Events 1/2014 & 2/2014: A run & a bike ride...

After a very long event-free 6-months, I pinned a number on twice this month! Certainly neither event could possibly even be considered a 'race' - but they were terrific participation events that were great fun to be a part of.

Event 1/2014 - City2South 14km run

Sunday 15th June was my first fair-dinkum running event in years. Can't even remember last time I entered one of these.

I had been training for 6 weeks (off a base of zero!) with a group called "Hill's Angels" - we were the self-proclaimed 'fat & unfit', and were using the City2South event as motivation to start some regular training again.

Runningwise, we had been guided by Paul Trevethan from RifRev. He had shown us the 'run/walk' technique, plus demonstrated plenty of technique skills & tips over the course of the 6-weeks.

As a quick aside - this was all done for free, and I'm incredibly grateful for the way Paul generously shared his knowledge.  There is a wealth of information on their website, including around 150 short 5min videos on all aspects of running. It is well worth checking out - its probably the best free running resource you'll find on the interwebs...

I set out on the day with a few goals. Firstly was to finish, secondly was to get under 100min, and thirdly (my superstretch goal) was to sneak under 90min.  I set myself up with a 2min run/1min walk strategy, which seems to be my current 'sweetspot' for my longer runs.

The short story is - it was a fantastic day!  Weather was perfect (cool & sunny), course was picturesque and a little testing, and I felt terrific.  I was able to stick to my race plan extremely well.  According to Strava, my pace slowed fractionally around the halfway mark (just as we entered the University of Qld grounds in St Lucia), which did correspond with how I felt at the time.  But I managed to pick up again in the last quarter and finish strongly.

Long socks are cool - just saying...

Most importantly - my finish time was 1hr:29min:28sec - I beat my 90min goal by the slimmest of margins! I was ecstatic, and it topped off the day nicely for me.

The evidence...!!

For those thinking about doing a running event - I can highly recommend the City2South. Incredibly well organised along a great course. I'm planning on making it a yearly event for me.

Event 2/2014 - MS Brissie to the Bay 50km bike ride

The next Sunday I was waking up early and pinning on a number again - but this time for a bike ride, much more my usual style...!!

This ride was about supporting my wife through her longest ride ever. She was attempting her first 50km, and so I was saddling up to escort her through the event.

It had been a very long time, probably almost 10 years, since I had done one of these big 'charity ride' type events.  I have to say it was much, much better than my memory of them - I was super-impressed by the organisation and how well they catered for and supported the riders.

The course was a 50km loop, starting from & finishing at Musgrave Park in South Brisbane, and hitting its halfway mark on the Wynnum foreshore. Most roads were 'open' during the event, but police had cordoned off and/or were supervising a few of the busier choke-points.

Again, this was a terrific day.  I had a great time cruising through the 50km on my mountain-bike with my wife, and we completed the course in just over 3 hours.  I would definitely do this event again, I had a great time.

What's next?

No idea!!  I'm still running regularly, and am starting to cycle-commute again too.  I'm keen to enter another running event - I'll probably have a crack at the 10km Bridge to Brisbane in September.  Plus I'll hit up another big community bike ride event too - maybe the Brisbane to Gold Coast 100km, or Robbie McEwen's Gran Fondo on the Gold Coast.  I'll see how my training goes...

Tour Down Under 2014 - preview & predictions

The Tour Down Under (TDU) is far from the most prestigious event on the international cycling calendar, despite its status as one of the top tier World Tour events.  But for Australian cycling fans, it is held dear as our own little Tour de France.

Being in the 'wrong hemisphere' means as cycling fans we are used to viewing the professionals while trying not to fall asleep on our couches. We have to try and not cheer too loudly either, as the rest of the house is fast asleep...

As a result, and due to its placement during the summer school holidays, the TDU is hugely popular here. Many fans make a pilgrimage to Adelaide, the capital of the state of South Australia, while others enjoy watching the racing with the sun still up.

The Race Itself

The TDU is a 6 stage race in South Australia.  That doesn't include the People's Choice Classic - a pre-race criterium held two days before stage 1 that all competitors participate in.

In recent years, the race has been a sprinters' paradise.  German powerhouse Andre Greipel has feasted on the many flat stages, racking up stage wins and plenty of World Tour points.  This year, however, the stages are little bumpier.  Certainly not mountainous - far from it - but enough to level the playing field a little and give the roulers a chance to win.

The Battles to Watch

Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) vs Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano)

Two of the very best sprinters in the world, both hailing from Germany.  The result from the People's Choice Classic (Kittel first, Greipel second) shows that they came to Adelaide to win.  Will be fascinating to see who can dominate and take early season bragging rights.

Greipel & Kittel sprint to the line during the People's Choice Classic

Cadel Evans (BMC) vs Richie Porte (Sky)

Two Aussies at opposite ends of their careers - Cadel having achieved so much already, and Porte on the cusp of stepping up as a Grand Tour contender.  Both riders are targeting the Giro d'Italia this year, and the TDU provides us with a tasty entree to this battle.

In reality, neither are probably particularly worried about each other this week.  But as a spectator you can't help but feel that this race will be the first shot in a long 2014 battle between these two great competitors.

Caleb Ewan (UniSA) vs Public Expectation & Potential

Still a teenager, and set to join Orica-Greenedge late in season 2014, Ewan has bucketloads of potential.  Many are expecting, probably unfairly, that he'll be able to match the World Tour sprinters in Adelaide.

I'm a huge fan (already!) of Ewan, and am looking forward to seeing how he goes against the big boys.  But let's let the young fella enjoy the experience, rather than suffocating him with any more expectation...

Team Drapac vs The Race Organiser

Stepping up to the Pro-Continental level in 2014, Drapac Cycling Team have had a long running battle to win a spot (as a Continental team) in the TDU.  They have finally gotten their coveted spot, and will be looking to justify it with a showy performance over the 6-day event.

Who Will Win?

The obvious choice is Simon Gerrans (Orica-Greenedge), who showed with his strong win in the Australian Road Nationals last week that he is in terrific early season form.  He will be tested though by the likes of Cadel Evans and Richie Porte, who will be looking to rack up some early season victories to bolster their own confidence leading in to the northern hemisphere spring.

Was the Aussie Road Nationals podium a preview of the TDU podium?

For the other big names, like Frank Schleck (Trek), Robert Gesink (Belkin), and Jurgen Roelandts (amongst others) - well, we'll have to wait and see if they are treating the TDU as a week-long training camp, or as an early season target race.

Summary

Australia's chance to briefly be the focus of the world cycling community.  Home viewers can watch all stages live on the Nine Network's free-to-air digital channel 'Gem' - check your guide's for details.

Don't miss this chance to watch fantastic cycling at a civilised hour - I'll be glued to the set watching as much as I can. I'll be cheering loudly for Cadel for the overall, and young Caleb Ewan for a couple of confidence-boosting performances in the sprints.  Enjoy!!

Race 4/2013 - Twilight Criterium (HPRW), Nundah

Back on December 4th, I lined up for my fourth race of the year.  The Twilight Crits, run by the HPRW club, are one of my favourite crit race series - a bunch of Wednesday afternoon races that turns 'hump day' from boring to something to look forward to!

