2009 Training Plan

Since getting back from Wales I've been busy putting into action the things required to achieve what I discussed in those first couple of blogs. Its been a steep learning curve, learning the hard way after throwing myself into the first interval training ride of the year with the Mitre. The ride was such a system shock I had to spend a week off the bike. That was how not to begin a training plan... can't do it on motivation alone.

Initially I'd been using Peter Ward's 'King of Sports' as a guideline whilst also seeking advice from Mick at the Brighton Mitre. To assist in my own plans he invited me along to a meeting with one of the guys at the club who he has designed a training plan for. He'd created a very comprehensive plan, including interval sessions to improve weakness areas as well as improve strength, endurance and VO2 Max. VO2 Max... until that point I'd only had a vague idea of what it was, along with lactate threshold, slow and fast twitch muscle fibres, periodization... these were all words I would shortly being reading a lot more about.

It became apparent very quickly that to significantly improve at all this year I was going to need some guidance from someone who knew what they were doing. In the past I've got by with lots of miles and lots of climbing, though even after nearly 5000 miles of riding last year I still couldn't find that extra top end speed everyone seemed to have when racing.

Mick invited me to take a fitness test on his power meter trainer, the results of which would form the basis for my own training plan. I turned up at his house and grimaced as I watched his wife go through the same test first: 10 minute warmup, 8 minutes flat out, 10 minute rest, 8 minutes flat out. My turn came and whilst Mick and his mate looked on drinking beer I burst my lungs and heart out on the turbo. The purpose of the test is to take a fitness base line to measure against, but to also measure average, maximum and lactate threshold heart rates so training zones can be set. It wasn't long into the second test that I was redlining with my heart feeling like it was about to burst out my ribs and bounce out on the kitchen floor.

The results showed I was fit, but obviously had little experience of riding at consistently high intensity. My power and cadence were all over the place, dropping when the pain hit home and heart rate hit the roof, followed by a short recovery, then repeat. What should have been a smooth line gradually getting higher was a zig zag reflecting my physical discomfort above lactate threshold and position problems. The results of the first test are listed here. Plenty of work to do then...

Following the test Mick started putting together a periodized training plan to tackle the main issues - intensity and race fitness. In the mean time I had some reading to do. It was all well and good making big statements of intent back in January, but now I needed to flesh them out. First step was to purchase some books -

- Cyclists Training Bible by Joe Friel
- The Ultimate Ride by Chris Carmichael
- Cycle for Life by Nicole Cooke

The combination of these great books brought me up to speed on the many subjects involved in what a training plan actually entails. From body mechanics to nutrition and diet, training volume and intensity to overtraining and burnout, aerobic / anaerobic fitness and finally setting goals and the specific objectives to realise them. In addition to researching and setting goals, I decided that another area needed attention - bike position.

As mentioned in the previous entry my visit to Cyclefit was very successful (and highly recommended). In resolving issues with my shoes and cleats and pointing out areas for improvement with posture I've already found a marked improvement in pedalling and general comfort on the bike. Posture is a major area for improvement and to tackle this I've enrolled the help of Body Rehab in Brighton. Tonight was my first assessment and after a very thorough examination of my core muscles a number of exercises were prescribed.

Last week I began my training plan as compiled by Mick. The first 8 weeks concentrate on improving pedalling efficiency with fast pedalling workouts and improving of my lactate threshold using intervals in zones just below lactate threshold . Intensity of the workouts gradually builds over a 4 week block, the final week being a reduced training week where recovery is priority. At the end of the 4 weeks another fitness test is conducted to measure improvement. The next block is at a slightly higher intensity again, roughly an increase of 10-15% over the previous block of 4 weeks. These blocks then gradually shift from volume vs intesity to intensity vs volume as you approach peak fitness.

Much of the interval workouts require considerable concentration to maintain the correct heart rate zone, or keep a certain cadence. I've found this difficult to achieve riding out on the road with interruptions in traffic or punctures, so I've bit the bullet and bought a new turbo trainer. The Tacx IMagic VR is an awesome setup and I've connected up to my Trek in the spare room to a 24" screen. The long tedious hours on the turbo are now much more focused, having a wealth of data to concentrate on including power output, cadence, heart rate and speed. The analysis tools are great for measuring progress between sessions and spotting areas for improvement. In terms of motivation its invaluable.

