Milan - San Remo 2013: Preview & Predictions

The 'real' pro-cycling season starts tonight, with the first Monument for 2013 taking place: Milan-San Remo. Also known as 'La Primavera' and 'La Clacissima', this race is the longest one-dayer on the professional calendar, taking in a 298km route across northern Italy.

By all reports, this will be raced in the toughest conditions in a long time - rain, strong winds, cold and possibly even snow are expected to test the competitors this year.

All the action is expected to take place in the last 50km of this race, when the peloton crosses two key climbs - firstly the Cipressa, and then the Poggio, before a tight, technical (but fast!) descent into the streets of San Remo and the finish.

So without further ado - here are my picks for this year's race!

Who will win - Peter Sagan (Cannondale)

If you were a betting man, Peter Sagan is the unbackable favourite - this race's Black Caviar.  He has shown outstanding form in the lead-up stage race of Tirreno-Adriatico in similar conditions, and tonight's course matches his strengths as an all-rounder & sprinter perfectly.

His biggest obstacle is the fact that he is such a stand-out favourite.  He will be watched like a hawk by all his competitors, and the attacks on the Poggio will come thick and fast as no-one will want to take him on in the final sprint.

Will he be able to deliver as favourite, or will the unpredictable and uncontrollable peloton somehow conspire to defeat him tonight?

The dark horses - Edvald Boasson-Hagen and Geraint Thomas (Team Sky)

Team Sky - controlling the race...

Both EBH and Geraint Thomas showed great form in the early season - but disappeared from view over the last few weeks.  Team Sky opted to not race their Classics squad, but instead take them away for a high altitude training camp instead.  As a result, these two guys have been out of sight and out of mind.

Are they still in form? Or are they still building to target the later cobbled classics? Who knows!  However, I have no doubt one of these two will be on the podium somewhere later tonight...

Back from the dead - Thor Hushovd (BMC)

The Norwegian God of Thunder, Thor Hushovd, had a 2012 that was more of a whimper than a bang.  Out of form due to injury and sickness, he has much to prove this year.  To that end, he has shown very promising form in the lead-up events, and I expect him to show he is almost back to his best tonight.

The Plan B riders - Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) and Sylvain Chavanel (OPQS)

Both of these riders have higher-profile team leaders tonight, but are outstanding competitors in their own right.  They are both also in great form.  I suspect they'll be the late attackers on the Cipressa and/or Poggio to try and shake up Sagan.  Will the attacks stick and give one of them the win?  Probably not - but these two won't die wondering...

My sentimental favourite - Heinrich Haussler  (IAM Cycling)

After coming 2nd to Mark Cavendish in this very race by less than the width of a tyre a few years ago, Haussler has had a rough time of it.  A very bad accident in 2011 (also involving Cavendish) has meant a very long way back to form (which he hasn't properly found yet).

Still not back to his best - but I would dearly love to see the attacking Haussler do well in this race tonight for his new Swiss team.

Live in Australia!

For the first time ever, this race is going to be broadcast live into Australia on free-to-air television!!  The broadcast begins at 12:35am Monday morning on SBS ONE - I will be glued to my screen, and drinking as much coffee as I can to stay awake.  No-one can ever say Australian cycling fans aren't dedicated....!!

Sticking my neck out

Okay, so I'll finish with my predicted finishing order for the race.  I had an awful record doing this for 2012, hopefully I'll have better luck this year!

1. Sagan (Cannondale)
2. Thomas (Sky)
3. Chavanel (OPQS)
4. Nibali (Astana)
5. Goss (Orica-GreenEdge)
6. Hushovd (BMC)

Product Review: Swisse Choc Energy Bars

Not long ago, I did a review of Winners Energy Bars in Choc-Berry flavour.  They were a hit for me, and I'm happily working my way through a box I bought on a clearance special from the local supermarket.

Ducking in to grab some bits-&-pieces a few weeks ago, I came across another product on special - Swisse High Carb Energy Bars (Chocolate flavour).  They were half-price (woohoo!), so I grabbed a handful and threw them into my trolley to try out later.