It would indeed be a race for me to remember for a number of reasons...

Normally I'd punch some stats up for the race straight up.  I'm not 100% sure what they are though - but thankfully Strava (ride link here) helps me out...  I raced in B2 grade, and I know that every single lap averaged over 40km/h - most in the low-mid 40's range.  It was a quick race...

The Story of the Day

I rolled up to sign on for C-Grade (as usual) - but the current grading system used by HPRW has Masters C riders under 50yo racing up in B2 (with the Masters B riders!!).  No worries of course - its all for fun and games.  I handed over my $10 and pinned on my number.

We lined up for the pre-race briefing at 5pm.  Based on the numbers I saw, there were about 60 starters in my race - definitely a big one!  The race format was a 'points race'. Basically, first across the line every lap scored points, and then on the last lap the first 5 scored as well.  Most points would be the winner.

As usual, my goals were a lot more modest (especially given I was racing 'up' a grade). I simply wanted to last the distance.

The race went hard from the gun.  The first 3 laps were actually the quickest of the day - all averaging above 45km/h (with the second lap up around 47.5km/h).  We were hitting 50km/h along the home straight each time!

Needless to say, I was struggling.  I was giving absolutely everything to just hang on.   I somehow survived those first few laps, but I was well in the red zone.  The clock on my speedo had just ticked over 5min, and I thought that may be it for me!

I started a simple game - just hold on to the next corner...  I kept digging deep, and pushing on & on. A number of times I thought I was gone, but I managed to just keep a hold of the peloton. My mouth was dry, but I dared not reach down for my bottle...

Time started adding up - 6min, 7min, 8min... When the clock ticked over to 10min, a wave of relief washed over me - I had at least made double figures!

At around the 12min mark - something changed with me. Suddenly, everything seemed to adapt. I was still pushing extremely hard, but the pain disappeared and I seemed to find my rhythm. It was a wonderful feeling, and I dared to dream that I may make the finish...

Finally, at around the 35min mark, the 2 laps to go sign came up.  The bell went a lap later, and I was on the final lap.  I was absolutely elated!!  I knew I had never been in a race this fast before and made it to the finish.  Having dug myself out of the deep hole I was in after 10min just made it sweeter again.

I knew I wouldn't be sprinting at the finish, so I decided to get out of everyone's way.  I was about a third back fro the front, and let myself drift back into the rear third of the field.

Suddenly, everything changes...

Second last curve of the race.  Some guy a few in front of me dramatically changes line and chops someone's wheel.  Guy goes down heavily in front of me, spreadeagled with his bike across the track.  I'm travelling at almost 50km/h with no-where to go.  I hit him and think, "please not my collarbone..."

The Short Story

Everything hurts - and then only my left shoulder hurts.  Yep, the same one as last time. Oh no...

Ambulance to Royal Brisbane Hospital. X-Rays and MRI's.  Concerns over a fractured eye socket eventually dismisssed (phew!).  Lots of concerns over a left shoulder that seems to be continually swelling, so kept in overnight.

Final verdict - left clavicle fractured distally, and needing to be plated. More concern though over the ligaments, that seem to be 'shredded' (registrar's words - not good!).  Surgery scheduled for the following week.

What's next?

Normally, this section of a race report is about my next lot of racing and/or training.  But I'll just leave things there for now, given that any cycling is months away (at least)...

For the sake of posterity though - next post will cover off on what exactly happened with my shoulder...!!

Stay safe everyone, and don't take the joys of cycling for granted.  I miss it already...

Race 3/2013 - BBP Open Criterium, Toowoomba

Only my third race for the year, and I was lifting things up a level.  I made the 90 minute drive west of Brisbane to Toowoomba, a large town sitting atop the Great Dividing Range.  At the Glenvale Criterium Circuit, I was signed up for the Be Better Psychology Open in Masters C.

After a few navigation errors once I'd reached Toowoomba itself, I arrived at the criterium circuit about 20 minutes before race start.  I quickly signed on, grabbed my number, got changed, and squeezed in a few minutes warm-up before the call up for race start.

The temperature was perfect for racing, however the wind was not.  A fairly strong 'Toowoomba special' was blowing across the circuit.  The commissaires called the role at the start line (there were 18 of us), gave us a quick run down (30 minutes + 2 laps, with 2 mid-race primes), and we were away!

Race time!

The pace pretty much exploded from the start.  I felt the lack of a good warm-up, especially as the pace nudged 60km/h with the wind at our backs along the first pass of the clubhouse.  We swung around a corner, and the crosswind smacked us all across the width of the circuit.

I was already red-lining - on the first lap!!  We sprinted up the first climb, then swung around down the long back straight.  Now we had a cross/headwind, and we were strung out in single file along the edge of the circuit.  Half-way along and - KABOOM - my legs exploded and I was out the back.

Dropped on the first lap - not quite what I was hoping for!  The Race Commentator didn't miss me either, as I tried to regather my breath (and composure!) along the home straight, I heard him say, "And here comes a Balmoral rider - he obviously forgot this is a race and not a coffee ride, let's see if he can catch back on..."

I laughed and waved, and decided to make the most of what looked like becoming a hard training day instead of a race.

Wait up fellas!!  Disappearing off the back, on one of the climbs...

In the end, what became apparent was that I am still a good level below Open racing ability.  I did my best each time the peloton came around (another three times), but the best I could do was hold on for one full lap on one occasion.  I just wasn't good enough.

That said, a bad day on the bike is still, well, a good day! I learnt plenty about racing in crosswinds, and enjoyed watching my much stronger competitors as they went past.  I basically did a set of intervals for 30min, working hard and making the most of my time on the circuit.

My final stats were:
40 minutes of racing; Average speed of 29.5km/h; Top speed of 63.7km/h!
My fastest lap of the 1.8km full circuit was 2min 56sec - my 3rd lap, and the only one I completed under 3 minutes...
In contrast - the winner averaged 39.5km/h, and hit a top speed of 69.8km/h...!!

Glenvale Criterium Circuit

If you haven't raced at Glenvale before, and get the chance, you should definitely do it.  It is a very honest (and fast!) criterium circuit, and I highly recommend it.

If you consider the most commonly raced, dedicated off-road criterium circuits in South-East Queensland, then Glenvale is probably the most balanced and fairest of them all.  Murarrie and Nundah are flat tracks for the sprinters, while Lakeside and Nerang both have decent climbs in them that sap the legs and favour the lightweights.

The Glenvale track (photo taken during construction)

Glenvale is 'just right' - a couple of shorter climbs that favour neither the sprinter or climber.  Add in some wind, and there is no way anyone can fake (or hide) their way through a race.  A brilliant test of racing ability - I'm looking forward to my next opportunity to race there to see if I've improved...

Finally - many thanks to the cycling community of Toowoomba (and the organising club, Bikeline Racing).  It was an extremely well-run day of racing, by a very friendly and welcoming crew. Thanks, and I'm looking forward to coming back again!

Race 2/2013 - C-Grade club criterium, Murarrie

Finally!! Yesterday I raced my first criterium for the year.  Felt fantastic to pin a number on and bump handlebars in a fast moving peloton again.  Lots of fun, and stoked to reach all my goals for the morning!

