I won't get the best out of the bike....

But the bike will get the best out of me....

First of all it's been another bad week for me with my Heart rate still high and going beyond what I thought possible. My mileage has doubled from the week before and the good news is that, although I haven't fully recovered next week either, with the benefit of writing this towards the end of next week my mileage starts going back up.
So with this dragging out I am wondering exactly what is wrong.

1. Am I ill? I was but at the moment I feel great other than my HR being high so I want to put this one out of the equation.
2. Have I over trained. Always a huge fear, I have done this before and with it lost all enthusiasm to ride the bike so I did a quick test on this site http://www.thedietdiary.com/diet/healthIndex/OverTraining.html and again the answer is no
3. I'm on a sugar rush. I don't even know if this would do it but out of boredom I have put on 6lbs and eaten all the Christmas goodies. So... i am wondering if all the sugar has pushed my heart rate up. The strange thing is after 90 minutes of riding it drops into the normal zone...

So it is time to take care of my diet, drop the heart rate and try to drop another half stone.

The week, as you may imagine has been easy, keeping the legs spinning, recovery rides in zone 1 and 2. It consisted of the usual rest day, an hours easy turbo, 2 days of 90 minutes on the road, an hours turbo and 2 hours on the road. Weekly mileage 133 up from 61 the week before so looking good. Also, strangely I wasn't out of breath during the rides nor did I feel tired. So back on target.

So why the title, I won't get the best out of the bike but the bike will get the best out of me? Well I went to have a look at the new TT bike at Cheshire Oak cycles. It was still being built and when I went in politely stood behind customers taking photos of it. I think it is stunning. More on it later though.
What did shock me a little was another rider outside telling me I should be doing 21minute time trials over ten miles on a machine like that. He then went on to ridicule people who use time trial equipment. My response isn't important but when did cyclists start to decide what one another can or can't do. I am under no illusion that I will ever be more than about a twenty five minute man given my age and ability I think this is a great time and the bike will help me achieve it. What does it matter if I have bought a great bike to do it on? We don't wait on a marathon line knocking every one that finishes over four hours wearing two hundred pound training shoes or tell someone they can't have a Ferrari as the speed limit is 70. The time trial is a race against yourself and if you want to do a 40 minute ten mile time trial get out there and do it...Anyway rant over, More on the bike when I pick it up and even more when I ride it,.

Mavic GP4's

In 1983 I bought my first custom built bike. A bright yellow machine with 753 tubing put together by a frame builder in the German town of Detmold. The group set was Campagnola, Shimano was only a baby and no one wanting to avoid mechanical problems would touch it. I can't remember the type of wheels that came with it other than they were Mavic. Again, there was no choice if you were serious. I also remember it cost me about six months wages so it was fortunate that it could be straightened out after a crash. All that remains of this dream machine is a few fading photos of me killing myself in various locations including a ride of over 1600 miles around Germany.

What I do remember clearly is, even before I bought it, I was planning to save for a set of race wheels and they had to be mavic GP4's The 80mm Zipps of the day. You see back then you had (at least) two sets of wheels for your bike. One set for training and one set for racing.

That trend is starting to return. There is no point in asking a cyclist if he is planning to upgrade his wheels. We all want to upgrade our wheels. And like my ode to the TDF the best way to do it is buy a good bike with cheaper wheels and upgrade later. You can't build a bike piece by piece for the same price as buying it whole. So for economic reasons buy the race ones later.

Now in a previous blog I mentioned that wheels aren't necessarily the best bang for your buck in the pursuit of speed. That doesn't mean that it isn't worth upgrading your wheels it just means there are other options. So with a pair of wheels costing more than the alloys on your car (as they should) how much should you spend and why? Well the answer is spend what you want but it may not be worth it. The French at the end of the 2012 Olympics famously complained that Britain had cheated. That their wheels were rounder giving them an edge. Amusing considering team GB use mavic wheels, made in France. But seriously, it is hard to get a perfectly round wheel. Even at a basic level of cycling you can feel quality in a wheel. Put simply it takes less watts to push a better wheel conserving your energy for the final sprint. Even I know the difference between my Mavic Elite's and my carbon spinnergy. I believe I have bought close to a 2mph average though I will always claim I am benefiting from the placebo effect.

So simply put a bike will accelerate better and climb faster with lighter wheels by reducing a wheels mass. If you think of it this way, climbing and accelerating are the same thing. When you climb you constantly accelerate its gravity fighting you to keep the speed constant. Here is the science bit though. A reduction in weight in the wheels will improve performance more than the same weight loss in the frame; because the wheel rotates you notice it more.  The mass is all at the rim and tyre, the result being it has twice the resistance to acceleration than the rest of the bike. Carbon helps this but you also need the wheel to be stiff to transfer the power and prevent rub. This of course can be difficult with alloy rims on carbon wheels but full carbon changes the braking temperatures requiring different brakes.

So all you need to do is get the lightest wheels, perhaps those shallow rim GP4's still have their place.
Err... not quite, aerodynamics and inertia are also very important. Think of the fly wheel in a car. Almost perfectly balanced so once it's moving it spins faster and faster under its own weight raising speed and improving the MPG.
It's the same with [particularly carbon] wheels. When you are riding on the flat without accelerating weight doesn't matter. This is the key point. At 15mph aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance are the same. Approach 25mph and aerodynamic drag is far higher, rolling resistance is only around 15%. So your wheel choice depends on terrain and your average speed.
The carbon wheel can actually push the bike along supporting my feeling that the spinergy wheels were adding around 2mph.

