September 2013 Review

I've been quit blog-wise for the past month.  Mainly because I haven't had anything exciting to say! I've just been consistently logging up my kilometres...

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January - 300km / 13hrs
February - 452km / 20hrs
March - 341km / 20hrs
April - 269km / 12hrs
May - 201km / 10hrs
June - 437km / 21hrs
July - 71km / 4hrs
August - 518km / 26hrs
September - 455km / 21hrs

Year to date - 3043km / 148hrs

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So my last two months have been my biggest two mileage months for the year so far.  Happy with that - now to see if I can make it three big months in a row...

Sand, sun & surf...

One of the highlights of the month for me was a week down at Burleigh Heads for a family holiday.  I took the bike down with me, and escaped for a couple of rides while I was there.

On the Wednesday night, I headed over to the Nerang Velodrome for "Road-track training". This is a winter training session they do, using road bikes on the track (doable as the banking at Nerang is very shallow).  Basically, its an hour long session of 100 laps, building to a sprint every 10th lap. 

Nerang outdoor velodrome

It was one of the toughest sessions I've ever done on a bike!!  I was clearly a level or two below most of the other dozen riders there, so I spent a fair bit of time circling on the upper parts of the track trying desperately to recover.  I was completely wrecked by the end, but had a fantastic time.  If you ever get the chance to participate in something like this, you should totally do it.

I also squeezed in another ride, following the coastline north & south of Burleigh. There are a huge number of bunches riding the coast roads, so I just 'bunch hopped' for the morning.  The views along the beach roads are stunning, and its no wonder cycling is such a huge recreational sport on the Gold Coast.

Finishing with a bang...

... but not a good sort of bang!!  On the last day of the month, almost home on my cycle-commute, my rear shifting suddenly got very dodgy, very quickly.  When I got home, I set the bike up on the stand to investigate, and the rear gear cable promptly snapped. D'oh!!

I generally do all my basic maintenance and repairs myself, teaching myself what I don't know via the vast resources of Google, forums, and YouTube.  But its actually been a few years since my bike has been looked over by a genuine professional mechanic, so I decided this was an opportune time to book the bike in for a full service.

My bike is being looked after today at Planet Cycles, getting the full pro "Saturn Service".  It basically involves the entire bike being pulled apart, everything cleaned out & regreased, bearings replaced, and then put back together.  I'm getting all my cables replaced as well (they're all 4+ years old), and I've already gotten the call from the mechanic saying my headset bearings are in pretty bad shape, so they are getting replaced too.

Its obviously not cheap, but Planet Cycles have a great reputation for their workshop expertise. Given its been around 4 years since a mechanic has touched my bike, and it'll likely be a long time before a mechanic sees it again, I reckon it'll be money well spent...

Hopefully I'll get my bike back after work today.  Will be good to give it a spin tomorrow morning and see how it feels.

October plans

Racing!  After this weekend, I'm planning to race every weekend for the rest of the month.  Depending on how I go, I may even have a crack at the Open criterium race in Toowoomba near the end of the month - the Be Better Psychology Open on the 27th October.

So that's it from me for now - time to shave the legs, pin a number on, and see if the last couple of months of consistent training will pay off on the criterium track...!!

August 2013 Review

Very happy to be reporting last month's efforts.  Finally managed to get some decent consistency together, and kick a goal worth cheering about!!  Firstly, to the figures themselves...

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January - 300km / 13hrs
February - 452km / 20hrs
March - 341km / 20hrs
April - 269km / 12hrs
May - 201km / 10hrs
June - 437km / 21hrs
July - 71km / 4hrs
August - 518km / 26hrs

Year to date - 2589km / 126hrs

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Feeling awesome!!

Happy with this on a number of levels:

• Biggest monthly mileage and hours for the year
• First month to crack through 500km (finally!)
• First 150+km week (155km)

After missing the first 6-days of the month due to the lingering man-flu from July, I wasn't sure exactly how much I would be able to achieve.  So I decided to just try and make sure I got on the bike as much as possible, and use August as a 'base rebuilding' period.

That worked out really well!  After a relatively easy first week back to make sure I didn't compromise my flu recovery, I was able to finish with three big weeks all clocking more than 130km each. The final week was my peak, hitting 155km to record my biggest weekly mileage of the year.

I've derived a whole heap of confidence from August.  While I'm still 'slow' after a month of base, I feel really strong.  I've already started adding a few short intervals into my September rides, and the legs have handled them well...

