Life in the saddle

Test of mobile blogging

2011-05-18T17:00:00.001+01:00

Ever since I got my new iPhone back in November, I've used it for internet access even when at home as it's so portable around the house (I could see that Apple were right in predicting big things for their iPad).

It works for most things, except complicated work - including blogging. Then I got tipped off about the BlogPress app, from which I'm writing now. It won't make for perfectly laid out posts but it will mean I can post more regularly in between uploading new Spinning rides and mixes.

Anyway, test over - I hope it works!

I need your help!

2010-11-11T21:59:00.003Z

OK, readers - time to put this social networking to good use.

Both my girlfriend, Cassie Abbott, and I have had friends and relatives suffer with cancer - in Cassie's case, her mother who will soon undergo chemotherapy. According to Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation, 1 in 3 will have cancer at some point in their lives with almost everyone having some experience of it.

Will you be the 1 in 3 ? If not, who of your friends and relatives? Cancer Research UK has made huge leaps in increasing survival rates for cancer.

After only her first year of cycling, Cassie has decide to raise money by cycling the big one - La Marmotte. I've done it twice and have seen grown men cry on the way; it is the hardest one-day amateur cycling event in Europe, maybe the world. She made the (crazy) leap to raise as much money as possible for a cause close to her heart.

Please donate whatever you feel you can afford - to borrow a catchphrase, Every Little Helps. Please help spread the word too - cancer's not fussy who it strikes, everyone may feel they can donate by visiting Cassie's Justgiving page.

Thank you so much for reading this plea, even if you choose not to donate.

Robert

The fast rolling road

2010-09-29T11:28:00.002+01:00

This is a one-hour long mix that started off as something put together to help the time go by on the indoor trainer, where I like to keep a high cadence 90-110rpm if not training anything specific and just need to get the legs moving a bit. Since then, however, I've used in different ways and it's even useful for a time-trial effort. If you ride to the beat, it gradually picks up as you go along - if you don't want to increase intensity, you will have to change down gear at some point!

Profile

It's going to look a little something like this:

You can ride this in a number of ways:

1 - increase intensity as the ride progresses, similar to my last profile, the Energy Mountain; use the quickening rhythm of the music to guide you.

2 - a steady output all the way through (if riding to the beat, don't forget to change down)

3 - intensity rising to a crescendo, then descending back down.

4 - a bit of a warm-up, then flat out time-trial effort for 30-45mins before cooling down.

You can download the full hour-long mix here. If you want a 45-minute version, start at around the 15min mark to leave you a 6-min cool down.

Playlist

Aeternal - Paul Oakenfold
Deep Space - John Stanford
Awake to your senses - Tya
Heaven - Emer Kenny
Closer to madness - Jesse Cook
Supreme illusion (Nickodemus mix) - Intelligent Electron
Kiss Kiss - Holly Valance
La camisa negra - Juanes
Days go by - Dirty Vegas
New day - Allain Bougrain Dubourg & Arno Elias
Sun - Susnik Luna
Clubbed to death - Rob D
Shine - Aswad
Centre of the sun (Solarstone's chilled out mix) - Conjure One

Now ride the fast rolling road, without that annoying headwind!

Help us name our new arrivals!

2010-09-22T17:31:00.000+01:00

Cassie and I have just this morning become proud parents... to a pair of kittens!

Any suggestions for names? Paired names would be good, as they're sisters.

How God created the Big Bang

2010-09-11T17:48:00.003+01:00

Maybe after spending a month in near-isolation in southern France has made me more susceptible to the lower forms of humour but this clip from Family Guy had me in stitches - the real story of how God created the Big Bang and, therefore, the universe.

Video not responding? Click here

So now you know, whether you believe in evolution or are from Kansas!

Energy Mountain

2010-08-07T20:19:00.000+01:00

It's been a while, so here's another of my favourite rides, inspired by Lou Atkinson and Mel Chambers at Hemsby Fitness Fiesta last year.

This is a 35-minute climb that's designed to start comfortably but with gradually increasing intensity and energy, passing through different training zones or, as I coach them, "phases". These phases are not meant to be sudden but gradual - I outline them at the beginning and it's up to each individual rider to determine when they're in that zone and to think about whether it's too early, e.g., to be going above threshold, and should they hold back or increase the intensity.

To those unfamiliar with training zones or without HRMs: Phase 1 is basically a warm-up on a climb, trying to wake up your muscles gradually; Phase 2 is using those muscles effectively at a good steady pace but with breathing starting to get a little faster; Phase 3 is a more determined effort, really using one's strength, i.e., riding at tempo pace; Phase 4 is just under lactate threshold, only doing so because we're near the summit, otherwise we'd stay in Phase 3 for longer; Phase 5 is when you see the summit, get a second wind, and say "what the hell, let's go for it!"

The exact timings for each Phase are up to you and your audience. However, in my mixed version, I save Phase 5 for the final 3 minutes, using a speeded-up Saltwater as inspiration for digging deeper, reaching higher and going that one step further.

Profile

Phase 1 - finding your climbing legs (65-70% of MHR)
Phase 2 - getting into the climb (70-75%)
Phase 3 - pushing the pace up the climb (75-80%)
Phase 4 - looking to the top, in a rush to get there (80-85%, sub-threshold)
Phase 5 - racing to the top (85+%, above threshold)

You can download the 35-minute mix here.

The warm-up and cool-down are yours to choose - the first 45 seconds are to be included as part of a warm-up, the climb then goes on until 35:37, i.e., 35 minutes of constant climbing.

One final point - I've not only mixed it but also done it so that it starts at 60rpm and ends at 75rpm; the change is so gradual, spread out over the entire 35 minutes, so you will not notice how it speeds up. I've done this both for the benefit of those who ride to the beat and to give it a sense of how you would start up a climb at a steady speed, gradually getting more confident and picking up speed, finishing at race speed.

Playlist

Drifting away - Faithless
Look inside your head - Sander Van Doom
Sanctuary (The Traveller) - Origene
Ten seconds before sunrise - Tiesto
Dark and long (Dark train) - Underworld
More and more - white label vinyl, artist unknown
Coolio - again, a white label, any ideas?
Saltwater - Chicane feat Maire Brennan

Enjoy your climb to the summit of the Energy Mountain!

WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

2010-06-24T14:37:00.000+01:00

Although the volume has diminished so that we can now actually hear the commentators, sometimes even the fans, those blasted vuvuzelas are ruining the World Cup. Worse, they are threatening to take over in every other sport - they had to specifically ban vuvuzelas from Wimbledon, in case some idiots decided it would be "fun" and "atmospheric". Cricket and baseball are two more sports that have lately banned vuvuzelas from their stadia.

Quick recap of the vuvuzela:

1 - They are plastic trumpets invented by a manufacturing company in 2002; or, allegedly, by a guy who first made an aluminium one in the 60s made from an old bicycle horn. Either way, they are not part of the traditional South African culture, just an excuse to make a quick Rand.

2 - It has a sound pressure of 120db, as loud as a 747 jet engine at take-off, and can lead to permanent hearing loss for unprotected ears after prolonged exposure. Thought you were lucky to get a ticket to see one of the matches in South Africa? I know a good hearing aid company...

3 - TV viewers were unable for the first round of matches to even hear the commentators; the commentators were even unable to hear each other. Players could not hear their team-mates on the pitch, some felt disorientated and unable to concentrate; even the stadium announcer cannot be heard (imagine if they ever need to evacuate the stadium, nobody will hear the tannoy!)

4 - Demand for earplugs to protect from hearing loss outstripped supply; a vuvuzela manufacturer came to the rescue and began selling earplugs to spectators (a double whammy money-spinner, if ever I saw one).

5 -Their monotone sound drowns out all the atmosphere from the game, the ebb and flow of the fans cannot be heard, no more the traditional (for England) fans' band playing the theme from The Great Escape, I can only hope the Brasilian samba band can drown out the vuvuzela-wielding zombies.

Think I'm over-reacting? Check out this guy:

Problems viewing? Try here.

It's oh so quiet...

2010-06-23T14:50:00.000+01:00

The problem with summer is that, just at the time when it's perfect weather for a bike ride, there are so many sporting events on TV - after the cycling Classics, the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de Suisse, it's now time for the World Cup which itself overlaps with Wimbledon and the most-watched sporting event on the planet, the Tour de France.

Yeah, you heard me right. Cycling. Tour de France. The most-watched sporting event. Thinking the Olympics or the World Cup has more? For a start, they're only every four years; secondly, not everyone watches every single event or match; finally, don't forget there are millions that watch the Tour on the road - one million alone on Alpe d'Huez!

To top it all off, it's my 40th birthday this Monday, so I'll be running away for a long weekend with Cassie, to pretend that it didn't happen and I'm still "in my thirties"!

So, if I've gone quiet, you know where I am - either out for a long bike ride or watching football or cycling (or maybe even tennis)...

Should we tolerate self-abuse?

2010-06-14T22:52:00.003+01:00

Nothing to do with self-harming, which is a dark topic about which I'm nowhere near knowledgeable enough to discuss.

Lately, I've seen a few comments, references, forum posts and status updates that seem to suggest that we should accept obesity, despite the fact it's more deadly than drug dependency or alcoholism. This trinity of substance abuse (food, drug, drink) has become so widespread as to almost seem normal - what was previously overweight is now the norm, people get away with drinking amounts that would've raised eyebrows not long ago, and certain drug use has become acceptable.

In my previous post on this topic, I referred to a statistic that food, drug and alcohol abuse account for 80% of the NHS's budget. Recently, I talked about this topic and was curious enough to find out how much that is:

The NHS budget last year was £110bn
The number of tax payers in the UK is approx 29m
That's £3800 every year for each taxpayer towards food, drugs and alcohol abuse.

Next time you're asked to tolerate obesity, binge drinking or substance abuse, remember how much these people are costing every one of you £10 a day.

These people are wasting YOUR money!

Addendum - this doesn't include the cost of promoting good eating habits, policing, alcohol-fuelled criminal damage, thieving by drug users to fund their habit, etc.

Off the grid

2010-06-07T23:05:00.000+01:00

For a few months after my last post, we had problems with my cable/phone/broadband provider (Virgin Mediaaaaargh) and decided to ditch them in favour of Sky. Problem was that Virgin had removed our old phone line, so we had to get a new one (££££) before Sky could hook us up with a broaband connection. A series of engineer visits later and I now have a much faster connection than before (even though it's supposedly the same), wider choice of channels for a cheaper price, a proper phone line (useful if wanting to change broadband providers), and a HD box at no extra charge (cheers, Mr Engineer!). A lot of headaches and frustration and wanting to pay a visit to Virgin Media's Customer Services and "go US Postal on their ass" BUT a much better package now we're out the other end of the tunnel. Still trying to remember my new phone number though...

Been connected for about a month now but so busy training and riding (a spell of rare good weather) that I feel like I've become a technophobe. Now the weather's gone back to normal, i.e., crap, I'll probably be posting more regularly.

BTW, at a recent race, I also managed to lose my mobile phone while packing the bikes into the car. Argh! I still have the same number but I've lost all of my contacts - maybe I should go back to pen and paper...

Personal coaching

2010-03-12T14:18:00.001Z

After being asked many times about how a rider should train for a specific event, riding techniques, nutritional strategy, etc., and given some informal coaching sessions, I've decide to offer my services to a wider audience.

Whether you're after an intensive 3-month plan to get you at your peak for a specific event or personal coaching sessions to help you reach your peak on your own training schedule, I have knowledge and experience to share with you to meet your goals.

For a full breakdown of services and prices, please click on the "Personal Training" link on the right. Services and charges are adaptable to suit your needs, so please do email me to see what I could provide for you.

Train better, not more!

Just a minute!

2010-03-09T11:58:00.000Z

How does a long, extensive interval differ from a short, intensive one? How important is recovery? Find out yourself with this ride!

After a suitable warm-up, it's a series of intervals ranging from 8 minutes long down to just 1 minute, all with just a minute for recovery. Imagine that you want to get to the top of a short climb for each interval - the first couple of intervals are long enough that the effort levels off around 80-85% MHR; these are working at the level of endurance and strength. Then next two intervals are shorter, so require a little more intensity to get to the top of that same climb before time runs out, around 85-88% MHR; these start recruiting a higher level of strength and power. The 4- and 3-minute intervals require a much higher level of power to reach the summit, so that HR is around 88-92% MHR. The final two intervals are all-out efforts, 92%-max, as there's no time for building up the intensity. The only way to really fire up the power in the final interval is to add lots of resistance in the first 15secs and then accelerate and sprint the final 40secs to the finish.

You will find that minute's recovery is barely needed after the first two intervals; definitely needed for the next pair; just enough to catch one's breath in the third pair; and nowhere near enough for the final two. The lesson? The higher the intensity, the longer the recovery should be - below lactate threshold (approx 85% MHR) recovery is not really necessary; extensive intervals above threshold require around 2:1 ratio of effort/recovery; for intensive intervals the ratio is closer to 1:1 and for all-out efforts it's more like 1:2 or even 1:4.

Profile

Flat road - 9 mins
Interval - 8 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 7 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 6 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 5 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 4 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 3 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 2 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 1 mins
Cool down - 8 mins

You can download the hour-long mix here

Playlist

My friend - Groove Armada
Acacia house - River Gods
Insomnia - Faithless
Rio Grande - The Day After Tomorrow OST
Sun - Slusnik Luna
Groovin' with you - The Gentle People
Sunstroke - Chicane
Nothing more - Nitin Sawhney
Shine - Booty Luv
Maximus - Gladiator OST
It's a rainy day - Ice MC
Lullabye for Katherine - Marta Sebestyen
Hungarian - Bond
Remembering Rafe - Pearl Harbor OST
Song 2 - Blur
Figurines - Gladiator OST
The Bait - Mission Impossible 2 OST

Life happens...

2010-03-09T11:07:00.000Z

Yep, I've been away a while, I know. A few hours after making a New Year's Resolution to put weekly rides on my blog, I contracted a serious bout of gastroenteritis that knocked the wind out of my sails for most of January. A great way to spend the first day of the year... in hospital with two bags of IV to keep me alive! It's amazing how it can take so long to get up again from such a fall. I think it may have been the norovirus that's been spreading in the UK this winter - a week after I visited my local hospital, they announced they had an outbreak that's now spreading across the area... just call me Norovirus Rob!!

Along the way, I attended the only (so far) Kranking instructor course in the UK - although it's spread quickly in the US, Italy and Germany, it's yet to make an impact here in the UK. I think that may be due to the gym chains that make up a much larger slice of the market here than they do abroad. I think they'll likely be initially taken up by independent gyms or facilities that cater to athletes with a disability. Watch this space, as this will catch on faster than Spinning ever did!

So, I'm now back in full health, starting to train seriously once again and, as you can see, I'm back on the blog! For starters, if some of you had problems downloading the first of my mixed rides, I have made it available again for your downloadable pleasure!

Next ride coming soon...

Have a phenomenal Christmas!

2009-12-18T13:57:00.000Z

In case I don't get a chance later this week, I hope you all have a phenomenal Christmas!

Video not playing? Try here!

The countdown begins...

2009-12-18T13:52:00.000Z

It's Christmas week, so I've only just started getting into the spirit of things (unlike the shops, who seem to think it begins in August). I'm hosting Christmas this year, so I've been away from my blog lately, as my spare time has been taken up by painting, decorating and clearing out the house in time for the festive lunches and dinners as well as getting the necessary things in place - new furniture, Christmas tree, ordering food, etc. In case you're interested, here's the menu:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Salmon patê on Melba Toast
Champagne
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bruschetta (with tomato/garlic/basil)
Crostini (with wild boar ragû)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gnocchi with wild boar ragû and fresh parmesan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roast pork loin with prune and cognac stuffing
Roast potatoes with rosemary
Green beans & carrots
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Panettone with Marsala-infused custard
Accompanied with a glass of Marsala wine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mince pies with a shot of Amaretto
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coffee / grappa / whisky to digest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hungry yet? Sounds complicated but it's all planned out and I can prepare a lot of it on Christmas Eve for minimal effort on the day itself - the hardest part will be toasting the bread for the bruschetta and crostini!

Zen cycling

2009-10-26T14:55:00.000Z

A Zen teacher saw five of his students returning from the market, riding their bicycles. When they arrived at the monastery and had dismounted, the teacher asked the students, "Why are you riding your bicycles?"

The first student replied, "The bicycle is carrying the sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!" The teacher praised the first student, "You are a smart boy! When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over like I do."

The second student replied, "I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path!" The teacher commended the second student, "Your eyes are open, and you see the world."

The third student replied, "When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant nam myoho renge kyo." The teacher gave praise to the third student, "Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel."

The fourth student replied, "Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all sentient beings." The teacher was pleased, and said to the fourth student, "You are riding on the golden path of non-harming."

The fifth student replied, "I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle"

The teacher sat at the feet of the fifth student and said,

"Ahh.... I am your student!"

Busy weekend ahead

2009-10-09T14:31:00.000+01:00

Aside from my usual classes, this weekend will see me volunteering at the Spinning Showcase at the Chelsea football stadium in London. Not sure what will be involved, probably moving bikes around and filling water bottles, but I'm sure it'll be fun and I'll get to hang around and soak up the atmosphere. Besides, I've done so many conventions this year (Miami twice, New York, Hemsby) that I can give this one a miss, despite it being on my doorstep. Definitely next year, though!

Also this weekend is the Ironman World Champs in Kona, Hawaii. For me and many in the UK triathlon community, the men's event has taken a back seat these past few years as Chrissie Wellington did us proud on her first year as a pro, repeating the performance the following year despite losing a lot of time with a punctured tyre. Unfortunately, I doubt I'll be able to watch the online coverage on Saturday night, which has a cult following all of its own.

Go Chrissie - make it a hat-trick!

Aw, crap!

2009-10-02T15:22:00.000+01:00

A long time ago, so long I had even forgotten I did it, I applied for the London Marathon. Entries are by ballot, so it's pretty much a lottery as to whether one gets a place or not.

Guess what?

Yup, my number came up!

And three weeks to the day after I tore my ankle tendons... if my progress on the bike is not matched by that on the run, I may have to defer my entry to 2011, to make sure I can get in plenty of endurance training and speedwork.

For now, I've entered it in my list of events I'm doing in one capacity or another (see the right hand side of the page) but I'm putting a question mark on it until I go out for my first post-injury run, some time away yet.

Lose weight by changing your mind

2009-09-30T15:46:00.000+01:00

Huh? Well, I was asked recently about weight loss and why exercise or dieting hasn't worked for some, despite all their best efforts. This got me thinking and researching how the mind is the biggest obstacle to weight loss... and to anything else we can't seem to achieve. I don't need to lecture on the power of positive thinking (check out a book called The Secret, to which Jennifer Sage introduced me) but the mind is so muddled with baggage and history that it can be hard to find a way out. You have to literally "free your mind". I had been planning a nice article but this one by Kereru Moses has done all the work for me!

Weight loss is only possible with the correct psychology

Losing weight is often a struggle but it is even more of a struggle without the right psychology. You can have all the information in the world about how to lose weight but without the right psychology to apply it, it is useless. Weight loss is only achieved by having the correct information and using that information to take action.

Having the appropriate psychology is the most important element of weight loss but is usually overlooked and underestimated. The right psychology will give you motivation, commitment, and help you to overcome obstacles, temptations and distractions. The proper psychology can also make weight loss fun, easier, more exciting and develop changes towards a healthy new lifestyle and a better quality of life.

The Right Weight Loss Psychology

First off I will start referring to a person’s psychology as a mindset. A mindset is important because it controls our behaviour, thoughts and actions. As people grow they develop habits and associations that govern their life. These habits and associations are controlled by our subconscious and people are usually unaware of them. A person’s subconscious can also sabotage their weight loss efforts. The right mindset consists of using various techniques and strategies to control your behaviour by monitoring your actions and thoughts. This will help to replace your old habits and associations with new ones that will be more beneficial.

A colleague of mine Jack Bower couldn’t understand why people moan about being overweight but wont exercise. I replied by saying that they don’t have the correct mindset. You might think that they just lack the correct information but if they had the proper motivation then they would find it. Nothing can stop someone that has a powerful mindset. People like this will always find a way no matter what obstacles they face. People that don’t lose weight have formed associations and habits that have taken control of their life and stopped them.

How do you get the correct mindset for Weight Loss ?

Developing the correct mindset is not an instant change. It will take time and constant and conscious awareness. By this I mean you will have to regularly monitor your progress and behaviour. Sometimes it will be easy and others it will require will power. On the good side there are strategies and techniques that are easy to apply. Using these techniques will give you motivation, determination, commitment and make you emotionally charged and driven to succeed. One such technique is the power of goal setting. This is one important technique that you could use to achieve your weight loss goals. Below I have listed simple guidelines to follow when goal setting.

* You have to write your goals down.
* Your goals have to be specific.
* Your goals have to have a deadline.
* Your goals have to be measurable.
* Your goals have to be achievable.
* You have to focus on your goals everyday.
* You have to have emotion behind your goals.

The best way to set a weight loss goal is to set more than one. Have one long-term goal and then break it down into smaller goals. Make some monthly and weekly goals. You can only eat an elephant one piece at a time. This is a very simple and basic overview of goal setting. There are other strategies involved that will make goal setting more efficient and make you driven to succeed.

There are also other techniques and strategies apart from goal setting which will help you develop a powerful psychology including controlling your focus, having a critical action plan, forming new associations, developing new habits and controlling you internal dialogue and self talk. This might seem complicated and a bit overwhelming but the techniques are simple and easy to use.

To lose weight you also need a nutrition plan and it is also important and highly advised to have an exercise routine. When obtaining a nutrition or exercise plan you have to make sure that the information is correct, suited for your needs and lifestyle, individualized specifically for you and your goals, is in your best interest and that the source of the information is trustworthy and creditable. Information is readily available, free and easy to obtain. However not all of this information is correct and the best. Make sure that you get your information from a trustworthy source and that they have some type of credentials or experience. If you can find this type of free information that is great but you will usually have to pay for it.

I wish you all the best with your weight loss goals and I know that if you develop a powerful psychology you will achieve your goals and success will be yours. So aim high, push the limits become all that you want to be and live the life that you want and deserve. We are not given the gift of dreams without the power to achieve them. I highly advise you to now take action and do something towards helping you achieve your weight loss goals. The sooner you start the sooner you will lose the weight. If you do not take action now to achieving your goals and developing a powerful psychology then you will put more weight on and not live the better quality of life that you deserve.

TAKE ACTION NOW!!