For those who care about the important figures - these bars have 230 calories, 4.7g of protein, 5g of fat, 38.3g of carbs (of which 8.5g is sugar) and 22mg of sodium.

As a rule, I don't eat prior to training rides less than 90min long (in the morning, pre-breakfast that is). And so I normally would only wolf down a muesli bar before setting off on longer bunch rides. Similar to the Winners Bars I tried, this is where I used these bars - usually before setting off on my 2-3hr Planet Cycles shop rides on a Saturday morning.

Do they work?

Yes, definitely. I didn't get any of the telltale signs of energy deficit during my rides with this bar, and (probably more importantly) no 'energy spike' that inevitably leads to an 'energy crash' later.

More importantly - the taste!

For me, taste is probably the most important criterion in these reviews.  Most of the commercially available bars are pretty good for what they are designed for - so (assuming a similar price) taste is the governing factor when I make my choice. It's a lot harder to eat when you aren't looking forward to the experience!

The texture of these reminded me a lot of a chocolate crackle (a chocolate rice crispie treat, for those readers not in Australia!).  I definitely picked up on the 'rice bubble' type texture straight away, a real contrast to the oat-style bars I've had before.  I was surprised to read the ingredients list later to see rolled oats were the major ingredient!

These bars weren't as sweet as I expected them to be either - a huge plus for me.  Nothing worse than that cloying sweetness you can't get rid of, and you still have half a bar to go... 

Probably my only real criticism was they were a little dry to eat, and I definitely had to consume them with a bottle of water handy to wash it down.  That's just a personal preference for me, I'd prefer a bar that's a little more moist in texture.

A second opinion

My 14yo daughter grabbed one of these bars as we dashed off to her weekend waterpolo game.  She took a bite, and said, "Oh wow - these are great!"

She loved the mix of oats and chocolate rice crispies, and thought they were the best bar of that sort she'd eaten so far.  The lack of sweetness was also a big plus for her, but she disagreed with me that the bar was 'dry' in texture and thought it was just right.

Would I buy these again?

Yes, I would - but they probably wouldn't be my first choice.  Purely on the taste factor, there are a couple of others I prefer.  But its not that the Swisse bars taste bad, I definitely enjoyed eating them - its just that there are others I enjoy more.

The bottom line is that if you prefer a 'rice crispie'-style texture in your bar, you should definitely give these a try.  You will really love them.  I know I'll be keeping some on hand for my daughter as a quick and easy pre-event 'meal' for her swimming and cross-country running seasons.

For that matter, if you see them on special at the supermarket (like I did), definitely grab a few to try for yourself.  Even if you end up preferring others, they taste pretty good anyway and do their job of providing a lasting energy hit.

Work trip cross training at Coogee Beach

I've been steadily plugging away in this first quarter of the year, sticking to my basic (and slightly boring!) plan of gradually racking up consistent mileage and hours on the bike.  So far, two-thirds into this 3-month base period, everything is going to plan (apart from all the rain!!).

For the last week (Sunday to Friday), I was sent down to Sydney for a work trip.  My hotel was much better than usual - I was staying at Coogee Beach, straight across the road from the ocean! A beautiful spot - and after the last month or so of constant grey, rainy weather in Brisbane, the opportunity for a post-walk beach swim everyday was very exciting.

Coogee Beach

Of course, I wanted to do something to put some training stress into the legs while I was there.  Nothing too serious, but some sort of exercise that matched in with the current base training phase so I could keep up my training habit.

So the plan was to do a couple of walks! I figured a couple of long walks (not strolls, but pushing myself) would do the trick, and give the legs some different training stimulus to cope with.

Fortunately, Coogee was the perfect launch point for the Eastern Beaches Coastal Walk route.

On Sunday, I spent a couple of hours walking from Coogee to Tamarama Beach and back again.  This was a stunningly beautiful walk, following the cliff edges and coastline on a well-marked pathway.  It was challenging in spots too, with some massive long stairways taking you up and down the cliff faces.  It was hard to pick a favourite part of this walk, but Gordons Bay was a highlight as it seemed like such a secret, hidden spot that was a surprise to come across.