Looking ahead

Racing-wise, its all about criteriums for the rest of the year.  I have two Opens on my radar in October:

• 6th Oct - Fusion Games criterium at Newstead (inner city Brisbane)
• 27th Oct - Be Better Psychology criterium at Glenvale (near Toowoomba)

If the legs respond well to some harder riding and club racing in September, then I'll try and enter at least one of these races.

September Goals

In the meantime, the month of September (& hopefully some good weather!) lies ahead.  In simple terms, I just want to continue on and keep up with logging some decent mileage and time in the saddle.  To that end, I'm hoping to keep on hitting 100+km each week, and break through the 500+km mark for the monthly total again.

While I won't be adopting any formal training structure, I'll be gradually adding in some tougher efforts to my usual rides.  These will basically be in the form of some hard intervals interspersed throughout my rides.

Club racing is an important part of my September plans.  I'm aiming to race every weekend, but of course that is tempered with the caveat of not knowing what the kids' sporting commitments are yet.  So I'll squeeze in whatever races I can.

Feeling great

I mentioned on Twitter that it really is amazing how consistent training really feeds confidence and motivation.  I feel terrific after August's efforts, and I am really enjoying my cycling at the moment.  I don't intend to lose or forget this feeling, and will use it to drive me forward for the rest of the year.

Safe riding!!

Vuelta a Espana 2013 - preview & predictions

The final 3-week grand tour of the year is upon us - La Vuelta a Espana (or just 'The Vuelta' for those of us who are a little too fanatical).  The Vuelta is arguably the least prestigious grand tour after the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. But that said, its still a grand tour, and as such is still a highly sought after prize.

This year's Vuelta is very much a climber's race.  Mountains and hills galore, with two-thirds of the stages having uphill finishes!  Not much here for the sprinters, which is probably why most of the top fastmen (eg. Cavendish, Greipel, Kittel, Sagan) aren't racing this year.

One of the unique features of the Vuelta compared to the Tour de France, is that the Vuelta has time bonuses for every stage.  The winner gets 10 seconds, 2nd place gets 6 seconds, and 3rd snatches 4 bonus seconds.  This definitely adds a new complexion to each stage, providing the overall GC riders a huge incentive to not just finish with the leading group, but to win the stage.

So who is going to win?

The favourite - Vincenzo Nibali (Astana)

Nibali is the deserved outright favourite.  He already has a grand tour win this year - the Giro d'Italia - and has been in terrific form.  His legs should be well-rested after having a long break while many of the others were digging deep in the Tour de France, and has shown some decent form in the lead-up races.  Not an unbeatable favourite, but it will be a surprise if he doesn't win.

The young gun - Carlos Betancur (AG2R)

Betancur is relatively inexperienced, but is developing rapidly.  His breakout performance was at this year's Giro d'Italia, where he came a strong 4th.  Very much a pure climber, this year's Vuelta route suits him perfectly.  A bit of a question mark over whether he can peak twice in the one year, given his age - but I believe he will do well.

The homeland hero - Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha)

'Purito' Rodriguez has plenty of grand tour podiums, but is yet to crack an overall win.  He'll be super-motivated to do so at his 'home' grand tour this year.  He is a great stage finisher, so one of his great advantages is the time bonuses - expect him to hoover up a few full 10-second bonuses.  The question mark for him is whether he can back up from a tough Tour de France.  I think he will podium - but the fresher legs of Nibali and Betancur will be too much for him to win...

One last chance - Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) & Ivan Basso (Cannondale)

With both at the tail-end of their careers, they will be keen to notch up a win to go out in style.  Both riders will do well, but won't quite match their efforts of previous years.  Definitely top 10 riders, but both will miss the podium.

The Colombian Armada - Sergio Henao and Rigoberto Uran (both Team Sky)

A strong Sky team for the Vuelta, led by the Colombian duo of Henao and Uran.  Both skipped the Tour de France, so should have fresh legs.  While both had excellent Giro's, Uran  had the better result with a terrific 2nd place.  Henao has been given leadership status here though, most likely because Uran is leaving for another team next year.  However, expect both in the Top 10.

The sub-plots

Farewell Euskaltel-Euskadi

After 20 years in the pro peloton the 'carrots' are finishing up due to sponsorship difficulties.  It won't be the same without those bright orange jerseys racing!  Euskaltel have fielded a great team, stacked with their best climbers - including Sammy Sanchez, Igor Anton, and Mike Nieve.

Sanchez has a chance at the overall, and you can expect the others to go all out for stage wins as well.  Hopefully the carrots can animate this year's Vuelta and go out on a high!