James Martin (again)

2009-09-18T21:51:00.003+01:00

Just thought you might like to read this article from the Telegraph, neatly summarising what an idiot James Martin really is and how his apology was just a PR anodyne. One bit stands out, quoting his moronic utterances:

“Without fail a cyclist will rap on my window and make some holier-than-thou comment, before zooming off through a red light where he knows I can’t get him.”

They only rap on windows with holier-than-thou statements when you’ve done something wrong. And what do you mean by “can’t get him” – what are you planning to do? Bearing in mind your other comments in the piece, this sounds like a threat.

Unfortunately, despite the venom his comments have attracted, there are motorists out there with this kind of mentality. They seem to be intent on causing deliberate harm, without realising how serious are the consequences. Sadly, the law are likely to let off such motorists with a paltry fine. That's if they're caught, that is.

Let's be careful out there!

Injury update

2009-09-17T14:21:00.002+01:00

If you've been following my Twitter updates, either directly or via this blog) you'll know that I've managed to injure myself and that I'm currently teaching off the bike and on crutches.

I was standing sideways on the stairs at home, talking to Cassie (my girlfriend) and my foot slipped off the last couple of stairs; I landed awkwardly, my ankle gave way and I heard a snap, followed by the most intense pain I'd ever felt, even more than when I fractured my shoulder last year. The good news is that I didn't fracture my ankle, the bad is that it seems I've torn my ankle tendons and sprained the ligaments in my foot. I say bad, as it will take a long time before I'll be back to my best, much longer than might have been had I fractured it...broken bones heal to become stronger than ever.

Oh well, at least it happened at the end of the cycling season - but it does mean missing out on a special ride on the circuit in London for the final stage of the Tour of Britain (Cassie's taking over that one), a cyclosportive on the South Downs and also means I miss out on the first Spinning Showcase in London. Considering I'd been hankering for a London version of WSSC for a couple of years now, it's disheartening to have to miss out. Hopefully, I'll be able to mooch around and soak in the atmosphere... and socialise afterwards, naturally!

I'll be back to training in no time, although running may be out for the rest of the year. We'll see...

PS - no, I was NOT drunk at the time!

Britain's attitude change

2009-09-16T15:14:00.003+01:00

You may have heard the rants against a certain James Martin, Z-celebrity chef and anti-cyclist moron. If not, read this story first.

In a nutshell, he wrote in a national newspaper of his test-drive of a Tesla electric car (i.e., quiet); he had spotted a group of cyclists dressed in "fluorescent Spider-Man outfits, shades, bum bags and stupid cleated shoes. Twenty minutes into my test drive I pulled round a leafy bend, enjoying the bird song - and spotted those damned Spider-Man cyclists. Knowing they wouldn't hear me coming, I stepped on the gas, waited until the split-second before I overtook them, then gave them an almighty blast on the horn at the exact same time I passed them at speed. The look of sheer terror as they tottered into the hedge was the best thing I've ever seen in my rear-view mirror."

Until recently, this would have been the view of most of the country but, thanks to the efforts of British Cycling, the CTC, the London Mayor (bringing the Tour de France for last year's Grand Depart), other cycling organisations, as well as the success of British cyclists in track and road races, the backlash against James Martin was swift and merciless. A few choice responses on Twitter:

Robbie McEwen: "If you see smug chef James Martin either key his car or punch him in the face". He also urged anyone with computer skills to screw up Martin's website. Which someone almost did on Wikipedia; although it was taken down soon afterwards, someone posted a screen photo on Twitpic

But the best anti-Martin messages came from Bradley Wiggins:

"James Martin TV chef, The word cock springs to mind, stick to Ready Steady Twat mate"
"Meal suggestion for this Saturday Kitchen for James Martin, Spotted DICK!"
"Hey James Martin, How about COCK au vin this Saturday"

When he calmed down somewhat, Wiggo said that people like Martin should realise that cycling is fast becoming Britain's national sport. And he's not joking - aside from the sheer numbers of cyclists, it's also the one sport we're actually any good at on a regular basis! I'm looking for Wiggo to make the podium in next year's Tour de France and for a British maillot jaune in Paris in the next ten years.

PS - there's also a Facebook group in James Martin's (dis)honour!

Group exercise makes you happy!

2009-09-16T15:04:00.002+01:00

Two posts in one day... making up for lost time! I saw this article on the BBC News website, which is very relevant to anyone wondering the purpose of group exercise and whether they'd be better off going solo:

Group exercise "boosts happiness"

Exercising together appears to increase the level of the feel-good endorphin hormones naturally released during physical exertion, a study suggests.

A team from Oxford University carried out tests on 12 rowers after a vigorous workout in a virtual boat. Those who trained alone withstood less pain - a key measure of endorphins - than those who exercised together. Writing in Biology Letters, the authors speculate these hormones may underpin an array of communal activities.

It has long been known that physical exertion releases endorphins and that these are responsible for the sometimes euphoric sensations experienced after exercising. They have a protective effect against pain. But researchers from Oxford University's Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology found this response was heightened by the synergistic effect of rowing together.

After 45 minutes of either rowing separately or in a team of six, the researchers measured their pain threshold by how long they could tolerate an inflated blood pressure cuff on the arm. Exercise increased both groups' ability to tolerate pain, but the difference was significantly more pronounced among the team rowers. This, they said, was a measure of an increased endorphin release.

As well as potentially improving performance in sport, the researchers speculated that this endorphin release may be the mechanism that underpins the sense of communal belonging that emerges from activities such as religious rituals, dancing or laughing.

"The results suggest that endorphin release is significantly greater in group training than in individual training even when power output, or physical exertion, remains constant," said lead author Emma Cohen. "The exact features of group activity that generate this effect are unknown, but this study contributes to a growing body of evidence suggesting that synchronised, coordinated physical activity may be responsible."

Carole Seheult, a sport and exercise psychologist from the British Psychological Society, said the findings were entirely credible. "Rowing is a sport which requires real team work and endorphins could well foster that process. But more generally we know from experience that exercising in groups is good for people at many levels, it's motivational, it's social. Groups sessions really do work."

One thing after another...

2009-09-16T14:53:00.002+01:00

OK, so I've not posted for a while. It has been a strange old year, nothing like a bit of excitement to keep you on your toes, eh? After a relaxing three-week (cycling, of course) break in southern France, I came back home full of resolution to tackle my ever-lengthening to-do list.

I was really getting stuck into it, making good progress and enjoying the thrill (OK, so I'm weird) of crossing out yet another task to be completed, when the worst thing that could happen to a cyclist happened... I slipped off a set of stairs, landed badly and tore my ankle tendons and sprained the ligaments too.

It swelled up enough that my foot was unrecognisable as such; luckily, it's gone down enough for me to wear socks and shoes but now the bruising's come up and turned my foot into something that would make children cry. I'm still on crutches (well, one of them) although I can at least stand on both feet and walk with a limp.

The indications are that it'll take 6-8 weeks to recover and longer to rebuild full strength and mobility. So I guess I won't be running before December, then... but hopefully back on the bike soon.

Does your dog bite?

2009-07-31T21:32:00.004+01:00

This sketch always cracks me up and I was able to quote it recently and it's since become a bit of an in-joke among some of my friends. I thought I'd share for those who missed out on Peter Sellers' genius:

Not loading? Click here!

Normal service...

2009-07-16T00:25:00.003+01:00

...will resume shortly. It's been a hectic half-year so far:

* doubling the amount of classes I teach;
* attending ECA in New York and recovering from illness;
* WSSC in Miami, notes from which I have yet to read;
* training for and racing in the Marmotte, if you can call it racing when it's so slow;
* getting new kit for cycling - Sidi shoes, Dura-Ace wheels, 12-27 cassette (I know, what a wimp!);
* and last but not least, finding love (about time - it's been a long time coming!)

Sorry for the interrupted service but I'm also in the middle of putting together my case for the lawyers in my insurance claim for last year's accident. I also need to start mending parts of the house that have needed fixing for a while now, as well as mix some new classes.

And I just HAD to watch the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France - it's a given in my philosophy!

Hope y'all had a good year so far, here's to the second half...

Busy busy busy!

2009-02-20T11:43:00.004Z

Can't believe it's almost the end of February already. Since my last post, my life has been turned upside down... for the much much better! If you followed my Twitter or Facebook updates, you'll know that a lady is involved and that she has calmed me down somewhat - although she's just as nuts about cycling and Spinning as I am!

Alas, this has left me with little spare time for anything else, including this blog. It will settle down but, right now, I'm in the throes of preparing for ECA NY next week... although I'm now cursing the bad timing of it, as I'll miss my better half and wishing she could be there with me (I'll be gone for 10 long days)

If I don't post before NYC, I may see you there!

Ciao for now, gang
Robert

Spinning class(es): Endurance climbing

2009-01-12T20:55:00.003Z

The simplest profiles usually make for the best rides, especially when the music is chosen and mixed well, but it takes a lot of work from the instructor to make sure riders don't lose focus and let their effort levels drop. The two rides below are based on a very simple profile: warm-up, lots of climbing, cool-down. No jumps, no sprints, no surges, no distractions - just climbing at a steady tempo, seated or standing.

Sounds hard but bear with me - if you set out on a 5-min climb, how much intensity could you handle? If I ask you to go for 50 mins, would you go at the same intensity? I hope not or you're the guy who sprints ahead of the field at the start of a climb race, only to be overtaken after the first switchback... never to be seen again!

So why a constant climb at the same tempo? By controlling our effort, there are two benefits:

(1) in the green zone (65-75% MHR) you'll be training your muscles, joints and connecting tissue, getting them used to that constant effort under a specific load (resistance). It's much like finding a comfortable weight and lifting it 100 times - it improves muscle endurance. This is the base upon which we can work further, as it will help prevent injuries due to excessive loads.

(2) in the yellow zone (75-85% MHR) you'll also be pushing your muscles to a higher limit of endurance, so much so that you're challenging your body to respond. It will do so by becoming stronger and better able to handle such efforts. One of two effects will then take place - either you can handle a greater load at the same HR or you'll have a lower HR while pushing the same load.

In either zone, this is the type of training that cyclists will spend most of their time doing - building a winter base as a launching pad, then improving their strength and ability to ride along at 40kph with minimal effort (I wish!).

As an instructor, you'll have to find your own motivational speaking notes - it's not easy to let 50mins pass without any instruction as to movement, changes in tempo, etc. but it is very beneficial and your riders will thank you for it. I'm sure some will say could do without me talking too! To help break up the time, I've put together the following profiles and used the Sunlounger Continuous Dance Mixes:

Profile 1 - Sunny Tales

Warm-up: 4 mins

Then alternating seated/standing climb, timing as follows:
45-min class: change every 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, and 1 min
60-min class: change every 6, 5, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1 min

Cool-down: 6 mins

Profile 2 - Another Day on the Terrace

Warm-up: 3.5 mins
-----------------
Loop:

Seated - 1 min
Standing - 1 min
Seated - 2 min
Standing - 2 min
Seated - 3 min
Standing - 3 min
Optional adding of resistance
-----------------
Three loops for a 45-min class, four for an hour's

Cool-down - 6 mins

Playlist

No mix from me this week - you can find the Sunlounger albums on iTunes, where they also include a bonus mix of the Chill and Dance CDs of both albums.

I hope it all makes sense - it's easier to ride than to write! Feel free to ask any questions, if you want clarification.

Extra classes!

2009-01-10T20:23:00.002Z

And at a brand new Spinning-only studio in Putney. The idea is probably one more familiar to those on the continent or in the US, this is a studio with nothing but Spinning... by which I mean that all instructors are "proper" Spinning instructors and include four of the UK's Master Instructors. There is no annual contract and classes are booked on a pay-as-you-go basis (a block of "tickets" may be bought to lower the cost).

It'll represent a new challenge for me, working with MIs that I know and from whom I can learn, and it's good to feel part of a close-knit team that is working together to the same end. That's not always possible in a gym that's part of a larger chain of health clubs, although I've been lucky with clubs at which I teach.

So, if you're in the UK or are visiting on holiday, book yourself a class online at the Pedal Studio website. Doesn't have to mine - all the instructors are excellent.

A new era begins!

Colour zones - what's that all about?

2009-01-07T10:19:00.002Z

I've been asked a few times about this in my classes and alluded to it in my previous post - why am I using colours to indicate heart rate zones and levels of effort?

I've always referred to the "red line", your lactate threshold (LT), and the red zone beyond it, where all effort is doomed to be short-term due to its intensity. This is where oxygen is in short supply, breathing is uncontrolled, lactate is accumulating rapidly, legs start burning and we're all waiting for the instructor to tell us we only have 5 seconds left, because that's all we feel we can do. Definitely "red"... as in red alert!

While I was in Miami attending the Kranking seminars and workshops, Johnny G & Co. explained that they used colours to represent HR zones, as this was more easily interpreted by the members than numbers and percentages. Initially, I didn't see a problem, as I like numbers - I've always been more logical than arty. But, having taken part in a Power Kranking session, I could see how the concept really worked in practice. The colours become an indication of your state of being - not working, relaxed, comfortable work, uncomfortable, panic stations - and were more easily communicated by the instructor and, for my part, more easily assimilated when focusing on the task at hand.
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This concept was so simple and yet practical, that I resolved to introduce it into my Spinning rides. So, here are the colour zones, highest to lowest:

RED - approx 85% to 95+% of MHR - above LT
YELLOW - 75% to 85% MHR - the uncomfortable Strength zone in Spinning
GREEN - 65% to 75% MHR - the more comfortable Endurance zone
BLUE - 55% - 65% MHR - the relaxed Recovery zone
GREY - below 55% MHR - warm-up and cool-down only!

These zones worked even better when combined with a Suunto or Activio HRM system. This is where everyone is given a heart rate monitor strap and their data is transmitted to a central system that projects their HR on a large screen. Everyone is given a nickname, so there's no "naming and shaming" - only the individual knows whether they're really working hard enough, not recovering, etc. The Suunto system was used by the Kranking team and this also gave a clear block of colour along with the percentage of MHR. Not tried the Activio system yet but will use it this weekend, as the Pedal Studio has it.

So, next time you hear me asking you to bring your effort down into the blue zone, it doesn't mean I want you to enter a walk-in freezer!

Spinning class: Take to the hills!

2009-01-05T12:14:00.007Z

A new year means a new training programme, starting with rides aimed at building a base level of fitness. I've written before about the importance of building an aerobic fitness base before attempting to take it one step further. This will take 2-3 months of training. So my plan for Jan-Feb is to work on smooth pedalling, cadence, a natural ease of movement, comfortable and steady aerobic rides, while at the same time allowing the hard core cyclists to work to their potential if they chose to do so. Not everybody's training cycle is the same!

In these cold, wintry conditions (it's -10c as I write this) the human body cries out for warmth-inducing, steady-state exercise, rather than the extreme anaerobic intervals that push you into your "red zone" (85-95% MHR). At this time of year, going into that zone can damage fitness levels rather than improve them - only after a solid aerobic fitness base is established, can that foundation be built upon to increase strength and ability to take punishment. The following is an endurance "green zone" ride but can also be ridden as a "blue" or "yellow" zone ride. More about the colour scheme in my next post!

Profile

The road is one out of town, on a smooth flat road heading towards the hills and the nearest mountain. So our cadence will be fairly quick at the start but the increasing gradient (i.e., resistance) as we get into the foothills and nearer to the mountain will naturally slow down our cadence so that we can maintain our effort level. Endless possibilites with imagery but it is a case of gradual incline, heading higher and higher, looking back at some point to see how far we've come just by applying a constant and moderate effort. No need to punish yourself to achieve something and conquer your own mountain.

For the first third of the ride, it's best to stay in the saddle so that our HR doesn't rise too quickly. Once resistance is gradually added and cadence slows to approx 95rpm, we can take saddle breaks and do some short periods of running out of the saddle. Then we see the sign telling us we've started the climb up to the top of our mountain, which will take us around 20 minutes to complete, always gradual though, never with a sudden change of gradient.

There are two possibilities with this ride - either you'll keep an even effort level throughout or you'll find yourself getting carried away and be gradually increasing your effort level as you approach the end of the ride.

New feature! You can download the whole hour-long ride here!

Playlist

Release the pressure - Leftfield
Eurydice - Sleepthief
Medina - Urban Trad
If you had my love - Jennifer Lopez
Boomerang - Cirrus
Rain - Mantra & Robina
The sun rising - The Beloved
Breaking away - Chieli Minucci
Sky fits heaven - Madonna
Sunstroke - Chicane
Douceur - Jerome Hameau

It's only just begun...

2009-01-03T14:45:00.006Z

...and I've already mapped out my activities for 2009! I thought, when I left my desk job, that I'd have to do a "proper job" at some point but it looks like I'll be so busy that I'll be getting complaints from my riders that I'm always going "on holiday" instead of Spinning with them! If you're interested or would like to join me on any of the following, here's my list for the year (so far - there may be more!):

February
ECA convention in New York in the last week, mostly Spinning with Josh Taylor, Jennifer Sage and Iona Passik. Will also do some Kranking at one of the gyms with Krankcycles.

March
I'll still be in New York for the first week, doing a bit of tourism with my mother, some more Kranking if I can fit it in. I've been to New York eight times for work, this will be the first time as a camera-happy tourist. This time, I won't go anywhere near the UN, I may get asked to do some work!

April
Spending the last week at FIBO, a fitness trade show in Essen, Germany. I'll be joining the Kranking family to demo the Krankcycles and, hopefully, become a fully-fledged trainer. Apparently, they'll be taking orders for the Krankcycles but Rick and I are planning on bringing back home two of the demo cycles.

May
On the first weekend, I'll be cycling in the Alps with Rob (who, usefully, owns a chalet in Valmenier). A season opener, first taste of the Alps.

The second weekend sees me in Hemsby, as I did last year, for Schwinn Revolution - 14 rides over the weekend and good endurance training.

Then I'll be in France and Italy with Jennifer Sage and a group of lucky riders, as we ride in the French Alps, catching the Giro d'Italia as it goes over the Izoard on its way to Sestriere, before moving to Tuscany and catching two of the stages in and out of Florence.

As soon as I come back from that, it's time to start packing and head out to Miami for the annual WSSC spinning convention. Aside from the heaps of ideas I hope to pick up, I'm looking forward to meeting my online friends on the lobby couch (apparently, it's the designated meeting area for us!).

June
Not definite yet but I've been asked to be a guest instructor in Jamaica, so it would be ideal to do this on the back of Miami, maybe spending 3-4 days of rest on the beach before a weekend of special rides.

July
Another busy month starts with the Marmotte on the first weekend.

Then, hopefully, it will be joining Jennifer for another week-long cycle tour in the Pyrenees, again catching a stage of the Tour de France.

Should a second cycle tour in the Alps go ahead, we'll have some days in between the two, so Jennifer and I can research some rides and ride the Ventoux (depending on how I feel after the Marmotte, I may attempt the Cingles de Ventoux)

The second tour would see us riding with another group in the Alps and Provence, catching what hopefully will be Lance Armstrong racing to victory and the maillot jaune on the Ventoux.

August
After a couple of weeks of normality, it's time to head out to France again, this time for a "proper" holiday. A couple of weeks at my mum's holiday home in Languedoc will end with me riding the Laurent Jalabert sportive - shorter and with not as much climbing as the Marmotte but that might make it tougher (no holding back if it's only 130km!).

September
I've got nothing penned in for the month, so I may look to ride one of the remaining races... just to make sure I don't get lazy!

October
There may be another Schwinn event, so that would keep me happy for the month.

Another possibility is to ride one of the autumn Classics in France or Belgium.

November
ECA Miami anyone? If anything, it'll be an excuse for some warmth on a cold month in the UK.

December
Rest! I think I'll need it...

So long, 2008, and thanks for the memories

2008-12-31T11:08:00.005Z

As 2008 draws to a close, I've been looking back at the past year and what a journey I've had in these short 12 months.

Reflections on 2008 (click on the links to see more details)

* it's been a year since I gave up my desk job at the UK Department for Environment to focus entirely on Spinning and associated activities. I don't regret for a single moment that decision;
* I spent a month in India, which recharged me and gave me more motivation to come back and ride, indoors and out;
* I was hit by a car, fracturing my scapula, derailing my preparations for the Marmotte, as I was unable to ride an outdoor bike until the event itself;
* the injury didn't prevent me from attending and riding a weekend of indoor cycling with the Schwinn team in Hemsby, where I discovered my own inner strength in tackling adversity head-on;
* I tackled the Marmotte and finished it, unlike 3000 other riders. An achievement in itself, especially given the circumstances and lack of training;
* I was made to leave a class at a gym that, quite frankly, was and is being run into the ground by its manager...
* ...and immediately afterwards was offered a class by another gym for that same slot, plus another morning class, to help spread out attendance (I had a roll of two months where I was giving up my bike, so long was the waiting list);
* I was asked by Jennifer Sage to do some research on routes in Languedoc for her cycle tour company, also hooking up with her to lead group tours in Italy and France, coinciding with the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France;
* I landed some unexpected translation work for Mad Dogg Athletics (they who own and run Spinning), which was enjoyable and useful;
* I was approached by Andrew Clayton to teach a whole bunch of Spinning classes from next year at his Spinning-only facility in Putney, where the UK Master Instructors will also be teaching (I'll now be a small fish in the big pond!)
* I rode the Croix de Fer and the Galibier the weekend before they were closed off by the snow drifts... it's surreal riding in the snow-covered Alps and painful riding the sub-zero descents!
* I attended the ECA convention in Miami, ostensibly to check out Johnny G's (inventor of Spinning) latest innovation, the Krankcycle, and it was truly eye-opening - not just for Kranking but also applied to Spinning and life in general. Thank you Johnny, if only for that insight into myself;
* in Miami I also attended the Spinning rides, meeting Josh Taylor and Scott Schlesinger in the process, both of whom reminded me of what Spinning used to be and should still be. Simple, enjoyable, effective, empowering
* I didn't know who Josh and Scott were, so I was probably the least star-struck rider in the room... and so was the only one who didn't have his camera! Now I know, I can see they fully deserve the credit apportioned to them;
* after attending Scott and Josh's DJ Ride, it inspired me to get to grips with my digital mixer and I found it extremely easy to master. I used to be a DJ, so mixing comes naturally, but I was always a hands-on type of guy;
* I was so inspired by the professionalism at the ECA event that I signed up for the convention in New York next February. But more of that in my next post!

See you in 2009 - have a fun night, whatever you're doing!

An enforced but welcome break!