Gordons Bay

For the next couple of days, my legs were sore! I was pretty happy with that too - it was good to know I'd managed to get some decent exercise in.  I think the stairs had a lot to do with it...

Later in the week, I headed in the opposite direction, and walked the Coogee to Maroubra Beach trail - another solid 2-hours.  While this pathway wasn't quite as pretty - it used a few backstreet detours and I thought Maroubra was a bit of a hole - it still had some beautiful sections.  The highlight was definitely Lurline Bay, a rocky inlet where you had to scramble along the surf-beaten rocks to rejoin the path at the far end.

Lurline Bay

Along with the swims at Coogee Beach each afternoon, these long walks (roughly 2-hours and 10km each) were great training alternatives.  Their long length and hilly profiles ensured I got some decent base training benefit out of them - plus they were just beautiful, scenic walks to do as well!

The Eastern Beaches Coastal Walk stretches from Bondi to Maroubra, passing through Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly, and Coogee beaches along the way.  Definitely the best section is Bondi to just south of Coogee.  If you find yourself out that way with a few hours to spare, I would highly recommend it!!

What's working, what's not...

Normally I knock out a blog-post each month, reviewing how everything is going.  I'm doing it a little differently this year.

I've basically split the year into four quarters.  The first quarter (which we are almost halfway through) is all about doing as many kilometres as I can.  No real structure, just mixing it up as I feel to keep it interesting. The over-arching theme is very much about as much time on the bike as possible.

The second quarter is my key racing season.  The Metropolitan Championships road race and the Avanti Classic handicap are raced late in this quarter.  So training will become more about how to improve my weaknesses, and more focused sessions.

The third quarter will be about hitting some new road races, races like the Toowoomba Open, the Cunningham Classic, and the Charles Coin Memorial.  Depending on how I've gone so far, training and riding will probably be a mix of mileage and specifics.  I won't worry about how to manage that until July comes around.

The final quarter will be all about criterium racing.  So hopefully a great year of riding will mean I have plenty of kilometres in the legs, and I can focus on developing as much criterium-specific speed as possible.  Depending on where I have to be for the kids' sport, I'll be racing as many weekends as I can during this 3-month period.

So no more monthly reviews, I'll be reporting after each quarter instead - thinking about what worked and what didn't, and what/how things will change for the next quarter.

The current quarter

Things started off a bit slowly for me in January.  I mentioned in a previous blog-post how I wanted to shift away from my cycle-commutes (1-hr each way) as the backbone of my cycling mileage, and do more longer bunch rides instead.  Well, that hasn't really worked out.

I've found it really difficult to meld together the earlier morning starts to reach the bunch rides, and my family commitments of a morning. The end result was I ended up doing much less riding overall!!

So rather than fight it, I decided to just go with what I already know works for now.  I've recommitted to cycle-commuting as regularly as possible, and my mileage is once again hitting much more consistent and meaningful levels.  Bunch rides are now weekend affairs (for now at least).

Improved recovery

About 2 weeks ago, I started doing 4 new things aimed at improving my recovery post-ride.  For some reason, my recovery throughout January was really very poor, and it was starting to seriously impact my motivation and enjoyment on the bike.

1. Stretching, both pre and post ride
2. Taking an iron supplement 5 days/week (it sits on my desk at work) - "Swisse Iron Ultiboost"
3. Taking a B-Complex vitamin supplement every day - "Blackmores Executive B Stress"
4. Having a recovery drink (200 calories, 15g protein) after any morning rides - "Up'n'Go Energize"

This has had almost an immediate and significant effect on my recovery - the improvement has been remarkable.  Of course, starting all 4 things at once means I have no idea which one of those is having the most significant effect (or if they only work in combination with each other).  The scientist inside of me is horrified - but the bottom line is things are much better, which is far more important than worrying too much about analysis of why and how.

What's next?