Farewell Vacansoleil-DCM

Another team departing, it will be the final grand tour for Vacansoleil.  Again, expect them to animate with attacks - mainly as attempts by the riders to secure contracts for new teams next year.  The irrepressible Johnny Hoogerland will be the most visible, he is a breakaway specialist...

How to watch

In Australia, free-to-air broadcaster SBS will have a half-hour highlights show every night at 5:30pm.  They are also showing eight stages live - click here for details.  Not sure how many of these I'll catch after the Tour de France wiped me out - but I'll pick a couple of the big mountain stages for sure...

Well, c'mon, who is actually going to win?!

As always, I'll finish up with my predicted finishing order.  With some luck, I'll get close this year...!!

1. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana)
2. Carlos Betancur (AG2R)
3. Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha)
4. Rigoberto Uran (Sky)
5. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar)
6. Sergio Henao (Sky)
7. Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel)
8. Michel Scarponi (Lampre-Merida)
9. Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R)
10. Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp)

July 2013 Review

A very quick post to update and record my stats for July 2013.

I could probably subtitle this month's post as "Blame it on the Tour"! What did I do? Nothing!! I discovered that I am well-&-truly not a teenager anymore that can 'rock-&-roll all night and party every day' - staying up for the Tour de France all through July absolutely destroyed me during the day. 

Just because I want to, doesn't mean I can...  ;)

I was able to do just enough at work to not get fired (luckily my boss is a fellow Tour de France fan!).  I slept as long as I could in the mornings, waking up just in time to madly get changed, kiss the wife & kids, and catch a bus to work. And I spent the rest of my time in a sleep-deprived daze.  It'll come as a massive shock that I also managed to catch "man-flu" not long after the Tour ended in my fatigued state...

Anyway - here are the embarrassing stats...

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January - 300km / 13hrs
February - 452km / 20hrs
March - 341km / 20hrs
April - 269km / 12hrs
May - 201km / 10hrs
June - 437km / 21hrs
July – 71km / 4hrs

Year to date - 2071km / 100hrs

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Pretty disastrous in terms of what I was planning and preparing for.  But hey, I love staying up and watching the Tour - it was an (unplanned!) sacrifice that I willingly made.

So what now - how does one recover from an unscheduled month-long break from the bike?  Well, you get straight back into it...

Apart from a work trip to Canberra and the lingering effects of the man-flu in the first week of August, I've managed to rack up some decent mileage again already. This month will be very much a 'base' month, rebuilding some mileage again.

The new race targets are a couple of months ahead in October.  There are three big Open criterium races, and I'll hopefully be able to schedule in 1 or 2 of them.  In the meantime though, I just need to focus on some consistent training.

Halfway through August, I'm already on track for it to be the biggest month of the year so far. If I can keep that up, that should set me up for some harder, more intense work in September leading into the October races.

Let's see if I can finally get through a 3-month plan!! I've had a few aborted attempts for various reasons this year - but I can't see impediments ahead. Fingers crossed!!

A New Model for Cycling Stage Races

Change happens slowly in professional cycling - whether it be bike regulations (6.8kg minimum weights??), spectator-friendly technology (live rider telemetry??), or anything else that may involve a change to the status quo.  The UCI seems very loathe to make any changes unless huge pressure is applied.

With that in mind, I was very surprised when I read some previews for two races - the just-raced Classica San Sebastion one-dayer, and the currently racing Tour of Poland stage race - and discovered some minor tweaks had been made.

The key change made is an experimental reduction in team size - only six riders per team, down from the usual eight (Grand Tours have teams of nine riders).  This is something I really like and have advocated before, as it makes it harder for one team to control the race.

In the Tour of Poland, they are also doing some funky things with time bonuses, and creating an "attractivity jersey" for the leader of a combined classification that takes into accounts intermediate sprints and mountains points.  All a bit confusing and arbitrary - I just don't quite get what they are trying to do...

So with all that in mind, I started wondering - if I got the chance to make up a new model for stage races, what would I do......??

Firstly, let's start with the premise that if you are going to make some changes, let's do it properly.  Don't just fritter around the edges, but get stuck in and shake the system up a bit.

1. Teams of eight riders - six on-the-road, and two substitutes.

Each team nominates a team of eight riders at the start of the race.  However, only six riders can race at any one time.  Substitutes can only be made between stages.

All riders are eligible for any points-based competitions (eg. sprint jersey or mountains jersey).  So sprinters can sit out mountain stages, and mountain climbers can be subbed out for an extra lead-out train specialist on the flat sprint stages.

The team competition is still calculated by the best 3 riders on each stage, and is unaffected.