2008-12-24T22:57:00.004Z

Yeah yeah, I know - it's been five weeks since I came back from Miami and you've not heard a word about it. I've been fairly busy since my return:

* I've done some translation work for MDA (the company that runs Spinning)
* I'm doing research work for upcoming cycle tours in Italy and France run by Jennifer, checking out a stage or two of the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France
* I've got myself an extra eight weekly classes starting in the New Year, bringing my total to 17 regular classes
* I've booked myself to go to the ECA convention in February in New York
* I tried and failed to garner more support for a ride in aid of breast cancer research, so it had to be cancelled
* I've got my new phone (the HTC Touch HD, better than the iPhone) so I've been playing around with it
* I finally sat down to figure out my digital mixing software (Ableton Live) and it was much easier than I thought, although I still prefer vinyl
* I've been studying sports science research for my own interest, including the use of cola to combat the effects of exercising at altitude
* and I've been planning all the activities I have in store for next year (see my next post!)

So I'm now enjoying an enforced rest, as the gyms are closed over the next two days. Back to normal on Saturday, though, with a nine-week program of recovery and endurance rides. Time to work on building those foundations, that fitness base!

I taught my last Christmas ride this morning and, after doing it eight times to different classes, I'm all out of jingle bells... until next year!

So, just in time before Santa comes down that chimney, I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah.

Bienvenido a Miami!

2008-11-13T00:59:00.006Z

You're not going to hear much from me over the next week, as I've just arrived in Miami Beach for a week of humid heat (a lovely change from the damp cold of London).

"On holiday AGAIN?" is what I usually hear but, as usual with me, my trip has a purpose - a 4-day ECA fitness convention. A mix of many fitness activities, lectures, workshops, etc. but I'm here mainly to get to know Johnny G's latest innovation: Kranking. The revolution in fitness caused when he invented Spinning... but for the upper body! I'll write more about it when I return but I'm getting goosebumps at the thought of being here at the start of the revolution, rather than joining it further down the line.

So it is work, of sorts - honestly! Mind you, I doubt I'd have been so keen to come had it been held in snowbound Minnesota... I'll also be finding time to take part in as many Spinning rides as I can manage and maybe a bit of retail therapy.

Right now, though, all I can think about after 19 hours of travelling is food and sleep.

Hasta luego, amigos!

Spinning class: Disco Fever!

2008-11-04T13:55:00.004Z

I never thought I'd say this but I was inspired to put together a disco theme ride by one of those pop star reality TV programmes (X-Factor). I know, I know - but it's better than watching Strictly Come Dancing on a Saturday night!

Usually, I think of a ride profile before choosing music to match. In these types of ride, however, I put together all the relevant tunes before weeding out the not-so-good ones. Then I look at what's left and see what type of ride looks best, weeding out a few more if they don't fit that profile. The other thing I wanted to do was use "updated" versions - whether remixes, mash-ups or sampled tracks. You'll see what I mean from the playlist below.

Other than just enjoying the music, there's no particular aim other than to work as hard as you want and in control (i.e., 65-85% of MHR, although 70-80% is ideal). There are no real breaks, to encourage riders not to overdo it. Essentially, it's three loops - a slow climb, while increasing resistance, which then increases in speed (and thus effort level) by approx 10% before it's back a flat road. If, with gradually increasing resistance, HR is up to 75% by the end of the first part of the climb, it should finish the climb at around 85%. The flat road can be used as recovery as an option, especially for beginners.

Warm up - 4 mins
Climb - 15 mins
Flat road - 3 mins
Climb - 9 mins
Flat road - 5 mins
Climb - 15 mins
Flat road - 3 mins
Cool down - 6 mins

Playlist

Love's theme - Barry White
Working my way back to you - Detroit Spinners
Rasputin - Boney M
I will survive (Barcode Remix) - Gloria Gaynor
That's the way I like it - KC and the Sunshine Band
D.I.S.C.O. - Ottawan
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
Popcorn - Hot Butter
Stayin' Yeah - Usher vs. Bee Gees
I feel love is a stranger - Donna Summer vs. Annie Lennox
Can you 1999 it - Prince vs. The Jacksons
No more tears (enough is enough) - Kym Mazelle & Jocelyn BRown
Greatest trickster - Sister Sledge vs. Kelis
Funeral pyre - John Powell (from Bourne Supremacy)
I'm goin' down - Mary J Blige

Go on, admit it - you were singing along as you read the playlist!

Going for an English

2008-11-01T22:28:00.003Z

Earlier this week it was Diwali, the Hindu festival also celebrated by Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains as a Festival of Light, where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within an individual. This time always reminds me of that excellent comedy programme, Goodness Gracious Me, and arguably one of the best comedy sketches ever... "Going for an English".

The sketch is a parody of that (not so) great British tradition of going "for an Indian" after getting tanked up on far too many beers, ordering the spiciest thing on the menu (but there's always on who plays it safe with omelette and chips) and enough papadums to feed a small country, and making fun of the waiters.

Oh, the advert at the beginning is itself a parody of the awful home-made adverts seen in British cinemas to promote local facilities.

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Spinning class: Halloween

2008-10-29T15:20:00.004Z

Okay, I know it's cheesy and I'm not one known for his theme rides... mainly because I only do them at Halloween, Christmas and whenever it's carnival in Brasil. But I do draw the line at fancy dress - not suitable clothing for exercise - nor do I compromise on the amount of work to be done on the ride. I may be no fun but I don't care - you'll work hard and LIKE IT... or else we do some interval training instead! Hehehehe

So, here's how it works. After a long warm-up that gradually builds up HR, we start climbing, gradually adding resistance to prepare our legs for the onslaught. The main block of work is a pyramid. It starts with a slow, heavy climb before picking up the cadence by approx 10%. A slight drop in resistance may be needed if it's too tough - we can't let our HR get too high.

This keeps going until the "point" of the pyramid - a very fast climb or a hard flat road, depending on your point of view, where we're running away at top effort (HR 80-85%). Without thinking, you may find that the level of reistance at this faster cadence is higher than you'd otherwise have - your legs have gradually got used to working at heavy resistances, before easing off some of that resistance, increasing cadence and then maybe adding some of that resistance back on again.

A quick, 30 second break, before we resume our way back down the pyramid - slower leg speed, which means higher resistance. Cadence drops by 10%, so resistance acts as compensation. Again, you may find yourself working harder than you'd have thought - just when you think you can't work harder at a set cadence, it drops and your effort level drops... so you increase it some more!

Just when you think you're safe from harm, you realise you still have a final climb to go and, along the way, you'll be chased by demons and goblins blah blah blah (can you tell I'm no good at this cheesy talk?). Anyway, the reality is that we have three sprints on a hill - 40secs, 30secs and 20secs, with about a minute in between. The sprints may not be easy but the recovery in between certainly won't... as you have to keep climbing! Resistance remains the same throughout and the sprints - accellerations, really - are achieved by increasing cadence as much as is possible with all that heavy resistance. Recovery, well, you just slow down to a steady climb.

Time the last track well and, at the end of the final sprint, you'll hear a huge sigh/gasp/breath of relief from the riders... just before the voice of the tracks kicks in with "There is hope!"

Happy haunting, fiendish friends!

Warm-up - 9 mins
Steady climb - 6 mins
---------------------
Climb @60rpm - 4 mins
Climb @65rpm - 4 mins
Climb @70rpm - 5 mins
Fast climb / hard flat road - 5 mins
Climb @70rpm - 4 mins
Climb @65rpm - 3.5 mins
Climb @60rpm - 6 mins
---------------------
Sprints on a hill - 5.5 mins
Cool down - 8 mins

Playlist

High priests - Michael Flatley
Riders on the storm - Snoop Dogg ft. The Doors
Somebody's watching me - Beatfreakz
Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr
Breathe - Prodigy
Nightmare - Brainbug
Voodoo people - Prodigy
Firestarter - Prodigy
Vater Unser - E Nomine
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Keep hope alive - The Crystal Method
Spirit's lament - Michael Flatley
Angels will help you - York & Ginger Macenzie

Giro d'Italia 2009

2008-10-26T14:51:00.006Z

Hot on the foot of the announcement of next year's Tour de France route, the rumour mill is already in top gear regarding the route of its Italian cousin, the Giro d'Italia. A notable newspaper as La Stampa has even gone so far as to publish a map of the likely route - they usually do so, with great accuracy, a few weeks before the announcement in December. It's a long way to December but... they must be confident of its accuracy!

NB - the rest days are down as 18 and 26 July but I think they mean May!

The 2009 edition of the Giro marks its Centenary, so the idea is to follow the original route while including a few classic stages, such as the Cuneo-Sestriere stage that in 1949 saw Fausto Coppi win after a 150Km escape (no, that's not a misprint - think of Lance Armstrong attacking that far in advance!). His greatest rival, Gino Bartali, finished 11 minutes behind him.

The 1949 Giro is probably the most famous among Italians, with arch-rivals Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali battling against each other against the background of a newly united nation (the Italian Republic was still in its infancy after the ravages of war). It's difficult to imagine the impact they had on the morale of a nation. Think of the effect of Lance Armstrong and the hope he gave (and still gives) to cancer sufferers... now match that with Greg Lemond's effect on the USA's interest in cycling. Now imagine the race being held in a post-Depression US and you start to get the idea!

How good were they? They completely dominated that year's Giro and Tour - all else being equal, nobody else stood a chance against them. Some will remember how Bernard Hinault and Greg Lemond tore up the field in the Tour, some hark back to Eddy Merckx and Luis Ocana. For the present generation, imagine Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador...

The 2009 Giro may well turn to be just as much of a classic 60 years after Coppi's and Bartali's exploits.

Chrissie does it again!

2008-10-25T23:43:00.002+01:00

I didn't report on it at the time but Chrissie Wellington continued her unbeaten pro Ironman Triathlon career by thrashing the opposition at Hawaii - the event that acts as the World Championships of the long distance triathlon.

If you're thinking "Chrissie Who?", read my post last year of when she won this same event.

Where last year she was the surprise winner, this year it would have been a shock had anyone else won it. But she almost didn't! She suffered a complex puncture without a support vehicle to help her out, used up her CO2 cartridges trying unsuccessfully to inflate her spare tyre, and waited for almost 15 minutes before one of her competitors gave her one of her cartridges in a worthy show of sportsmanship.

Shame it's not an Olympic event - triathlon gets very little coverage anyway, so long distance tri (like Ironman) is mostly overlooked. Britain seems to rule the world in the sports that the media prefer to ignore, in favour of sports where we constantly lose... usually to Australia!

Lifetime bans for drug cheats

2008-10-24T15:38:00.005+01:00

As reported in the Italian media and (in English) in VeloNews ACCPI, the Italian pro cyclists' association, is calling for a lifetime ban for pro riders caught doping. In a letter sent to UCI President Pat McQuaid, they said:

Dear Mr. McQuaid,

A few days ago your statement regarding the opportunity to implement severer sanctions for doping appeared in the press. To this end, we in our role of an association with more than 250 professional Italian cyclists would like to inform you that we are regrettably convinced that the way to combat doping is not just tougher sanctions but indeed lifetime bans i.e. expulsion.

The situation has now become so serious that only with extreme measures can we have any hope of giving credibility back to our beloved sport and – even more importantly for us – to our cyclists. The positive tests of Riccò, Sella, Piepoli, Schumacher, and Kohl are damaging, even more so because they are winning cyclists. Their conduct fuels the fires of those who unjustly sustain that the only way to win cycling races nowadays is by means of doping. This is why the UCI needs to act to eradicate every possible illegal temptation from the movement, and thereby send out the message that anybody who willfully cheats is out of the game for good.

The main reason why we demand this action is to protect the cyclists who race in full compliance of the rules and who – we firmly believe – make up the majority of the group. However, punishing the riders is simply not enough! If doping exists, it is mainly due to the fact that there are people out there encouraging the cyclists to take these illegal measures. So we need to unmask “the pushers and the doping scientists”. And the only way we can do this is to encourage the cyclists to really and effectively cooperate with the sporting authorities and with the police and legal systems.

The WADA 2009 Code agrees with our hopes, but we believe that the UCI can and must support these measures even further. On the one hand by instituting sanctions to expel cyclists that are found guilty of using prohibited substances or prohibited methods in the future, and on the other hand by offering them the chance to return to racing after shorter bans if they provide evidence that they no longer have any connection with those who encouraged or helped them to use prohibited substances or methods.

Mr President, if you decide to promote this initiative, you can be assured of our full support.

The letter was signed by ACCPI President Amedeo Colombo and the association's secretary, former world champion Gianni Bugno.

So lifetime bans - previously advocated by others in the cycling profession - but also with an idea that cyclists who cooperate with authorities should be offered the chance to race again after shorter bans. This would work well on two fronts: (1) the risks of cheating would be MUCH greater - one strike and you're out for good; and (2) would allow the authorities to offer a "plea bargain" to those who provided names of the managers, doctors, etc. who were running the drugs program.

After all, cyclists are victims - maybe not innocent ones but they would be pressured by managers to perform better by taking drugs and also provided those drugs by their doctors and coaches. THEY are the ones who should be taken out of sport - cycling would do much better without these drug peddlers...

Rant over!

I'm sure they make it up as they go along...

2008-10-23T16:24:00.002+01:00

A while ago I opened a thread on Pedal-On about a blog I'd found that had me in hysterics but for all the wrong reasons. Today, I had reason to refer to it so I thought I'd put here my original post.

I came across this site while browsing other blogs. I'm not one to overly-criticise other people's technique unless clearly unsafe but this certainly caught my eye!

"Purpose: strengthening and toning the hamstrings, glutes, and butt. First, add a lot of tension on your bike. Then a bit more. This set is not about fast legs, but about form, technique, and isolation of the hammies/glutes/butt. (already looking suspect) Then rest on your forearms. (here we go...) Lean forward forward as far as possible and get into a comfortable position. (did he say comfortable???) Most of your weight should be supported by your forearms resting on the handlebars. (WHY?? Why do something so utterly stupid?)

Next, thrust your hips back as far as possible, “Like you have to go to the bathroom in the desert and you are afraid a snake might bite you.” Thrust ‘em back! Then, mentally, make sure you are landing on your toes. Lasly, lift your butt up as high as possible. “Moon the moon!” Your goal is to try and get your butt higher than your shoulders. Even if you cannot do this, aim for it. In sum, you are leaning forward, hips back, butt up. (WTF ?)

Focus on keeping that butt-up! It takes 30-45 secs to explain this (try a 2-hour lecture on biomechanics) to the class and to have everyone get into proper position. When they do, remind them to breathe slowly and deeply and to keep the butt up! Climb like this for 3-5 minutes. You should feel a bit of a pain (really?) behind each of your kneecaps which will slowly crawl up the hamstrings and settle in your lower butt. Pain is good! (only if you inflict it on someone else, I bet!) Halfway through the set, carefully have the class increase the tension. (so I presume they take one of their load-bearing arms off the handlebars to do this?) Remind them of maintaining proper form (hahahaha - unintentional irony!) — lean forward, hips back, butt above the shoulders. It is easy to get tired and sloppy with this set. When you are done, your bootie and hammies should feel like they have been thrashed… in a good way! "

You can see the replies on Pedal-On in the thread here.

I think I would truly want to hit him if he ever tried this in a class in which I was participating. Yet, people think he's "awesome" - perhaps meaning to say "awful"....

Tour de France 2009

2008-10-22T11:47:00.003+01:00

Forgive me, it's been almost six weeks since my last post. Excuses to come in later posts but, for now, I've been following the rumour mill about the route of next year's Tour. After some difficulties with video streaming, I managed to see it live and get hold of the map of the official route.

The keen-eyed will spot two things that stand out: firstly, the return of the team time trial; secondly, and this is the biggy, the mountain-top finish on the Mont Ventoux the day before the finish in Paris! So, like in the year when Greg Lemond beat Laurent Fignon on the final time trial into Paris, it all comes down to the wire. Knowing that the next day will be procession into Paris, expect riders to go all out to grab the maillot jaune.

Roll on the carnage!

Normal service will resume shortly...

2008-09-11T16:16:00.002+01:00

A combination of factors have kept me away for the past month but I will be back soon with a flood of posts about the Olympics, Lance's return to cycling, the myths about the credit crunch, and anything else I feel I need to share with you!

Since my last post, I've been taking a break in France... err... cycling! OK, so not much of a break but it was away from the volume of classes, irregular eating habits, lack of sleep, oh and the so-called summer in the UK. I think the sun is boycotting the UK for crimes against the environment!

When I got back, I got through ten Spinning classes in three days - that, and the shock of the 15c drop in temperature, I think were responsible for falling ill. Nothing serious but constantly dehydrated, headaches, dizzyness... all the signs of a bout of influenza but without the sniffles. Let this be a lesson on the woes of over-training: rest is as (if not more) important than exercise. Our bodies have a way of giving us a good kick if we ignore the signs of distress!

Once I had a break in my schedule, I managed to rest up enough to recover properly but that's when my internet connection slowed to a crawl... about 4kps, rather than 4Mbps! It was a good reminder of how slow dial-up used to be in the days before the internet caught on (approx 1995-96) and to realise how far we've come in just over ten years. Never really resolved why it was so but so long as it stays at this century's speeds, then I'm happy.

Touch wood, everything seems to be back to normal now - time to start catching up on all the things I put off while feeling sorry for myself.

Ciao for now!

Why do I do it?

2008-08-07T17:25:00.003+01:00

Lately, I've been teaching so many Spinning classes that I've barely had time to rest, let alone go out on the road with my bike. So I started to wonder whether I was still doing it out of a passion to train and educate people or had it got to the stage where I'd take any class just for the money (i.e., a job)? Today I got my answer.

After a strength-building and hard-working class, involving an exhilirating 51-minute climb, one of my fairly regular riders approached me and thanked me for an excellent ride. Thank you very much but - and I'm trying not to let my ego push in here - nothing unusual. Then she said that she had been much heavier when she first started coming to my classes but had since lost a fair amount - it was only then that I noticed she did indeed look much healthier... funny how you get used to someone's weight loss if you see them almost every week.

Anyway, she wanted to tell me of her experience of cycling while on holiday. She and her husband went to cycle on a route that included some minor (but not insignificant) climbs. She said that the classes had prepared her to ride at a manageable and steady pace, as well as giving her the strength to finish the ride. She seemed pleased at that and I'm happy that there's yet another convert to the cycling cause! However, then she told me the bombshell: her husband rushed past her on the first climb (typical macho male reaction... sigh!) but, when she caught up with him at the top (by keeping her effort under her threshold), he was still recovering from the effort. It gets better: she then tells me she finished three hours ahead of him. Presuming that he didn't stop at the pub on the way, that is an excellent advert for good old fashioned hard work.

She told me I was "awesome" but I think she's the one who's awesome - chapeau! And tell your husband to come to my classes!

Le Tour 2008

2008-07-28T09:45:00.003+01:00

What an eventful second half!

The big news was that Ricco' was tested positive for taking performance-enhancing drugs. More about that in a later post but, apart from feeling betrayed by a rider with such potential, I'm glad that the system is working and hope that such idiots are expelled from cycling altogether. The good news was that Mark Cavendish continued his impressive run by adding a further two stage wins on the flat stages that mark the transition to the Alps. He would have won a fifth stage into Digne-les-Bains but a climb inside the final 10km put him out of contention, as he dropped out of the back of the main group. Given his struggle on the foothills of the Alps and the following days' hard graft in the mountains, he sensibly dropped out of the Tour to join the rest of the British team training for the Olympics.

The next day saw the first of the big climbs (Stage 15 - see previous post for profile) and they did not disappoint. The CSC team kept the pace high throughout to thin the yellow jersey group to 10: Evans, Frank and Andy, Sastre, Menchov, Vande Velde, Valverde, Kohl, Samuel Sanchez and Kreuziger. Almost everyone from this group made an attempt to attack, with Menchov looking the most promising until he crashed on the slippery road 8km from the finish (the rest of the group waited for him to rejoin before attacking again). Just 3kms from the summit finish, Sastre and Kohl attacked, followed by revitalised Valverde. Evans struggled to keep with the attacks and Schleck was able to gain the vital few seconds needed to gain the maillot jaune.

After the second rest day, Stage 16 to Jausiers was a rather contained affair, with most of the leaders keeping their powder dry for the crunch stage to L'Alpe d'Huez. Menchov, however, lost a chunk of time on the final descent, reflecting his habit of throwing away time needlessly. The next day must have been looming in the riders' minds ever since the route had been unveiled last October - a decisive stage if ever there was one, especially if a challenger is a mountain goat.

All was again relatively quiet until the Col de la Croix de Fer, when Fabian Cancellara took over from Stuart O’Grady (both CSC) to set a high tempo at the base of the climb. Anyone who doubts the value of teamwork should take a look at these two riders, along with Jens Voigt, who decimated the field through the Pyrenees and Alps, despite them not being very good climbers! By the time they reached the summit, the yellow jersey group was down to 18 riders, with CSC having six of them. At the start of the final ascent to L'Alpe d'Huez, Cancellara peeled off and Carlos Sastre bolted ahead, never to be seen again until he crossed the line - an all-out effort designed to gain as much time as possible over Cadel Evans. The time gap back to Evans increased with every 100m - at first he seemed to be controlling the gap and sticking close to Schleck but he was clearly struggling to maintain a high enough tempo up the steep slopes of the Alpe. Evans could not hope to regain any time lost to Sastre and so focused on minimising his losses, in the knowledge that he could make up that time in the final time trial.

Carlos Sastre was expected to lose his advantage to Cadel Evans during the final time trial - his lead of 1’34” after 19 stages seemed to all commentators to not be enough to retain the jersey in Paris. However, those of us who have experienced many Tours thought differently. I have witnessed incredible feats of endurance by those wearing the yellow jersey, notably Thomas Voekler's retention of the jersey for 10 days, despite Lance Armstrong's best efforts, and rendering himself nearly comatose in the process!

Cadel Evans needed to gain almost two seconds every kilometre and it was clear from the start that he was struggling to gain a quarter of that amount. Fabian Cancellara (time trial world champion) said that, in the final time trial, it was not the best time-triallist that wins but the one who retains enough strength after the mountains to perform at his best. So, despite Evans being a far better time-triallist than Sastre, it looked as if the efforts in the Alps had taken their toll on him. And not only did Evans fail to perform at his best, Sastre was riding the time trial of his life - over 53kms he lost only 29 seconds to Evans, finishing in 12th place... not bad for a climber! Unfortunately, the same could not be said of Frank Schleck, whose performance was sub-par and subsequently dropped out of the top five overall. Look out for his brother, Andy, though - not only is he an excellent climber but he also did relatively well in the time trial... and he still has 10 years of cycling ahead of him.