More mileage, more often!  As I said earlier, this quarter is all about riding as much as possible.  I'm missing racing, so I'll start doing a few club crits soon as well for a bit of variety.  If things keep tracking as they are, I'll finish at the end of March with plenty of kilometres in my legs, ready to start a concerted build towards my big A race for the year in mid-June.

On Stretching...

Sometimes it's good to be reminded of some recovery basics - like the benefits of some simple stretching pre & post exercise.

I was out having dinner with a few old school mates last week.  One is currently into CrossFit - he's a great athlete, always has been. He was even a contestant on "Gladiators" many years ago, and won his way through a few rounds.  Another is also a good athlete, mainly doing running and weights these days.

Over a steak and a beer, I was whinging about how I've been struggling to recover from my bike rides, and backing up on back-to-back days was killing me...

They both laughed and said almost at the same time - "You're not stretching or warming up or down, are you?" 

"Ummm, noooo..." I said.

"You've always hated warming up and down! Even 30 years ago when we were in primary school, you tried to skip the warm ups at footy training..." They gleefully reminded me...

Anyway, after a bit of nostalgic banter and backchat, they both implored me to do a few basic warm-up and warm-down stretches around my rides, especially the harder and longer sessions.  I promised them I'd give it a crack for a few days.

The next morning, before I rode out of the garage for my commute to work, I spent 5-minutes stretching my quads and glutes.  Nothing fancy, just basic stretches. I knocked out a few hard intervals on the way, and then made sure I did a similar stretching warm-down when I hit the locker room post-ride at work.

During the day, I was surprised at how much better and 'looser' my legs felt.  Definitely much less of the tightness and soreness that had characterised the last few months.  I followed the same routine for the ride home, which was much more enjoyable and pleasant than recent weeks.

I've kept up the pre and post ride stretching routine for the past week or so.  The benefits have been unmistakable - I feel much better on the bike, and as a consequence I am enjoying my riding much more.

Stretching is such a simple thing that everyone knows about.  But it's also an easy thing to overlook (as I have been doing).  I owe my mates a beer at the next catch-up for this one, it has made a huge difference...

Blame it on the rain...

I was never a huge fan of Milli Vanilli.  The Gen Y'ers amongst you won't even know who they are - YouTube at your own peril!!  But "Blame it on the rain" is a pretty appropriate theme song for the last few days in Brisbane...

With a weather system of consistent, heavy rain and cyclonic winds for 3-4 days in a row, what is a C Grade Cyclist to do?  I thought I'd put down a few thoughts on how to handle prolonged wet weather when you're a part-time, fair-weather cyclist...

1.  Running

A lot of people will gasp when I mention the 'R-word'.  There are a lot of highly-respected coaches that basically say that the best training for cycling is, well, cycling - and running has no real cross-training value that 'more cycling' isn't better for.

Now, if you are a top-level cyclist focused on results, then I totally agree.  But if you are a cyclist who's focus is on health and fitness, with racing just some 'added fun' into the mix, then running is a great addition in terms of 'cross training' and general health.

When its raining, running is a great additional 'sport' to have in your repertoire.  I hate riding in the rain, mainly because of the slippery roads and (even worse) all the drivers who seem to forget that the roads are slippery and drive way to fast for the conditions.  Running in the rain, on the other hand, is awesome fun and a great way to relieve yourself of the 'cabin fever' that can build up over successive wet days.

The trick is to always try and have a run each week when the weather is dry.  That way you can avoid a week or two of sore legs when you start running again and your poor legs go into shock from the pounding!

2.  Complementary exercises

Been a bit slack doing your core-strength workouts? Always wanted to try yoga or pilates (or yogalates, or whatever the latest fad mash-up is)?  Use the rainy weather as an excuse to get back into those indoor stretching & sit-up routines, and/or look up a local yoga class and go along to give it a try.

3.  Trainer

If you really can't stay off the bike, then invest in a wind trainer (or mag-trainer, fluid-trainer, or one of the other options). 

I have a mag-trainer at home, and I hate it.  For me, its a psychological torture device - pedalling to nowhere drives me insane. So I only drag mine out if things are getting desperate...