So do we all dash out and spend 4k on wheels? Well its a law of diminishing returns. In other words wheels between 800 and 1400 will make a significant difference to your speed and make that jump of a couple of MPH. Go from 1400 to 2000 and it may help you improve .25mph or even less. So are you prepared to pay 600 to 2600 more of your pounds for a quarter to a half MPH average? Well if you are a pro rider then without a doubt. If you just want the best possibly. Before you make your mind up it is important to mention that the most expensive wheels will also be more stable in a cross wind with an 80mm feeling like 35 in windy conditions. In other words pay a bit more to stay on your bike.

So before you decide....

1. Think about what you need. Unless you can afford a range of wheels is the best first purchase a rear disk? 30 to 40mm will make a significant difference.
2. Make sure you have the same type of brakes for each wheel set.
3. Check the weight limit for the wheel. Particularly if you are over 90kg.
4. Watch for brake wear particularly on carbon rims.  
5. Carbon rim tyre pressures are often lower than alloys, check for the recommended pressure.
6. Get suitable tyres to match your investment. More on this in the next blog.
7. Check spoke tension before riding.

So it is up to you, do what I did and trawl the net, look at forums to see what people think of the wheel before you buy. Set a budget and stick to it.

The wheels I can comment on are the following,

The mavic Kysirium elite retail around £550 but shop around. They originally came with my orbea. I have to say I love them. Thousands of miles without being straightened for a reasonable price and a reasonable speed and weight. They are great in cross winds with little deflection even in high winds. On the downside they are a bit slower, the water gets in the hubs in heavy rain and that's it. They are an upgrade from most wheels but if you want good carbons they make an excellent training wheel.

 

 

 

The spinergy stealth PBO carbon wheels. Ceramic bearings, 40mm rims, spokes spun from nylon to keep the weight down. Round about £1400 a pair I have these on my orbea and they look fantastic. They are the ones I believe add around 2mph avg. I managed to borrow a pair before buying them and flying down a hill I hit cobbles and a rail track at around 30mph. I snapped two spokes in the rear wheel. I managed to tie them out the way and finished a difficult ride with lots of climbs with no buckle in the wheel. After buying a pair I have thrashed them and had no problem with spokes or buckles though I have lost nearly two stone in weight. So they are at the top end of what I would like to pay but worth every penny. A quick warning, they aren't stable in cross winds, you need to change them to the elites. They do, however, take full advantage of centrifugal force and want to push faster and faster at high speed. They are excellent value for money with the only downside being a creak from the nylon spokes when climbing after about 1000 miles. They have very little flex and maintain their good looks.

 

 

Hopefully I will soon be picking up the time trial bike and I have decided to upgrade to the Mavic Carbone SL for around £800. I've heard great things about them but can't comment any more until I try them. If I'm unhappy they will go on the Foil and I will try something else but I have a feeling I am going to love them and don't think the small loss of weight  justifies the £500 extra for the SLR's

 

 

 

 

So I have bored you with the science, talked about value for money and ultimately would suggest you need the resources of team sky to get exactly what you want when you want....There is always-

 



 



 

Testing two weeks

Well after a promising start to my training my body has succumbed to illness. Not through over training I am pleased to say. I have monitored this closely being only to aware of how long too much effort can keep you off the bike for. No, I have picked up a bug that was floating around. It started with a cold and the usual difficulty and finished two days ago with a heart rate of 200 at just 14mph. Not a good sign for someone who thought their maximum heart rate was just over 180.

On a positive side the first of these two weeks was a test week so it was back on the tacx for the Olympic warm up and the 9 mile run through Paris. My watts avg dropped to just 211 with a max of just over 300. Not the increase I had hoped for. Despite being enthusiastic the engine just couldn't deliver the demands of the bridge and I found myself just going through the motions. Even in the warm up my max wattage was down to 650 from nearly 800. All fairly obvious signs something was wrong, that and the usual indicator of an increased resting pulse.

I still forced myself through a 1 1/2 hour ride the next day in temperatures of just 2 degrees in zone 1, nothing too taxing so I began to hope it was a short glitch. Not to be, the next day was another 1 1/2 hour ride (this was a recovery week after the increased miles last week) my HR hit 200 and I knew something was about to hit big time. A heavy cold hit me that night and I struggled to breath. I managed 1 hour 40 mins on the Turbo on the Friday but it was awful and probably a waste of time. I fell of the bike at the end regretting forcing myself onto the machine.  I took a decision to take three days of the bike, missing two planned rides and going into the scheduled rest day on the Monday. My weekly mileage was a miserable 94.67.

Ever the optimist Tuesday was another week. The so called beast from the East failed to appear; A predicted -10 and below weather front skirted our Isles and we basked in 0 to -7 degrees. Well a mixture of being a wimp, being unwilling to risk expensive bikes on icy roads and continuing to be ill saw a change in training again.
On the Tuesday I hit the turbo for just 45 minutes on a downhill training session but after about 20 lost all power again and I realised I hadn't recovered sufficiently yet. I took the Wednesday off and on the Thursday with temperatures at -5 and an inch of ice on the pond hit the turbo again. My average power was still low but up 14w from Tuesday with a max at 660 which looked promising. After the 65min session I felt ill again though and looking at the graph once again saw a drop in power after about 40 mins. I took the next day off again and instead of the scheduled 4 hour ride on the Saturday went for a 90 minute ride with Wirral Mamil Ade who was just back from Germany. It was a good decision, my HR hit 200 again, I felt weak, light headed and unable to concentrate properly on the bike. We ended up riding just 20 miles at 15mph with an average HR of 135. This is a good 20bpm above what I would expect at that speed. Needless to say I took Sunday off and Monday is my scheduled rest day. So a week with just under 90 miles has not thrilled me.
That said on the Friday I did drive out to the Polocini cafe on the Friday for a piece of cake and some delightful company. If ever you are in Romiley near the Peak district its a must. The proprietors are two of the most enthusiastic individuals I know who just love cycling. In the interests of disclosure they do run the Polocini test team for whom I shall be competing but a bonus for me is that it costs me a fraction of what it could cost if I joined another team.