The final step in this new world has been to set goals for the year and tangible objectives which can be achieved to realise them. My primary goal is to gain 3rd cat, though I'm also aiming for a gold result in a couple of sportives, to revisit the South Downs Way and complete it in under 10 hours, to complete my work commute in under 1 hour and finally to get over my fixed gear crash last year and compete in the track league.


With the lifestyle changes I've had to make completing these goals a reality, keeping motivated is key. For the first time I've found that a routine isn't a bad thing and is in fact essential! To help keep motivated I've set short term objectives which will contribute to the seasons goals and these are reviewed at the end of each training block. In addition to this I've been keeping a training diary to monitor heart rate, weight, aches and pains, workout results and race results. You can see it online here - http://pedalog.blogspot.com. This years goals and objectives are listed here - http://pedalog.blogspot.com/search/label/2009%20Goals.

This week is the end of my first recovery week followed by a second fitness test Saturday and my first race of the season at Chertsey this Sunday. Will get a race report up Sunday night.

Cyclefit

Last week I visited Cyclefit in London on recommendation from someone at the Mitre club. I'd been having right knee problems and back ache on long rides so wanted to get it sorted before doing any more damange. Cyclefit provide professional bike fitting services, including examining posture, muscle recruitment, cleat position, injuries and range of motion. Their website describes their service better than I can!

"Cycle-Fitting is the meticulous understanding of the intricate human interaction with a bicycle, with the specific aim of gaining efficiency, power and comfort for every rider. Because we are concerned with optimising human movement that is being applied to complex machinery, cycle-fitting readily draws upon from the disciplines of ergonomics, bio-mechanics and kinesiology. In the pursuit for performance and the competitive edge CycleFit will always place science, knowledge and discipline above notions of faith and tradition. This rigorous approach has made us largely exceptional in the European and UK Cycle Industry and an acknowledged world authority in the field of building optimum bike-to-human relationships."

Before the session I was asked to fill out a questionairre, detailing my cycling history, goals, injuries/pains and what bikes I'd like to be measured up for. Lastly I was asked whether I'd like the custom molded footbeds at a discounted price included in the session.

The fitting session lasted 2 hours starting firstly with a review of ranges of motion, focusing on the hip, hamstrings and pelvis. This was to establish posture and muscle recruitment in support of a fluid pedal motion. Following on from the anatomical review we moved to foot and arch-shape where the largest part of the session was spent aligning and balancing the foot in view of improved cleat position. During this session it was found that my feet both rolled inwards due to my poor arches and previous ankle and hip injuries.

To combat this effect, custom molded footbeds were created to provide better comfort, stability and power transfer. This was an extra part of the fitting session but I'd definately recommend it, so far its made the greatest difference to my ride.

Next step was to review my current bike position. I'd taken my Trek along with me, though not essential I wanted to get the most from the 2 hours. If you were going to go yourself you could always measure the key dimensions of your bike and they'd setup the jig for a review. I was videoed riding at a 85-95rpm cadence for about 10 minutes after which adjustments were made to the jig ready for the fitting session.



Once on the jig first step was to evaluate asymmetry. Whilst riding a steady pace symmetry was measured using a laser guide. I'd been aware before that my right knee sometimes skimed the top tube and this process highlighted that. Cleat position was refined in view of the changes made to the footbeds and the asymmetry evaluation. 2 wedges were added underneath my right cleat and one to the left to improve aligning / balancing.


Next step was to again return to the video after a few adjustments were made to the jig. This session concentrated on muscle recruitment and core-condition / posture. Quite quickly it was spotted that as I slouch over the bars, my gluts were hardly being engaged at all and the pedal stroke was primarily delivered by the quads and calf muscles. Slouching also impinged on the diagphragm and core engagement, causing my neck and shoulders to take the strain.


Without any adjustment to the bike, but just sitting with my spine in a neutral position I was able to increase power and cadence with little extra effort. An awesome discovery! The outcome of which was some prescribed exercises to improve core stability and posture.


