Giro and Clear Mountain, old training ground revisited

What a great week!

First, the Giro d'Italia '09

I didn't stay up to watch the highlights this year. Really, and if that's possible, I had more important things to do. Did I miss the Giro highlights? Not really. I just read cyclingnews.com and watch the final kms on youtube every morning. Also, found the Italian commentators, which included Bettini more entertaining!

Happy with the race? Absolutely! I find the Giro to be a great race, with great climbs and great riders. It is not portrayed to be the greatest race but it might even be just that. A hat trick by Cavendish, a win by Petacchi, the strong finish by Gerran and a great show of professionalism by Pauwels. He is certainly someone who can replace young Andy Schleck on Sastre's quest to win the TdF again. And on the man himself, Sastre climbing of Monte Petrano and the Vesuvius is what I like to watch.

Simon's great winning smile

Win number one, Mount Petrano

Win number two, The Vesuvio

I can't forget to mention Danilo "The killer" Di Luca as the big fighter of the Giro '09. He just tried everything but ended up dragging and leading Menchov, The Shadow, to the highest spot on the podium. That's racing!

Di Luca and Menchov

The winner is... Menchov!

My riding week was a good one also. I didn't win the Wednesday bunch ride to Jolly's and I didn't get on the podium yesterday but, apart from the hurt, I had a bloody good time having a go on both.

As I haven't sat down to seriously jot down my 2009 training program, I chose to get out there and have fun. Using the rides as tests to find out where I am at the moment is important and will help to design my program and follow my progress later on .

With that in mind, I started by revisiting an old favourite, Clear Mountain. Those short pinches always let me know where my strength level is... First, there is an undulating route via Eatons Crossing then a 6 km stretch to the climbs which I normally use to psych myself for the hurt.

Eaton's Crossing for a warm up

Turn right and start getting ready...

This time I didn't aim to go flat out. I don't need to do that to measure my fitness and strength. I just need to observe my heart rate and how my body behaves when going up. Still, it did cause a little hurt.

The second climb, aiming for the resort


350m, averaging 11%

My route to Clear Mountain (front)

Then, there was the Wednesday ride to Jolly's Lookout, with Adam. It can also be called "Wednesday hurtfest", even when you set out to take it easy because you have a hilly race on the weekend.

With that in mind, I met Stephen and rolled at an easy pace towards the bottom of Nebo. A small group gathered in the dark, chatty but surely aware of each other and trying to foresee the amount of pain that was about to be generated. The word "F..k" came to my mind as I realised I was the weakest of the five...

The Nebo climb is not for the pure climber (none in our group) as there are ups and downs. So, if you want to do a good time, you need to speed down the descents in the dark. It is a demanding, risk taking exercise at times. Even more, if you rely on your mate's powerful lights to illuminate the corners. In daylight is safer and that's when you can set some really good times.

Home to Jolly's

An easy solo ride on Thursday as I really needed to recover. Lovely, it feels good just riding the bike sometimes... With training in mind, I added some high cadence efforts, to start getting some speed on the untrained legs.

180m at 176, 183, 177, 184 and 186 RPM

Day off the bike on Friday as I started work at 4 am, after a sleepless night. It meant getting home early, true, but I was in no condition to go anywhere or doing any form of exercise. In times like that, it just stresses my immune system. Yoga stretches was the best I could do.

Saturday, an early-enough shift again, a 40 min spin on the rollers and a Yoga session with Sandra before heading to the Gold Coast for a party. Perfect prep for the race on Sunday.

The Metro's at Mt Alford is a tough little race if you are racing Masters B. I say little because of the relatively short distance, 69 km. I raced it with the Masters A lot last year, dropped a chain before the top of the last hill on lap two and never saw them again... I chased them on the downhill for a few minutes at 80 km/h and still watched the small group ride away... I did one more lap on my own and decided to stop. A fourth lap on that windy loop would be a killer.

Yesterday's race wasn't much easier but it was fun. My present form didn't allow me to have an easy ride. I did have to conserve when I could and go fairly hard when I saw myself drifting back. I needed to be at the front all the time. I felt the lack of power on the steep little hills and had to do them on my lowest gear (39/23), with difficulties.

A felt pretty fresh in the last kms, held my position in the middle of the bunch and stayed out of the wind and in touch with the sprinters. As the bunch cought a couple of scapees I took my chance hoping that the reaction was going to be slow. It was, but it was with 1 km, or thereabout, to go. Too far. In the process, I dragged a rider to the 300 m mark before fading (at the pub!!). I think he finished well.

I dragged myself across the line behind a bunch of 12-15 riders (just a guess here) so top twenty. How do I feel? I wish I had Stage 2 this morning...

The tree 23 km loops

Picture and dish of the week. It just looked so good that I had to photograph it and post it here. I did taste good too.

Vegetable Frittata

AMR