So I am writing this on the Monday rest day and feel a touch better. My enthusiasm hasn't wavered despite the cold. I wouldn't presume to tell anyone how to train. This blog is just about a bloke pushing 50 who wants to compete in time trials, but I think cancelling the training was the best idea. Riding alone when ill and it is so cold is just too risky. Anyway the choice will always be yours..for me lets see what this week brings......

I hate winter

Well it's been three weeks since I put anything on the blog. Usually, it would be time for excuses such as the weather is freezing, I don't ride in the rain or dark or my wheels are too round. Well, I do have an excuse, I have had workmen in every day taking up a lot of my time...So I am proud and a little amazed to say I only missed one days training despite the mayhem in the house. I also missed a day last week but for a totally different reason...

Three weeks ago I was in the middle of the preparation phase still building the miles and looking to drop some more weight. I wasn't feeling great on day one the Tuesday and managed to puncture but despite this I enjoyed a three hour spin around Cheshire. My cadence and Heart rate are holding in the required zones. One good point was trying my new ultegra electronic gears. I managed to get a half price upgrade and have to say the autotrim, rapid, smooth and accurate change make it worth every penny. I also failed to recognise Steve Cummings at the Eureka cafe when I was talking to him. Not clever for a cycling fan.

Wednesday was a four hour day so two long spins in the saddle. Both days were cold and windy but everything, again stayed on target and i felt as though I could of ridden much further. The following day was still cool and windy but with only 1 1/2 hours riding I was happy to push it a bit higher. The rest of the week was more of the same with another 4 hour ride on Friday and a two hour ride on the Saturday, (I swapped these two round due to the workmen) not ideal as it meant I didn't recover as I should of. Sunday was the usual hour on the turbo spinning the legs at a high cadence and flushing the weeks lactate out.
So it ended a good week with 235 miles completed in 15 hours 32mins.

The following week was time to start building intensity. Interestingly only very slightly with extended periods in zone three planned for the Friday session. The rest of the week was more of the same with a 3 hour ride on the Tuesday, 4 hours on the Wednesday, 1 hour on the Thursday in zone 1 and this was where it went a bit wrong. Having prepared myself for a hard ride I couldn't get out due to the workmen. I needed to stay in the house. Saturday was the turbo again which was ok but Sunday was planned for four hours. It was the coldest, wettest day of the week and it ended up going dark earlier than i thought so I cut the ride short by thirty minutes.
Although the weather was foul, could, wet and very windy I managed most of the sessions. The worst thing about the week was being hit by a car on the Wednesday. I rode past a car waiting at a junction who immediately pulled out and shunted me down the road. I spent the rest of the week angry and a little twitchy yet still determined. The week ended a little lower than expected at 202 miles and just under 13hours in the saddle.

The last missing week was another high mileage in cold windy weather. I have now moved to the start of the build up to go from preparation to per comp phase. Put quickly a 3 hour ride at 3 degrees, a 4 hour ride slightly warmer at 5 degrees, 2 hours in a force 5 wind, 3 hours 10 at 3 degrees putting in three six minute efforts with at least a ten minute break between each one. This was great fun. During one session I averaged over 25mph for the six minutes so things are looking good. The problem was that night I woke covered in sweat despite being cold. Like a true cyclist I ignored it and rode the next day. A planned 4 hour ride was cut to 2-47 as it was clear I wasn't well. I struggled round and found my speed dropping off. I wanted to keep going but decided if it wasn't happening it was best to back off and fight another day.

That night I treated  myself to VIP seats at the revolution series in Manchester meeting up with Chris White from Palefish and Tim ( have a read of the palefish blog for more details).
Although I also took the Sunday off it was still a good week with 231 miles though it should really of been about 260 and 15 hours 20 in the saddle.

Overall I felt a little tired but more down to being a bit ill than the mileage. I'm also extremely impressed that I have kept riding despite the cold and windy weather.

Finally just 16 days til the TT bike arrives

Test week - in more ways than one

Well, this week has had me suffering from two tests, the first was having builders in the house all week and still trying to do my training. Particularly trying was completing the second test, on my tacx with the builders watching through a window in the kitchen. They at least were impressed. In the end I only missed one days ride. The first since I started some five weeks ago. Sometimes life just takes over. I have managed the work this week but next week could be just as bad as the kitchen goes in.


So here is the late and brief summary of the week.
Monday was the turbo test, It began with a 15 minute warm up stolen from the British cycling team, followed, five minutes later by a steady paced 10 mile session on the tacx, I chose to ride around Paris maintaining a steady 245 w before cooling down for a further 15 minutes. I;m still learning about pacing so I'm not sure I did myself justice on the machine. I maintained a steady heart rate but the power was a bit up and down. At the end, as usual I was soaked in sweat and tired but quickly recovered and found myself resenting such a short session, What it will do though is allow me to calculate the power I can hold over a set distance when competing.

The rest of the week was supposed to be a recovery week and though it fitted my building project I did resent it.

I missed Wednesdays session, did a 90 minute ride in z1/2 Thursday an hour z1 Friday, turbo Saturday and a four hour non stop ride Sunday, overall it felt like I was cheating with just 150 miles this week.

On a positive note in five weeks I have lost 12lbs in weight and treated myself to a Di2 ultegra upgrade...brilliant

if you want to get ahead get a hat...