Felt very nervous when I woke up in the morning - actually tried to talk myself out of it and go and do a bunch ride instead! But I had pencilled this race down in my head, and forced myself to head out and test the legs. The 20min ride to the crit circuit definitely helped relax me and settle the nerves.

Goal 1 - get through the first 5 minutes...

Around 40 starters for the 40min + 3 laps race.  A good turn-up, and I distracted myself by checking out some of the carbon bling in the peloton as we awaited the start. My first goal was to get through the first few laps.  I knew the pace would be a bit of a shock to the system, so the plan was to just keep my head down and work hard to stay amongst it.

A hard start did ensue - with such a big pack, the stronger teams were obviously keen to shake things up a bit.  I was happy to get through it and still be feeling OK...

Goal 2 - make the half-way prime...

A prime sprint prize was scheduled for the half-way mark (20min) - that became my next survival goal.  The wind was causing a bit of havoc, particularly along the '3rd straight' heading east.  It was a head/crosswind, and I couldn't quite work out exactly where it was coming from - no matter where I positioned myself I seemed to be getting buffeted by the wind.

Near the halfway mark, a flock of ibis in the sky caught my attention.  They were 'hovering' in a V-formation - and it clicked in my head that they must be facing direct into the wind.  So I used that to pick my position for the next lap, and it worked a treat...  :)

Twenty minutes came around, and I was still there!  I moved forward when the whistle blew for the sprint, giving myself some buffer to drift back when the pace sky-rocketed for the sprint.  I held well, and gave myself a little mental high-five for reaching the mid-race milestone...

Goal 3 - make it to the end!!

The last 20 minutes to go - time to hang tough!!  I had a few scary moments in the final half of the race, getting caught out a few times as I drifted towards the back.  I was really working hard, but felt ok at the same time.  I was lucky that the pace dipped at around the 30min mark when we were overtaken by B-Grade - it gave me a short, welcome rest.

Finally, at the 38min mark, the "3 laps to go" sign went up.  I had made it!  A big grin spread across my face. The rest of the race was just cream now, I'd just watch the moves and follow what I could...

Position is everything

Again, the stronger teams lifted the pace, and it was hard to follow.  I pushed hard, and managed to move up to mid-pack.  We reached the last lap, and I was trying to watch everyone at once to spot the winning move!

I saw a line of "Ascot Racing" riders move up the outside. I jumped across, and buried myself to follow.  We came flying along the 3rd straight, and I allowed myself to dream for a second that I could actually score  place...

Then my legs absolutely detonated, and that was that!  I had reached my limit, but had exceeded my expectations for my first race back. Made it to the end, and put myself in a position to win.

Looking forward to the next race, and seeing if I can repeat the effort!

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...!!

Refocussing & resetting goals...

It's a recurring theme in my training posts - the quest for consistency.

When cycling for training & racing is a relatively lower priority - chiefly behind family time, especially making sure I am as involved as possible in all of my kids' extra-curricular activity - then maintaining consistency is always going to be the key obstacle to building quality training.

At the start of this year, I identified two key races as my main goals - the MAP Financials Metropolitan Championships road race (in two weeks), and the Lifecycle Classic 80km handicap road race (about a month away, in mid-June).  Where I had planned my training and fitness to be, and where they actually are, are unfortunately poles apart.

Over the last few weeks, trying to find time to squeeze in some decent training mileage on the bike, and failing, has been causing me some stress.  I really wanted to do these races - but to actually race them, not just 'complete' them.  And my inability to find enough time to consistently train was driving me a little crazy!!

So after much consideration, I have decided to remove the cause of this stress - I'm scrapping my Open racing plans for now.  These two races are off my calendar.  I train and race because, above all, its fun - and if the stress of going into a race under-prepared is taking away that enjoyment, then its not worth it!

A New Goal

I'm certainly not swearing off Open racing, that's for sure.  I'm simply resetting to aim at a goal that I have a much more realistic chance of reaching in the sort of racing shape I'd like to be in.

So here we go - everything is aiming towards the Upperlimb.com Cunningham Classic, a 96km road race from Gatton to Warwick on the 3rd August. It includes a very long climb up the Main Range, which you reach the top of at the 40km-ish mark of the race.

The Cunningham Classic is 12 weeks away (from the start of this week), which is a perfect length of time for a solid build into form.  Plenty of time, if I'm consistent, to develop into good racing fitness, plus get lots of time in the hills.

Hopefully the 'stars will align' in terms of work travel commitments and kids' sport, and I'll have no dramas reaching the start line that weekend.  Even if it ends up being logistically problematic though, the solid 12 weeks of training will have me in great shape for the back half of the year.

I'm actually feeling excited at the prospect of doing this iconic Queensland race for the first time.  This will be the 31st running of this race, and with some luck and dedication I can't wait to be there in Gatton for the start.

Giro d'Italia 2013 - Preview & Predictions

I'm currently on a work trip to Darwin, in Australia's Northern Territory. It's an exciting place - a bit like the wild west really - with a very different feel to any other city I've been to in Oz.

But as I enjoy the cooler evening weather, on the couch of my hotel room with a whisky & dry in my hand, I can't help but think of the first big Grand Tour of the season about to start in the home of my ancestors - the Giro d'Italia...!!

While the Tour de France is the most prestigious grand tour of the year, I've always believed that the Giro is the most beautiful race - not just visually, but also for the beautiful cycling. Its very much a Grand Tour for the cycling lover.  This year's course maintains that reputation, with a very well balanced route that has a few sprint stages, plenty of hilltop finishes to test the GC riders, both individual and team time trials, and a testing uphill time trial.

To further spice up this great race, this year's line-up is one of the strongest in some years. While there are a couple of clear favourites, the depth of talent chasing the podium will make for some very tight, competitive racing.

So without further ado, here are my tips for this year's Giro d'Italia!

The Big Two

This year, two contenders standout as deserved favourites for the winner's pink jersey

Vincenzo Nibali (Astana)

Nibali has never won the Giro, but has come very close, reaching 2nd place the last time he raced here in 2011. In fact, in the 5 Grand Tours he raced in the last 3 years, he podiumed in 4 of them (including victory in the 2010 Vuelta). He is a proven 3-week tour performer, and his recent form has been simply terrific - including victory in this year's Tirreno-Adriatico and Giro del Trentino.

Racing for Astana this year after leaving behind his Liquigas-Cannondale team, I believe Nibali is the man to beat at the Giro.

Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky)

The reigning Tour de France champion, no-one can question Wiggo's ability to win a 3-week tour. Is he as good as he was last year? And is his team as strong as well? I don't think so. But he is the most likely to defeat Nibali in the Giro. Expect to see a lot of the "Sky Armada" at the front of the race controlling the peloton...

Ready To Pounce

There are a host of contenders who are just a notch below Nibali and Wiggins in terms of form, but who are still capable of finishing the race on the podium (maybe even on the top step) if things go their way.

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp)

The defending champion, the Canadian has shown good form leading into the Giro (especially at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, helping set up the win for teammate Dan Martin). In his favour, his team looks stronger this year. But going against him, no one will give him the latitude to escape that he got last year.