I think this would make the riding 'harder and faster', but without increasing the load on individual riders. Mountain goats could save their legs with extra recovery days, and the sprinters could go flat out and not have to save themselves to survive the tough days.

2. Designated team leaders, and only they can win overall.

Before the race begins, the team must nominate who is racing for the overall win.  They may nominate any two riders for this (a third may be nominated if they are also qualify for the 'young riders competition').

The "designated team leaders" MUST start every stage, and may not be substituted at any time.  They should also be easily visually-identified - either by having a uniquely coloured number, or maybe even a jersey-feature.

The overall classification will only feature these designated team leaders, and only they are eligible to win the race overall.

I believe this recognises the 'team' nature of cycling.  In most other team sports, competitors fill specific positions that have a definitive role to play.  This would give cycling the same structure.

Another benefit would be for the spectator, especially those that are relatively new to the sport.  It would be much clearer who the team leaders are, and to understand why different strategies are employed.

3. Anyone can win a stage, but time bonuses are distributed to the team leaders.

The stage winner is still the first rider to cross the line each day, that doesn't change.  However, if a time bonus is applicable to the stage winner, then that time bonus is automatically equally split between that team's "designated team leaders".

As an example, if the Team Wheelsucker sprinter wins a stage and gets 12 bonus seconds, then the two "designated team leaders" for Team Wheelsucker are automatically given 6 seconds each (or 4 seconds each if their are three team leaders).

This is another change that emphasises the team aspect of the sport.  It would also make for some interesting strategic choices with the substitutions for different stages...!!

Would this make 'better' racing?

I have no idea. Racing is pretty exciting now, this would simply make 'different' racing.

What I really like about this model is the shift to a more well-recognised team structure.  You have your team leaders known and recognised, and riders can be subbed in and out as it suits the team best.

I also suspect this would lead to a spreading of the talent pool.  Even if a team loads itself up with potential winners, it must nominate who its leaders are at the start, and only they can potentially win.  So riders looking for glory will need to go to another team in order to have a chance to fulfil their ambitions.  Perhaps a disincentive to joining a 'super-team'??

What I think might be lossed is the 'glorious uncertainty' of racing, when an unknown rider can snatch an overall victory by surprise.  That said, this happens less often these days as riding becomes much more controlled and less happens by surprise.

Conclusion

I am still, even some weeks later, suffering from post Tour de France fatigue. So maybe what seems like a good idea right now may not seem like such a good idea later when I'm better rested! However I think it would make for some interesting, different racing and strategy going forward into the future...

Please note though - if the UCI decide to make these changes, I thought of it first!!  ;-)

Tour de France 2013 - the business end...

As a cycling fan, July has been absolutely exhausting.  I must be getting old too - I remember (just!) when I used to be able to stay up night-after-night, watching multiple stages.  These days, it takes me a week to recover from just one late night!

I tweeted earlier this week that one of the great ironies of the Tour de France is that you actually get very little cycling done yourself.  That's OK though, I love watching the race, and suffering through my work days in an exhausted state is all part of the 'labour of love'...

So today, after the 2nd rest day, here is a few brief notes on the winners & losers so far, along with who is poised to do something special in Week 3 of the great race.

Winners

Chris Froome (Team Sky) is obviously the first person to mention here.  He has lived up to his pre-race favouritism, and absolutely dominated in the mountains and the individual time trial.  There are cynics out there, but I am a believer in a new age of clean cycling - that might make me naive, but I don't care. For now, I am just enjoying watching Froome's ungainly style as he launches himself off Richie Porte's wheel and up the hills to victory.

Bauke Mollema and Laurens Ten Dam (Team Belkin) have been fantastic this year.  I wondered before the race who their team leader would be, expecting Robert Gesink to be part of their strategy. Mollema, in particular, is showing himself as a possible Grand Tour winner of the future. As always, the proof will be if he can back up in the years to come.

Orica-Greenedge, as a team, have no pressure leading into the 3rd week. Arriving at the Tour this year having never won a stage, they have racked up two stage wins (thanks to Simon Gerrans and the Team Time Trial), plus have held the yellow jersey for a few days. Its all upside for this team!

Nairo Quintana (Movistar) is also having a great race.  The relative newcomer is leading the white jersey classification, and has been the only one to seriously challenge Froome in the mountains.  Even if he struggles into the third week, he has gained mountains of experience (pardon the pun) which will have him well-prepared for future Grand Tours.

Peter Sagan (Cannondale) has locked up the green sprinters jersey race, winning points when most other sprinters have been dropped on some of the hilly stages. He is a class act on the bike.