I said at the start of this experiment I would be trying some new equipment and I have talked about the benefits of some equipment. I have just bought the above aero helmet, there are some great bargains out there at the moment, this was half price. I'm still not sure how I feel about wearing it, I will probably test it first in the New year but at the prices they are selling for it will make a nice ornament for my shelf. I chose the giro for a number of reasons, 1; it was a bargain, 2; giro are one of the few companies that make a 63 to fit my big head, 3; I didn't want a visor I wanted to wear my glasses and have a cooling effect, 4; it has exceptional ratings in most magazines and in the more important discussion blogs. So more on it once I use it,

Before I write more about the helmets I have found a bit more about equipment this week and in particular bang for buck. The below picture shows times (approx) saved for each piece of equipment over a 40km TT. It's interesting to note the skin suit can offer the biggest saving, followed by the aero bars, the wheels and frame are actually quite low for overall savings though frames have apparently jumped this coming year. If you add the below up you can buy a whopping 7.5 minutes off your time. With 67 seconds saved through the helmet perhaps I will have to just go for it...

 

 

 

The question is what saves you the most for your money? I have touched on this before but here it is in table format.

 



The skin suit is an amazing saving, especially as I am looking at the bioracer suit at around £100.  The wheels and frame are clearly an expensive item for limited savings and the theory is that you will get diminishing returns on both. In other words beyond a certain cost you receive minute savings for much more money. More on that when I cover wheels and frames. I haven't mentioned tyres above which can make a significant difference for a reasonable investment though they tend to need frequent replacement.

So having given some thought to equipment what about the hat?

 if you’re a time triallist, your number one enemy is aerodynamic drag. It is always present and will always be working against you as you try  to go quicker.

Your bike accounts for around 20 percent of the aerodynamic drag that you encounter, the rest is down to your shape and your frontal area or the lump that hits the air.So what the equipment above is doing is buying you free speed.  They optimise air displacement and minimise the low pressure area formed in your wake, resulting in less drag in much the way a sail works on the water.
Having established the helmet is one of the most cost effective ways of saving time it really comes down to personal preference, do you want a visor? What shape is your head? How much money do you want to spend?
The following helmets have been taken from a number of tests, they vary in price but all have scored high points across the board
Specialized TT2
£169.99


The large channels and vents do a decent job of keeping the heat down without sacrificing aerodynamics. It’s easy to put on in a hurry, and a long, sweeping tail and close-fitting sides help keep the drag down to a minimum.


Bell Meteor II
£129.99


This Bell Meteor II has an easily adjustable cradle with decent pads, 10 vents mean you don’t overheat and it’s light enough (410g for a medium) that you can hold your head up to get the helmet tail against your back without extra strain.


Limar Speed Demon
£144.99


For hot weather racing, the Speed Demon is an excellent option. There are six front vents, three exhaust ports, and even the ear fairings are ventilated. It’s a light helmet, too, weighing just 359g.
The range of adjustment is another strong point, thanks to a cradle which can be rotated as well as tightened. That’s just as well as there’s only one size available (54cm-61cm). Downsides? The ear fairings feel flimsy and if you have a very large head the Limar is a squeeze. Good to go when the going gets hot.


Lazer Tardiz
£169.99


It’s easy to forgive the Tardiz its somewhat daft name when it’s packed with features. The Rollsys dial on the top of the helmet makes for quick and easy fit adjustment, tensioning a cable around the whole of the head, not just a cradle at the back.
The chin strap uses a quick and easy magnetic fastening, and there are enough air vents to take the edge off when you’re out on a hot bike leg. A golf-ball-style dimpled finish on the back of the helmet is claimed to deliver further aero gains. An innovative and comfortable aero helmet.

BBB TriBase
£119.95


It shouldn’t count for much, but the TriBase certainly looks fast, with its long tapered tail and smooth lines. For an aero helmet it’s impressively light, weighing in at 333g for in the large size (55-61cm),. Four front vents provide some cooling for hot days, but don’t expect much air to get through such narrow slots.
A rotary dial adjusts the cradle to fit the back of your head, and a padded flap stops the clip rubbing under your chin – a nice touch on a basic but good value helmet. A light and inexpensive aero lid.

LAS Chronometro
£129.99


It’s unusual to find a visor on such a reasonably priced lid – a feature which should help the Chronometro cut through the air smoothly. Fit is adjusted by moving the straps and the rear cradle along stretches of Velcro. It seems rather unsophisticated compared with the likes of the Laser Tardiz, but it does the job.
However, the LAS is relatively heavy (524g) and with no front air vents you’ll soon be sweating hard on a hot day which may make longer races uncomfortable.


Bell Javelin
£179.99


It comes with a detachable visor with small breathing holes in the top, two main front vents and one rear, a stubby tail (open underneath) and a fully adjustable internal cage. The range of options that gave us: three different tilts plus the ability to loosen or tighten on the fly.


Catlike Chrono Aero Plus
£149.99


 While many of the latest aero lids are full of groundbreaking features, this one is more basic – but no less effective.

Louis Garneau Vorttice
£159.99


Louis Garneau have started adding all manner of innovations to stay ahead of the competition. The Vorttice is light, breathable and easy to adjust, although it’s one of the most bulbous aero helmets  and it comes with a visor, which also saves watts.

Kask Bambino
£299

 

The Bambino is a very nice helmet in many ways. It's one of the most comfortable we've ever tried, fitting snugly but not too tightly, and covering most of your face, including your ears. The leather chin strap is a classy touch and if it's good enough for sky it's good enough for any one. the only downside it's very hard to get hold of one.