Cadel Evans (BMC)

A late addition to the Giro, Cadel is here to find form. After a great start to the year at the Tour of Oman, he has missed out at a few of the more recent races. After looking better at the Giro del Trentino, he comes to the Giro in the hope it will set him up for a great Tour de France. The win may be to hard this year, but he is a definite podium chance.

Samuel Sanchez (Euskatel)

The Spanish climber is a great racer to watch - always having a crack at the win, and never just sitting on wheels. Will be a contender, but I think this year's field is just too stacked with talent for him to steal a win.

Michele Scarponi (Lampre-Merida)

A Giro specialist, he can be expected to feature highly here. But he will lose too much time in the time trials, and can only hope to sneak onto the bottom steps of the podium this year.

Riders to Watch

There are a few performances I'm keen to watch, to see how they go as a marker for future year.  Mauro Santambrogio (Vini Fantini) has shown interesting form. Franco Pellizotti (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela) is a talented climber, but is coming back from a doping suspension. Jose Rujano (Vacansoleil-DCM) is a pint-size South American climber who runs very hot and cold - can he put together some good days in the big final week of mountains?

How to Watch?

For my Australian brethren, selected stages of the Giro will be televised live on SBS2. There will also be a half-hour highlights package at 6pm each day.

Final Tips

So how will the final podium look? I'll finish this quick preview by sticking my neck out for the top 5. Here's hoping to a great Giro for 2013!!

1. Vincenzo Nibali
2. Bradley Wiggins
3. Cadel Evans
4. Ryder Hesjedal
5. Samuel Sanchez

Jan-Feb-Mar 2013 Review

This year, I committed myself to a few things - the first being to make the Quarter 1 of 2013 a long base building period, with the aim of setting myself up for the remaining 9 months of the year.

While I wouldn't call it a raging success, it went OK:

January - 300km / 13hrs
February - 452km  / 20hrs
March - 341km / 20hrs

January was a bit of a mess.  I tried to change a heap of my training patterns, but the bottom line was the changes just wouldn't work - I couldn't integrate them into my work/family life. So for February, I reverted back to my more usual training patterns - and that worked well for a 50% jump in mileage and a solid increase in training hours.

March was 'messy'. Bad weather and a long work trip meant mileage fell - but on the upside, that 341km was done in the last two weeks of the month, which was a very solid effort! I also managed to keep up the training hours level by integrating some long walks into my program while I was away from home.

The toughest part of all was the mental aspect. By committing to just base training and not racing or doing much effort-wise, I found myself getting a bit bored with it all.  I still loved riding, but I really wanted to stretch my legs out in a race.  So for next year, I'll limit the base period to just one month - lesson learnt.

What happened then

I am pretty disappointed with the first couple of weeks of April - I still haven't ridden my bike this month at all!! 

I wrecked the first week thanks to a little bit of over-enthusiasm. I bought my kids a slip'n'slide - and spent an afternoon in the frontyard with them launching myself at full pelt along the 5m long soap-covered runway.  As it turns out, my almost-40yo back didn't like this at all (go figure?!), and I spent the next 7 days chewing down anti-inflammatories trying to curb the intense lower-back pain...

Slip'n'Slide - for kids, not 39yo men who think they are still a kid...

Then the rain came. Any readers who live in South-East Queensland will know what I mean by that! So for the next week and a bit, it pretty much poured rain. Plus a large chunk of that was spent on a camping trip near Kenilworth.

So tomorrow, the 16th day of the month, will be my first real chance to get back on the bike.  I'm a bit bummed about the off-bike-time, I'm hoping it hasn't ruined all that time & effort I put into the 3-month stint of base training.  But there's not much I can do about it...

What's next - training

I'm not sure what the 'optimal' training approach is from here.  But what I really want to do is train hard, smash my legs with some interval work, and get racing again - so that's what I'm going to do!

The plan will be to work in steadily-increasing interval efforts into my daily commutes, plus try again with joining some fast group rides.  I also want to start a "Mt Gravatt once-a-week" habit to do hill reps. Club criterium racing is also back on the agenda, with the aim of doing at least one race every two weeks.

In terms of training events, I'm also hoping to do the Troy Bayliss Gran Fondo at Canungra on May 19. Its only a 36km event - but it includes the tough 25km climb up to O'Reilly's. It'll be a great last tough hit out before the Metro Champs on the next weekend.

What's next - racing

I have two big Open events coming up, and I am keen to do relatively well (for me!) in both of them.

May 26 - MAP Financials Metropolitan Championships road race at Mt Alford.  I got dropped in this event last year within the first 5km! The aim this year will be to last further with the peloton than last time. I've got about 5 weeks to squeeze some solid training in to do that - with some luck and consistency I'll get there in half-decent shape...

June 16 - Lifecycle Classic (80km hanidicap) at Lowood.  My big target event for the year. I have two months to build for this - that is plenty of time if I can show the dedication and consistency I know I'm capable of.

Juggling it all

So the equation is pretty simple really  - smash myself on the bike, get the mileage up (to at least 500km/month every month), rest & recover properly, and rediscover my form from late last year!

Probably the toughest bit of all this will be juggling in the kids' commitments. My oldest daughter is moving into cross country season, which involves lots of weekend sporting commitments. But that's nothing new - I'll just have to try and squeeze it all in!

Wish me luck! :-)

Race 1/2013 - BSMC Cyclocross, Murarrie.

Not the race report I was expecting to write for my first event for 2013.  The two key unexpected words - Cyclocross and Podium!

On Saturday, I celebrated the end (finally!) of my 3-month base period by lining up for my very first event of the year.  I had stumbled across a cyclocross event being run by the BSMC mountain-bike club at Murarrie Rec Reserve (where I usually race the Saturday morning criteriums).

I've never raced cyclocross before, and it sounded like fun.  A quick read of the QLDCX website revealed it was to be a pretty relaxed affair aimed at introducing people to the fun of cyclocross.  There were no restrictions on bike-types, and they just wanted riders to get involved.  Sounded like the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

I rolled up at 2:30pm, and registered.  I also signed up my two daughters for the junior race (which rolled off first) - their first ever bike races!

Course recon seemed like a good idea - so I rode a couple of laps.  It was mainly on grass, and included a ditch (not too deep), a couple of wooden obstacles that you needed to carry the bike over, and some tricky off-camber hill turns.

This was also my first ever 'race' using my mountain bike.  I've only ever 'cruised' on my Merida, and riding it aggressively took a lot of getting used to.  I'll need to tweak my position on it, but that's something for another day...

So the girls' raced kicked off (approx 20min). I spent their race madly running around the course, cheering madly and handing off water-bottles for them to drink.  They were both exhausted at the end, but had smiles on their faces.  Even my 12yo, who had a bad stack on her 2nd lap and DNF'ed, was smiling not long after and talking about next time.

Soon enough, it came time for my race.  I was entered in Open (the 'first-timers' category), and they decided to race all categories together, adding A and B grades in at the same time. We all started together (around 20 competitors in total), but results were to be split by category.

The first lap felt brutal.  After not doing any hard efforts in so long, my legs were screaming! Plus pushing hard through the long grass just added to the stress on the legs.  The combo of the technical sections of the course, the lack of racing in my legs, and the relatively unfamiliar bike had my heart rate maxing out straight away.