Well, that's it for another Tour - see you next year in Monaco!

The art of sprinting

2008-07-19T23:48:00.004+01:00

If you've been watching the Tour or, especially for readers in the UK, read the sports pages of a newspaper, you will have marvelled at just how good a sprinter Mark Cavendish really is. Four victories in a single Tour are a rarity and, in someone so young (23), truly awesome - he's already proving to have more potential than Mario Cipollini and Alessandro Petacchi. If this, combined with the British cyclists ruling the sport at the moment, don't instigate interest in the media and the population at large, then cycling as a sport is doomed to play second fiddle to other sports at which... well, we suck.

Anyway, back to sprinting. I've been asked a lot lately about it - why I don't do it in my classes, what it really should be like, proper technique and how to improve it. Well, let's start with what sprinting is NOT - it's not about how fast your legs are moving. Many instructors will ask their members to pick up their leg speed to 130+rpm, some even asking them to pedal as quickly as possible, resulting in a flurry of uncontrolled and pointless activity. Many members like these "sprints" as they feel as if they're working really hard. Absolute tosh - they're doing the equivalent of pedalling downhill, as they will have insufficient resistance to apply any power to the pedals. In fact, it's so pointless that the freewheel was invented to allow us to relax while the wheels go ever faster downhill. Work is measured in power output - no resistance, no power... no matter how fast you pedal. Therefore, no resistance, no work. The key elements of a sprint are power, acceleration and a high cadence.

Too many novice riders will put their chain into the highest gear and then try to accelerate - this is a very slow build up, although it'll feel very macho. Instead, they should be using a slightly lower gear to accelerate faster to a high cadence (95-110rpm), then shift to a higher gear and raise the cadence again. With practice comes knowledge of exactly which gear is best suited for a top-level effort - it's not ideal to have to change gears 3-4 times in a sprint! Say you know you can handle 110rpm at a gear that's 9 (out of 10) - your fast pace before your sprint should be in gear 7, shifting to gear 8 once the sprint starts (when you "kick") and then up to 9 once cadence has reached 110rpm. Keeping your feet moving fast is the key to being able to accelerate quickly and the ideal situation is one where you do not reach your maximum cadence until the finish line - gear 9 at 110rpm on the final few seconds. If your legs are moving too quickly or top cadence achieved too soon, you have underestimated your power output and will begin to lose ground (unless you shift up yet again).

As for power output, it's a difficult point to illustrate unless you have power meters on your bike. The maths, however, is rather simple. Imagine what some instructors refer to as "sprints": 130rpm at gear 2. Say this gives 130 watts of power output. To a bystander, looking at the fast cadences, will think it amazing that anyone can work so hard! However, the equivalent in a proper sprint and all-out effort of gear 9 at 110rpm would be around 500 watts. How does that translate? Well, imagine your driving a Fiat Cinquecento at full speed... as you're overtaken by a Ferrari at full speed. Which car will win in a true sprint finish? Which is pushing out more power, more work? Which is using more fuel? Sounds negative for the Ferrari but, in humans, fuel = calories, so wouldn't you rather be using more of that fuel?

In my classes, I've only ever taught surges, accelerations on a hill and short bursts of extra effort - they are sprints of sorts, in that they require the sort of intense effort detailed above. However, the effort required to perform a sprint similar to those of Mark Cavendish, Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, et al, would require a jump from 500W to over 2000W... beyond the realm of indoor bikes, let alone the capabilities of the riders - but that doesn't mean we can't do our best!

PS - if you have Keiser M3 bikes in your gym, fitted with a power meter, and have wondered what it would take to beat Mark Cavendish... imagine a climb at 60rpm at the highest gear (24). Then it's time to begin your sprint: with that same gear you bring your cadence up to 110rpm!

PPS - don't try it at home and certainly not unsupervised. Oh, and don't blame me if you can't walk afterwards....

Spinning class: Tour de France - Stage 17

2008-07-16T19:30:00.002+01:00

The big one and, probably, the deciding stage of this year's Tour - to stand any chance of wearing the maillot jaune in Paris, any contender must put some time into Cadel Evans before the final time trial. So expect attacks even as early as the Col de la Croix de Fer.

Profile

After our usual warm-up, the road starts rising imperceptably into a long, hard climb. We'll need to vary between seated and standing but make sure your HR doesn't rise too high, save your powder for the later climbs. Strong and steady rhythm, with smooth pedalling, is the key here. Any tension will be revealed by the time we reach the top of the Galibier. Then we ease downhill but not for long - the road rises briefly up to the Telegraphe before heading downhill again.

Another long climb but, this time, we can start forcing the pace - push a strong tempo, trying to split the field and leave them for dust. Strong, continuous pressure, HR will be around 80-85% the whole way. Then another donwhill section to recover before the road starts rising again ahead of the final climb of the day - L'Alpe d'Huez. This is it - over 2000 miles of riding and this is the moment of truth. Do or die. Your one and only chance to beat your opponents. On this climb, you'll attack twice - a short, 30-second burst at the halfway point, to find out who's got the legs to follow you; then the final minute all-out effort to the finish line. HR may reach 95-98% but it doesn't matter - you're almost home and every second counts!

Warm-up - 4 mins
Gradual incline - 1.5 mins
Hard seated to standing climb - 21.5 mins
Downhill with small climb in the middle - 4 mins
Hard seated to standing climb - 14 mins
Downhill, rising to a shallow incline - 3 mins
Hard climb with sprints - 5.5 mins
Cool down - 6.5 mins

Playlist

Epona - Enya
Das glockenspiel - Schiller
Walking on fire - Evolution feat. Jayn Hanna
Light a rainbow - Tukan
Nebuchan - Frank T.R.A.X.
Passing storm - Ottmar Liebert
Lawrence of Arabia - Kleopatra
Invisible - Tilt
Hymn - Moby
Smack my bitch up - Prodigy
Third eye - Bhakta

Spinning class: Tour de France - Stage 16

2008-07-16T19:14:00.000+01:00

Another stage in the Alps, with more hors categorie climbs, with a rare visit over the highest road in Europe. There is no mountain-top finish, where the best climbers can gain a lot of time by making an all-out attack, so chances are that the favourites won't attack each other except for keeping the pace high and hoping one or two will crack. The showdown is more likely to be during the next day's stage - it's very easy to lose five minutes on a climb like Alpe d'Huez.

Profile

As usual, we start off in the neutral zone for our warm-up, before the road goes on a "false flat" - one of those roads that looks flat but requires effort in order to keep going forwards. So we add resistance but keep our cadence high (for a climb), standing out of the saddle for brief periods to keep that cadence as the resistance gets harder. That will take us to the bottom of the first of the long climbs, where we get into the climb by gradually adding resistance until we have to stand to keep our momentum for the final five minutes.

One climb finished and we can enjoy the downhill slope to our second and final climb. Once again, the road rises but not so much of a false flat this time - the effort is clear and should be felt in the legs... so keep that cadence and add resistance to keep the pace high! That was the easy bit, now we climb in earnest - keep adding resistance while maintaining a steady cadence. If necessary, stand up to keep that cadence but the climb is long and you want to spend most of the time in the saddle. A very brief respite as the road dips before it rises even steeper than before - stand up and power your way to the top of the highest road in Europe, where you'll be able to see all the way to the Mediterranean!

It's not over yet - now you've worked so hard to keep the pace high on the final climb, you'll need to keep it high on the downhill into Jausiers. Fast cadence with resistance all the way to the finish line and the cool down. Now rest ahead of tomorrow's stage to Alpe d'Huez!

Warm-up - 4 mins
Running with resistance - 5.5 mins
Seated to standing climb - 6.5 mins
Downhill recovery - 3 mins
Slightly uphill road - 3.5 mins
Strong seated climb - 6.5 mins
Heavy climb, seated to standing - 6.5 mins
Active downhill, no recovery! - 3 mins
Cool down - 6 mins

Playlist

One wish for me - Miguel Migs
Shake your body - Shy FX & T-Power
Shiva Moon (moon nectar remix) - Prem Joshua
Hymn - Moby
Gypsy Rhapsody - Bond
Tour de France Etape 2 - Kraftwerk
Insomnia (Monster Mix) - Faithless
Una giornata uggiosa - Bandabardo
Prikansa ritual - Ravi Chawla

Spinning class: Tour de France - Stage 15

2008-07-16T09:43:00.001+01:00

Today (or this week, as I teach at different gyms and so change my profile once a week), we're heading into the Alps after a rest day and four days of flat stages. I'm expecting this stage to be one where the pace will be kept high by the leading contenders, to separate themselves from the mere mortals. No suicidal attacks, as the stage to Alpe d'Huez will be foremost in their minds...

Profile

We start off in the neutral zone, the bit between the depart fictif and the start of the stage... known to our Spinning classes as a warm-up! Quite short but don't worry, we have plenty of time to get into the ride with a steady seated climb, gradually increasing resistance to find our climbing legs. With that same resistance, we continue up the same long climb, varying between seated and standing to make sure we spread the workload and make it more manageable while adding resistance if able to do so. For the final five minutes of the climb, we can afford to keep that strong resistance, knowing that a downhill recovery awaits. Breathing will be heavier and more rapid as we get closer to the summit, as is evident from the heavy breathing of the cyclists on the "Tour de France" track. The air is thin up here but push yourself even harder for the final two minutes.

Phew! Almost 20 minutes of climbing and we're not done yet! Luckily, we can recover during the fast downhill and, if we want to, the flat section too. However, it's not really flat - we keep the tempo high but, for two 30-second periods, we turn up the resistance as the incline rises slightly and push harder to use that momentum to get us over that hill and back to the flat road. Can be challenging if you want it to be - riding along with a tailwind at 110rpm, then the resistance kicks in and you try to maintain a high cadence... HR will rise rapidly but it's over soon enough. That takes care of the Sprint and 3rd Category climb.

Then we begin our second and final climb - again we build that resistance up to our previous high levels until, with four minutes to the summit, we take a turn off the main road and head up a steeper gradient. We can't take anymore in the saddle, so we stand up to use the power of our quads to push through that resistance and keep our momentum. No attacks on this stage but we should be pushing to our very limits (and beyond!) right to the line. HR will likely be 85-90% for the final section. Strong, hard effort - simple profile but by no means easy!

Warm-up - 4 mins
Seated climb - 6 mins
Strong climb, alternating seated and standing - 8 mins
Hard climb, seated to standing - 5 mins
Downhill recovery - 3 mins
Flat road with rolling hills - 3 mins
Hard climb, seated to standing - 9.5 mins
Cool down - 6.5 mins

Playlist

Life in mono - Mono
Twisted by the pool - FAC15 feat. Cathi Ogden
Love on my mind - Freemasons feat. Amanda Wilson
Tour de France - Kraftwerk
You don't love me - Dawn Penn
Sans papiers - Bandabardo
Future (Evolution mix) - Magic Solutions, Randy Garcia & Rube
Don't cry - Seal

Tour de France - Rest Day 1

2008-07-15T09:58:00.004+01:00

Phew! What an eventful 10 days it's been thus far in the Tour - the organisers had planned the stages in way to make them unpredictable and we certainly saw action from the first day. All stages have been contested right to the wire, a small group of French riders would go on a breakaway every day (most caught but some succeeded), Riccardo Ricco has taken two stage wins while looking like he could overtake the motorbikes on the climbs, our own Mark Cavendish showed he really is the world's fastest sprinter by winning two stages with the promise of more to come. And then the race hit the Pyrenees...

The favourite to win this year's Tour - in the absence of Alberto Contador, who could probably win the whole thing on a single mountain stage - is Cadel Evans. After him, the main contenders were seen to be Alejandro Valverde, Damiano Cunego, Frank Schleck, Carlos Sastre and Denis Menchov. At least, that was before yesterday's stage - how would they fare on the first day of the really big climbs of the Tour: the Tourmalet and the Hautacam?

None of the teams were taking it easy and the pace was quick all the way to the bottom of the Tourmalet. As usual, a small group of French riders had gone ahead, along with Fabian Cancellara (not known for his climbing ability!) who is in the same team (CSC) as Schleck and Sastre. Anyway, this small group was a good 15mins ahead on the climb when both Valverde and Cunego start cracking... they just couldn't keep up with the pace. This news was fed through to the group at the front and CSC started pushing even harder to eliminate two of the contenders. Cancellara stopped at the top of the Tourmalet to wait for his colleagues and took up the pacing on the descent and flat section before the final climb. As he is one of the fastest men in the race, Valverde et al had no chance of catching the leading group.

Once at the bottom of the Hautacam, the hard-working Cancellara moved aside, utterly exhausted after putting in an effort that gained over a minute on Valverde's group. Then Jens Voight (also CSC) took up the reins to keep the pace high and soon all the riders in the small breakaway group had been caught. Both Valverde and Cunego were losing time on the Hautacam, so their chances of winning were fading away. So who did we have left, apart from Evans? Schleck was about 1:50 behind Evans, Sastre about 1:30, Menchov about a minute. There were also three riders from Riccardo Ricco's team (Saunier Duval) and Ricco was only about two minutes behind Evans overall, thanks to the time he gained on one of his stage wins. Two from CSC, three from Saunier Duval, plus Menchov and Evans (and a few others). This is were team tactics really came into play.

After Jens Voight had expended all his energy, Schleck was the first to attack but he was soon caught. Then Sastre tried as well, caught again. Obviously, CSC were testing the strength of the riders in the ever-decreasing group. Frank Schleck shot off again but, this time, only Cobo Acebo from Saunier Duval could keep up with him. What does Evans do - use his energy by going after Schleck and tow Sastre up the climb? Or let Schleck go and hope to catch up to him eventually? He did the latter, so Schleck and Cobo Acebo started gaining time over the leading group. Eventually, Piepoli - a veteran and excellent climber - shot off to join the two at the front. They would not be caught, as Piepoli won the stage almost hand-in-hand with his colleague Cobo Acebo. Frank Schleck had gained enough time to be in with a chance of the leader's yellow jersey but Evans had put in a huge effort to keep a one second lead... but not before Ricco sprinted past him to the line, to show off just how good he really is.

This is how they stand after the first test in the Pyrenees:

Evans - leader
Schleck - 6 secs behind
Menchov - 57 secs
Sastre - 1:28
Cobo Acebo - 2:10
Ricco - 2:29

Until the race gets to the Alps, this is not likely to change. But, once it gets there, watch out for more team tactics! Evans and Menchov are isolated, with both CSC and Saunier Duval having two riders as contenders for the overall lead. As Evans is a better time-triallist (one rider, racing against the clock) than most of them, the other contenders need to attack in the mountains. Imagine the various scenarios:

Cobo Acebo attacks. If Evans follows, Ricco goes along for the ride and attacks later.
Ricco attacks. Evans uses his energy to stay with him, then Cobo Acebo attacks.
Sastre attacks. Evans will likely want to stay with him, as he's also a good time-triallist. But then Schleck can attack him.
And what if Schleck attacks? He could gain a few minutes on each of the stages and would see him favourite to win in Paris.

Saunier Duval's team is packed full of climbers, so expect fireworks in the mountains. CSC have the strongest team overall, so I can foresee a lot of attacks similar to the one on the Tourmalet - this time with the aim of dislodging Evans.

Bring on the Alps!

La Marmotte: event report

2008-07-09T17:34:00.012+01:00

Well, what can I say? I'm alive to tell the tale, so that's already something - it lived up to its reputation as the toughest of all cyclosportives and I completed the course, which around 3000 riders failed to do. Mind you, I'm still feeling the effects of the event with a bouts of hypoglycaemia. But let's rewind to the beginning...

I and two friends from my Spinning classes flew out to Geneva on the Thursday, to give us an extra day of preparation before Saturday's big event. One of my friends, Rob, has a chalet in Valmeinier (halfway up the Col du Telegraphe) and we stayed there while we assembled our bikes and tested them out the following morning with a quick climb up the Telegraphe (as one does!). Then we drove out to Alpe d'Huez going over the Telegraphe, through Valloire, over the Col du Galibier, stopping for lunch at the top of the Col du Lautaret - good reconnaisance that would come in handy during the event itself. On our arrival, Richard, who was the only one of us that was an Alpe d'Huez virgin, rode off to find out what all the fuss was about and finished looking like somebody had stuck his head in a microwave. Ha! The Alpe has its mythical reputation for a very valid reason... underestimate it at your peril!

The rest of the Friday was spent preparing the food we'd be taking with us. I estimated I'd burn 7000-8000 calories during the ride, so I'd need to take two days' worth of food if I didn't want to stop at the feed stations (see my post on the Rome marathon as to why I don't rely on them). My shoulder injury had prevented me from riding the bike for the previous three months, so I hadn't tested my energy requirements over a long ride - most of the time, I'd ride for three hours, stop for lunch, and ride back home. So not the ideal preparation for nine hours in the saddle!

On Saturday morning, we woke way too early for a civilised species! Mind you, I couldn't sleep at all, thanks to a humming noise from the nearby ice rink that penetrated even the ear plugs I'd had the foresight to bring. At least the weather had improved to be sunny and dry - so much so that, despite the fresh 7 a.m. air, the ride down to Bourg d'Oisans was rather comfortable. However, by the time we got to the start line, we'd missed our alloted slot and we were waved through by the marshals, past the large group of riders due to start behind us. As our times wouldn't begin until we crossed the start line, this worked in our favour - I'd heard that the mass start would be stressful and prone to accidents. Richard, true to form, shot off out of sight and left Rob and I to ease into the ride towards the first climb of the day.

Col du Glandon

So far, so easy - Rob and I were still riding along at an easy pace with minimal effort. I could keep this up all day! We had agreed to try to stick together most of the way around the course and, if split up, to meet at the feeding station at the top of each climb. When the road started rising upwards, I was still comfortable but soon pulled ahead of Rob without realising it, so I thought I'd keep going and then enjoy the break at the top while waiting for him. On the way to the summit, I managed to get stuck in a cyclists' traffic jam, as after a short downhill stretch the road rose up sharply but nobody had the sense to change gear ahead of time... with the result that everyone slowed to a halt. Grrrrr.... I went "cross-country" at the side of the road and passed the lot of them. Unfortunately, I found another log-jam at the top of the Col, as everyone stopped in the middle of the road for the feeding station. Aaargh! After deciding I'd be better off carrying on and waiting for Rob further on, it still took me 20 minutes just to get through. Bloody cyclists!

Col du Telegraphe

After a technical downhill section from the Glandon - where I was slowed down by an ambulance of all things! - and a long and boring flat section that I got through by drafting in a gruppetto, I reached the bottom of the Telegraphe. Without a friend to ride alongside, I was latching onto one rider on the climb until they started going too slow for me, when I would latch on to another. Eventually I found a rider from the De Ver Cycle Team in London, so we got chatting as we pushed our way past the other riders. Having him as a welcome distraction, I didn't really feel the work my legs were doing and we soon reached the top to find yet more chaos and a 30-man queue for the water refill. At this stage I stopped for various reasons: I had run out of water on the climb as I hadn't refilled on the top of the Glandon; I reckoned I was way ahead of Rob but thought I'd give him a chance to catch up; I was finding it difficult to eat anything, as I was getting stomach cramps. So, after another 30mins, I set off downhill towards the beautiful village of Valloire.

Valloire

Does anybody else still feel like going "wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" when speeding downhill? I certainly did on the way down to Valloire - a nice long, sweeping road without any need to slow down to negotiate dangerous hairpin bends. I had to slow down through the village though, as it was packed full of supercars and everyone slowed to check them out. I saw a nice charcoal grey Ferrari 599 Floriano that made me forget I was barely halfway through the ride and still had to get past the Galibier and Alpe d'Huez. Gulp! Furthermore, the road out of Valloire is at a shallow incline, one of those roads that your brain says is flat but your legs tell you otherwise. Still, I felt good despite not being able to eat anything for a while and could only drink plain water (no energy drinks). While on this slow ascent, I saw a one-armed, one-legged man going fairly well - with his body braced into the saddle and his missing arm braced onto the handlebar, he was doing better than most people and yet using only one leg to pedal... chapeau, my friend, you're a true inspiration.

Col du Galibier

By the time I reached the bottom of the Galibier, my legs were fine but my stomach was starting to feel queasy and I was getting fed up of staying in the saddle (bear in mind that I was not used to sitting for long periods, especially given the lack of riding in the previous three months). So, when I saw a cafe with dozens of French cyclists sitting in the sun, I jumped at the chance to stop and get off the bike. I also tried to easy my stomach with several bottles of Coke and a sandwich, while soaking up the sun and watching other riders take the steep road up the Galibier. While I was enjoying my post-lunch siesta (I am Italian, after all!) an elderly man decide also to stop for a break. Nothing wrong in seeing an older man cycling - there are plenty of old "beardies" that regularly cycle past me on my training rides. However, this guy looked about a hundred years old and could barely push the bike, let alone cycle it up the Galibier. Again, chapeau monsieur!

Right. Time to get off my backside and conquer the Galibier. Shame to leave my spot but I couldn't risk not making the cut-off time at the bottom of Alpe d'Huez... all that effort for nothing! So, after an hour and a half of soft grass, it was time to sit on that saddle again. Ouch! The Galibier starts with a vicious gradient, so it was hard work from the start. Double ouch! Once I got into my rhythm, though, I was making fairly quick progress and passing everybody on the climb. Maybe it was the bottles of Coke, maybe that I was catching up all the slower riders. Either way, I felt like Marco Pantani speeding up to the summit. I knew from driving over it the previous day that there would be a nasty final Km when the gradient became even steeper, so I didn't want to push my luck. By the time I got there, though, I was going so well that I even managed to change up a gear and attack that final Km to the feeding station at the top. The Great Galibier? Pah! Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Col du Lautaret

After yet more chaos at the feeding station, I pushed on for the long and technical downhill. The gradient drops as sharply as it rose, so I was on my brakes for a fair bit, especially as other riders weren't respecting the racing line (the quickest line through a corner - if someone cuts you up at the wrong time, you're toast). Soon, though, we arrived at the Col du Lautaret - this is where the downhill stretch continued towards Bourg d'Oisans for 40Kms with hardly a hairpin bend. Cue the large chainring and a top speed of 109Kph - woo-hoo!!! I would have done it quicker if it weren't for slow-moving traffic... not cyclists this time but the local drivers. Get out of my way, you slowcoach! Where's the damn horn on this bike....