Anyway if you are still reading what about my week? Well I'm still in the building zone, steady miles and building distance. This week was a straight forward two hour zone 1 ride on the Monday, followed by two four hour rides Wednesday/Thursday, With the cold weather i only did just over an hour on day one, 4 hours in very cold wet weather on the Tuesday then with the weather warming on the Wednesday I pushed 41/2 hours at 1.5 mph faster than my normal average by holding my heart rate at a high level. Thursday was a 2 hour easy ride while Friday was a 90 minute zone 1. So far so good, I was on target to hit over 16 hours riding and 240 miles.
On the Saturday I was invited to the opening of a cycling cafe at the edge of Manchester not far from Saddleworth Moor with a 30 mile ride thrown in. having planned to ride 4 to 41/2 hours I decided to do two laps. I knew it would be hard with plenty of hills between 11 and 22%. So I set off at 7am in temperatures of 2.5 - 3 degrees and joined about twelve riders at Polocini's new cafe. Quick pause the cafe is well worth the visit, the best coffee, cycling themed and right in the middle of some great cycling country.
So heading into slippy leaf covered lanes we quickly dropped down a rough 25% descent, fortunately we didn't go back up it. This was the theme of the day, lots of climbs and fast drops down narrow country lanes. I loved it and if I wasn't on a time limit I would of achieved my plan. Unfortunately there were people struggling on the climbs, four punctures and some slow riders. I didn't know my way round so I was stuck. (The plan was to convert the course on the garmin before going round again). In the end I ran out of time, enjoyed coffee, cake and the company and rode home. What i did find though was the hard climbs felt a lot easier than normal and I felt I was playing and enjoying myself even with my 39/53 crank even powering over a 10% in my 53. Of course the coach won't be happy with the heart rate zones induced by over 2000 feet of climbing in the 25 miles.

So having gone through rain, freezing temperatures and long solo rides excited to hit 250 -260 miles I lost over 40 miles on the Saturday. With just a tacx turbo session through Paris on the Sunday I actually achieved the lower end of the planned scale and 8 miles less than my highest weekly miles at 213 miles and 13hrs 42 mins of riding. I had some sore legs after the hills but over all loved the weeks riding and wish this week wasn't going to be a recovery one.

• Anyway lesson this week? Sometimes you need to keep to a solo ride to achieve your goals.... keep pedalling....... soon be summer

It's getting colder....

Another week has gone by and the temperatures dropping with today hitting a cool 4 degrees. I'm still in the building stage and slow riding which, with the wet roads and leaves suits me fine. I have had a read about the reasons for going slower and the plan is to teach my body to burn fat. To do this a solid block of slow and steady training is essential for me to improve my times. I used to think that going fast was the only way to improve my riding but actually not slowing down over a long ride can be a limiting factor. I'm trying to teach my body to do something that doesn't feel natural and it doesn't want to do. If I carry on riding hard my body will apparently continue to burn sugar as a fuel rather than developing my bodies ability to burn fat.
This is when an eight to twelve week block of training at low intensity is essential. It is taking a huge effort particularly when I spot targets ahead but the people I'm riding with are happy to stick to my plan with me. So, I'm hoping to see the results of riding faster and producing more power in low heart rate zones. So far one thing I have noticed is the lack of gels during rides. I used to suck down one or two a ride when going faster. Since starting this training I haven't used any even on four hour plus rides. So there appears to be anecdotal evidence it is working when combine with a 5lb weight loss.

Training wise, plans have been a little different this week. It's half term so I don't have all day every day free through the week. After the polocini ride on the Sunday Monday's ride was two hours in zone 1 spinning out the stiffness from the hills. the cadence and sticking to zones is improving. Tuesday was my rest day this week to help with child care while Wednesday ended up the longest ride of the week at four and a half hours round Beeston castle, Chester and lots of other very muddy lanes. It is getting tricky out there and Dave, the guy I was riding with came off his bike after hitting a patch of mud while going through some gates. Luckily I didn't have to leave him to stick to my plan as he was straight up with no real damage.

Thursday was a one hour ride in zone one. For the fun of it I took the TT bike out to get some practise in riding the bars, getting used to the trickier cornering and anticipating braking. It wasn't the best idea. I'm not used to TT bikes and this left it trickier to maintain zones and heart rates particularly with the harder gears. I described it as being similar to whipping a race horse to a trot. It just didn't want to go slowly. So I'm waiting for comments from the coach on that one.

Friday was just over two hours of riding in warm weather and sunshine. Great fun, while Saturday was just over an hour on the tacx late in the evening. This led to a later start on Sunday to make sure I recovered. The difference between today and Friday was palpable. It was cold, wet and very windy. I had a four hour ride in the planner but hoped to do five. Between the late start, a puncture early on, the wind cold and rain, not to mention the clock's going back I fell five minutes short of the four hours. I only had a rear light on and made it home five minutes after lighting up time. I actually noticed the Garmin screen darkens at lighting up time. So despite the cold I still managed to hit the higher speed for the rides target zones.

The week's mileage was up 17 on last week at 220miles keeping up the increase that has been happening since I started. The only other news is I have been researching time trial helmets this week and have ordered one  though I'm not sure if I will wear it yet. More on that next week. This week I'm going to look at the research on wheels. Finally it's only about six weeks until the slice arrives.....which means only eight weeks to Christmas, time to pick your cycling kit for gifts from friends and family etc.

Polocini do it again...

Anyone who has ever completed a Polocini sportive will know they are famous for (at least) four things. High levels of organisation, the best food in the business (today's chef was a master chef finalist), fair prices, and guaranteed bad weather.

As you can see from the picture something went wrong (I'm in the middle at the top). I set off at seven in the morning in thick fog and 4oC. As I turned into Rivington I noticed a convoy of cars behind with bikes and the sun appearing in front. Breakfast was coffee and porridge with fruit and 40 minutes catching up with friends.

I chose to take my winter bike assuming the weather would be awful but to be fair there is little difference between the bikes and I wanted to test this one...