Most importantly though - it was incredible fun! It was so much harder than crit racing, as there was never a moment you could relax or catch a breath in the shelter of the peloton. Plus you had to be mentally switched on the whole time due to the surface and off-camber turns.  But the combo was just a terrific environment to be racing in.

Adding to the atmosphere, plenty of the spectators had cow-bells they were madly ringing throughout the race!  It may not have been a snowy Belgian winter, but the spirit was there... 

Real cyclocross!! Our race looked nothing like this...  :)

 

I managed to complete 9 tough laps in the allotted 30 minutes of racing. That was enough for 2nd place in the Open category!! But let's just ignore the fact there were only 2 Open entrants... ;) 

For my trouble, I walked away with a great prize pack consisting of a Champ-Sys musette, a $10 gift voucher for Bicycle Riders Morningside, a sachet of Aussie Butt Cream, and a Specialized water bottle - plus of course my silver 2nd-place cow-bell!  Not bad for a $10 entry fee!

Complete results list - here.

I would highly recommend everyone giving this race series a try. The event is very much focused on giving riders a new style of event to try, and it adds a great bit of variety to your cycling.  Most people used their normal road bikes, and they were fine for the course.  There were also a handful of proper cyclocross bikes, and a couple (including myself) used mountain bikes.  Next time, if it hasn't been raining (ie it's not muddy!), I'll take my road bike instead.

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.

Race 8/2012 - Nerang Twilight Criterium, Gold Coast.

I was lucky to be able to take my road bike with me when we headed off to our family holiday at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast.  One of the many opportunities that affords you is the chance to race at a new venue if your stay coincides with some local racing.

On the 2nd Wednesday of my stay (3rd October), the first round of the Nerang Twilight Criterium series was being held - perfect timing.  It was due to kick-off at 5pm, so I was very keen to head out and try some Gold Coast racing.

Arriving about 4:30pm, I did a quick spin around the circuit to see wheat I was in for.  The circuit is at the same location as the Nerang Velodrome, with the criterium circuit being a long loop around the outskirts of the 'cycling centre'.

The Nerang Velodrome, you can see part of the criterium circuit around the outside and behind the stand...

First impression - hilly!!  There is a genuine, real hill on the criterium circuit - what was I going to be in for during this race?!

The circuit reminded me a little of Lakeside motor-racing circuit, a regular venue for criteriums used by the HPRW club near Caboolture, in terms of its hilliness.  I knew this was going to test my legs, especially after a week or so of mainly easy riding whilst on holidays...

Off to registration  which was a very smoothly run affair.  After a chat with one of the commissaires, I was (thankfully!) put in C-Grade for the race.  I paid my $10, pinned my number on, and rolled around the velodrome for a few laps to warm my legs up.

Around 20 or so riders lined up in C-Grade.  The commissaire announced it would be 40 minutes + 3 laps, and sent us on our way.  D-Grade (30min+3) and a combined A/B Grade (50min+3) were also racing on the circuit at the same time.

First time up the hill, and my legs were already hurting!  I've talked before about my lack of hill-climbing ability, and so this circuit certainly was NOT playing to my strengths...  I decided that I would just work as hard as I could, and see how long I could last for, setting myself the goal of at least making it to the halfway mark (20min) before getting dropped.

To my surprise, I was stronger than I expected! I ended up lasting the whole race, only drifting off the back when the race exploded up the hill on the final lap.  My legs handled it really well - I wasn't a front-runner on the hills, but I was able to stay in touch and not dangle off the back...

My performance was a genuine surprise to me, my first real test on a hilly circuit in a long time and I was able to handle it! Further proof that my training and form are both heading in the right direction, and another big confidence and motivational boost.

Stats for the race (if I remember correctly) were 45min of racing, covering 26-ish km at an average speed of 35.5km/hr.

If yo get the chance to race at this circuit - do it.  It is a genuinely 'honest' circuit that gives you a great test of your legs.  The organisation was terrific as well, running very smoothly.

So what's next?

I'm off to Canberra for the next week, meaning a week off the bike.  Then I've got the Northshore Open Criterium (Brisbane) and the Be Better Psychology Open Criterium (Toowoomba) on consecutive Sundays - it'll be interesting to see how I go in much faster Open fields with my current form...

Race 7/2012 - Balmoral Club Criterium, Murarrie.

My legs have been singing after my first two weeks of re-introduced interval training.  I have felt really strong on the bike, and so was looking forward to taking my current form out for a spin at the my club criterium races.

It was a perfect morning for riding today, so getting out of bed was easy.  Beautiful blue sky, a light southerly wind, and warm temperatures - no better time to be on a bike!!

Around 35 competitors all up in C-Grade - including somebody on-board the most expensive bike I had ever seen in the flesh!!  It was  Pinarello Dogma2, shod with Lightweight Fernweg wheels, and dressed in the new Campagnolo EPS electronic groupset. That's close to $15,000 worth of bike, rolling around in C-Grade!! Certainly a beautiful example of a bicycle, and great to see it being ridden and raced... 

The short story of the day is - I am stoked with how I went.  I was very much in the race, and it was only a poor choice of which wheel to follow on the last lap that stymied what I thought was a real chance of a podium position.  The race itself was very hard work, but the legs handled it all well and recovered quickly during the brief lulls in pace.

Overall stats for the day were about 44 minutes of racing, at an average speed of dead-on 40.0km/h - so yes, it was a quick race!  I've only seen an average speed of 40+km/h a couple of times in my racing history, so that gave me a huge boost in confidence.  I managed to roll over the line in around 15th place out of 35 after messing up my positioning in the sprint, so that's another thing for me to work on before next time...

I'm very glad I made the effort to race after such a good result.  I can't wait to see how much more my form improves with some more consistent interval training over the next few weeks!  I'm almost letting myself dream of a club race podium before the year is out - almost.....  :)

The 3rd third...

So there is one-third of the year left to run - the 3rd third, only 4-months to go.  The perfect time to have a think about what I want to try and achieve for September to December 2012.

I am reasonably happy with how I have gone so far in 2012.  As always, I would have liked to have been more consistent with my training mileage and have raced more often - but family life and work-trips take priority over that, so c'est la vie.

So what will be the focus for these last 4 months of 2012?

Road racing season is coming to a close. There are still a couple more races, including the Ipswich Open (which was on my list of 2012 goals at the start of the year) - but looking at my forward calendar it looks like I'll be away for all of them.

And so, I have decided I will be switching my focus onto preparing myself for the upcoming criterium season.  My training and prep will be mainly about getting myself in a position to do well at these shorter, more explosive types of races.

Goal Races

There are a few Open Criteriums that I'd like to try and have a go at in this last part of the year. I'm not sure I'll be able to get to them all, but I'll do my best to arrange the schedule so I can hit at least one or two of them.

1. Northshore Criterium, 21st October, near Hamilton, Brisbane.
2. Be Better Psychology Criterium, 28th October, in Toowoomba, Queensland.
3. Brisbane Blast, 1st-2nd December, a new race in the Brisbane CBD.

I'm also hoping to do well in the Summer Twilight Criterium Series, run at the Nundah criterium track on a few Wednesday afternoons (after work) by the HPRW club.  It's only a 5-minute ride from my workplace, and is a fun mid-week hit-out on the bike.