Alpe d'Huez

I reached Bourg d'Oisans, at the bottom of Alpe d'Huez in pretty good time. I still had a chance at the silver medal based on actual time (my ride time - not including all the stops - was only 7:20). My legs were feeling good and I still had enough water, so I decided to give the feeding station a miss (it was packed, anyway - no time to waste!) and head straight out of Bourg for the road to the Alpe. With still a chance at a good time, I decided I'd attack the climb - my previous best was 1:10 and I'd only need 1:30 to get a silver medal. So I prepared myself by staying in the large chainring and used the momentum gained to overcome the "wall". Opp oppp opppp... change to lowest chainring oppppp... lowest gear... opppppp oh crap, my legs have gone! Yep, I hit the wall in both senses - the wall of Alpe d'Huez and the dreaded hypoglycaemic wall. My lack of food and energy drinks had finally taken their toll - and at a totally inappropriate time!

I managed to make it to the first bend, where I joined dozens of other riders taking a break. While drinking most of the water I had left and trying to eat something, my intuition told me to check my mobile phone. Rob had sent me a message to say he'd been sick on the way up the Telegraphe and had abandoned the race. I sent a text to Richard to relay the message and to say that I'd be taking it slow up the Alpe. Things were starting to get difficult...

The rest of the climb is a bit of a blur. I was riding purely on my stubborness to not be defeated. So long as I had breath in my lungs, I would continue to pedal... albeit at only 35rpm. I made several stops in the shaded parts and at the unofficial water stop just outside Alpe d'Huez. Thank God for these volunteers, one of whom asked if I wanted water poured on me (Oui oui oui!!! Merci beaucoup, monsieur guardian angel). That cold shock also gave me an idea - Rob had joked the previous day about using the small waterfalls alongside the road to cool off... which is exactly what I and a French rider did. We eventually found a large waterfall and we immersed ourselves completely, lowering our body temp from heat stroke to hypothermia - bliss!

Somehow, I eventually reached the final few Kms when the gradient eased off. Time to ease my way home, right? NO! Time to change to the large chainring and attack! Damned Alpe and damned stomach cramps - I'll show you what I could've done. I passed everyone else, who at this stage where nursing their way home, and pushed hard for the line. As the pro climbers say, when asked why they ride the mountains so hard, the sooner this pain was over, the better. As I crossed the line, one of the marshals tried to direct me to one side but I was almost unconscious at this point. Luckily, Richard and Rob had been waiting for me at the line (thanks, guys!) and grabbed the bike from me before I could fall over. I couldn't really focus that well, so I was glad for their help. Apparently, my face on the line was the worst they'd seen in the time they'd been waiting and they were rather worried about my health - I didn't feel too good either!

That night, after endless drinks and a nice stodgy pizza, they were glad to see that my eyes were looking better - apparently, I had several dark spots in them... not a good sign. On top of that, I was left with heat stroke, saddle rash, a boil, stiff shoulders, a constant thirst that wouldn't go away until a week later... but my legs were fine!

Would I do it again? Well, I've already checked out the website and marked next year's date in my calendar. I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'll get you next time, Alpe d'Huez! Grrrrr....

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This is the best video I've found for you to get an idea of the route, scenery, numbers of riders and camaraderie of the event. Despite the hard effort involved, it's worth doing at least once in your life - join me next year!

Not loading? Click here!

Spinning class: Tour de France - Stage 10

2008-07-01T11:05:00.003+01:00

Week Two for my Spinning classes but Day Two in the Pyrenees for the Tour riders. Stage 10 starts back in Pau and heads again towards the mountains and a mountain-top finish at the Hautacam - it's the setting for this year's Etape Du Tour, when riders from all walks of life can attempt to ride a stage of that year's Tour, but I passed on it in favour of the Marmotte.

Profile

This one is fairly straightforward, although there is nothing easy about the long climb on the Tourmalet and the final assault on the Hautacam. We start off on a flat road, although we still have to work to keep a decent speed towards the first big climb of the day. Then there are rolling hills, where we add resistance before each one but maintaining our cadence by standing out of the saddle. We tackle the Tourmalet by starting at a fast climbing cadence but then slowing down the rhythm as the incline rises, varying our position on the bike to help break up the effort but without taking the heart rate too high - we can't afford to overdo it on the first climb or we'd lose too much time on the final ascent.

A brief respite as we head downhill, before the road leads up towards our final destination - Hautacam. No sprints on this one, just hard work and even harder work - when Lance Armstrong demonstrated his strength on this climb in 2000, he merely worked harder than others to leave them behind. There was no sudden burst of power, he just kept going until the others could not keep up. We do the same in three stages - there are suitable gaps in the final track when the vocals are a cappella and we increase resistance as the bass rhythm kicks back in, finishing in a show of strength for the final two minutes.

The Pyrenees are now over, the riders will have a well-deserved rest day before making their way to the Alps (which is where I'm going tomorrow for the Marmotte - see you next week!).

Warm up - 6.5 mins
Seated flat road - 7.5 mins
Rolling hills - 10 mins
Fast climb - 5 mins
Brief respite as we arrive at the Tourmalet - 1.5 mins
Fast seated and standing climb - 4 mins
Heavy seated to standing climb - 9.5 mins
Downhill recovery - 1.5 mins
Strong seated and standing climb - 8 mins
Cool down - 6 mins

Playlist

Voices - Dario G. feat. Vanessa Quinones
Clubbed to death - Rob D.
Children (Paul Oakenfold remix) - Robert Miles
A forest (extended remix) - The Cure
A fast and inspirational climbing track for which I don't have details (sorry!)
Uninvited (full length extended version) - Freemasons
3rd Earth - Solar Stone vs. Scott Bond
Beautiful strange - Bedrock

Spinning class: Tour de France - Stage 9

2008-07-01T10:48:00.004+01:00

It's that special time of the year again - the Tour de France is about to begin! The biggest sporting event apart from the Olympics and the football World Cup... and they only come round once every four years.

If you're a newbie to the world of competitive cycling, I recommend checking out the official website of Le Tour, which has tons of info on the history of the Tour, past and current riders, stage by stage profiles, maps, etc. If you're a spinning instructor and wondering how you can bring the Tour into your rides, I can highly recommend Jennifer Sage's series of articles on her blog. I never thought, until I read her posts, that there are people out there who (unlike me) haven't been following Le Tour since before they could walk! I sigh and start to daydream whenever I hear the words Alpe d'Huez, Galibier, Tourmalet, Aubisque, Stelvio, Cima Coppi...

Anyway, back to Spinning. I personally find the mountain stages of the Tour the most exciting, probably because I get a kick out of climbing up the Alps and Pyrenees but also because they contain the most drama. There are five big stages on this year's Tour and this is the first on a series of rides I'll be leading this month - Stage 9 from Toulouse to Bagneres-de-Bigorre in the Pyrenees.

Profile

After a week on the flat roads of northern France, this is the first sight of those big bumps in the horizon but our ride begins with only a slight incline. We gradually increase resistance, standing out of the saddle as an option to maintain cadence. We keep the same resistance on another section of flat road with a very slight incline that leads us to the first sign of rolling hills, which we take by increasing resistance and standing out of the saddle to maintain our cadence all the way. Then the fun begins, as we hit the foothills of the Pyrenees - the first one we'll tackle in the saddle at a slower cadence, standing only at the end when the resistance gets too much for us. A quick recovery and then we head uphill again. After another downhill recovery, it's time to hit the two big climbs of the day - the first starts with a very steep incline, where we need to use a lot of strength to overcome the initial gradient, before we settle into a steady climb.

Did I say steady? Well, only if you want it to be! As you can see from the profile, there is a long downhill and flat stretch to the finish line. If we attacked on the second climb, anyone we dropped would be able to catch us up before the end. If we want to gain and keep a time gap, we'll need to attack on this first climb and maintain it up the second. So we'll attack twice with a 30-second surge, accelerating our leg speed as much as we can (with that resistance, it should be very hard to increase it by more than 50%). If you're going for the King of the Mountains (KoM) points (awarded to those who are among the first over the climbs) then keep sprinting for an additional 15 seconds. The longer downhill section should come as a relief after such a hard effort.

Final climb - we've worked hard to create a time gap between us and the chasing group, so we'll need to keep it on this next climb. Time to settle into a long hard climb in the saddle and, as your legs get used to the level of effort, gradually increase resistance to make sure the chasing pack don't gain time on us. Again, as an option, work even harder for the KoM points in the final couple of minutes - standing climb to overcome that extra resistance. Then we head downhill towards the finish line... but we can't afford to take it easy, the pack is working hard to catch up to us. So it's an active downhill - with moderate resistance - for the first 3 mins. A quick breather as the downhill slope is so steep that we can only freewheel and then it's two minutes of hard work straight to the finish line - fast cadence with resistance. Want to go for the stage victory? Turn up that resistance even higher and sprint the last 30 seconds! Now relax, it's over... until tomorrow!

Warm up - 4 mins
Running - 7.5 mins
Seated flat road - 5 mins
Jumps - 5 mins
Seated to standing climb - 4.5 mins
Downhill recovery - 0.5 mins
Seated to standing climb - 2.5 mins
Downhill recovery - 1 min
Seated to heavy standing climb - 1.5 mins
Seated climb with standing sprints - 5.5 mins
Downhill recovery - 2 mins
Seated to standing climb - 8.5 mins
Active downhill (not recovery!) - 6 mins
Cool down - 6.5 mins

Playlist

Rain - Mantra & Robina
The boy is mine (Club Mix) - Brandy & Monica
My friend - Groove Armada
Imagine (Echo N Stepz remix) - Shola Ama
Synaesthesia (Fly Away) - Thrillseekers feat. Sheryl Deane
Feel the beat - Darude
Acid 8000 - Fatboy Slim
Rapture (Deep Dish remix) - IIO
Clubbed to death - Rob D.
Right Samadhi - Chinmaya Dunster

Prem Joshua

2008-06-29T14:30:00.003+01:00

While I was in Goa, I heard an eclectic mix of traditional sitar music and modern trance that I just had to have. During a visit at the infamous Anjuna market, I found a stall with hundreds of CDs - heaven for a music junkie like me - and listened to albums that included the artist Prem Joshua. Nope, I'd never heard of him either! I had though he'd be of Indian descent but I later found out he was German. The following is taken from his website, which I highly recommend visiting, especially as you can hear samples of his music.

He began learning the flute at the age of five then went on to perform in various Rock, Jazz and Fusion bands as a flute and saxophone player, always searching for new ways of expressing and expanding his music. However, a musical “discontent”, combined with his search for the spiritual, pulled him, perhaps inevitably, towards India - her culture and her music. He remembers vividly hearing Indian music for the first time, age 16 - a crackly vinyl record of a sitar performance by Ravi Shankar: “I had never heard anything like this before,” Joshua recalls. “It was beyond my musical grasp and experience but was something of such immense beauty and depth. It felt unfamiliar and mysterious - yet at the same time like a remembrance of something I knew very well.”

This experience changed his way of perceiving music completely. Thus it was, that in the late seventies, at the age of 18, he left school, home, ended all his career plans, and travelled instead overland from Europe to India - following the irresistible pull that the East had now cast over him. On his subsequent overland trips eastward he traveled extensively throughout countries such as Greece, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. And in each place he became deeply involved with the indigenous folk music he found there, playing live with and learning from, local musicians everywhere. “I loved the roots of this music and felt an immediate connection; something that I had missed so much in Central European music,” he recalls.

When he finally reached India he had a sensation of knowing it; it felt like coming home! Along with the feeling of familiarity there seemed to be an inexplicable vibe of “at-ease-ness” in this country of mysteries, contradictions, colors and smells. And this coming home to India was only the beginning of a much more all-encompassing journey… for on his travels he came across the enlightened mystic, Osho. In the presence of this man with a long white beard, eyes as deep as the ocean and a crazy sense of humor, Joshua came in touch with an altogether different kind of music; the art of the “inner music”… silence. While diving deep into this new world of ‘silence’ Joshua also found the time to learn Indian music from one of India's finest teachers, sitar maestro Ustad Usman Khan.

To date he has released 14 albums under his name and played on countless studio recordings. He has traveled the world numerous times and plays to an ever increasing number of music lovers, inspiring them with a musical message that reaches beyond the borders of tradition, politics, religion and belief.

Go to his site to find out more and listen to samples of his music - some is relaxing, evocative of the countryside of India, and great for warm-ups and cool-downs; other tracks, such as Shiva Moon, have been remixed to make them ideal for a Spinning class.

La Marmotte

2008-06-22T18:42:00.005+01:00

Gulp! My main event for the year is less than a fortnight away and I feel like I've done nowhere near enough training for it. All I have is my general fitness levels and hours of various types of training (intervals, high level endurance, etc.) on the Spinning bikes. I got some road miles under my belt in March but the accident soon put paid to my plans of increasing my weekly ride up to 8 hours. Still, how hard can it be? Well, La Marmotte has been called the Doyenne of Cyclosportives, the most difficult one day event for amateur road cyclists in Europe. Not a bad choice for my first ever sportive!

The 174Km route goes through the Alps from Le Bourg d'Oisans, over the Col de la Croix de Fer, down into the Maurienne valley, and then clockwise back to Bourg via the Col de Telegraphe and the 2,600m+ Col du Galibier (by its far harder northern side, which has been closed until recently due to heavy snow), finishing with the ascent to the ski station at l'Alpe d'Huez. To some like me, the distance won't be such a big deal but the 5000m of climbing - not a common feat among amateur cyclists - and the high altitude take their toll to make a sub-9 hour finish a major achievement (it's won in about 6 hours).

For an idea of the masochistic nature of this event, read this excellent article from Cycling Weekly. If that doesn't put you off, nothing will. And here's the profile for the ride:

So why am I doing it? As any mountaineer would say, because it's there!

Spinning class: Indian Hills

2008-06-14T22:10:00.006+01:00

Unable to resist the influences of the subtler type of Indian music (as opposed to the hilarious, over-the-top Bollywood dance numbers) I returned from India with a sackful of CDs bought from the infamous Anjuna market. After listening to them all, I picked out a handful of tracks I thought would work and then planned to use them on an alternate hill climb / flat road profile. A rare occurence of me finding a ride around the music, rather than viceversa.

We start off with a long warm-up on the plains, plenty of time to build up to around 75% HRR before gradually loading resistance on a long steady hill to warm up our climbing legs. This is followed by a flat road with some optional running out of the saddle before another climb, this time with a series of jumps (see previous post). Back to the flat road, again with some running out of the saddle, before the road really becomes steep - no more hills now, we're into the Himalayas! After this steep rise, we need a recovery back downhill before finding a fast climb that raises our HR again. A very quick recovery to regain our composure and we're heading up back up towards our final destination above the clouds.

Warm-up - 7 mins
Seated climb - 6 mins
Flat road / Running - 7 mins
Jumps on a hill - 6 mins
Flat road / Running - 6 mins
Heavy standing climb - 5.5 mins
Recovery - 2.5 mins
Fast climb - 6 mins
Recovery - 1.5 mins
Heavy climb - 6.5 mins
Cool down - 6 mins

My HR profile shows how even the flat roads were hard work - each section of the ride can be seen clearly but the level of effort is consistent throughout.

Profile:

Playlist:

Tangerine Thumri (Orange Turban remix) - Prem Joshua
Solitude - Karunesh
Punjab - Karunesh
Bolo Hari (Bombay Lounge remix) - Prem Joshua
New Kafi - Prem Joshua
Flute fantasy - DJ Nasha
Ibizan Dawn - Sergio
Awakening: Main Sutti Rahiyaan - Shubha Mudgal
Shiva Moon (Intro) - Prem Joshua
Shiva Moon (Moon Nectar remix) - Prem Joshua
Shepherd Solitude - Prem Joshua
Tilang Tantra (Temple mix) - Prem Joshua

Who's this Prem Joshua, then? My next post will be a profile of the man and his music.

Jump!

2008-06-14T19:48:00.004+01:00

As a cyclist, as well as a Spinning instructor, I've been asked about jumps, their purpose and how they relate to "real" cycling.

Put simply, jumps are the transition from a seated to standing position (and back again). The upper body remains relaxed while body weight is lifted up from the saddle into a standing position, then returned to the saddle. It is essential that the leg muscles are used to stand, i.e., no pulling up on the handlebars, and also to control the descent back into the saddle to ensure a soft landing. It's not about bouncing up and down, as the aim is to engage the leg muscles - for this reason, it is pointless to do jumps so quickly that proper technique and posture are impaired. These are known as "popcorn jumps" and, unfortunately, are used by many instructors looking for something to keep the riders busy - all they do is put a strain on the back, knees, shins... not to mention the potential for a hard landing in the saddle (ouch!) without actually doing any work. The purpose of jumps is to increase effort level (as you're using more muscles to move), co-ordination, explosive strength and postural awareness.

Many instructors who don't (or can't) cycle outdoors may find it difficult to see the point of jumps; many will say they're pointless and are a gimmick, created to prevent boredom in indoor rides. However, outdoor cyclists regularly lift out of the saddle for brief periods of time, especially on longer rides. This may be to negotiating steep hairpin turns (switchbacks) on mountain roads, to accelerate to close a small gap in the paceline, to quickly increase cadence on a climb to create a gap before sitting back in the saddle and continuing that higher cadence, to stretch their hamstrings after a long period in the saddle, or simply to... err... ease the pressure from the saddle!

The most advanced riders will remain in the saddle for as long as possible, gears permitting. This is to avoid using the extra energy needed when standing and to keep their heart rates under control. So they are actually more likely to make use of jumps than they are to stand up for extended periods.

They're not easy for a novice rider but, with practice, the benefits are worth the effort. Keep on jumping!

Spinning class: Strength Builder

2008-06-08T18:54:00.004+01:00

This is probably my simplest ride and yet one that caters to all abilities and levels of effort. Whether you're looking to begin adding some strength to your legs at the beginning of the seasons or are pushing yourself to the limit at a high level of endurance, this really is a ride that anyone can do themselves. Apart from the simplicity, I use a mix CD to keep an even tempo while making for an interesting ride (well, more interesting than a metronome!). Something like the Euphoria or Breakdown series is excellent, if you're into trance music.

The ride is split into three loops (four for an hour-long class), where I suggest riders tackle each loop at an increasingly higher effort. So, if starting the season, it's better to start at 65% for the first loop and build to 75-80% by the third/fourth loop. If going for high-level endurance, I'd suggest starting at 75% and ending at 85-90% (lactate threshold) by the final loop. You can see from my HR profile how my effort level increased during the ride.

After a brief warm-up, we begin climbing. Each loop is 1 minute in the saddle, 1 minute standing, then 2 minutes of each, then 3 minutes. While out of the saddle at the end of the loop, add resistance for the following loop to allow the legs to get used to the increase in effort before beginning the next loop in the saddle. After 36 minutes (or 48 for an hour-long ride) of climbing, we cool down.

Why the changes in/out of the saddle? At the start of the season, it allows one set of leg muscles to get used to riding at a set tempo for a fixed time before changing position to use different muscles in the legs. Gradually the time in each position increases before a loop is finished and another begins at a higher intensity. If going for a high-level endurance ride, the change keeps fatigue at bay and makes it easier to keep going before one or another of the muscles start tightening up.

Warm-up - 4 min
-----------------------
Loop (repeat 3 or 4 times)
Seated climb - 1 min
Standing climb - 1 min
Seated climb - 2 min
Standing climb - 2 min
Seated climb - 3 min
Standing climb - 3 min

Turn resistance higher and begin another loop
-----------------------
Cool down - 6 mins

Profile:

Playlist:
(From the "green" Breakdown CD, disc 2)

Epona - Enya
Right here, right now - Fatboy Slim
Wide open space - Mansun
Symmetry C - Brainchild
More than this '99 - Emmie
Seven days & one week - B.B.E.
Not over yet '99 - Planet Perfecto feat. Grace
9pm (till I come) - ATB
I can't help myself - Lucid
Carte blanche - Veracocha
Alive - Heliotropic feat. Verna V.
Mysterious times - Sash! feat. Tina Cousins
Another way - Paul van Dyk
Bass fly - Tillman & Ries
Celtic dream - Michael Flatley

Spinning class: Crystal Palace loops

2008-05-26T08:52:00.002+01:00

It's been a while since I last posted a ride profile, so I have some catching up to do! Loops bring simplicity and clarity - good for instructors to lead - but also repetition that lets the class know what will be coming up ahead, as we go round and round again. I call this one Crystal Palace, as I put this together a few years ago after riding a closed-loop circuit that has a gradual but steady climb.

As always, each rider is free to do whatever they feel is right for them but, for those that want to follow, the flat road segment may include jumps or running...or even a recovery ahead of the climb. The climb may be done entirely in the saddle or out of it but, ideally, the first two minutes would be in saddle while adding enough resistance before standing. HR also depends on individuals, whether they prefer a comfortable 70-75% or to push it to 80-85%. I suggest riders take the first loop at 70%, the second at 75%, the third at 80%, with final one at 85%.

Warm up - 3.5 mins
-----------------------
Loop (repeat 4 times)
Flat road - 4.5 mins
Climb - 4.5 mins
-----------------------
Cool down - 5.5 mins

Playlist:
Smell of Paradise - Sa Trincha
Only love can break your heart - Saint Etienne
Do you see the light? - Snap!
Big mistake - Natalie Imbruglia
Touch me - Rui Da Silva
Family Affair - Mary J Blige
Loneliness - Tomcraft
Galvanize - The Chemical Brothers
3rd Earth - Scott Bond vs. Solarstone
Celtic dream - Michael Flatley

Schwinn Revolution 2008 - Hemsby

2008-05-23T10:38:00.016+01:00

Although not a big deal for our continental friends (who regularly do 12-hour continuous rides) or our cousins across the pond (who host events with thousands of bikes), this was (I believe) the first event of this magnitude in the UK: 100 bikes, 14 hour-long rides spread over a weekend and - this is the clincher - the ability to stay on the bike the whole time.

I went with Rick, a friend and fellow Spinning/Schwinn addict from Hove, who took these photos. When we arrived, after a brief stop at a roadside stall to eat the best sausage-bacon-egg baguette I've ever tasted, we were told that event would start an hour later and, apparently, everybody but the two of us knew. So we had plenty of time to choose our bikes and set up...needless to say, we both went for front row centre.

Just one problem - having fractured my shoulder blade two weeks earlier, would I be able to ride, much less push myself? I thought that I might have difficulty in holding the bars without a sling but it was worth trying, as there were only two classes that Friday evening. It took me a while to find a suitable riding position, as I could not stretch or put any weight on my shoulder. As you can see, I wasn't very comfortable but at least I was able to ride - I could always coast along and use it as an educational experience.