 

 

 



I stripped down at the start to a long sleeve base layer and short sleeve top and was just right for the entire ride. I had elected to ride the 44 mile route to fit with my training though at the split I was tempted to ride on and do the 75. This was a hard ride 3602 feet of climbing over 44 miles with 6% climbs feeling like a downhill sprint after the 17 to 20% climbs. The route went from Rivington around the Blackburn to Bolton area. At one point I could see Jubilee Tower slightly above me. For those that don't know this is named as one of the hardest climbs in the UK. It was a stunning ride with open spaces, idyllic villages and lanes that had changed little in hundreds of years. A slight problem was the slippy roads and the amount of leaves making the downhill sections tricky not to mention the steep sections seeing me reach for the leavers with three fingers instead of the usual two.  I still managed to hit 42mph down one stretch. Also while freewheeling downhill alongside three others the foil shot ahead leaving the others in my wake. The foil is supposed to be the most aero bike out there so this led to a debate for several miles on 'was it the bikes engineering or my weight that gave the extra speed'. the other strange thing about the ride...history lesson coming...is it went through the birth place of Lord Leverhulme. He had one of the countries first safari parks at the top of a hill and a large home until a suffragette burnt it down. Many of the roads and buildings have the same or similar names to those in Port Sunlight and Thornton Hough, both on my local routes.

The one stop at twenty one miles was indulged in if only for a piece of cake. In reality I wasn't feeling all that well and was glad of a ten minute stop. Within 200metres of leaving the cake stop it was another long steep climb that nearly saw the return of the cake. The ride continued to mostly climb draining the legs and playing with the mind. Then cresting a hill in the moors a very long descent opened up before me. The last four miles were a well deserved downhill to the finish for a hot meal, coffee and coke .... It was over and despite not feeling 100% it was a superb and at the same time bastard of a  ride....

It's worth mentioning this was all run for a children's charity with polcini giving every penny (except fuel for volunteers) to the fund. Not all charities do this. they are an exceptional bunch, organising a number of sportives, tours around Europe and are soon to open a cycling cafe not to mention being best mates with Phillipe Gilbert. They are worth a google. And having thought about it, their reputation is intact, this was a charity ride, their own are yet to have a perfect day like today...
All that's left is to post some images I snapped of the route.... See you there next year?

 

 

Chalk another week up

No I wasn't involved in this er mistake, i just love the picture and would like to demonstrate, time trialling ain't for wimps. That aside it's been, overall another great week. I'm enjoying the cycling and I'm still having no problem getting out on the bike. the training has increased slightly though Monday remains a rest day. Tuesday increased by thirty minutes, typically it was heavy rain and blowing force 5-6. I managed 75 minutes of sheer terror before, after heading towards the coast, discretion got the better of me and I headed home finishing off with 45 minutes on the tacx trainer.

Wednesday was the same three hour zone 1 &2 ride while Thursday was my first trip out on the new Scott foil for a one hour gentle spin. It ended up a bit longer but the foil felt fantastic. Solid when cornering, no give when climbing and very easy into the wind.

Friday provided an Indian summer and my two hour ride ended up as three and a half, going into Wales, Chester and enjoying a coffee stop at Eureka. I rode with three others spending the majority of time up front to control my heart rate but still enjoyed the social side of the ride.

Saturday was a session on the turbo and I think I had problems at the start and over cooked the session. Sunday was a 42 mile very hilly polocini ride (more on the next blog). This was the first time I struggled. I promised the coach I would stay in the required zones but the first hills made a liar of me and overall I spent 43 minutes in zone 1 and 2 while zones 3-5 took 2 hours 42. Not looking forward to the feedback. That said my view is this time of year is about steady miles and some fun and the ride gave me that.

Just because you are on your own...

Doesn't mean it's easy

They don’t call time trialing, “The Race of Truth” for nothing,it is just you on your own out there (unless you do a team time trial). Lots of things can go wrong, poor preparation, setting out too fast, cornering too fast or equipment failures can lead to disaster.....

Time trialing, like climbing and sprinting is one of those things that riders assume you are either good or bad at. Either you’ve put in the training to succeed or you don’t have a chance in hell though you can still elect to cruise around and enjoy it. While aerodynamic TT-specific equipment will substantially improve your performance (proper equipment I'm told, can save you up to 5 minutes over the course of a 40km race, or at least the 58 s LeMond gained back on Fignon in 1989[good news for me]), it still often comes down to the strongest rider taking the day.

The tips below won’t guarantee a win, but when mere seconds might separate you from a personal best, you’ll want to make sure you do everything right to get the best result possible. In the tips listed below I’ve attempted to compile every piece of time trialing advice I’ve picked up trawling around the WWW, speaking to others or from what I remember from my attempts years ago.

1) Practise your starts. Have someone hold you and practise doing held starts at least a dozen times before race day. They should stand behind you and hold underneath your saddle. When done properly, the holder will not push you off. They just let go.

2) Riders are generally held by a starter and go off in either 30 or 60 intervals. Check and quadruple-check your start time! Believe it or not some high profile riders have been disqualified for missing the start time.

3) For time trials with turnarounds, break at the ABSOLUTE LAST SECOND. Instead of taking the shortest line through the turn, ride straight up the right side of the road, hit the breaks, turn sharply to the left. Circle around the turnaround and get back up to speed as fast as possible.

4) Practise turnarounds during a hard interval effort to most closely approximate race conditions. Practise it somewhere safe so if you overestimate your speed, you won’t go down. it will also get you used to the trickier bike if you have a time trial bike and its limited turning capability.

5) Pre-ride the course if possible. Do it at the same time of day as your race to get a gauge on the  wind strength , temperature and any other potential factors but don't over do it.

6) Tune your bike up before the race. Clean and lube the chain and check the shifting to make sure it is smooth.it seems to me that TT bikes are more unreliable than normal road bikes. Make sure to check your race wheels as well, especially for any cuts to the tire. When you actually put the race wheel on the bike, make sure the rear wheel is secure and not going to shift and go against your chainstays.

7) Unless it is a very mountainous time trial, ride a straight block on your time trial wheel for the biggest possible gear selections.

8) Keep a bottle of energy/hydration mix with you from the moment you wake up through to the start. Hydration is essential to peak performance.