Mileage

So far this year (as at the end of August), I've racked up 3294km on the bike.  When you split that up, I did 1494km in the first third of the year, then 1800km in the 2nd third - nice to see an upward trend!

I'd really like to make 6000km for the year, which would need me to knock out 2700km for the final third of the year - almost 700km/month.  I'm not sure if that's achievable, but I'm going to give it a red hot go!

My plan is to make 600km/month as my base goal, and try and push a couple of those months up to around 800km.  Of course, I have to be realistic about it - but I'll strive hard to achieve it and see how I go.  No point in having a goal that's 'easy' - I'd rather fall short striving for a difficult goal, than rest on my laurels for reaching something that's too easy...

Training Style

No, not what I'll be wearing on the bike...  ;)

The plan is to get back to incorporating more hard efforts and intervals into my training, after a couple of months of 'just riding' to try and build up some base.  I'm not going to crazy with it, but will do at least two sessions a week (probably integrated into my commutes) where I really try hard to smash the legs.

To help with leg strength, I'm also planning to hit Mt Gravatt for some hill reps roughly once per week or per fortnight.  Not sure how often really, but I'll see how that goes...

Other Training

I bought a 5kg medicine ball, which I have just started using as part of a core strength routine 4-5 time a week.  I'm enjoying doing it, and I feel like its paying some dividends on the bike.  It'll be interesting to see how that progresses over the next few months.

I'm also going to try and do the One Hundred Pushups program.  Not sure if it'll do much to improve my cycling, but this is more about my long-term general health and fitness. My upper body strength has always been pretty ordinary, and I'm hoping this'll give me some half-decent functional strength.

Finally, I'm considering integrating a bit of running into my week.  Not so much for my cycling (although I think it will help), but because my oldest daughter is becoming a keen runner.  It'll be fun to be able to train with her, plus the 'cross-training' can only help me.  What can be better than combining exercise and family time!

Finishing off...

I have probably rambled on longer here than I expected to.  There is plenty in there for me to achieve, but I believe if I can really commit to these goals, plans and ideas, I can have a really strong finish to my year cycling-wise.  It would be great to be able to podium in a club race before the finish of 2012, and I think that's certainly a realistic goal if I can stick with what I have written above.

Naturally, I'll review and rejig all of this after a month or so, as I settle into a routine and figure out what is working and what isn't. 

Vuelta a Espana 2012 - preview & predictions

The final Grand Tour for 2012 has just begun - the Tour of Spain, better known as the Vuelta a Espana.

The Vuelta often (and unfairly) lacks some of the following that the Giro and the Tour de France attract.  Perhaps people are 'cycling-weary', especially after a big year on the ProTour that included an Olympics as well.

Nonetheless, this year's Vueta is worth following!  It is very different to this year's Tour de France, in that the Vuelta route is much more for pure climbers.  There will be some interesting battles, and a number of questions will likely be answered...

Who will win?

Alberto Contador (SaxoBank-Tinkoff)

The big story of this year's race is the return of El Pistolero - Alberto Contador - after his suspension for use of clenbuterol.  He is almost an unbackable favourite with the bookmakers.  I believe he will win, but not by the crushing margin many are predicting.

In his favour is the fact he hasn't raced the Giro, Tour, or the Olympics, and will have fresh legs.  I believe this is the key factor that will see him prevail over the likes of Froome and Van den Broek.  Against him is his lack of racing - anyone who has raced before knows there is no substitute for 'race fitness'... 

Expect to see Alberto Contador wearing the red leader's jersey at the conclusion of the Vuelta...

Who will come 2nd & 3rd?

Chris Froome (Team Sky)

Second at least year's Vuelta, after losing valuable time early on trying to sheperd Bradley Wiggins to teh win (sound familiar?).  Second at this year's Tour de France, and arguably could have won himself if given the leeway to do so.  There is no doubt the Kenyan-born Brit has the ability to win a grand tour one day.

I believe he will come second again in this race though, mainly because of his tough Tour de France and Olympics campaigns.  The fresh legs of Contador will be too much for the talented Froome to overcome...

Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha)

Another rider with fresh legs, and a grand tour pedigree, is Joaquim 'Purito' Rodriguez. This punchy Spanish climber has podiumed at grand tours before, but has never broken through for the win.

He is not in the same class as Contador, but will challenge Froome hard for 2nd place.  Apart from having fresh legs, Rodriguez's big advantage is his ability to win stages and take advantage of the generous time bonuses on offer at the Vuelta.  This will put him at a huge advantage over Froome...

Close, but not quite...

Jurgen Van den Broek (Lotto-Belisol)

For me, VdB was the big surprise in this year's Tour de France. He showed genuine improvement, and made the big step up in class to show he is capable of winning a grand tour some time soon.  Like Froome though, I don't think he'll be able to back-up after a very tough Tour and will finish just off the podium.

The Rabobank Dilemma

Robert Gesink vs Bauke Mollema

This will be an interesting race within a race.  Rabobank has a 'dual leader' strategy for the Vuelta, giving both Gesink and Mollema freedom to do their best for the overall.

On the one hand you have Gesink, who has promised much as a grand tour contender but has never broken through for an overall podium.  Then you have the 'young gun' Mollema, who is desperate to prove himself as worthy of outright team leader status.

By all accounts, both riders get on well and the team dynamic is very good. So it will be fascinating to see which of these riders prevails as the standout for Rabobank.  It will likely decide team leader status for next year's Tour de France...

Viewing in Australia

SBS Television is showing a handful of stages live this year - do yourself a favour and watch this year's race. It should be a great mountains battle between the key contenders...

Race 6/2012 - Balmoral Club Criterium, Murarrie.

A great start to the month of August training-wise saw me having racked up over 300km in the first 9 days. After having Friday off the bike (as I had to cart a lot of work stuff home for a trip to Sydney at the start of next week), I decided it was time to bust out the brand new club jersey and hit the Saturday morning crits.

After a solid week and a half of steady base-building style riding, I knew I had no 'speed' - but I was hoping my overall fitness would get me through.  The aim was to basically get through the race with the pack, giving me a solid effort at a higher intensity than normal in order to give the legs a bit of a 'change up' as part of my August 'build'.

The hardest part of the day was getting out of bed!  It was a cold morning, with some very fresh (ie. freezing!) south-westerly winds whipping around.  I dragged out my wind-vest for the first time in 3 years, and also had an under-shirt under my jersey, and arm-warmers...

The race had a good-size peloton - around 35 people toed the line for C-Grade.  After a quick race briefing we were racing 40min + 3 laps), we were away. We settled into a steady pace, with two main teams (QSM and Kangaroo Point Cycling Club) looking to control the race.

All went well in the first half of the race, I was able to maintain a midfield position without killing myself. I was feeling god, and was happy with how I felt.

Everything changed just after the mid-way prime sprint though. I had a really tough time from about the 25min mark to about 40min.  It was 15min of total pain for me.  I really struggled, and had to focus hard and put in some big efforts to hold on to the back of the pack.  Not really sure why - if it was the pace, or just a shock to the legs being at that intensity for so long - but it was very hard work.