Well... what an education! After the initial stiffness, I loosened up gradually, the adrenaline started flowing and I was really getting into it. It helped having Mel Chambers leading the ride - when she suggests you could maybe work just that little bit harder, it's hard to disagree! Soon the pain disappeared altogether and I was able to lift myself to a higher level of effort, at or above my lactate threshold, for the two hours.

Rick said he could see I was really pushing myself, despite my totally relaxed state that might have fooled others into thinking I was taking it easy. I was certainly "in the zone", so much so that my focus was on one of the tealights in front of me and all I could see was the dancing flame - I can't remember the music, Mel's words, the pain, the effort... just the emotion and the little voice whisper "I can".

The next day was more of the same but with a variety instructors leading the rides. On the final ride on Saturday morning, I started feeling pain in my knee - quite unexpected, given my other problems, but probably related to the accident. Luckily, it was time for the lunch break, so I had time to recover... especially as Rick and I decided that 45mins was nowhere near enough for a decent lunch and we opted out of the first two rides of the afternoon session. The final two rides were relatively steady, the first being a 45-min climb and the second a low-end endurance ride.

Four more rides the next day, with best (for me) being a ride called "Feel the energy". A long climb up to Macchu Picchu, going through storms, caves, sprinting away from cannibals, working together as a team to get through the worst and using the electricity of the storm to charge us with energy, finally using it all in a final burst to the top and into the sunshine. Even while writing this, the memory of that ride gives me goosebumps... I wish I'd recorded it, so I could ride it again and again on my own!

Sigh! Roll on next year - I hope it becomes a permanent fixture on my iCal.

Why did I quit my job?

2008-05-22T15:01:00.003+01:00

I've been asked many times lately why I left my cushy 9-to-5 desk job in central government, especially given the perks the job entails: flexible working and hours, final salary pension, and no chance of ever losing my job unless I murdered my boss (even then, probably only if it happened on government premises!). I always believed that one of four things must be present to stay in a job: good money, good prospects, good working environment (location, people, etc.), good work. Government has never been a place to make money - unless you're a consultant - and prospects were minimal given budget cuts. The environment had been steadily getting worse and the work that I loved doing (protecting the international environment) had been taken away from me.

As I was looking around for options - transfer to another post, Department, job, even country - the opportunity to take voluntary redundancy came up. They offered me just under £30K to leave. I had calculated my basic spend including mortgage payments and, with the income I was getting from my regular Spinning classes, the money would be enough to last me another ten years. Well worth the risk, given I had ten years to get my fitness business profitable before having to get another job. So they showed me the money, I took it and left without turning back. Ultimately, the choice was about my state of mind... my happiness, if you will. That has no price, in my book - I'm just lucky I had the opportunity to make a break for it and to be in a position to afford it.

After I left, I saw this video - it touched all the right buttons, as it was exactly how I was feeling every day. If you have the opportunity, don't hesitate to make that change - a life not lived is worse than no life at all.

Not loading? Click here!

Light at the end of the tunnel

2008-05-21T10:20:00.005+01:00

It's been a frustrating but illuminating fortnight.

I was in relatively bad shape after the accident and found it difficult to do the simplest of things, like sleeping, getting changed and eating. So I was pretty angry at having put in this situation through no fault of my own. That said, I consider myself lucky to have got away so lightly considering the violent impact - if I hadn't had the cyclists' instinct to sweep the back wheel and spread the force of the impact by side-swiping the car, I would've gone flying and landed fairly hard, probably with far worse injuries. A shoulder blade can heal quickly, a broken neck less so (if at all).

Those who aren't cyclists may find this shocking but, despite the fractured shoulder blade, I was able to ride a Spinning bike a few days after the accident. One-handed, though, with the other arm in a tight sling - not to be recommended if you don't have strong core muscles to keep you balanced! I found the aerobic exercise (i.e., not pushing myself too hard) improved my state of being by getting rid of toxins that had built up as a result of the accident. I guess the fresh oxygen carried around the bloodstream helped to flush away waste by-products, improve muscle tone and flexibility, and repair tissue damage. It was also good for my state of mind - I refuse to be a victim of circumstances and have to feel like I'm doing something to improve my situation.

I was still unable to put on a standard cycling jersey, though, as I was (and still am) unable to lift my arm up - only a full-zip would do. Luckily, I had gone on a planned trip to France the week after the accident, which allowed me time to rest and recuperate in the sun (I was so lucky with the weather). I can recommend sun therapy to anyone with an injury - it speeds up the healing process no end. It also gives you a great tan! I also managed to buy some full-zip jerseys out there - they're rarer than titanium here, I guess because it's a mountain climber's jersey (there are no long climbs in the UK) and it never gets warm enough here to have to open them fully!

After I came back, it was time to prepare for the Schwinn Revolution - could I ride a bike for long periods of time? I had an opportunity to find out, as I was due to teach a class before the event. I would have to ride with both arms, as riding one-handed would strain my back through over-compensation. While in France, I had done some home-made physiotherapy to improve my range of movement, so I was able to put my bad arm on the handlebars even if I could not put too much pressure on it. By adjusting my position on the bike (not my usual, ideal position) I was able to ride without needing to lean forwards or put weight on my arms. So I knew that I could at least ride the Schwinn event, even if I could not "go for it".

Did I go for it? Find out in my next post!

An eventful fortnight!

2008-04-27T22:56:00.003+01:00

Let's start with good news. Word has spread that I'm available during the day to cover classes so I've been busy teaching at my regular clubs. I also contacted a bunch of other health clubs in the area and got positive responses from many of them - I've already been contacted to cover classes, which will hopefully build up to keep me busy with 2-3 classes a day. Enough to earn a decent basic wage...

I've also decided to develop further in the fitness profession by qualifying as a personal trainer. Taking an intensive course means I should be qualified by September, although most of the work will need to be done in the next two months. This will hopefully allow me to work not just as a personal trainer in a gym (a good steady wage) but also to train in the way I think is unbeatable - no fancy machines, weights sessions, etc. Just good old-fashioned hard work using basic principles - shuttle runs, rope skipping, medicine balls, benches, running, exercise that use nothing but gravity (press-ups, etc.) to increase conditioning... oh, and cycling, of course!!

Now for the bad news - on Thursday, I was on my way to a class I'd agreed to cover and riding my moped on a clear, dry day. While riding along on a main road, a car pulled out from a side turning right in front of me, leaving me with only two options: brake sharply and skid into the back of the car or dodge to the right and overtake (the opposite lane was empty, fortunately). At this point the woman driving decided to make a sharp right turn in front of me without looking, indicating only as she made her turn. It's difficult to describe how it feels in a split second to realise I had nowhere to go at this point, that a collision was inevitable, realise my best option was to avoid going over the car by sliding into it sideways, then feeling the jarring as my shoulder took the brunt of the impact, landing on the ground in agony.

I managed to stay conscious throughout - unfortunately - and have to give credit to the bystanders, the police and ambulance crew for getting there so quickly. I managed to thank all those involved, despite the pain... and thank scientists for inventing anaesthetic - it made the unimaginable pain more bearable, although I did feel like everything was happening in a distant dimension! On Thursday night I was so drugged up on morphine that I got fed up of the noise in the ward and went into the toilets, where I promptly fell asleep in a chair for four hours - I was found by the nurses at 6am after they searched for me, fearing I was wandering around the hospital like a zombie!

Anyway, diagnosis was a fractured scapula (shoulder blade) and thumb, as well as the usual cuts and bruises. I was determined to be discharged the next day - I had a Spinning weekend workshop to attend! - so I refused the pain killers and spent most of my day working on my mobility. The risk was that I might need surgery but I could not spend another night/day in that bed without getting cabin fever. The surgeon finally saw me and was impressed that I managed to regain about 40% mobility in my arm/shoulder, so he discharged me in time to get a decent night's rest before going to the workshop the following day. I also got rid of the thumb splint, so I could use it despite the fracture. Funny thing is that the shoulder is not the source of my main problem - it's the muscles in my arm cramping up whenever I try to engage them. It means I can ride a spinning bike one-handed but not be able to tie my shoe-laces!

So, an eventful few weeks. Luckily, I only have one class tomorrow evening and another two on Tuesday before heading off for a week's holiday in France. No cycling, unfortunately, but it'll do me good. When I come back I'll be ready to head off to the Schwinn Revolution event - a weekend of spinning classes, in my case two rides on Friday, eight on Saturday and five on Sunday. I'm not going to let a measly fractured shoulder stop me from riding!

Oh, the best part is that the surgeon wants to see me the week after to check on my progress... wait till I tell him what I've been up to! Hehehehehehe

The BadAss Wombles of Central Park!

2008-04-12T09:17:00.003+01:00

Yo! Wombles in the 'hood!

I've just seen this campaign on this morning's BBC News and it's the best laugh I've had in ages.

The problem is that only 1% of new children's programmes are made in the UK and that naturally impacts onto our language and culture. As a way of illustrating this, PACT (the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television) produced this gem to a launch their new campaign.

Not loading? Click here!

The only thing I would add, to show how much our language has already been influenced by imported TV, is to correct Great Uncle Bulgaria - they're called "children", not "kids"!

And what IS a "fannypack"? Sounds like a box of Kotex/Allways Ultra...

Post-exercise sauna

2008-04-06T16:08:00.004+01:00

Exposure to heat is widely used as a traditional therapy in many different cultures but does it really have the benefits we would associate with it (improved circulation, stronger heart, etc.)? I recently came across some old (2001, 2004 and 2006) medical papers on the benefits of saunas - the first looked at the benefits to patients with coronary risk factors, the second at how regular sauna use reduces stress factors and the third at the effect of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of athletes.

In the first study, 25 men with at least one coronary risk factor and 10 healthy men without coronary risk factors were enrolled. Patients in the risk group were treated with a dry sauna for 15 min and then kept in a bed covered with blankets for 30 min once a day for two weeks. They found that the repeated sauna treatment improves impaired vascular endothelial function in the setting of coronary risk factors, suggesting a therapeutic role for sauna treatment in patients with risk factors for atherosclerosis.

For the second paper, 28 subjects with at least one coronary risk factor participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to either the sauna group or the non-sauna group. As in the first study, subjects in the sauna group were placed supine in a dry sauna for 15 minutes. After the sauna, they rested on a bed with a blanket for 30 minutes. This occurred once a day for two weeks. Subjects in the non-sauna group were placed in supine position at room temperature for 45 minutes a day for two weeks.

The coronary risk factors measured were body weight, heart rate, blood pressure, hematocrit, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting plama glucose and urinary 8-Epi-Prostaglandin F2a (a marker of oxidative stress). All subjects were admitted to the same hospital and ate the same meals throughout the two-week study period. On admission and after two weeks, urine samples were taken after an overnight fast.

Results of the study showed that repeated sauna therapy significantly reduces levels of urinary 8-Epi-Prostaglandin F2a, a marker of oxidative stress, or destruction caused by free radicals, which may lead to diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, according to recent research. Systolic blood pressure in the sauna group had also decreased significantly after two weeks and it was significantly lower than that of the non-sauna group. The authors suggested a combination of diet, exercise and repeated sauna therapy as the best method for preventing lifestyle-related diseases, such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus. The good news is that repeated sauna therapy can be used even for patients who are unable to exercise, e.g., due to injury.

I then wondered whether these beneficial effects could be used for improving athletic performance, which led me to find the third study (good old Google!). They performed a cross-over study in which six male distance runners completed three weeks of post-training sauna bathing and 3 weeks of control training, with a 3-week washout. During the sauna period, subjects sat in a humid sauna immediately post-exercise for 30 mins. The performance test was a 15-min treadmill run to exhaustion at the runner's current best speed over 5 km. The test was performed on the 1st and 2nd day following completion of the sauna and control periods, and the times were averaged.

Plasma, red-cell and total blood volume were measured immediately prior to the first run to exhaustion for each period. Relative to control, sauna bathing increased run time to exhaustion by 32%, which is equivalent to an enhancement of 1.9% in an endurance time trial. Plasma and red-cell volumes increased by 7.1% and 3.5% respectively, after sauna relative to control. Change in performance had high correlations with change in plasma volume and total blood volume, although the correlation with change in red-cell volume was unclear. They concluded that the physiological adaptations to 3 weeks of post-exercise sauna bathing produced a worthwhile enhancement of endurance running performance, probably by increasing blood volume.

So which is better - dry or humid sauna? Dry is where infrared rays are used to induce heat, whereas a humid sauna is either a hot steam room or the Finnish-style sauna where water is added to hot rocks to create a mist.

So I tracked down the results of yet another study, which compared changes in hemodynamic and thermoregulatory functions during 10 mins of humid sauna bathing and those in a dry sauna. Subjects were 7 healthy young men. Blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature at chest, forearm, thigh, and leg, skin blood flow at forearm, and sweat rate were measured at 1-min intervals throughout the experiment. Total sweating and change of hematocrit were also measured for dehydration analysis.

Blood pressure and heart rate were higher and total sweating greater in dry bathing than humid. Mean skin temperature in dry bathing was higher than that in mist bathing, i.e., you feel the heat more on the skin than "in your bones". This suggests that the heat stress of the dry sauna may be stronger than that of the mist sauna, leading to dehydration by sweating. On the other hand, changes in skin blood flow and sweat rate during the mist sauna were increased much more than those during dry sauna. The mist sauna may thus be safer physiologically and provide more effective vascular dilation and sweating than the dry sauna.

In short, if you want decrease your risk of coronary disease, improve your athletic performance, your endurance and stamina or if you just want a good sauna - (a) it's good for you and (b) head for the humid kind (I must admit to never having seen the dry kind...)

References:

Repeated thermal therapy improves impaired vascular endothelial function in patients with coronary risk factors
Masakazu Imamura, Sadatoshi Biro, Takashi Kihara, Shiro Yoshifuku, Kunitsugu Takasaki, Yutaka Otsuji, Shinichi Minagoe, Yoshifumi Toyama and Chuwa Tei
J Am Coll Cardiol, 2001; 38:1083-1088

Repeated Sauna Therapy Reduces Urinary 8-Epi-Prostaglandin F2a
Akinori Masuda, Masaaki Miyata, Takashi Kihara, Shinichi Minagoe and Chuwa Tei
Japanese Heart Journal, 2004, Vol. 45, pp. 297-303.

Effect of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of competitive male runners
Guy S.M. Scoona, William G. Hopkinsb, Simon Mayhewb and James D. Cottera
J Science and Medicine in Sport; Vol 10, Iss 4, Aug 2007, 259-262

Effects on changes in hemodynamic and thermoregulatory functions during mist and dry sauna bathing
Kawahara Yuko, Nagata Mayumi, Niimi Yuki, Miwa Chihiro, Iwase Satoshi
Autonomic Nervous System Journal, 2002, Vol 39, No 4, pp 402-408

Spinning class: Cadence Pyramid

2008-04-06T15:07:00.005+01:00

Previous rides had involved increasing cadence with the same level of resistance or increasing resistance while reducing cadence. In this ride I wanted to combine the two, to demonstrate adaptability to a fast cadence and ability to work harder at those cadences. All be clearer when I explain the ride itself.

Starting off with a short warm-up, we start with approx 4 minutes at 80rpm, with HR around 60%; ideally, resistance should remain more or less the same while building up cadence to 4mins each at 85rpm (HR 63%), 90rpm (66%), 95rpm (69%), 100rpm (72%), 105rpm (76%) and to a max of 110rpm (80%). As resistance remains unchanged, the increasing cadence will mean a progressively higher effort level, although adjustments may be made along the way if that level has been over- or underestimated. Some discomfort may be experienced whenever cadence is increased but enough time is there to allow legs to adapt to the new demands. Should it be difficult at any time to maintain the faster cadence, resistance should be lowered to a more comfortable level, as the aim of the first part of the pyramid is to build up cadence, not work the legs into the ground!

Once the maximum cadence (110rpm) has been reached, it's time to work back down the other side of the pyramid. However... (well, you didn't think it was going to be THAT easy, did you?) as cadence decreases so will the effort level. To prevent this, resistance must be added to maintain HR at around 80% and ensure that the slower cadence does not feel too easy. One thing that has been noticed in my classes when coming back down the pyramid is that (a) where it was uncomfortable to increase cadence to, say, 105rpm, it felt more manageable when coming down from 110rpm to that same 105rpm cadence; and (b) as more resistance has beeen added, more work is being done at any of those cadences than when working our way up the pyramid. Oh, and HR will rise from 80% to 85% or even 90%, as most riders will over-estimate the amount resistance needed, especially towards the end of the ride at 85rpm and 80rpm. On the profile below, mine reached a peak of 87% just before the cool-down.

It is an excellent class to develop a smooth, fluid pedalling technique at high cadences and then to increase the workload taken at each cadence level. For a bit of variety, some jumps and/or standing flats (aka running, maintaining cadence out of the saddle) may be used, but ensure HR does not increase out of control.

Warm up - 2 mins
80 rpm - 4 mins
85 rpm - 4 mins
90 rpm - 4 mins (hour class only)
95 rpm - 4 mins
100 rpm - 4 mins (hour class only)
105 rpm - 4.5 mins
110 rpm - 4.5 mins
105 rpm - 3.5 mins
100 rpm - 3.5 mins (hour class only)
95 rpm - 4 mins
90 rpm - 3.5 mins (hour class only)
85 rpm - 4 mins
80 rpm - 4 mins
Cool down - 6 mins

Profile:

Playlist:
Adagio for strings - William Orbit
It ain't over till it's over - Lenny Kravitz
Angel - Shaggy
Lullaby - Bond
All I need - Air
Soweto Daal - Wasis Diop
Sweet Harmony - The Beloved
Walking on Sunshine vs. Grease - Katrina and The Waves vs. Grease
Shine - Aswad
Hey Mama - Black Eyed Peas
Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
Faith less - Cass & Slide
Karma - Alicia Keys
I predict a riot - Keiser Chiefs
Easter Song - A Man Called Adam

Great Britain rules the world!

2008-03-30T13:10:00.010+01:00

Well, in track cycling, anyway. We've won almost every event at the Track World Championships - so many victories, that I don't know where to start!

Bradley Wiggins won our first gold at the Men's Individual Pursuit and then joined his compatriots Edward Clancy, Geraint Thomas and Paul Manning to bag the Team Pursuit title, setting a new world record beating Australia's record set at the 2004 Olympics. Then Rebecca Romero, rowing silver medallist at the Athens Olympics and who switched to cycling in 2006, won gold in the Women's Individual Pursuit. Her achievement is made greater by the fact she was very late to cycling and is one of very few athletes to have success at different disciplines. Finally, Victoria Pendleton and BMX specialist Shanaze Reade defended their Women's Team Sprint title. So far, so normal - Britain has become so good at track cycling that good performances are now the norm (unlike our efforts in other sports!) and we won seven golds in Mallorca last year.

We narrowly missed out on the Men's Team Sprint, coming second to France by a split second but Rebecca Romero claimed her second gold medal as part of the British Women's Pursuit Team, setting a new world record for good measure - despite not having had any race practice. Chris Hoy's unexpected victory (it was his first time in the event) in the Men's Sprint took Great Britain's gold medal tally to six and made him the first rider to win world titles in the four speed events - the Kilometre, Team Sprint, Keirin and Individual Sprint. Not an easy task, given the different tactics and demands of each event and his Sprint victory is Britain's first since 1954.

Chris Hoy went on to also retain his Men's Keirin crown but not before an exciting event in the Madison. The British pair, Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish, were so closely marked that they were stifled every time they tried to catch up to the three teams that were a lap ahead. To compete for the medals, they would have to regain that lap but found it frustrating when their efforts (usually in conjunction with Germany and New Zealand) were countered, usually by the Spanish team. With 40 laps to go, it looked like Britain would miss out on a medal but the pair made one final attack, pushing so hard that they looked as if they were racing in a Sprint rather than a 200-lap Madison. They not only caught the back-enders but stayed with the pack despite attacks at the front and crossed the line with more points than second-placed Germany (who also caught up the pack in the final stages).

To top it off, Victoria Pendleton once again dominated the Women's Individual Sprint. And dominate she did, making it look easy as she allowed her opponent to lead by several lengths before taking control and bursting past her to claim her second gold and Britain's ninth. Unfortunately, she couldn't add to that total in the Keirin on the final day, having to content herself with a hard-fought silver - she was visibly disappointed and this seems to be one of the few sports in which our athletes expect to win.

The final tally of medals for Britain was:

Individual Sprint - Men's Gold / Women's Gold
Individual Pursuit - Men's Gold / Women's Gold
Team Pursuit - Men's Gold / Women's Gold
Team Sprint - Men's Silver / Women's Gold
Keirin - Men's Gold / Women's Silver
Madison - Gold

We failed to get any medals in the Scratch, Points, Time Trial races, either Men's or Women's, or in the Omnium (the Pentathlon of track cycling) but we have some prospects for the future. We won seven of the ten track events in the Olympics but there's still room for improvement - let's make it a clean sweep in Beijing!

Now is the time to recognise Britain's talent, rather than hiding their successes behind the failures of our cricket and football teams (I would add rugby but we're rather good at that!). Athletes have been given honours for their achievements, why not the same for Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins, Victoria Pendleton et al? I expect to see at least one of them shortlisted for this year's BBC Sports Personality award... although it's certain to go to Lewis Hamilton.

Victoria Pendleton - who says cyclists aren't glamourous?

Spinning class: Trailblazer

2008-03-29T20:57:00.007Z

Time to start catching up and post the rides I was leading before I went on holiday - seems like an eternity ago! This one I call Trailblazer because I used a track by that name from Podrunner - free hour-long tracks with a constant rhythm to which I listen while running, useful for keeping a set cadence throughout.

The aim behind this ride is to experience aerobic intervals - rather than going "all-out" for short periods of time (anaerobic), the idea is to find a level of effort that could, if necessary, be sustained for the entire ride. By breaking it up into chunks, I allow riders to push a little beyond their comfort zone to find a level that challenges them but yet is within their control. The "on" periods become shorter to allow for tiring legs, unsustainable effort levels, etc.

The "on" periods are where resistance is at the higher end; "off" is at the lower end. How high and how low depends on the individual - either work very hard during the "on" and recover during the "off" periods or work a little more comfortably but without needing a recovery. In terms of RPE, that would mean either 8 on / 3 off or 6 on / 5 off. As you can see from the HR graph, I chose the latter on this occasion.