9) Eat your last big meal about 3 hrs before your event. This will vary from rider to rider so experiment with this in practise. The longer the event, the closer to the start you will be able to eat. If you are hungry after this pick at high energy foods or fruit

10) NEVER ride new equipment, wear new clothes or try out a new drink or food on race day.

11) The smoother the road, the higher the tire pressure you can run. Tubulars can be inflated to 180 lbs, but on a rough road, that means your tires will be bouncing around a lot. When your rear tire is not on the ground, you can’t propel the bike. 120 is a safe call for most tires and roads.

12) Caffeine is legal and performance enhancing. However, if you drink it every day, the effects will be minimised. Some people (not me) stop drinking coffee until just before a race.

13) When you get to the race, check the official race clock and synchronise your watch with it. Check to see if they are on schedule. Best thing of all is to have a countdown timer on your watch that you synchronise with the official race clock. Set it for the time gap between the start of the clock and your start time.

14) Get a really good warm up. The shorter the event, the longer the warm up. More on this soon...

15) Give yourself a full hour on the bike to warm up. This does not include bathroom breaks (of which there should be several if you are properly hydrated), snack breaks and time to pump up tires and put on your race wheels. This should be done early and before the warm up to avoid nerves

16) Wear knee warmers or Skins during warm up unless it is extremely hot. This provides compression causing increased blood flow and gets your muscles warmer faster.

17) Stationary trainers are best for warm ups. Don’t use your expensive tubular tire on the trainer. Bring a spare wheel.

20) Have someone at the start line to take your jacket and knee warmers or park very close to the line.

21) Generally you should start with your chain in the big ring and an easy cog in the back. However, in practise, make sure the chain angle is not too severe.

22) Start your timer exactly 1 minute before you start to avoid last minute fussing.

23) Start with your hands in the drops or on the ends of your cow horn bars and your front leg in the 10:00 position.

24) With 1 second to go before your start, squeeze the brakes and come out of the saddle. Remember to breathe.

25) Get up to speed very quickly but do not go above your time trial pace. Aim for negative splits meaning you speed up very slightly, rather than slow down over the course of the race. In a perfectly paced ride, you will be completely spent when you cross the line.

26) Unless you have a power meter, pace yourself on perceived exertion. Heart rate can take up to 10 minutes to adjust to your effort. Keep in mind that due to the adrenaline of race day, you will be able to ride at a higher heart rate than in training.

27) Keep in mind that due to the adrenaline of race day, you will be able to ride at a higher power level than in training.

28) On rollers, you may recover a bit on the down hills and work a little harder on the up hills. It is most efficient to keep your speed consistent. Before a short hill, shift into a harder gear and power over the climb out of the saddle. The bigger gear and the low cadence will prevent your heart rate from rising too much. Shift as you come over the crest to keep your cadence from increasing on the flat or downhill, which would cause your heart rate to go up.

29) Optimum cadence for a time trial is generally 90 to 105, but you must practise this. Leg speed is the key to cycling and it is easy to train. If you can pedal smoothly at 120 rpm in training, you will be extremely efficient at 105 rpm in the race. To train this, do one interval a week building from 10 minutes to an hour with very little resistance at 115 to 130 rpm.

30) Keep your head up! Not only is it safer, but it is actually more aerodynamic. There’s no “point” in having the rear of your aero helmet sticking up high in the air!

31) Take the shortest line possible. On a closed course, don’t stick to the right side of the road when it curves to the left. Cut through the inside and save precious seconds.

32) You generally won’t need water in an event shorter than an hour, but carry a water bottle anyway. It’s more aerodynamic.

33) Count your pedal strokes or breaths to distract from the pain. If you notice you are breathing only on the right pedal stroke, alternate it to the left from time to time.

35) Drafting is not allowed. If you catch up to a competitor, the overtaken rider is required to fall back to a specified distance (usually about 50 meters) behind the other or maintain wide horizontal separation so that he receives no aerodynamic shelter or help from the other. When passing a rider, make sure you do it authoritatively and don’t get caught for drafting yourself.

36) Start your recovery the moment you cross the line. Replace your race wheels and then hop back onto the trainer for a specific cooldown to enhance the recovery process.

end of week two.....

Well, that was the end of week two. A similar week to week one including some rainy days, some very windy days, and one or two sunny but cold ones. I still did a 200 mile week finishing today with a ride just short of 70 miles. So how is it going? Well I moped around on Monday, my rest day, it was then a mix of 90 minute ride, 3 hour ride, 90 minute ride, one hour ride, turbo session and today's 41/2 hour ride.
So what was different, on Wednesday I went for a ride with someone else for the three hour session. It was good to spin around with someone else but I needed to concentrate on my zones to avoid slipping into the wrong effort. I still had no problems motivating myself to go out in the wind and rain to complete the days session. Friday was a great run to the Eureka cafe and the tacx trainer is repaired and kept me in Saturdays required zones.
Sunday's long ride was a bit different, I rode out to Eureka with Ade and his daughter at a nice easy pace, cycling as it was originally intended enjoying the company and the Cheshire Lanes. At Eureka I bumped into Chris White and his team sporting their new bioracer kit. it looks terrific and its well worth a google to see what he is up to. I had a few offers of company next week which I will take up before heading off on my own. I remained disciplined all the way to Queensferry when I spotted Liverpool Century chain ganging down the road ahead of me. Rather stupidly I decided to chase them down and pushed my HR up to 175 before i caught them and rode back to Eureka for a couple of miles. I can feel it in my legs tonight and if it wasn't a rest day tomorrow i could of ruined the training for a few days so not clever.

Other than that, the frame up top is a replacement for my winter bike a scott CR1 I bought for its easier sportive geometry, As someone who always rides race specs it hasn't been that comfortable so Cheshire Oaks cycles have done a great job providing me (not free but great price) with a scott foil HMX 2013 frame and are in the process of stripping the gear of the old one. More next week.