The session cost £200 and was money well spent. Since applying the changes made to the jig to my Trek and Tricross I've had no knee pain at all even during high intensity, high cadence workouts on the turbo. If you have any problems at all and you are planning lots of miles this year I'd definately recommend checking them out.

Aggression

So.... I moved to Bristol, UK a couple of months ago. Britain's first cycling city so it says. Massive funding for bike lanes and paths. Bike Friendly. Awesome. Just like Amsterdam. Would make a nice change from sharing bus lanes with buses and dodging blind drivers in Edinburgh.

Wrong wrong wrong. Edinburgh was a bike haven compared to this place. Bike City my ass. The bike routes are token efforts for the most part, as soon as there might be the slightest inconvenience to cars then the lane disappears, throwing you into a dual carriageway maelstrom or a multilane meat grinder. Either that, or the bike lane will be the bit with all the trees and street lamps in it making it worthless. Or the bike path will happily guide you across car lanes and multilane merges into the most dangerous part of the road.

To be fair some bits are good, but only when it won't cause the slightest hassle.

But the most striking thing by far is the aggression, not just from cars to bikes (worse than Edinburgh), but from the bikes too. Hardly anyone rides with lights, or stops for reds, or will minimise the room they take. Many cyclists will ride on the dual carriageway lane rather than on the massive smooth hard shoulder next to it, which I find unbelievably stupid. On a particularly dangerous bit of dual carriageway I was trundling along on the pavement, I know you're not supposed to but it was empty and wide and I was going slow with maximum pedestrian respect. The guy walking towards me shouted abuse and made his 2 big alsatians bark and jump at me. Never seen anything like it.

There are a lot of cyclists too, sometimes I end up riding in a herd of 10 in the central bits of the city. Nobody acknowledges each other. It's like being caught up in a civil war. Down here, bikes hate cars, cars hate bikes, bikes don't seem to like each other. Luckily my 20 mile daily commute and cross-USA action have made me about twice as fast as most commuters and I don't have to get stuck in it all, I just boost past on my silent racer like a falcon hunting pigeons. Mind you, an old guy on a knobbly tyred mountain bike did the same thing to me the other day. One day I'll be that old guy. Some day this war's gonna end.

Hell of the Ashdown 2009

Last weekend whilst looking through the Brighton Mitre forum someone from the club had decided to pull out of the forthcoming Hell of the Ashdown due to the forecast horrendous weather. I'd tried to apply for the event in November, but was amazed to find it sold out in just over a week with 1000 entrants signed up. Weather forecast notwithstanding I grabbed the oppourtunity and took up the offer.

My time slot was 8:35am, same as a couple of other riders from the Mitre, Mike and Claire. Preparing with a good feed and good sleep the night before I felt surprisingly good at 6:30am Sunday morning, getting my kit together and noshing on breakfast looking at the weather reports. Can it be as bad as Yellowstone? No...

The start was at a school in Biggin Hill and I could see straight away it looked like a well organised event. I picked up my timing chip, said hi to the guys from the club and got the bike ready. It was cold but not too bad, my recent purchases of winter kit really paying off. Gloves had been the only item I've struggled with and on this occasion took 2 pairs of different thicknesses.

We set off from the start in batches of 8 to avoid conjestion, another good organisational idea. Although my hands were freezing from the off, that thought soon faded as within 2 miles of the start we met the first climb. Over the course of the 67 miles the route took in some of the major climbs of the area, including Toys hill, Kidds hill (The Wall!), Ide hill and 'Col de Goombridge'. Icy sections of the route had been identified the night before and the route changed accordingly.

It may have been this last minute change of route that led to our straying off course, along with at least 30-40 riders. Up until this point nearly all major junctions had been marshalled, including large red flags as warnings, but even so we'd all managed to miss a turn somewhere near Edenbridge. This led to 10-15 minutes of riding up and down, checking with other riders to try and get back on course. In the end we opted to head for Edenbridge where we all eventually found the route again. This was the only downside to the whole day and was unfortunate.