Warm up - 3 mins
First Set - 5 mins on / 1 min off, repeat three times
Second Set - 4 mins on / 1 min off, repeat three times

For a 45-min ride, add another 4 min "on" period before proceeding to the cool down. Otherwise, for an hour-long ride, continue thus:

Third Set - 3 mins on / 30 secs off, repeat three times
Fourth Set - 2 mins on / 30 secs off, repeat three times
Final Set - 1 min on
Cool down - 5 mins

HR Profile:

You should be able to pick out the rising curves of the various sets (3x5min, 3x4min, 3x3min, 3x2min, 1min)

Playlist:
Past - Sub Sub
Trailblazer - DJ Steveboy
Nyah and Ethan - Hans Zimmer

Business cards

2008-03-27T22:21:00.005Z

I can't believe it's been two weeks already since my last post! I've been teaching a lot of spinning classes lately, as word has spread that I'm available to cover daytime classes since I gave up my desk job. I've also upped my training to about 15 hours a week (still not nearly enough but I haven't even started running yet) - I've been able to fit it in around my classes, so it's kept me busy most days.

Ideally, I'd like to have regular daytime classes; aside from the steady income it would bring, it's also better for the members - I've noticed that the ones who attend on a regular basis have become fitter and stronger, as I've been able to plan their training across the year.

As a first step on getting more cover work and, eventually, more regular classes, I played around with Photoshop and drew up my own business cards to make it easier to ply for business. Less than a week after sending the design to an online card company, they arrived this morning... and I have to say they are the badger's nadgers. Or the mutt's nuts. Blue, laminated... I even put in a watermark!

Which reminded me of this clip, from American Psycho:

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Crash landing!

2008-03-11T23:27:00.002Z

Nothing to do with the flight, which was superb (well done yet again, BA). I've been back exactly a fortnight now but it's been to readjust to the British weather, after enjoying 40c+ sunshine in Goa and returning to a grey and wet 10c in London. HUMPH! If you think I'm being awkward, imagine a 30c drop in temperature... in London that would mean -20c, probably bringing the whole country to a standstill (hey, we stop trains for a few flakes of snow). I miss my sweet lassi and Goan fish curry!

Since coming back (actually, since leaving my day job at the civil service) I've not had much time to relax but yesterday I spent the whole day just loafing around the house. I now feel fully recharged and ready to start planning new classes, visiting clubs to get more work, emailing friends, blogging, cycling, etc. Only today, have I managed to get around to buying some food - I was one day away from having to use caster sugar in my porridge (yeuch!). I've yet to start running properly (i.e., 10K+), let alone any other type of cross-training, so I'll start doing that on a regular basis too.

Some photos from the trip are available on Facebook, although I may post them here soon (along with my itinerary). I can recommend India as a holiday but make sure you avoid the cities at all costs, unless you get your kicks from noisy, polluting auto-rickshaws and their incessant beeping - not to mention the traffic, dust, smog, etc. Urgh! Much better in the countryside, jungle and the beach.... sigh!

Namaste for now

Going to Goa!

2008-02-03T22:50:00.000Z

I won't be blogging for a while, as I'm leaving tomorrow for three weeks of well-earned rest in India - starting off in Bangalore, heading into the mountain retreats for some R&R and enlightenment, then to the unspoilt nature reserves in Kerala on the way to Cochin. A day or so there before taking the overnight train to Goa, where a week of unashamed beach bumminess will ensue!

I'll be back at the end of the month to a fresh start - no desk job, Chinese New Year, start of my training schedule, long midweek rides on my bike.... can't wait to come back!

Three weeks, no cycling, no running - wish me luck!

Spinning class: Increasing Cadence

2008-01-31T00:09:00.001Z

OK, so we had a class at the beginning of the year that started with a fast cadence and gradually slowed down to become more of a hill by increasing resistance. A good ride to find one's ideal cadence, especially if power output remain constant, i.e., at which stage did pushing those 100, 200 or even 300 watts feel most comfortable?

Now, it's time to do the reverse: start with a comfortably slow cadence and, while keeping resistance relatively fixed (allowing for some adjustments along the way), increasing cadence progressively. This time, effort levels and power output will gradually rise while maintaining the same resistance but, as it is gradual, the legs should not find that small increase unbearable. By allowing them to adapt and get used to a particular cadence, we then push them a bit extra each time until they refuse to co-operate, i.e., we've reached our limit. It's a good ride for training at high cadence with some resistance, i.e., more efficient pedalling.

With cadence in the 80s, it's a chance to warm up the legs and let them find their... feet, HR around 60%. Once in the 90s, it should feel like the middle ground, the zone where we're working but comfortably so (approx 70%); if not, adjustments are needed to the resistance. Then, by the time we get to 100s, cadence is only just uncomfortable, with HR around 75-80%.

Staying in the saddle for a long time can be a pain in the... neck (!), so I give the option of continuing a particular cadence out of the saddle, while keeping a close eye (or should that be feel?) on HR to make sure it doesn't go beyond our "red line". My profile for the ride below shows clearly the peaks where my HR was higher when I was out of the saddle.

Warm up - 2 mins
Flat road @82 rpm - 6.5 mins
85 rpm - 4.5 mins
87 rpm (hour class) - 4 mins
90 rpm - 8 mins
93 rpm - 5 mins
95 rpm (hour class) - 5 mins
98 rpm (hour class) - 6 mins
101 rpm - 6.5 mins
104 rpm - 7 mins
Cool down - 5.5 mins

Profile:

Playlist:
Deireadh an Tuath - Enya
Magaya - Chris Spheeris
A tonga da mironga do kabulete - Daniela Mercury
Amor amor - Nino
Deep space - John Stanford
Heaven - Emer Kenny
Ponto de taxi - .... I have no idea!
Racing away - 1 Giant Leap
Souko Naayo - Baaba Maal
Vai viver a vida - Rae & Christian feat. Tania Maria
Seven cities (Ambient Dub) - Solar Stone

Spinning class: Last Train to Lhasa

2008-01-29T18:02:00.000Z

Three posts in two days - trying to catch up with my class profiles before I head off on holiday. My motivation behind this was relatively simple: a varied but comfortable ride, choosing particular tracks that I wanted to use for a while now (hence my name for the ride, my particular favourite of the moment).

As you'll see from my HR profile below, the start is an easy warm-up, followed by a comfortable flat road that takes us into our aerobic zone (see marker 1 on the graph). Then the road gets bumpy and we take a few jumps out of the saddle at a fairly stable HR (marker 1 to 2). This takes us to a long climb, the start of which should feel comfortable - the idea is to start at a steady resistance with the idea of keeping it while the pace picks up, along with HR (mark 2 to 3); as we won't want HR to get out of control, it's necessary to resist the temptation to attack the climb or we'd have to lower resistance halfway through the climb. A very short breather before another bumpy road, with 4mins of jumps (mark 3 to 4), which will really work on our glutes and hamstrings - the choice is to do as many or as few as you wish. This is followed by a much needed recovery before the final flat road to the cool down (mark 4 to end); the recovery helps to re-group and plan the final 8-min stretch of road. The option I give is to keep a steady cadence but to increase resistance gradually as we get closer to the end.

Warm up - 3 mins
Seated flat road - 4.5 mins
Jumps - 4 mins
Slow to fast climb - 10.5 mins
Jumps - 5mins
Recovery - 2.5 mins
Seated flat road - 8.5 mins
Cool down - 6 mins

Profile:

Playlist:
Shanti - Banco de Gaia
Soweto Daal - Wasis Diop
Fill me in / 7 Days / Walking away - Craig David
Heaven - Emer Kenny
Last train to Lhasa - Banco de Gaia
Easter song - A man called Adam

Aerobics!

2008-01-28T21:45:00.000Z

No, not Jane Fonda! But, as it is the beginning of the year and most will be feeling the Christmas hangover, an important note on why it's better to work less at this time of year (based on a Spinning handout, which I always carry with me to classes):

The first step to improving your fitness level is to establish a base of aerobic fitness, from which one can later advance. To build an aerobic base, you must exercise in the aerobic range, gradually adding more duration to absorb the training effectively. A strong aerobic base will enable your body to better adapt and benefit from anaerobic training when that type of exercise is introduced.

You should commit to an aerobic base building period for 6-12 weeks when you are just beginning an exercise program, returning after a break from training or recovering from an injury or overtraining. The longer the lapse in exercise, the longer the base building period should be. During this time your workouts should be completely aerobic, without any anaerobic exercise. Athletes will spend around 75% of their training programme in this aerobic zone.

Aerobic base building workouts should be at a heart rate range of approximately 65% - 80% of maximum heart rate so that the intensity does not cross over into the anaerobic range. You would then not be able to take in enough oxygen for the energy you're producing (cue the heavy breathing) and you will start producing lactic acid as a by-product (that burning sensation in your legs). Using a heart rate monitor is critical because it provides immediate, continuous, accurate feedback, making sure you don't cross that "red line".

The benefits of Aerobic Exercise are:

• Increased resistance to fatigue
• Toned muscles and increased lean body mass
• Decreased tension and aid in sleeping
• Increased general stamina
• Improves mood and reduces depression and anxiety
• Increases the number and size of blood capillaries
• Increased cardiac output

Spinning class: Increasing Gradient

2008-01-28T12:51:00.000Z

It's about time I started posting the classes I've been doing, especially as they seem to be the most popular posts - time flies when you're not working!

My plan for the year, similar to last year, was to start working on smooth pedalling, cadence (leg speed), a natural ease of movement, comfortable and steady aerobic rides, while at the same time allowing the hard core cyclists to work to their potential if they chose to do so. I particularly felt the importance of this, as I started the new year with 3Kgs of excess baggage and the remains of a nasty flu virus. In these conditions and, particularly in the winter months, the human body cries out for warmth-inducing, steady-state exercise, rather than the extreme anaerobic intervals that push you beyond your "red line". At this time of year, going above that line can damage fitness levels rather than improve them - only after a solid aerobic fitness base is established, can that foundation be built upon to increase strength and ability to take punishment.

Enough talking - this ride is meant to be taken as a long, flat road but, to retain the interest of those who really do want to push themselves, has an increasing gradient. You will see that the rhythm of the music will naturally slow down your cadence so that, in order to keep the same effort level, we need to increase resistance - progressively building up until we're climbing a fairly comfortbale mountain (is there such a thing, I've heard many members ask!). There are two possibilities with this ride - either you'll keep an even effort level throughout or you'll find yourself getting carried away and be gradually increasing your effort level as you approach the end of the ride. I've included two of my HR profiles as examples of both.

You could use any music for this, the timings are only relative to the tracks I selected - but you'd be looking to spend around 5 minutes at each cadence level, enough for your legs to adjust to the resistance, not too long so you'd get bored.

Warm up - 2.5 mins
Flat road @108 rpm - 8.5 mins
103 rpm - 4 mins
99 rpm - 4.5 mins
93 rpm - 6 mins
89 rpm - 5 mins
85 rpm (hour class) - 4.5 mins
82 rpm - 5.5 mins
77 rpm (hour class) - 5.5 mins
72 rpm (hour class) - 5 mins
67 rpm - 3 mins
Cool down - 5 mins

Profile for a steady-state effort (note the spikes where we rode out of the saddle):

Profile for a gradually rising effort:

Playlist:
Last train to Lhasa - Banco de Gaia
Heart still/beating - Ottmar Liebert
Africa bamba - Santana
Time will tell - Mariam Funke
Mysterious maiden - Chico Hamilton
A tonga da mironga do kabulete - Daniela Mercury
Desire - Deepak Chopra feat. Demi Moore
Teardrop - Massive Attack
Breakout - Michael Flatley (Lord of the Dance)
Greece 2000 - Three Drives
Nyah and Ethan - Hans Zimmer

Man of leisure?

2008-01-19T23:33:00.000Z

I wish - ever since taking redundancy from my nine-to-five desk job, I've been busier than ever. So much so that I've started to wonder how I ever managed to fit a job into my hectic schedule! I have a to-do-list that seems never-ending but, for once, I now have the time in which to do tackle it head-on.

That's partly my excuse for being quiet these past three weeks - that and the fact that my loft water tank won't stop overflowing, despite doing everything possible to stop the water coming into the tank. I know my limitations, so I've called the plumber to see whether he knows what could be doing it - I've narrowed it down to either the boiler (unlikely, as it happens even when it's off) or the water pressure from the mains. If the latter, I'm clueless as to what can be done... fingers crossed I can get rid of probably the only stress in my life at the moment!

I've also been planning my holidays for the year. My classes always moan that I forever seem to be going on holiday but I was way below my quota last year... I used to like going away at least once a month, even if only for a weekender. This year, though, it's mainly focused around cycling as I've entered an event called La Marmotte in July (more details in my next post) and will need a few stints in France and Italy to train for it. Then my usual fortnight of fun in France in August, enjoying the baking heat and molten tarmac... while I'm cycling! I know, I'm obsessed (and probably quite mad) but it's how I get my kicks and (a) it's cheap, (b) it's good for you and (c) I love the feeling of achievement after a particular hard day's ride. A bit like a more pleasurable exercise I could mention... hehehehehe

My real holiday will be in February, when I'll be travelling to and around SW India - no running or cycling for three weeks... promise! Well, maybe a mountain bike ride or a jungle trek just to make sure I don't get too lazy...

Time for bed - more soon to follow, including the past three classes. Ciao for now!

I want to get my fat arse back in the gym!

2007-12-29T22:06:00.000Z

After a week of no exercise whatsoever, luckily without resorting to eating more food than Fatty Arbuckle could ever eat, I can't wait to get back into the gym and to my classes - I've even resorted to searching for Spinning classes on YouTube, which led me on to this gem of a video.

Think I work you hard? Check out this guy! And don't worry, I won't be so sadistic... until after Easter hehehehe

Not loading? Click here!

Bahia - the most beautiful place in the world?

2007-12-25T16:25:00.001Z

Not only is Brasil full of probably the nicest people in the world, when I was there in 2005 I saw this advert that summed up why Bahia is the best place in Brasil. I have to agree, as it has none of the grey of Sao Paulo, none of the crime of Rio de Janeiro; Belo Horizonte came close but it doesn't have the sea or the beach. If you've been there, you'll be sighing and wishing you were there right now!

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Spinning class: Christmas Party

2007-12-22T21:35:00.000Z

I make no excuses for this one, although I limited my use of cheesy Christmas songs - much to the relief of my classes! The profile is fairly simple but it can be quite hard if not using the flat road as a recovery, as it means keeping a high level of effort going for the whole ride.

There are different options for the first part of each loop: either as a rest (to recover), a seated flat (a moderate effort) or a standing flat (keep the effort level high). The second part is a fast climb, so needs added resistance, but it works more on the heart rate than the legs. Again, in or out of the saddle are options. Finally, the climb gets heavy with yet more resistance, with the same in/out of saddle option. This climb gives the heart rate a bit of a respite but the legs will take much of the workload.

After doing this loop four times, we finish off with the token Christmas tune - the first minute is a recovery, as it's nice and mellow; then Mariah kicks in and it's time to start climbing. In or out of the saddle, it's three minutes of fast climbing; the final minute is the time to muster up every tiny remnant of energy left in the body and channel through to the pedals for an all-out effort.

Warm up
-------------
Party loop x 4
Flat road
Fast climb
Heavy climb
-------------
All-out climb
Cool down

Profile:
No profile for this ride, as it doesn't follow a particular road and HR will be up each individual. Another option is to gradually increase effort level with each loop, e.g., first loop at 70% MHR, second at 75% MHR, third at 80%, then 85%, with the final fast climb taking HR above threshold at 90% and maybe even as high as 98% MHR in the final minute.

Playlist:
Come home - Lil' Devious
-------------
Down under - Men at Work
Maniac - Michael Sembello
Moving on up - M People
-------------
That's the way I like it - KC and the Sunshine Band
Take on me - A-ha
Together in electric dreams - Philip Oakley & Giorgio Moroder
-------------
Walking on sunshine - Katrina and the Waves
Footloose - Kenny Loggins
Atomic - Blondie
-------------
Tiger feet - MUD
Can-can - Jive Bunny
Get the party started - Pink
-------------
All I want for Christmas - Mariah Carey
Antarctic echoes - Vangelis

What a month!

2007-12-18T23:51:00.000Z

So much has happened in the past month that it's hard to know where to begin...

Well, starting with the biggest event, my Department (for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) was offering voluntary redundancies as a way of cutting its staff headcount (but not necessarily its budget!). I've been so disappointed with work and the way in which sycophants were rewarded, with those who dared to question the lack of wisdom of a certain action being told they were not "team players". More importantly, I've come to see that the Department is doomed to be taken over by those interested only in furthering their careers, fiddling while the Earth burns.... Anyway, long story short, I looked at many options for getting out and the money offered was too good not to accept. So, as of the end of this week, I'll be a free man (aka unemployed!). I'm going to give the health & fitness thing a go and, if nothing comes of it, look for a job where I feel I'm making a difference.

What else has happened... ... oh yes, I went to a 3-hour Christmas Spinning Ride, where the UK's Master Instructors took turns is taking us for a challenging and varied ride. Sounds daunting but it was done so well that it was an hour before we had our first hill climb. That's not to say that the flat road was easy... far from it! It was good to be on the "other side" for a change, especially so when led by such good instructors (we are a rare commodity! Hehehehe).

The inevitable Christmas parties have mostly come and gone but I've managed to stay relatively sober and stop myself from eating a month's rations in one sitting! Which is good for me, as I almost always put on weight over the holidays. I have a few more drinking sessions ahead and I'll need to be disciplined, especially now that I'm in the mood for celebrating my new-found freedom from work!

Spinning class: ski-ing in Tignes

2007-11-22T14:53:00.000Z

Eh? Ski-ing in a Spinning class? Nope, just another from this year's Tour, with the finishing line at the glacial ski resort of Tignes. Another jagged-tooth profile, this one, which will test the legs in the final climb.

After the usual warm-up, it's a short climb to find those climbing legs, before a nice easy descent to the bottom of the big climb of the ride. The climb isn't so steep at the beginning, so the first 4 mins are at moderate resistance but reasonably high tempo, both in and out of the saddle. This will get the heart rate fairly high. Then, as the gradient gets bigger, resistance gets heavier until we need to stand to continue climbing until the summit, where a leisurely descent awaits us. After that, there's a shorter climb but don't let that fool you - the switchbacks (short bursts at high resistance) will take a lot out of your legs; so much so that, after another recovery, the final climb will feel the hardest, despite it being a fairly steady one with gradual increases in resistance. If there is anything left for your legs to give in the final 2 mins, it's time to turn up that resistance even higher and push with all your strength to the finish line. Looks easy but it won't feel like it after those switchbacks!

Warm up - 4 mins
Seated climb - 3 mins
Recovery - 2 mins
Fast climb - 4 mins
Heavy climb - 8 mins
Recovery - 2 mins
Climb with switchbacks - 6 mins
Recovery - 2 mins
Heavy climb - 8 mins
Cool down - 6 mins

Profile:

Playlist:
Tatouage bleu - Ben Onono
Fuego - Bond
Harlem's nocturne - Alicia Keys
I predict a riot - Keiser Chiefs
Subminimal - Sonic Cube
So com voce - Thievery Corporation
Put 'em high - Stonebridge
Barber's adagio for strings - William Orbit
Insomnia - Faithless
Easter song - A man called Adam

Spinning class: The High Road to Briancon

2007-11-11T21:38:00.000Z

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last posted - just shows you how much effort it takes to keep partying for a week! If it wasn't Halloween, it was a birthday or a fireworks party, a bonfire.... or just any old excuse. I've been recovering this weekend - not a glass of vino in sight! Right, let's get to this week's ride - another stage from this year's Tour de France, this time from Val d-Isere to Briancon and crossing the mythical Col du Galibier.

After the usual warm-up, it's straight into a climb - starting comfortable but getting increasingly harder with a resistance change every minute. Then the staggered descent with stretches of flat road that require some effort while keeping a high cadence. Once we get to the bottom, it's straight into another climb, making it increasingly hard and finishing with two minutes out of the saddle to get to the top. After a brief descent, the road heads upwards again, getting tougher and tougher, finishing with another two minutes out of the saddle at the hardest part towards the top. Although the final stretch to Briancon is downhill, we want to keep effort levels high to cross the finish line as quickly as possible so there are three sections of all-out effort, keeping cadence high. Simple, maybe, but not as easy as it looks!

Warm up - 4.5 mins
Seated climb - 6 mins
Flat road - 7.5 mins
Climb - 6 mins
Recovery - 2 mins
Steady climb - 8 mins
Flat road - 5 mins
Cool down - 6 mins

Profile:

Playlist:
Lebanese Blonde - Thievery Corporation
Changes - Alexander Kowalski
Clubbed to death - Rob D
Rays of the rising sun - Mozaic
Adagio for strings - William Orbit
Razorfish - Tranquility Base
Skylight - Overseer
Easter Song - A Man Called Adam

Spinning class: Halloween!

2007-10-27T20:47:00.000+01:00

Yep, it's that time again - whether or not you think it's just an American excuse to feed children yet more sugar with all those treats, it's a perfect excuse to have a bit of fun and dig out some silly tunes, anything related to ghosts, devils, horror or that sounds remotely spooky. No particular profile to this class but I've put it together in this order to keep some variety.

Have a goulish time... mmmmwhahahaharrr!

Warm up - 2.5 mins
Flat road - 6 mins
Seated climb - 4 mins
Jumps - 4 mins
Switchbacks - 3.5 mins
Flat road - 3 mins
Seated climb - 6 mins
Jumps - 4 mins
Sprints on a hill - 4 mins
Flat road / Running - 4 mins
Seated to standing climb - 8.5 mins
Sprints on a hill - 5.5 mins
Cool down - 5 mins

The start is a scene setter, with some very sombre music before hitting the flat road to really warm up the legs and get HR up to around 70%. The seated climbs are fairly heavy, with breaks out of the saddle. Jumps are transitions between sitting and standing positions, done under control and as seamless as possible. Switchbacks are short, hard efforts, where extra resistance is added while trying to maintain cadence out of the saddle, which will increase HR to 80-85%. Sprints on a hill are where we keep the same heavy resistance but increase cadence for short periods, again increasing HR to around 85%. Finally, running is where cadence is fairly high (in the range of 80-110rpm, same as on a flat road) but done out of the saddle with a little resistance, to ensure control of the pedals.