The pace then dipped, as the two main teams eased up waiting for the 3 laps to go sign to come out.  It didn't arrive until the 45min mark, so I got two easy laps to 'recover'.

This was surprising for me - I recovered very quickly. After those two laps, I felt terrific and ready to get going again!  I guess this was the benefit of my consistent base riding over the last week and a half...

The final three laps went quickly.  I was in a great position on the last lap, and came into the final corner in the front third of the field.  Unfortunately, I had no sprint to unleash (but that will come!) - so I did what I could, and rolled over the line in about 15th place.

All up, a terrific morning of racing. A great confidence build, and told me a lot about how well my training is going - it's certainly encouraged me to keep up my consistency!

Final stats for the race - 50min at 39km/h average.

Race 5/2012 - Avanti Classic, Lowood.

Way back on Sunday 24th June, I lycra'ed up for my first big 'target race' of the season - the Avanti Classic. It was an 80km handicap race, starting (and finishing) in the town of Lowood, west of Brisbane.  Held over two 40km laps, it travelled through Fernvale, over the Wivenhoe Dam wall, and passed Coominyah.

My main goal for the race result-wise was to go under 2hrs 40min for my overall time (my previous best was 2hrs 51min).  But in reality, my chief goal was to enjoy the race, push myself as hard as I could, and just see what I could do!

How did the day go?

Race day kick-off was at 11:30am for the first riders.  I rocked up with my wife and kids in tow at 10:30am to find out my handicap, and collect my race numbers, timing tag, course map, and other bits and pieces.  Lifecycle CC run an outstanding event, and so this all went very smoothly.

I checked my handicap - I was in the 17min group.  This meant that I would start 17min after the very first group.  Checking the rest of the list, I found out I had a 20min headstart on the scratch markers...  This had me feeling pretty nervous - only a 20min headstart over 80km against A-grade riders!!

I was hoping to at least get through the first 40km lap without getting passed by the scratch group, so I knew I couldn't muck around when I started!  I had my motivation sorted...

Race time!

I won't go into crazy detail about the race itself - but the first lap went really well.  My group of 10 riders all worked well together from the start.  We started a rolling paceline that worked pretty efficiently 90% of the time.  Every now and then I skipped a turn when I felt my legs getting over-worked, but I really enjoyed being part of a smoothly-running, hard-riding start to the race.

Unfortunately, when we hit the first decent hill of the race, I got dropped by the group.  The race has two notable climbs, being the two hills on either side of the Wivenhoe Dam wall.  I struggled on both hills, on both laps - a clear sign of where I need to focus my training over the coming months!!

From here, I hooked onto faster groups as they went through and held on as long as I could.  Obviously, this got harder and harder as the race went on - as each new group came, they were much faster, plus I was getting more and more tired!  On the first lap though, I only lost a few more groups, so I was happy with that.

I covered the first 40km lap in 1hr 9min 44sec, giving an average speed of 34.4km/h.  With a decent chunk of that solo riding up two tough climbs, I was feeling quietly pleased and confident with my performance so far.

Finishing the first lap...

The second lap beckons...

I knew the second 40km lap would be my 'lap of truth'.  My lack of long rides meant I really didn't know how my legs would handle it - it was very much unknown territory.  I crossed the start/finish solo, and decided to keep pushing hard and see how long I could go before I popped...

Not long after starting the second lap, a group of two faster riders came through and I tacked on. These two were my last real group for the day - after about 5km, a very quick, large bunch of around 15 riders came pouring through. I couldn't hold onto them at all, and watched them ride off into the distance...

I felt a bit down, as I knew that any more groups coming through would be just too fast for me, and I still had over 30km to go! But that's when I got my little 'mental miracle' - I saw a car that looked a lot like mine parked further down the road.  As I got closer, my youngest daughter jumped out and started cheering madly, while my other daughter and my wife yelled encouragement out the windows!  It was exactly what I needed - I refocused my effort, and with a big smile on my face pushed onwards...

I really struggled on the 2nd lap with the two hills.  It was pretty ugly - I basically wrestled my bike up each hill, convincing myself of how much I'd enjoy the descent afterwards...  I do remember vowing to make sure I do hill repeats every single week for the rest of my life to make sure I never sucked this bad again!!

Not surprisingly, I probably hit my limit at around the 70km mark.  I got the first twinges in my lower back, and my legs were starting to burn.  To be honest, I was pleased I'd gotten that far without my body starting to fall apart - but I knew this last 10km would be a true slog.  I put my head down, and focussed everything on keeping a steady (albeit slow) cadence and getting to the finish as soon as I could.

Done!!

The lap finishes with a 1km downhill sweeper, and I could see the start/finish arch from the top of that downhill.  I pushed hard, and used up every last bit of energy I had to finish off the 80km and the race.  It was a pretty ugly sprint in the 52x15 (embarrassing!), but I felt totally stoked to complete the race.

So how did I go?

I finished with an overall time of 2hrs 34min 27sec - beating my goal time, and setting a personal best of over 15 minutes!  Very, very happy with that. 

Position wise, I was the very last finisher on the road.  There were 187 starters, of whom 163 finished, and I was lucky 163rd.  But that meant I did beat the 24 DNF's, so was I really last...??  :)

I mentioned it earlier - but Lifecycle Club run a terrific race.  Everything went super-smoothly, and I had a great time racing.

I learnt a lot about how far I had come since re-starting racing after the 'big accident', and a lot about what I need to do in the coming months. Plus I had an awesome Sunday afternoon riding a beautiful course.  Can't wait to do it all again next year!

Tour de France 2012 - preview & predictions

People can argue which cycling race is the 'greatest' or the best test of an all-round cyclist.  But there is no question that the BIGGEST cycling event around is the Tour de France.  It kicks off in only a few days, so its time for me to lay down my predictions for how the race will go!!

The Course

The biggest defining feature to me in this year's course is the over 100km of individual time trialling, made up of a short prologue, and two longer ITT's.  This is definitely more than normal, and plays into the hands of a couple of key contenders.

Add to that only a few mountain-top finishes, and the usual dominance of the 'pure climbers' is looking much less likely.

So let's have a look at who will win!!

The Favourites

Cadel Evans (BMC)

The defending champion, Cadel really couldn't ask for a better course than this one.  He had an early hiccup this year with some illness in May, but showed that he was building form nicely with a strong result in the Criterium du Dauphine.

Expect him to be at his absolute best in the 3rd week of the Tour.

Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky)

The bookie's favourite, Wiggins is in career best form.  He has won both Paris-Nice and the Criterium du Dauphine this year, and has a stellar team of genuine tour contenders as his support team.  If Wiggins is ever going to win a Tour de France, this is the one!!

The biggest question is how will Wiggins cope in the 3rd week of the Tour.  Will he crack, like he did in last year's Vuelta?  I think he'll struggle to keep up with Cadel in that final week...

The Best of the Rest

Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas)

The Italian most likely! Nibali knows how to win a Grand Tour, having previously won the Vuelta.  Normally he Targets the Giro, and then supports Ivan Basso in the Tour - but this year the roles have been reversed.

His form hasn't been outstanding, but he is also building form.  His 3-week pedigree is strong evidence he'll be around at the end of the race.