Riding in a 3 with Mike and Claire I was feeling pretty good, taking in Toys and Kidds Hill at a good steady pace. I'd opted to ride the crosser due to its easier gearing (48/34 x 12/27) and this helped with conserving energy on the climbs. I'd experienced some of the climbs last year on the Burgess Hill Rumble sportive so came prepared this time round. 40-50 miles in I wasn't feeling great, maybe because I hadn't eaten enough and had so far just replenished the stocks using gels and energy drink. After toiling up Ide Hill I scoffed a nana and an energy bar which seemed to do the trick.

As I've found before it wasn't until 50+ miles that I began to feel comfortable and strong, which bizarrely coincided with a change in weather for the worse. After crossing the M25 I knew we had another stinker of a climb to come, appearing in the distance the same time the snow began to fall. Of all the ride this is when I felt strongest, hitting the climb in the stinging snow hard. By this time conditions were deteriorating fast with snow settling on the road in a few inches. The last 10 miles to Biggin Hill were taken extremely cautiously at no more than 15mph.

We arrived together and clocked 4 hrs 27 mins or so, not bad considering the route problems and weather conditions at the end of the ride. In the school hot food was served in the canteen, proper school dinner style. Missing the sign earlier aside, this was a very well organised sportive and I'll be entering again next year.

Berlin 6 Day

Think the Oktoberfest meets an 80’s German Rock Festival with jungle whistle crew crowd in a velodrome and you are somewhere near. I chanced across this event last year after visiting the Keirin Berlin track bike shop. After watching a 10 minute video collage of the 2006 edition of the 6 day event on their website I knew I had to check this event out. This year’s event was the perfect introduction - 100th anniversary and Eric Zabel’s last professional race.

Gwydion, Michal and myself had tickets for the ‘Golden Night’ events on Saturday, starting 7pm through to 1:30am, and the ‘Family Day’ on Sunday. The velodrome building is enourmous, housing not only the track but an Olympic size swimming pool. Inside was a labryinth of beer stalls, food stalls and bike sales, including the tempting track bikes of Cicli Berlinetta.

There was also a Peace Race stand in the Velodrome selling memorabilia and books about the race. I started leafing through one of the books, looking at pictures of the 1950's and 1960's and the chap behind the counter asked my nationality. After some amusing pigeon german and gesturing I explained my connection to the race. The chap turned out to be Horst Schafer, proprietor of the Peace Race Museum in Magdeburg. He's invited me over to see the Museum next time I'm in Berlin where I'm planning on donating some of my father's Peace Race medals.

I thought the atmosphere in Manchester was electric, but here it was on another level. Everyone seemed to be issued with yellow whistles which were blown at every oppourtunity, in time to the music or when a rider put in an attack. Another difference to the Manchester velodrome was that the public were allowed in the centre of the track, the longer circuit allowing for more room in the middle. This space was filled with more bars and a VIP area, complete with cheer leaders. We spent the whole 2 days in this area only using our seats for a couple of hours... it was heaven, beer, track bikes and cheer leaders.

Some of the performances were amazing, seeing a 3 minute 3 man track stand face off in the mens sprint final and Zabel and Bartko winning the Madison. I can't recommend a trip to a 6 day enough, Gent is supposed to be another event renowned for its party like atmosphere. In the mean time we're now looking forward to biggest event since the Olympics at the World Championships in Poland. We'll be seeing the events on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th March. Only down side I can see is that no booze is allowed in the Velodrome...

Berlin 6 Day Site
Saturday Photos
Sunday Photos

King of Sports

Under the circumstances it’s been a very positive start to the year. It’s hard to explain but I’ve come out of the dark weeks of December more inspired and motivated than ever before. During the last month I’ve become to know a great deal more about my father’s past through speaking with his old team mates and friends which has greatly contributed to this feeling.

Understanding his achievements in light of his disabilities (not that he would ever admit to them) has inspired me the most. Looking back at old photos of Dad competing against able bodied men, and getting consistent results, it does make me wonder how he would have fared with today’s Paralympics cycling. At the funeral it was an honour to meet so many cycling greats from the 1950’s and 1960’s and out of a day of mourning came inspiration, talking to cyclists in their 70’s who still get under the hour for a 25 mile TT.