Playlist:

High priests - Michael Flatley (from Feet of Flames)
Riders on the storm - The Doors and Snoop Dogg
Somebody's watching me - Rockwell
Killer - Adamski
Vater Unser - E Nomine (reminds me of The Omen!)
Hard Wax - Manchild (from Blade: Trinity)
Thriller - Michael Jackson (the ultimate horror video!)
Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr
Breathe - Prodigy
Thirsty - ODB (from Blade: Trinity again)
Insomnia - Faithless (the darkest climb)
Keep hope alive - The Crystal Method (let's escape the horror!)
Moments of ambience - Odessi

Ironman World Championship

2007-10-17T10:24:00.000+01:00

No, not something I've done (I wish!) but I watched it live from Hawaii on Saturday night/Sunday morning. Usually, it's not the best of spectator sports, as it takes the pros around 9 hours to complete, but this time I had a reason to stay tuned: Chrissie Wellington was racing in it and I know her from when she was working as a fellow paper-shuffler at Defra (civil service). She's gone from trying Olympic distance events to leaving her job to train full-time as a pro, winning her first Ironman event in Korea and qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii.... in only a few years! Hats off to Chrissie and provides me with inspiration to train harder, with a view to entering a few events next year. This from the race report on the Ironman website (www.ironman.com):

You'�d be forgiven if you looked at the results from the� Ironman World Championship, saw the name of the women�'s champion, and asked �"Chrissie who?".�

Chrissie Wellington is hardly a household name in the world of Ironman racing. Her first year in the sport was last year, when she claimed an ITU World Age Group title. Just seven weeks ago she competed in the Ironman Korea race, her first Ironman. She easily won that race, finishing an astonishing seventh overall in the brutally tough conditions. Despite that impressive result, Wellington arrived in Kona as absolutely no one’s race favorite, even her own.

“I was hoping for a top ten,” she understated at the press conference.

Wellington’s journey to claiming the Ironman title here in Kona has been anything but normal. While she was an “active child,” growing up and a competitive swimmer as a teenager, she was hardly what she considers a competitive athlete. While she swam while in university, that was more an exercise in drinking, she joked in an interview after the press conference. After she finished university, Wellington spent a couple of years travelling. She returned to school to get her masters, then was off traveling again. She started running in 2002 because she wanted to lose some of the weight she’d gained while on the road. That led to her first marathon, a 3:08 effort at the London Marathon in 2002.

While riding her bike a couple of years later, Wellington was hit by a car. She suddenly found herself unable to run or bike, so to keep active she started swimming. Triathlon seemed like a logical next step. Sandwiched in between all of that was a work stint in Nepal, where Wellington found herself riding over some pretty major terrain to keep active.

“Nothing seems difficult compared to trying to ride over those mountains,” she joked.

After claiming the world title last year, Wellington’s coach suggested that she go and meet with Bret Sutton at his base in Switzerland.

“I wanted to know if I’d make it as a pro,” she said. “He said ‘Go for it, girl.’”

Go for it she did. She joined with Sutton’s elite group of athletes which includes the likes of Ironman champions Belinda Granger, Rebecca Preston, Lisbeth Kristensen and Ironman’s picture of consistency, Hillary Biscay.

“I wanted to do Olympic distance, but my swimming isn’t where it needs to be to be competitive,” Wellington says. “Five weeks before Korea he asked me about racing there. I asked him, ‘Am I ready, Boss?’ He said I was, so that’s what we did.

The rest has quickly become history. Wellington dominated in Korea and made her second Ironman even more impressive by beating the best in the world. She was so strong throughout the day that when she rode by the lead group to take the lead Granger said to anyone who would listen “There goes today’s winner.”

Granger was right. Wellington’s 2:59 marathon was the second fastest ever run here in Kona – she was never really challenged once she went to the front of the race.

While she arrived in Kona relatively unknown, Wellington will leave the Big Island as one of the biggest names in the sport. That’s after only two Ironman races under her belt … one can only imagine how many more huge wins we’re likely to see.

The boys are back in town!

2007-10-13T22:31:00.000+01:00

COME ON!!!!!!!! Yes, we're there once again - history does repeat itself, beating the French on the way to the final. Instead of Australia, this time it looks like South Africa will be waiting for us. After the drubbing we got in the group stages, England will be looking to avenge that humiliating defeat and be the only team to retain the Webb Ellis Trophy.

If Johnny Wilkinson gets his kicking back on track, we'll wipe the floor with them - we could've had an extra 11 points had he made all his kicks, although most of them were from extreme angles. The important thing is that he got the ones that mattered - the drop goal that got us into the lead, then the penalty that meant the French couldn't win with a sneaky drop goal in the final minute. Not to mention the mistakes that denied us a couple of tries.

Well, I'm shattered, I feel like I've just completed a double Spinning class and I'm losing my voice... must make sure I recover before next weekend!

Rugby Fever

2007-10-13T15:03:00.000+01:00

I've just come back from a much-needed break in southern France (needed to stop me from going "US Postal" at work) and the big news - obviously, as the Rugby World Cup is the third largest sporting event int he world after the Olympics and the Football World Cup - was England's and France's successes against Australia and New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup. Unexpected by most, I was laughed at when I dared to suggest the impossible... Ha! I should have put a bet on the results - smugness isn't as rewarding as you'd think! All that was needed to top off a great week was for Scotland to beat Argentina (and for Fiji to do the unthinkable and get past the south Africans) but they failed to take numerous chances to win the match.

Tonight will see England take on France in a repeat of the last World Cup, when England went through 24-7. As much as I am a Francophile, this match will bring out the partisan in me - none of this "I don't mind who wins, as long as it's a good match" nonsense!

I remember watching the match in the BA lounge on my way to an international coral reef conference and I delayed boarding until the last minute, as the scores were still very close. Of all the days for a plane to take off on time... grrrrrr! Still, I managed to get the pilot to tell us the scores in mid-flight, with some passengers (like me!) erupting in celebration at the final score. Then a week's worth of work while waiting for the final the following weekend.

Let's hope that history repeats itself - COME ON ENGLAND!!!!

Spinning class - The road to Loudenvielle

2007-09-29T15:58:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since I posted one of my classes, so here's another one of those stages from this year's Tour de France - this time the stage from Foix to Loudenvielle. After the usual warm up to loosen up the legs, it's time to start climbing - a comfortable climb at a steady pace, gradually increasing resistance. Then a flattish road (although that's no excuse to take it easy!) before another short but fast climb to get HR up to an uncomfortable level (around 80% HRR). A quick lull before the climb continues - not long enough to recover completely so even this steady climb feels that much harder. As we get closer to the top, we test our limits by increasing resistance. Then it's another quick recovery as we head downhill, before the big climb of the day.

So far, it's been a mix of hard steady climbs and fast but lighter climbing - now it's time to put the two together, starting again with a steady but relatively quick climb but gradually increasing resistance until it gets very uncomfortable and climb out of the saddle to maintain momentum. HR by this stage will be around 80-85% but, two minutes from the top of the climb, an increase in resistance and HR to 85-90%. Somewhere in that final minute, HR should cross the lactate threshold, the "red line", where breathing becomes difficult and legs start feeling a slight burning sensation. So the two-minute recovery as we head downhill should come as a relief, a chance to bring breathing under control.

With the final climb starting only three minutes from the finish, it's time to use up whatever energy is left in the tank. A fast climb but with quite hard resistance to start the climb with HR at 80-85%. After a minute, a slight increase in resistance to bring HR upto and slightly beyond the red line at 85-90%. Only one minute to go and it's going to be flat out - another increase in resistance to raise effort levels and HR up to 90-95%, crossing the line with a last gasp and complete relief at completing this challenging ride.

Of course, it's not necessary to push so hard - climbs can be taken more comfortably by lowering resistance and effort levels, while maintaining a steady cadence (leg speed) and with enough resistance to ensure controlled pedalling. HR will be approx 10% lower but still leaves a feeling of going from the aerobic, 70-75% zone to the slightly uncomfortable but manageable 80-85%. Self-control is sometimes necessary, e.g., when returning from injury, after a long break or if suffering from a hangover (been there, it's not nice!).

Warm up - 4 mins
Seated climb - 5 mins
Flat road - 4 mins
Fast climb - 5 mins
Recovery - 1.5 mins
Steady climb - 6mins
Recovery - 1.5 mins
The big climb - 8 mins
Recovery - 1.5 mins
Fast standing climb - 3 mins
Cool down - 5.5 mins

Profile:

Playlist:
One wish for me - Miguel Migs
I wanna be U - Chocolate Puma
No scrubs - TLC
Rebel yell - Billy Idol
Duende del amor (night) - Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra
Sahara - Kleopatra
Overdue goodbye (reprise) - Anastacia
Insomnia - Faithless
Harlem's nocturne - Alicia Keys
Hungarian - Bond
Touched by God - Katcha

I'd rather die than exercise!

2007-09-24T22:33:00.000+01:00

Not me, I hasten to add, but only four in ten Britons would be motivated to do more exercise if their life depended on it, a poll has found. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) published the survey last week, as it launched a new television advert urging people to take more exercise. The charity's figures show that one person dies every 15 minutes as a result of physical inactivity. But increasing the heart rate for just 30 minutes a day can cut the risk of heart disease in half.

The survey of more than 2,000 adults found that 38% of people would be motivated do more exercise if their life depended on it. That leads me to think that 62% of the population would NOT do more exercise even if it guaranteed to save their life! This would go a long way to explain the apathy in Britain (and, presumably, the USA, as it's primarily an Anglo-Saxon problem) about obesity and the consequences on society.

I also found out last week that 80% of the NHS budget is spent on conditions directly related to food, drink or smoking. Considering the massive budget of the health service, imagine the amount of tax we'd save if people cared enough to take care of themselves. Think of that, next time you think obesity, excessive alcohol consumption and smoking don't affect you - these people cost you money!

As an additional bonus headline, the survey found that 8% of women said doing vigorous housework was their favourite form of exercise (what?), only 1% of men agreed (quelle surprise!). Mind you, who are these nutters? Housework is their FAVOURITE exercise? Sounds like some sort of fetish to me....

Work is the thief of time

2007-09-16T22:20:00.000+01:00

Ever feel like work gets in the way of life? Me, every day - probably why I sympathise so much with this guy:

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Warning: Facebook can be damaging to your spare time

2007-09-10T23:06:00.000+01:00

Yep, this week I finally succumbed to the temptations of Facebook and spent more time on it than I'd like to admit. Despite my fears that it was all hype, just a glorified competition to have more friends than anyone else, a waste of time better spent actually speaking to people (how old fashioned!), I have to say that it has had its usefulness:

1 - it's great for finding old friends with whom I've lost contact
2 - it's surprising to find how many friends already know each other
3 - it makes it very easy to organise events, drinks, reunions, etc
4 - I've already "met" other people with similar interests to me
5 - for sharing those dreaded photos I'd hoped my friends had destroyed

All in all, great fun but I'm careful not to get involved with the myriad of virtual games it offers - the reason why many companies are trying to block access to Facebook by their staff.

Come find me - Robert Baldi. If you want to add me as a friend, make sure you tell me who you are - I may not recognise you by your real name!

Ciao for now,
RB

Requiescat in pace, Luciano

2007-09-06T18:04:00.000+01:00

I don't know what to say but a comment from a guy interviewed on the news sums up the contribution Luciano Pavarotti has made: "I didn't even like opera until I heard Pavarotti sing at the World Cup"

Thank you Luciano for bringing some added culture to this island - you will be sorely missed.

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Running season begins again

2007-08-31T21:12:00.000+01:00

After I ran the Rome marathon, my running dropped substantially. Apparently, it's a normal reaction after such an effort but I did find it hard to run more than twice a week without another major goal on the horizon, even though I enjoy it. I managed to get into a routine of running before or after one of my classes, especially as there is nice mile-long loop in the park near the gym in Kidbrooke, but still never anything over 10Km.

With the wet autumn evenings approaching (still no sign of a summer here in the UK) I feel like it's a natural time to start increasing my training load. I can increase the time spent running by only around 10% if I want to prevent injury, so it'll take me a while yet before I get back up to a 45-min interval session, a 1-hour tempo run and a long 2-hour run at the weekend. But it still feels great to be back out there pounding the pavement... all I need is to enter a spring marathon to help me focus (imminent hanging sharpens a man's wits!)

Talking of wet autumn runs:

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Spinning class - Three Peaks

2007-08-28T22:37:00.000+01:00

I planned this ride just after coming back from those long climbs that don't seem to exist in Britain - I wanted to replicate the feeling that comes from climbing constantly for over half an hour but without working or boring the class to death. Very simple concept, then, which makes it a challenging ride to lead. I've split the ride into three segments, each one containing an 11-minute climb.

Climb 1: from a light start, this first climb has five gradual changes of resistance to build up to a fairly heavy climb, enough to want to stand for the final 3 minutes of the climb. While out of the saddle, an optional extra resistance change to push the legs beyond their comfort zone for the final 1.5 minutes. This gradual loading of resistance will allow the legs to adapt before each change - too sudden and leg muscles will refuse to co-operate and absorb that resistance.

Climb 2: now that the legs are used to climbing, the starting point should be higher, with moderate resistance. Still five gradual changes of resistance except that by the final change it should be very hard to maintain a steady rhythm in the saddle, so that standing up for the final 6 minutes of the climb should come as a relief. Out of the saddle, an optional two extra changes, again to push the legs beyond their limits.

Climb 3: this is the one for which we've been warming up! Starting from moderate resistance, there are four resistance changes to build up to a heavy climb that is sustainable for the final 7 minutes of the climb, always maintaining a steady rhythm. Then the fun begins! This climb has three switchbacks - short, sharp increases of gradient that usually happen when a mountain road "switches back" on itself - that will require bursts of intense effort.

Cadence remains constant but, just before each switchback, resistance is increased so high that it's almost impossible to maintain that cadence in the saddle and a burst of power out of the saddle is needed to keep the momentum going. Then it's back to the saddle, resistance back to that steady heavy climb (that's the hard part - to keep climbing after such a hard effort). The first switchback is 30secs long, followed by 30secs in the saddle. Not enough time to recover fully before a second, 45sec switchback. Then back to the saddle for two minutes until the final, 90sec hard effort before returning to the saddle for the final 45secs. Sounds confusing but, if you know the track, just follow the rhtyhm!

Warm up - 4 min
Climb 1 - 10 min
Recovery - 2 min
Climb 2 - 11 min
Recovery - 2 min
Climb 3 - 10.5 min
Cool down and stretching - 5.5 min

Profile:

Playlist:
Why does my heart feel so bad - Moby
Morning star - Planet Heaven
Duende del amor (night) - Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra
Spiritual light - Mea Culpa
The chase - Alan Reeves (from Kill Bill)
After all (Satoshi Tomiie remix) - Delerium
Touched by God - Katcha

Back to the grindstone

2007-08-23T22:07:00.000+01:00

Humph! I'm not happy. Don't get me wrong - France was absolutely fantastic. I even became confident enough to discuss politics and economics in French with the locals. Well, either confidence or the fact that my French became more fluent as I drank more vin rouge! Not as much cycling as I'd like to have done (more details in my next post) but it was a very productive and enjoyable fortnight, the weather mostly sunny and hot. The problem started as I crossed the English Channel and left Dover - the sky became grey, then it started raining and... well, I got back Saturday night and I haven't seen the sun since! I've had the central heating on, have been wearing a fleece-lined sailing jacket and have needed gloves when riding my Vespa. In August! Humph!

After two weeks of no TV, no news, no internet, no telephone, no contact with the outside other than what I learned from the locals, it's been downright depressing listening to the weasels that are politicians, news of children killing each other on the streets, our troops in Iraq not being supported properly, etc. On top of that, that inconvenience called work - I'd much rather be out on my bike for 7 hours a day!

Oh well, time to start planning my next holiday!

I'm off!

2007-08-02T22:41:00.000+01:00

It seems like eternity since my last break but my annual fortnight in France is finally here! This is where I get to take my bike down to the mountains near Carcassonne and do as much cycling as possible. I know it's not most people's idea of a holiday but I find there's no better way to relax and unwind than a 20Km-long climb with a steady 7% gradient... followed by a 80kph descent. In previous years, I built up the daily distances up to a 150Km ride and only rode on alternate days to recover. However, after a week-long training camp in the Alps in May, my legs are already strong enough to handle a long ride so I'll be riding almost every day for 100Km+.

One of my rides will follow Stage 14 of this year's Tour de France, from Mazamet to Plateau de Beille - especially handy, as the route passes the village where I stay.
It looks worse than it is, as most of is nice undulating countryside... until the Port de Pailhares, that is! And as for Plateau de Beille... well, imagine Alpe d'Huez but without the easy switchbacks!

One of two things will happen when I get back - either I will have no interest in cycling or spinning for a week or I'll be back stronger and more energetic than ever! I have a double Spinning class the day after I get back, so I'll know soon enough...

Ciao for now and enjoy the summer - presuming the UK will get one this year...

Spinning class - Le Grand Bornand

2007-08-01T22:31:00.000+01:00

Another profile from the Tour, this time from Stage 7, Bourg-en-Bresse to Le Grand Bornand in the Alps. The ride starts off with the usual warm up but then it's immediately followed by a short climb in the saddle, gradually increasing resistance. Once at the top of the climb, it's an undulating road - so keeping a high cadence but with some resistance, getting out of the saddle occasionally to help keep the momentum going.

After that we take it easy while going downhill, before we hit the flat road - no taking it easy here, as it takes continual effort to keep the legs turning over at a fast tempo until we reach a short heavy climb out of the saddle. After that, another chance to recover while we coast downhill until we hit the flat road again, keeping a high cadence until the final climb. This longer climb starts comfortable, gradually increasing resistance until it's too hard to keep a steady cadence, then we keep the momentum by climbing out of the saddle.

Once we get to the top, it's no rest for the wicked as we need to keep pressing forward on the downhill - so it's fast cadence with some resistance to make sure we get to the bottom as quickly as possible. Then a quick breather to collect our thoughts before we press as hard as we can for the final 2 minutes to the finish line.

Warm up - 5 min
Seated climb - 3 min
Standing flat - 3 min
Descent (recovery) - 2 min
Seated flat - 6 min
Standing climb - 3 min
Descent (recovery) - 2 min
Seated flat - 3.5 min
Heavy climb - 6.5 min
Fast descent (not recovery) - 2.5 min
Recovery - 1 min
Seated flat - 2 min
Cool down and stretching - 5.5 min

Profile: the description above may not make sense in writing , so here's what it looks like on the road:

Playlist:
Lebanese blonde - Thievery Corporation
Fuego - Bond
Hey baby - No Doubt
Rolling thunder - Ride
Boomerang - Cirrus
Hungarian - Bond
Release the pressure - Leftfield
Please save me - Push vs. Sunscreem
Clubbed to death - Rob D
Smokebelch II - Sabres of Paradise

The end of the Tour

2007-07-30T22:10:00.000+01:00

Three weeks of the Tour de France has come to an end, quite literally with a bang. This final week has been pretty eventful, to say the least! First there was Vinokourov failing a drug test, then Rasmussen's name being dragged through the mud, followed by some great duels in the Pyrenees between Rasmussen and Contador. Then the withdrawal of Rasmussen from the Tour, just as he looked to have secured victory.

I've seen many headlines over the past week, many wanting to put an end to the Tour de Farce, accusing it of being drug-ridden. So, is it as bad as they say it is? Look at the facts, rather than hot-headed opinions: only three positive drug tests (one of which is being contested - by Vinokourov) out of the countless that were performed during the three-week event and out of almost 200 riders. Hardly "drug-ridden", is it? Especially when compared to the lack of testing in other, higher profile sports - at the last (football) World Cup no tests were performed during the competition. They pick on cycling, which has the most rigorous testing of any sport but the latest round of positive tests is a sign that the testing regime is working. If only it were applied to football, rugby, baseball, American football, golf (yes, golf - apparently some take steroids!) then we would see how favourably cycling in comparison.

As for the Rasmussen saga, it has no links to positive drugs tests - he missed two tests, for which he received warnings as dictated by UCI rules. A rider will only be suspended if he misses three tests. The Tour organisers were rightly annoyed that the Danish Federation waited three weeks before leaking the news to the world (the warnings are supposed to be confidential) almost as if designed to disrupt the Tour itself. The Federation also didn't divulge the full facts, so he was allowed to ride on regardless. Then, the shocker - he was fired by his team for lying to them about his whereabouts in June. He said he was in Mexico but not according to an Italian TV commentator, who said he saw him in Italy. No, I don't buy it either - it's hardly strong enough evidence to pull a clean rider out of the Tour on the verge of outright victory. This is where the real scandal exists - the politics behind the scenes, of which we know nothing.

So, vive le Tour - only 11 months to go before it all starts again!

Spinning class - Mazamet to Plateau de Beille

2007-07-23T14:32:00.001+01:00

Inspiration for this ride came from Stage 14 of this year's Tour de France, from Mazamet to Plateau de Beille in the Pyrenees. I know the route particularly well, as I cycle in that area every year, so I put together a compressed version. The ride starts off with the usual warm up but then it's immediately followed by a short climb - not too heavy on the resistance but something to wake up the legs before a brief descent and a long flat road. This is not an excuse to take it easy, as it takes continual effort to keep the legs turning over at a fast tempo until the start of the long steady climb to Port de Pailheres. After a welcome descent to the valley, it's then an all-out attack to the top of the Plateau de Beille, starting with two accelerations to shake off the competition and ending with an all-out effort to the finish line.

Warm up - 4 min
Moderate standing climb - 3 min
Descent (recovery) - 1 min
Seated flat - 10 min
Long steady climb - 8 min
Descent (recovery) - 3 min
Standing climb - 10 min, including 2x1min hill sprints
Cool down and stretching - 6 min

Profile: not heart rate this time, as it should be in the 75-85% HRR zone for the entire ride, higher on the final climb to Plateau de Beille. This is what it looks like on the road:

Playlist:
Why does my heart feel so bad - Moby
Harder to breathe - Maroon 5
Mecanix Remix - Urban Trad
Walk like an Egyptian - The Bangles
Why'd you lie to me - Anastacia
Subliminal - Sonic Cube
Past - Sub Sub
Sandstorm - Darude (the hill sprints)
The Silence - Mike Koglin
Universal Soul - Mandrake (the final push for the line)

The meaning of determination

2007-07-19T23:50:00.000+01:00

Have you ever wanted to give up because something's too hard, the conditions aren't right, people are against you, you're told it's impossible, that it cannot be done? Or maybe you just tell yourself that you didn't really want it anyway?

Whenever I feel like that, I remember this short clip - it gets me to keep on going until that little voice in my head starts whispering that I can do it, no matter what anyone says.

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