Samuel Sanchez (Euskatel-Euskadi)

Last year's King of the Mountains winner, and a perennial high performer at the Tour.  Not good enough to beat Cadel, but likely to be at the front of proceedings when the road heads upwards.

Robert Gesink (Rabobank)

My tip as the man most likely to come of age in this year's race.  Gesink has had a bad run of injuries, but has performed well in the last few months - most notably winning the Tour of California emphatically.  Expect  him to be standing on the podium in Paris!

Jurgen Van de Broek (Lotto-Belisol)

Cadel's old team-mate at OmegaPharma-Lotto, he is finally showing the form that his team directors knew he had.  He is sharing a team with sprinter Andre Greipel, so won't have a full team of helpers - but he will Top 10 for sure.

Alejandro Valverde (Team Movistar)

Back at the Tour after his long suspension, Valverde is looking to make a statement with a strong result.  Historically, he always has a 'bad day' at some point - but he is riding well this year and has grea team support.

Who Won't Win

Dennis Menchov (Katusha)

Too old, inconsistent form - sorry Dennis, its not your year!!

Frank Schleck

Way too many time trial kilometres for the older Schleck brother to do well this year.  He is a super-talented climber though, and is my tip for this year's King of the Mountain jersey.

The Final Classification!!

So time to stick my neck out - what will the final GC look like in Paris?  I had a shocker tipping the Giro, so let's see if I can do better for the Tour:

1. Cadel Evans
2. Vincenzo Nibali
3. Robbert Gesink
4. Bradley Wiggins
5. Samuel Sanchez
6. Jurgen Van den Broek
7. Alejandro Valverde
8. Bauke Mollema
9. Pierre Rolland
10. Frank Schleck

And not to forget the other jersey classifications:

Green sprinter's jersey - 1. Peter Sagan; 2. Matthew Goss; 3. Andre Greipel.  Mark Cavendish will drop out before the end to freshen up for the London Olympics.

Polka-dot mountains jersey - 1. Frank Schleck; 2. Cadel Evans; 3. Samuel Sanchez.

White youth jersey - 1. Bauke Mollema; 2. Rein Taaremae; 3. Tejay Van Garderen.

Here's to a fantastic Tour de France 2012!!

Ready and raring to go...

So I am three days out from the Avanti Classic - the 80km handicap race that was initially my main goal race for the year.

Whilst my goals have changed, this will still be a key event for me for 2012. It'll now be used as a 'training event' for me, as I build towards a couple of big road races in August.

That's me in the white helmet on the right side of the picture, during the 2010 race.

Am I ready?

The last couple of months of training have been terrific.  I've been averaging almost 200km/week, and I've felt the improvement in my legs.  The only hiccup has been a couple of weeks off the bike to work travel and a cold - but I think that almost worked in my favour.  While 2 weeks was clearly too long, the break did help  my legs have a full recovery from a big increase in mileage through May.

I did my last 'hard' pre-race sessions on the bike today as well, and set personal bests for my overall commutes to and from work - another positive sign for the race on Sunday!!

My race day goals.

I've raced the Avanti Classic twice before.  In 2009, I completed the 80km race in 2hrs 51min (and was the 3rd last finisher!).  In 2010, I had a much better race - a course change caused by roadworks meant it was a 90km race, but I finished in exactly the same time of 2hrs 51min (this time, I was the 6th last finisher).

While it's hard to goal set when you are at the mercy of the handicapper, which can have a significant effect on the final outcome, I'd like to see a quicker time for the 80km race.  How fast? I'm not sure, but finishing under 2hrs 40min would definitely be a big success in my book...

What's left to do?

I'll take tomorrow off to rest my legs, and maybe have a short, easy spin on Saturday morning depending on how I feel.

More importantly, the bike will get a good clean on Saturday. A sparkling clean, freshly lubed drive-train will add that bit of extra zing, plus give me a mental edge as I toe the start line.

It should be a great day of racing.  The weather forecast is for fine and sunny conditions, with a coolish top temperature of 19 degrees.  Whatever happens though, at worst I know I'll enjoy a great 80km on the bike...  :)

Race 4/2012 - Metro Champs Road Race, Mt Alford.

On Sunday 27th May, I headed out to Mt Alford, a small town near Boonah and Lake Moogerah, for my first Open event for the year - the Map Financials Metropolitan Championships Road Race.

The 23km circuit went anti-clockwise from (A) Mt Alford, travelling along Ganthorpe Rd, left into Boonah-Rathdowney Rd, and then left into Mount Alford Rd and back to the start.. (click pic for bigger view)

This was to be my first open race in almost 2 years, so I was both nervous and excited.  All up, it was a 46km race, made up of two 23km laps starting & finishing in front of the Mt Alford state primary school.

I didn't know much about the circuit itself before I started.  What I know now is that each lap is split roughly into three distinct & roughly equal-in-length sections:

1. A series of very steep, short & sharp hills along some very rough road.
2. A very long (but gentle) downhill along better quality road, on which your speed doesn't dip below 40km/h.
3. A flat / slightly uphill section back to the finish, where the road deteriorates slightly again.

I headed into the race feeling good. My training had been going well, in particular the last month, and so my confidence was high.  This race wasn't a 'target', so I hadn't tapered for it - it came at the end of a big training block with an accompanying jump in mileage.  This race was more of a gauge to see how I was travelling before my big A race in a month's time (the Avanti Classic).

It was a big field in Masters C (my Open grade), with 71 starters lining up for the commissaires briefing at 1:15pm...

So, what happened in the race?

Well, let's just say how I thought it would go, and how it did go, were poles apart...

I was completely and utterly unprepared for exactly how brutally steep the opening hills were going to be, and how quickly the peloton would attack them.

We hit the first climb, and I eased back into an easier gear to spin up and let myself drift back through the field.  To my surprise, the entire field attacked the climb hard, and I was pushed to the very back in a matter of seconds!!

I crested the hill dangling of the back of the peloton, and had to push really hard to stay in touch on the descent and short flat period before the next hill. Again, the peloton smashed their way up the hill.  After having turned myself inside out just trying to catch back on, I had precious little to give for this new, steep ascent.  Halfway up, my legs pretty much exploded, and I had to let the field go...

So there I was, only 2km into a 46km race, and I had already been dropped!!

I allowed myself to feel a little bit of self-pity for a second or two (I was feeling pretty embarrassed!), and then decided to formulate a new plan.  From then on, I decided to make it a hard training day and look at it as a tough 44km individual time trial (ITT) to the finish.

The course itself was both tough and beautiful to ride on.  I pushed myself hard on my impromptu ITT, and was pleased to overtake someone late on the first lap.  As I crossed the start/finish after the first 23km, I saw a few others that had pulled the pin after only 1 lap.  It actually lifted my spirits a little and spurred me on to push even harder on the 2nd lap, knowing that technically I wasn't coming last anymore!!

After the 2nd lap finished, my stats were 46.5km at an average speed of 27.1km/h. A very, very tough day on the bike (both physically and mentally), but a very fun one as well.

I'll be marking this race down as one of my key events to target for 2013.  The course is fantastic - both brutally hard and beautifully scenic.  Now, to focus my training for the Avanti Classic in 4 weeks time...