To the untrained eye, the hotel where refreshments were served after the funeral would have appeared to be full of old people. But closer up you could see life bursting out of the room, friends exchanging experiences and banter, contemporaries looking wide eyed at legends and the humbleness of champions.

I’ve never really had any ambition in work, but talking to inspirational people such as John Woodburn, Geoff Wiles, Wes Mason, Stan Brittain and Ray Booty for the first time ever I’ve felt an ambition growing, to simply be fit and healthy into my old age. For this to be a reality it obviously requires an immediate lifestyle change.

Through this whole experience I’ve looked on my own life and lifestyle with different eyes. Last year was my most active but only until the autumn, where I soon fell back into what has been the norm for most my time in Brighton – late nights and lots of drinking. I’ve known it’s needed to change for a long time and now this has been the catalyst. It’s a rare opportunity to start a new year in relative good shape and I’m committed 100% to laying the ground work in 2009 for a year of competing in 2010. This will start with working on diet, nutrition and a training plan for the next few months, followed by sessions at the track to improve handling, technique and sprinting.

I’ve been reading an old book of my Dad’s for training advice and though it is over 40 years old it has strong messages regarding cycling in general. These following paragraphs could not sum up my thoughts regarding cycling and its effect on my life better:

King of Sports by Peter Ward

To the younger riders I would say: learn to like cycling for itself, for the beautiful country side you can see, for the good companionship and for its health, economy and peacefulness. From the elation you feel at the view from the top of a big hill you have climbed to the scalp tingling speed of the descent. Cycling can be all fun, all adventure. It can bring personal achievement and fitness that can never be found in a stuffy car or on a noisy motorcycle.

Not enough thought is given to the subject of fitness in later life. Many of the forty plus cyclists give the answer. Their healthy lungs and supple limbs are a glowing example to many of their short winded, lethargic contemporaries.

The path to success is there for everyone, but only those with courage will continue alone in the dark, only those with intelligence will chose the correct turn at the crossroads, and only those with stamina when the going is hard will arrive at the summit.

What is the reward, and is it worth it? To have an object in life is to live. No humdrum routine for the would-be top individual. For the ambition to become a top athlete and to that end to develop the body and mind is, in my opinion, far superior to becoming a top business executive suffering from the many ailments that are often compatible with overwork of the mind and neglect of the body.

The essential clean living, correct eating and exercising required to get to the top gives a man the appreciation of the true values of life, for few true athletes are concerned with keeping up with the Jones’s.

2008 Retrospective

2008 was an absolutely immense year for cycling. Personally, it’s been my biggest year of cycling with many new experiences, but it’s also been the first time many friends and colleagues have seriously taken to 2 wheels. Inspired by other peoples efforts or the Olympics, they’ve bought bikes and started riding to work, entered sportives or just ridden for general pleasure. Looking back through the months I think there have been 2 catalysts to this surge in cycling interest, in my own life and outside.

Firstly the impact that Kelvin’s pan America ride had on the many readers of his blog still amazes me. When I returned to work I found that 4 people had started commuting at least 3 times a week to work, 25 miles each way. Within a month of our return I’d counted 5 new bike purchases amongst my friends and colleagues, 3 of them buying Tricross Sports identical to the model that carried Kelv nearly 4,000 miles. All were inspired directly by reading the Only Forward weblog.

Secondly, obviously the massive successes in Beijing elevated already successful riders to household names, bringing British cycling to the forefront on an unprecedented scale. This was preceded by Britain’s best individual results in the Giro and Tour for decades, not to mention total domination at the track World Championships. Awards at the Sports Personality of the Year and the host of MBE's and CBE's. 2009 is going to be another amazing year, but for now I’m going to look back on 2008.

January
2007 closed on a low note, the annual Boxing Day ride held religiously now for the last 4 or 5 years was taken up by myself and Kelv. Riding out of Llanwnog on our mountain bikes we aimed for the trio of lakes north of my parents place. We bearly got 2 miles, myself struggling with a bad cold and low fitness. A week later, full of New Year promise and Kelv planning a long distance tour somewhere, we rode from Brighton to George’s near Orpington, Kelv on his new pannier laden Tricross. An inspiring 120 mile round trip under crisp blue winter skies through the Ashdown Forest started the new year well, but for me it wasn’t to last.

