I need your help!

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

WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

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.

Have a phenomenal Christmas!

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



Video not playing? Try here!

Busy weekend ahead

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!

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.

Busy busy busy!

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

It's only just begun...

...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...

Giro d'Italia 2009

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!

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!

Tour de France 2009

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...

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!

La Marmotte: event report

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!


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La Marmotte

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!

Schwinn Revolution 2008 - Hemsby

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.

Light at the end of the tunnel

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!

Ironman World Championship

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.

I'm off!

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...

Rome Marathon, March 2007

This is my report of insanity in trying to achieve a sub-4 hour marathon at my first attempt!

I went there with my friend Darryl (Daz) Carter, an experienced marathon runner (and now Ironman), who had also been helping me train up for long distance running since September 2006.

Saturday: lovely warm day, spent mostly eating and watching the rugby. Despite the temptation to join the Irish drowning their sorrows at throwing away the 6 Nations and to help them celebrate St Patrick's Day, we had to keep our powder dry for the race.

Sunday: just for info, there were pacers with coloured balloons representing their finish time (3:45, 4:00, 4:15, etc.)

Pre-race: quite hard for me, as I couldn't wait to start my first marathon. Especially when I caught sight of some old geezer rubbing cream into his groin... and not stopping there. Gross! I felt my breakfast about to make a comeback but I managed to erase that image from my mind... urgh! My legs were really feeling good and I felt confident in my aim to go sub-4hr.

Start: Soooo many people! I haven't done London but I thought it would take me hours to get to the start line. Luckily we got under way pretty quickly, although I was stuck behind the 5:00 numpties - not good if I wanted to keep to a 28min pace for each 5Km. I absolutely refused to run behind someone wearing what looked like black Calvin Klein boxers (with the label on the outside!). In fact, I even ended up walking, as there was bottleneck after the first bend. Many of us started running off-piste to pass as many as possible in the first 2Km.

5Km - 27:43 (7689th overall)
Easy peasy, still warming up, still dodging people, managed to catch up to the 3:45 balloon and even had to ask whether I had it right, as I thought the pace was far too easy for a sub-4hr. Mind you, I'd been going quite fast just to catch up with them, so I settled into the rhythm and started to enjoy it.

10Km - 55:24 (7518th)
27:41 for the second 5Km stretch. Now I'm starting to warm up and really settle into it, especially as the field is beginning to thin out so I don't have to spend so much time and energy dodging boxer short-wearing numpites. Again, I didn't bother with the feeding station, so I could by-pass as many people as possible.

15Km - 1:23:37 (7548th)
28:13 for the third 5Km. Still on track for a sub-4hr and still feeling amazingly good. What's all this about marathons being hard? It's a walk in the park... how anyone can go over 5hrs is beyond me (this thought will come back to bite me on the arse!) Made sure I started drinking some Gatorade, although the amount they gave me wouldn't be enough to water a cactus.

21Km / half mara - 1:58:12 (7527th)
My half-mara pb! Well, that wasn't hard as I've never raced over 10Km before. 34:35 for 6Kms but I clocked my lap counter at 28:40 at the 20Km mark. A bit slower but I think that may be due to some undulating roads. Will need to check my HRM stats for altitude readings...

26Km - 2:25:04 (7474th)
26Km ??? No wonder I was gasping! I had to run an extra Km to get my oranges and drinks. Maybe that's why I ran a fast 26:52 for the 5Km from the half-mara time check! Still feeling OK but the loop took us out onto a hot and humid dual carriageway and I wasn't feeling so comfortable now.... Once I got to the feeding station, I had enough of their miserly portions, so I took a whole 500ml bottle of Gatorade and a handful of orange slices. I slowed to a walk in order to eat and drink properly, although I knew this would slow my overall time. I didn't care at this stage, as the humidity was sapping my strength and I was getting worried about the state of my legs.

30Km - 2:58:30 (8270th)
Uh-oh! Slipping down the field and I clocked a very slow 33:26 just for 4Kms! I know I was walking for much of the first Km but still.... WTF's happening to my legs? Still in touch with the sub-4hr balloons but all of a sudden I'm not feeling so good at all. I hope the muscle fatigue doesn't get any worse...

35Km - 3:42:13 (9124th)
...it has got worse! Where are those magic ice-cold sponges? I'm grabbing half a dozen at a time now and stopping to apply the coldness to my sore muscles. Also slowing to a walk after the feeding station, which makes me lose contact with the 4-hr balloon and I get passed by the bunch on 4:15. Noooooooooooo! I try to keep up with them but my legs refuse to comply. What's the matter with you? Pain is nothing, keep moving!

40Km - 4:25:31 (9618th)
More walking, especially on one evil cobbled section. The only thing that kept me going was the support from the crowd. At one point, we ran through a narrow street into Piazza Navona (a long narrow piazza with restaurants and bars on either side) and the uproar from the crowd really made my spin tingle. I have to keep going... for them! Then the sponges... more walking.... then a group of teenagers were chanting, football style. I waved to thank them and they cheered me on, so I just had to start running again. This isn't funny any more... Daz is going to die for getting me into this. Where am I? How long to go? HOW LONG???? God, I hope I can get there... maybe I should walk the rest of the way... oh no, here come the 4:30 numpties... just can't keep up with them... stupid legs....

42Km
Did last 2Kms in 17:42 - much less walking but that's thanks to the motivation of running with a guy we'd at the airport. Also his first marathon, although he was aiming for a more sedate 4:30. Neither of us was going to get that but we wanted desperately to get a sub 4:45 now we were so close. But he started off before me, so I was actually ahead of him on time - so my turn to motivate him to keep him going. Up the final climb around the Colisseum, only to hear Daz shout out "Hahahahaha how are you feeling?". F***ing Bar Stud! I'll get you for this, Carter! (It was at this stage he took a photo of me looking particularly angry!)

Final stretch: Downhill to the finish line made my legs hurt more than the uphill section. I urged my friend to keep pushing, I had a few minutes in hand to get my sub 4:45. Go, mate, go! I just keep plodding on until I get overtaken by boxershorts man! Nooooooooooooooooo! I'll never live this down - overtaken by a numpty wearing Calvin Klein underpants!

Managed to finish in 4:43:13 and also pleased my running mate for the final 2Km also came in just under the 4:45 mark. I'm 9668th overall but I don't care - give me my medal, I've f***ing earned it!

Two days later, legs have recovered already. But I've not forgiven them for letting me down.... tomorrow, I'll remind them of what they need to do with a nice 10Km run

Next stop either Carcassonne (Oct), Florence (Nov) or Milan (Dec) and I'll do a sub-4hr or die trying - I refuse to be beaten!