Book Plug + TDF Predictions

Still cycling lots of miles have tipped over the 5500 mark but more about that in another posting sometime...

So Father's Day came and went, and with it I acquired 2 new books, Ned Boulting's "How I Won the Yellow Jumper" and David Millar's "Racing Through the Dark: The Fall and Rise of..."

Have read them both in just over a week, and enjoyed them both immensely. HIWTYJ is a mix of anecdotes from the tour featuring the players from the past 8 years written in a humerous style, The Fall and Rise is a biography of DM, charting his early success his descent into drugs, his ban and then his resurrection into a staunch anti doper and his career since with Saunier Duval and now Garmin. Slaying the Badger, Sky's the Limit and Robbie McEwen's Autobiography are all next on my shopping list!

So onto this years Grande Boucle, Le Tour, the TDF, the French lap, all the way round the hexagon and other pseudonyms.

The Jersey's
Yellow - Andy Schleck
Green - Mark Cavendish
White - Robert Gesink / Roman Kreuziger
Polka Dot - No idea really with the rule changes but will go for David Moncoutie

As for the rest of the podium, Bertie will be there or thereabouts as will Schleck senior and as an outside maybe Evans?

Obviously I would love to see Brad Wiggins top 5 if not on the podium, and would also like to see The Shack represented in the Top 10, with Levi, Horner, Brajkovic and Kloden they must be in with a shout surely?

Looking forward to the ITV4 coverage with Phil & Paul on commentary and then Chris, Ned, Gary and Matt on analysis. It all kicks off Saturday 2nd July 12.00pm - I will be there!

Halfway & TOTP

Currently halfway on 2011 target (5000 miles done!), which is around 4 weeks ahead of mileage achieved last year.

Next target looming is Tour of the Peak - under 9 weeks to go, and already those hills (Cat and Fiddle, Winnats Pass and Holme Moss), combined with the distance (97 miles) appear daunting!

Pretty challenging, living in Norfolk to find decent and sufficient hills to practise on, suffice to say that every day I ride, I will be including a hill, where I can, nd i am also aiming to do repeated hill work, 1 ride per week - ave speed will drop, but strength will rise?!

Weather continues to be generally warm and dry - problem is, i get really jarred off every time it does rain now as it is so unexpected!

In other news, Wiggo wins the Dauphine - Get in! Tour de Suisse is underway, and the Tour de France loms, with Bertie confirming his attendance - UCI & others are rubbish at making decisions, creating more embarrassment for a great sport. TDF predictions to follow, in a week or two...

Norwich 100 - the report

First century ride of the year - the C2C team re-united, plus others seconded in, or were we seconded to them - hmm - anyway there was a posse of 6 that started the event at circa 7.15 yesterday morning.

The lads from London, had confessed their desire to do a sub-5hr, and although a reasonable start, they soon got itchy feet and took off, a couple of miles before Reepham, but we were progressing well, and despite forecasts of a 25km/h NE wind, were hitting some decent speeds and consistently overtaking riders without being overtaken ourselves, a brief stop at around 30 miles gone, at Hindringham before pushing on to Sheringham High School for the compulsory lunch stop at around 45miles gone - who eats lunch at 10am in the morning? 18 mph average to this point, so all good (the sub-5hr boys were ahead, but still around 10mins off schedule)

'Lunch' consumed it was on round the coast for what was to be the fastest stint of the ride - easy to say looking back through the old rose tinted specs, but we were flying, it wa like an express train powering round the coast road, pickig up ridersand leaving tehm in our wake - in fact we were only overtaken once on the road by a group of club cyclists just prior to Sea Palling. Arriving at Horsey Mill, and a welcome cup of coffee and comfort break, before hopping back onboard for the final push for home (25 to go) - at this point a sub 5.30 was more than do-able.

With wind favourable now, yet strangely had not felt it truly behind all day we clicked off the miles before it was evident that my rear tyre was getting breathless around Coltishall. Admitting defeat at Spixworth, a quick inspection confirmed a slow puncture but with 4 to go a quick blast of air and back on. now intermingling with the 50 riders too we were again able to pass people at will, and arrived safely back at the cathedral in 5hrs10 for the start to finish of the route (98ish miles), with around 5hrs 17 being recorded for an actual 100miles.

The Bromley boys done good with 4.57, but being only 13 minutes back felt pretty good.
It remained for us to pick up our certificates / medals and soak up the atmosphere in the cathedral grounds. All in all, 2011 - a good year!

Same again?!