Depending on how much you want to spend (or can afford to spend), there are a ridiculously wide range of options in the trainer market - from your basic triangular framed, back-wheel mounted cheapie, up to machines with linked video-streaming so you can ride virtual Tour de France stages.

If you must ride, then stay safe and do it indoors on a trainer.

4.  Do Nothing

If you've been training consistently and hitting your goals - don't be afraid of staying off the bike.  A few days off won't set you back in the long run.

Take the time to catch up on stuff around the house, or do a few things with your better-half and/or your kids.  Then when the weather fines up - enjoy that feeling of itchy legs desperate to wind up the pedals, and hit the road mentally refreshed and ready for the mileage ahead.

In Summary

Prolonged wet weather isn't a disaster as a non-elite cyclist.  There are plenty of options for exercise and training (or just giving it a miss).

Instead of lamenting the lack of cycling time, seek out new opportunities that you otherwise would ignore during fine weather.  They'll only make you more well-rounded in terms of general health and fitness, which will help give you greater longevity in your chosen sport of cycling.

2013 Goals - Racing

I love racing my bike.  I am absolutely terrible at it - but I love it.  My previosu two posts about my training volume & training structure for 2013 are all about enabling me to get better (or 'less worse'!) at racing my bike.

What I really love are road races.  To me, they are 'real' bike racing - longer, harder, hillier, more tactical, and only those that have put the hard work in are competitive at the end.  Not surprisingly, I am not much good at these races - but I love them nonetheless.  They are a much truer measure of how you are progressing as a cyclist.  They are like Test cricket compared to the hit-&-giggle of 20/20 cricket that is club criterium racing.

So in the calendar below, the Open races I'll be targeting will be the road race events.  I'll still do some of the Open crits, but they'll be more about adding some variety, testing myself, plus supporting regional events.

The aim for this year will be to hit one big Open event each month, and one or two club criteriums as well.  I did hardly any racing last year (less than 10 events, from memory) - for 2013, I'd like to make that at least 20 racing days.

The calendar below is a possible/probable style set-up.  The events that I might race are in normal font, whereas the one's I'll most likely try and get to are in bold font.

2013 Cycling Qld Racing Calendar

February

2/3   Toowoomba 2-day (criteriums)
10    Brisbane Blast (criterium at Southbank)
17    Girraween Criterium (at Noosa)

March

3    AUSENCO Sizzling Summer Series 1 (criterium at Crestmead)
10  AUSENCO Sizzling Summer Series 2 (criterium at Crestmead)
17  Banjo's Mt Cotton Kermesse (hilly kermesse)
24  AUSENCO Sizzling Summer Series 2 (criterium at Crestmead)

April

7        Qld Masters Criterium Championships (Noosa)
20/21 Ipswich Open (ITT and Kermesse)
25      ANZAC 25 (criterium at Lakeside Raceway)

May

3-5  Velo Battle on the Border (3-day stage race - ITT, crits and road stages)
12   Towoomba Criterium (support race to NRS Tour)
26   MAP Metropolitan Road Championships  (hilly road race at Mt Alford)

June

16   *** Avanti Classic (80km road handicap at Lowood) ***

                       My A-Race for the year!!

July

14  Toowoomba Open (prologue & road race)
21  Fusion Games (criterium at Newstead)

August

3    Upperlimb.com Cunningham Classic (huge road race, Gatton to Warwick)
18  Charles Coin Memorial (road race at Mulgowie)

September

7/8  Qld Masters Road Championships (ITT & Road Race)
15   Mike Stout Memorial (criterium at Nerang)

October

13   Be Better Psychology Open (criterium at Toowoomba)
20   Northshore Criterium (Riverside Park, Brisbane)

If you click on the link to take you to the full calendar, you can see I've only listed some of the many events on offer this year - but these are the only ones I am realistically able to make it to.  If I can hit at least half-a-dozen of the Opens (specifically, the ones I've bolded), that'll be great for me.

The rest of the year will be made up of club criteriums, a couple of gran fondo style events, and some others - all to be used as training to get me ready for my A-Race for the year in June.