February
That ride in January was to be my last for nearly 2 months. I can't remember touching the bike at all in February!

March
Kelv’s long distance trip thoughts were now a reality. The week before he flew to Florida a gang of us gave him a send off in the Peak District with Mountain Bikes and Booze. By mid-March he was riding out of West Palm Beach heading westwards destined for the Rockies. In the mean time I was desperately trying to sell my flat to fund a new bike purchase and a month’s leave to join Kelv in the USA.





April
Finally the sale completed and my trip to the USA became a reality. First thing was to spec out a dream Tricross and get the Specialized Concept store in Birmingham to build it. The first test ride was a 60 mile loop out into the snow through Llawr-y-Glyn, Staylittle, Dylife, Machynlleth, Corris, Tal-y-Llyn, Dinas Mawdwddy and fast home along the A470. Back in Brighton I tried the new steed off road, riding the Downs Link home from work and discovering a taste for the speed and handling of cyclocross. Preparations for the USA continued learning from Kelv’s experiences of what to/what not to take.

Meanwhile Kelv had crossed Florida and Alabama and through the course of April passed through Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and finally Colorado. In 6 weeks he'd travelled nearly 2000 miles and crossed the dreaded plains, the toughest section of the whole tour.




May
The month that changed everything. Meeting Kelv in Boulder I eased into what was to be life for the next month. After some tough training rides in the mountains around Boulder I was off, heading for Wyoming on my own whilst Kelv took a well earned rest in the SUV with James. This was the toughest ride I’ve ever ridden and will be for some time. The mental and physical challenge of 120 remote, windy, hot, relentless miles to Laramie totally changed my perception of long distance riding and showed me the importance of maintaining a positive and strong mental outlook.

The next 4 weeks we experienced some of the most epic rides of our lives, almost on a daily basis. The trip culminated in a 3 day break in bike friendly Portland where I succumbed to the high quality bike porn and treated myself to a singlespeed Swobo. Read the full story at http://dog-solitude.blogspot.com


June
Coming back on a high from the USA, I returned to a new world - Meat, Sammo and others had started riding the 25 miles to work inspired by our tour, Jammer was eyeing up a Tricross of his own and the Bowden bought an Allez. 2 days after landing myself and Meat drunkenly agreed to enter the Brighton Naked Bike Ride, where we finished in first and second place (though it wasn't a race). By mid June 4 of us were riding to work together and the Swobo was converted to a commuter.


The Devil Ride sportive was looming on the horizon and training was stepped up. I rode with Rob to complete his first 100 mile ride, taking in Lake Vyrnwy, Bala Lake and Trawsfyndd Lake on an epic ride. I also had my first fixie crash, riding the Swobo to Machynlleth on the mountain road, lost concentration and travelled through Talerddig through the air.

I finally pulled my finger out and joined the Brighton Mitre, payed for a racing license and started joining their regular training rides. Wednesday evenings were spent at Preston Park as a spectator watching the track racing, Thursday evenings on the training chain gang and sundays on club runs. It would be a month or so longer before I tackled my first 4th category race though.

July
Gwydion's preparations for the Devil Ride included a nice new Trek and a grueling 100 mile loop of the Berlin Wall. I joined him later in July on the Swobo to repeat the slog, discovering the cobbled tracks and forest single track on the outskirts of Berlin. Plans hatched for the Midnight Maurweg, an underground singlespeed race around the historic trail.

Training continued with Jammer and Meat joining the fray on matching Tricross's. A wet weekend in Wales gave us a taster for what was to come in August. Meat's plans for a Peace Race inspired tour of Germany and Poland led to him being loaded down with panniers as a trial run. In hindsight maybe taking him up the Devil's Staircase was a little overkill as preparation for the long flat roads of Poland...

The bike upgrades and purchases with the Devil Ride as an excuse when into overdrive, including 3 brand new bikes and 2 complete bike rebuilds. The Trek received some attention, getting new wheels and a new 10 speed group set ready for racing action with the Brighton Mitre. My old Peugeot which I'd leant to Sammo benefited from a complete Dura Ace upgrade.