So that is it for now, perhaps some kit thoughts in the week ....

I'm still doing it.....

I haven't stopped the training or got bored with it. The fact is at this time the training is quite repetitive. This week is almost identical to last week. Zone one and two, medium rides followed by a short, and easy spin then the next day a long one. I am still recovering well and looking forward to the rides. One thing I have noticed is that riding so much and swapping according to the weather between my orbea and my scott CR1 is not ideal. I am noticing niggling muscle pains and numbness. I bought the CR1 as its geometry is more relaxed with the intention of easing my position through the winter. A good plan but it doesn't work. I have always ridden race geometries and my body expects it so..... Cheshire oaks have very kindly helped me source a Scott Foil 10 frame and will be transferring the gear from the CR1 onto this new machine. More on that next week when it arrives.  So anyway  my plan is to write about the week at the end of each week. Suffice to say I have been out every day, sun, rain and wind, on days I would of retreated into the house again in the past. So at the end of each week I will publish the data and in between articles on the equipment, training methodology and so on.

Every Penny Counts......

In many sports spending money can bring comfort but not necessarily competitive advantage. In cycling spending money can result in high-speed for less effort. How much money though? The Kask helmet above, as used by the sky team, is available in very limited supply and sizes now and hopefully more readily in early 2013 at about £300. 

So is it worth it? A big part of the thrill of cycling is speed, either flying down a winding hill, challenging yourself on a hill. All we want to do is go faster, when taking part in a sportive, out on a club run or riding with mates. The next stage is, of course the time trial, in my opinion the new British national sport. We do hold more events than anyone else as a consequence of road races being banned many years ago the Brits metaphorically stuck a finger up to the establishment and created covert time trialling. 

So the question is with huge advances in high-technology in recent years how much time can various accessories really save you? What are the key pieces of equipment that will make you go faster and how much time will they save you? 

Helmets

Not necessarily the one above, teardrop shaped aero helmets may look a bit daft but they do make you go faster than a normal one, despite usually being heavier. The key is optimising the airflow around your head and back making it as smooth as possible. The closer you look to an aeroplane wing the better.

Cost £100 to £400

Saving 0.5-1 second per mile

Skin Suits

Clothing is underrated as far as improving your speed is concerned. If you are serious about wanting to go faster then investing in a good quality well fitting one-piece skin suit should be top priority. Your body surface area and shape is the biggest thing slowing down after all.

Cost £90-£300

Saving 0.5-1 second per mile. 

Bars

Time trial handlebars come with extensions that enable you to move your forearms so they're in a much narrower position than  they are on the drops. What this does is effectively reduce your frontal area (As it heads into the wind) as well as improving the airflow around your upper body.

Cost £100-£600

Savings 2-3 seconds per mile

Tyres

Fast tyres are fast mostly because they have low rolling resistance which is one of the forces that slows you down on a bike. The best time trial tyres are also lightweight and narrow, as you would expect, although some modern TT wheels have been designed to work with wider tyres? Don't forget the faster tyres often wear out much quicker than cheaper tyres.

Cost £30 -£75 each

Saving 1-2 seconds per mile

Wheels

 

Aero wheels are characterised by low spoke counts and deep, tapering rim profiles, which are a better shape than rectangles for reducing drag. v-shaped rims are the most common-and the cheapest, but they are not as aero and don't handle as well as a more rounded shape.

Cost "£800 - £3000

Saving 0.5-1 second per mile.

 

So as you have read there is a possibility of saving significant time by upgrading your equipment and I still haven't mentioned gloves and overshoes.

Of course the most important saving is the bike itself (apart from your own fitness, profile and weight), I think that deserves a post on its own though. I will be going over all of the equipment as my training progresses and I try out the different equipment for myself....

End of Week One

To be clear, the picture isn't me, not even close but its pretty cool. There was no blog yesterday as time failed me and cleaning a dirty bike ready for the next ride felt a bit more important. yesterday was a four hour ride, the longest so far in this regime. Again it was 15 mins zone 1, 3 1/2 hrs in zone 2 and a 15 min zone 1 cool down. I was allowed into zone three for the hills if I had to. Despite the amount of climbing I chose to ride through Willaston, Ellesmere Port, Chester and through to Dellamere Forrest, coming back through Christleton, Chester, Wrexham a quick  halt at Eureka and home. Overall I did reasonably well. I hit 160bpm a couple of times on the 12% climbs but would defy anyone not to. My HR stayed in Z1 for an hour not thirty minutes but that may be down to tailwinds, long descents and a spell along a dirt track courtesy of the garmin. And, I must confess the odd play at speed particularly after a 12% decent. I also got my times wrong. I hit Eureka with 20 mins of the ride to go and 40 mins to go home. As it was supposed to be a team ride and ended up a solo one I felt I deserved some coffee. Rather than spend the full 40 mins in zone 1 I continued at a higher rate until 15 mins then dropped the speed down a bit though it was difficult going mostly uphill. Overall I managed about 68 miles at 15.9mph average. I also felt very good after the ride and the next day. In fact I haven't felt sore tired, or wanted to avoid the bike all week.

Today, due to child care arrangements I was due to hit the turbo, annoying on a sunny day but with the best excuse possible. The plan was a 15 minute warm up, then 3 lots of 2mins z2 and 2mins z1 finishing with a 15min z1 cool down. It should of been OK but having fitted a new tyre I had problems with the tacx, the speed was between 0 and 6mph for a cadence of 90-120 and a HR in excess of 130. so I need to sort out the technical difficulties for next time.

Overall a good week without any pain and interestingly some of the best sleep for a long time. Not sure I will blog every day next week I may go for a summary, depends how I feel.....