Losers

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) was bitten by karma when puncturing at a very inopportune time, and fell away as an overall contender.  He was looking great, but is now out of calculations as his team shifts its support to youngster Quintana.

Team BMC has had its overall strategy go completely pear-shaped. Both Cadel Evans and Tejay Van Garderen have come up short, and Phillipe Gilbert hasn't featured as a possible stage winner.  They need something good to happen in this last week.

Who To Watch

There are a few riders who have an opportunity to do something exciting in the 3rd week. I'll be keeping a close eye on the following to see if they can snatch a stage win in the mountains:

• Thomas de Gendt (Vacansoleil)
• Andy Schleck (Radioshack)
• Pierre Rolland (Europcar)
• Thibaut Pinot (FdJ)

The overall general classification also has thrown up some riders who have shown potential in the past, but now seem to be coming through with real form.  Keep watching the following to see how they handle the big final week in the Alps:

• Jakob Fuglsang (Astana)
• Roman Kreuziger (Saxo-Tinkoff)
• Michel Kwiatkowski (OmegaPharma-Quickstep)
• Andrew Talansky & Daniel Martin (Garmin-Sharp)

Summary

A fantastic race so far, with so much more to come in the final week.  A tricky individual time trial over two big hills, plus the unbelievable double-ascent of the fabled Alpe d'Huez, will be just two of many highlights throughout the week.

I have no idea what's going to happen, but am looking forward to a few more nights on the couch, wrapped in a woollen blanket and sipping a hot mug of tea, and watching these amazing athletes fight their way to the finish in Paris.

June 2013 Review (& "Half Year Reflection")

I've had a great start to July - a week off work to have some time at home during the school holidays, which has been great fun.  Plus perfectly timed to match in with some late nights watching the Tour de France.

The bike has been left in the garage for the week while I slept in each morning after my late-night TdF watching, and my days were taken up with family day trips. Not ideal for race prep, but perfect for mentally rejuvenating family time.

Sadly back at work now, and so no more rest for the wicked! Before we get too deep into July, here is a quick review of how I went in June...

January - 300km / 13hrs
February - 452km / 20hrs
March - 341km / 20hrs
April - 269km / 12hrs
May - 201km / 10hrs
June - 437km / 21hrs

Year to date - 2000km / 96hrs

Finally some signs of consistency. I only missed one week due to rainy weather, and a few small runs of days due to a new role at work.  Very happy to log my biggest month of the year in terms of 'hours on the bike', and my 2nd biggest in terms of mileage.

Probably the best news (in a weird way) is that I could very easily have done a lot more.  I allowed myself a few indulgent sleep-ins on the weekends, for-going a lot of bike time.  So I'm super-confident of being able to keep the momentum going and building further and longer for July.

Six Months Down, Six Months To Go

A nice round figure for the first half of the year - 2000km (and 96 hours).  Not enough there to be a solid "Masters C" competitor in Open Racing, but at the very least a basis to build on.

My modest aims for the 2nd half of the year is to increase that by 50% - so knock out another 3000km and 150 hrs by the end of the year.  In simple terms, that's only a consistent 500km a month. And a very modest 100-150km per week. 

My very basic plan is to be on the bike for 3 weekdays every week - which'll be 3 days of commuting with some extra mileage or intensity thrown in on 1-2 of those days. That alone will carry me over 100km.  On top of that, at least one weekend ride as well - either a race or a long bunch ride.

That basic week-long structure will give me 150-200km every week. If I can hit that most weeks, I should see some solid improvement all-round.

What's Coming Up

I've mentioned it before, but looming large ahead is the Cunningham Classic - a 96km hilly road race on the 3rd August.  My initial plan was to build to this as my A-Race for the year, and give myself a short one-week taper leading in to the event.

Since then, I've started looking closely at the Charles Coin Memorial road race, being raced two weeks later on the 18th August. Based at Mulgowie (near South Laidley), it is run on an 18km country road circuit. My grade - Masters C - will do 4 laps, or 72km (other grades do more laps for a greater distance, with Elite A racing furthest at 7 laps/126km).

I'm thinking that the Charles Coin race will be more suited to me.  So I'm going to treat the Cunningham Classic as a hard training day, and not alter my training volume/intensity around it.  Instead, I'll taper in to the Charles Coin as my A-Race for the year.

Once those races are done, the rest of the year will be all about criterium racing.  I might make some changes to my training focus for that, but there is no need to consider that until after the two big August road races.
Plenty of work to do now for a big 6-week build into the Charles Coin Memorial. With a bit of luck, I'll reach it with plenty of mileage in my legs to give myself every chance of finishing with the main peloton...!!