August
The Devil Ride was upon us, 100 miles of wild, wet and windy Wales and the climax of months of training, bike upgrades and purchases for many of us. Bob, Darren, Jammer, Gwydion, Jeff, Gwen, Kelv and myself set out from Builth Wells into an almost instant 25% climb, followed later by the Devils Staircase and the Gammalt. A tough but immensly rewarding day for all of us.

This month also saw my first and last races of the year, competing at Dunsfold and Goodwood as a 4th Cat with the Mitre. Dunsfold was a baptism of fire in a tremendous headwind, not to mention mixing it with the 1st and Elites once we were caught. Averaging 25 mph on the Goodwood racing circuit was a real eye opener.

The Burgess Hill Rumble sportive closed what was a very active month on the bike.





September
The Trans Cambrian was to be my last sportive of the year and other than a few training rides with the Mitre the bike didn't see much action. It was great to hit the roads of Mid Wales again, riding out of Rhayader on the back road to Llanidloes, followed by the toughest section of the sportive past Clywedog, then over the mountain road to Machynlleth. The last 50 of the ride were through amazing scenery, past Nant-y-Moch and into the Elan Valley.

Jammer was unstoppable on his Tricross, hitting the Guildford Cycle Challenge and making plans for the Southern Sportive.

October
Since returning from the USA I'd contemplated riding the South Downs Way in one go, covering 100 miles from Winchester to Eastbourne. Realistically October was to be my last chance with the days getting shorter. Having no great experience of riding the Tricross off road, Kelv and I tackled a few routes to give it a trial run, firstly on the Downs Link and later on the Kerry Ridge Way.


I'd decided to complete the south downs ride for charity and raised £650 for Diabetes. This was a major factor in keeping me going on the ride after some major mechanicals and a lot of riding in the dark. Kelv performed admirably as team support, bringing new tyres, clean socks and food and drink at points on the route. Of the 14 hours it took to complete the ride 4 hours were done in the dark with a Maxx Exposure Race light guiding the way.

November
Other than blasts around Brighton on the Swobo I didn't touch any of the bikes this month. November was a spectator month, catching 2 days of the Track World Cup at the Manchester Velodrome. Along with Meat and Chet we witnessed a GB Team at the peak of their performance, winning 90% of all gold medals at all levels, junior, men and women. Chris Newton delivered a lesson in how to totally dominate a points race, Pendleton was unstoppable, Kenny unbeatable and the Olympic Academy riders Armistead and Blyth outclassed their more experienced opposition. An awesome weekend.

December
Due to my fathers deterioating condition I spent all but 10 days of December at home in Wales. The bike was my escape and the hills around Clywedog a place to think and clear my head. Along with Curly Bob we braved the sub zero temperatures to venture out on to the mountain road to Machynlleth where we froze. New Years Eve was spent blasting around the Cli-Mach mountain bike trail near Corris, Bob on his single speed MTB and me on the Crosser.

On December the 21st Dad passed away, closing the book on an unbelieveable cycling career spanning 70 years. Beginning with touring as a youth with the Long Eaton cycling club it wasn't long before he was racing, competing ferociously on the track and winning many medals. Following a couple of years riding the Tour of Ireland he was invited to join the GB Team at the Peace Race as mechanic in 1955.

This began his long and varied career with British Cycling as mechanic and later team manager, taking him all over Europe on 8 Peace Races, the Tour de France, Tour of Sweden, Tour of Poland, Tour of Morroco, Tour of Algeria, Tour of Tunisia, Tour of St Lawrence (Canada) and many more. In the 70's he moved into race marshalling, becoming head marshall for races including the World Championships, Milk Race and National Championships.

He will continue to be my biggest inspiration.

2009...
This has got to be the year where I give racing serious focus and I'm setting my sights on the Hove Park series organised by the Brighton Mitre. Sportives wise, I'm looking to ride the Ronde Van Vlaanderen and the Tour of Ireland, both of which also require considerable training. The next few months should be interesting if I can stay focused, but I feel with my dad's passing I owe it to his memory to try my best.