Training Update Week 27

Right, so that's 11 days to go then - how excited, nervous,apprehensive am I?

This weeks stats:

301miles completed, longest day in saddle 63 miles, thats 5354 for the year to date.

Weight is hovering around 11st 1lb ad Wii fit age is 23 (amazing!)

Rider packs have all arrived - see below, plus lots of info / timings etc - Seeing it all on paper makes it seem so real and maybe a tad daunting?

New Saddle bought, awaiting delivery, also will be buying 2 new tyres and tubes this week.

In other news Spain win the World Cup and deservedly so, quite how Holland finished with 10 men is amazing could easily have been only 8!
TDF has had a cracking first week. Petacchi with 2 stages, Cav with 2, Hushovd, Chavanal and Schleck (yes Schleck) with 1 apiece. On reflection sad that sgate 2 was effectively nullified but loved the cobbles and 2 days of mountain sages have shaken up GC with the big boys coming to the fore.
Lance's aspirations are now pretty much gone, and Wiggo would appear to be going backwards, but Evans, Schleck & Bertie all look strong, with a couple more days in the Alps and still the Pyrenees yet to come - watch out for more excitement on the roads of France - oh and have i mentioned i will be there to see the finish?!

Rider Packs Arrive!

At long last the rider packs were shipped and received this week. They include the fabled jersey (now white as opposed to the original blue design), rider numbers, map, luggage tags, timing chips and final information.

13 days to go and the excitement is growing, adrenalin pumping and reality biting.

Bring it on...

Training Update Week 23

38 days to go to Paris!

A mediocre week in terms of mileage - just under 202 miles complete, but felt very weary last week , plus 2 punctures (yes TWO!) did not help proceedings. So that makes 4259.77 for year to date. Now somewhere else - think it was facebook, i proudly stated that i would hit 5000 by the end of June - hmm watch this space - quite a hill to climb, pardon the pun but going for it!
Longest day in saddle a paltry 50 miles!
BMI back up to 24, thats 11st 8lbs

Back to L2P24 specific news, Coltishall Primary are doing a red and white muftie day to tie in with the England-Algeria game on Friday - proceeds to scope.

In other news, Brajkovic wins the Dauphine, from Bertie, and the Tour De Suisse is well underway. Nicole Cooke also churns out her first win of the season. Team sky invited to the Vuelta, Radioshack are not!

TDF countdown is on, (18 days) and i believe i twittered my thoughts but here goes with the predictions:
Yellow - Bertie
Green - Cav
White - Schleck A
Polka Dot - Schleck F or A!
Podium for Wiggo

Hopefully a dope free race, but Mr Landis has ensured that the rumour mill will be festering well throughout....

Training Update Week 22

The three musketeers ride again! Pictured above are Simon, Ivor and myself at the finish of the Norwich 100, the ride was completed in 5Hours 22mins 45secs a personal best. Blustery winds along the coast from mile 50 onwards perfectly complemented the fast first 50, and the final 25 were subject to rain and hail, before the sun came out for the finish! - A great day and the legs still feel good today, back out on the bike later...

So the stats:

With the above 309.95 miles completed this week, the most for a week this year, that's now 4057.9 for the year to date.

Longest day in the saddle 105miles.

BMI 23.38, although did peak (trough?) at 23.18 - weight 11st 4lbs.

45 days until L2P24, pledged sponsorship trickling in - looking forward to week commencing 21st when we get our final mailing and event jersey.

Bought a new front light and Trek Livestrong shorts and shirt this week as worn in the pic above - very comfortable - shorts fit like a glove, if that is possible??

On the Pro scene Tour of Luxembourg bought Lance's first podium of the season, behind Frank Schleck and Matteo Carrera. At the Dauphine Bertie won the prologue with Skys Geraint Thomas in 4th. Tour de Suisse coming up next weekend too as all the TDF favourites do their final preparation ahead of July 3rd.

Training Update Week 20

143 days worth of training done, 60 days to go to L2P24, only 13 before Norwich 100...

The stats:

258 miles completed this week, including participating in the VfC ride 2010 on Sat 22nd May. That's 3,497 ytd. Longest day in saddle 80.92

BMI changed overnight between 23.31 and 24.13 - 6lbs in 24 hours - not convinced!

L2P24 Fundraising at £2,040.20. Curry night was a great night and brought in a few quid too!

New shorts courtesy of 30 days of Wiggle sale, plus a new gilet recieved as a free gift after subscribing to Cycling Active, am now also in the market for a new bike - poss a Boardman Team Carbon after being gifted some money last week.

In other news its all go in the Giro - mid week stage caught everyone on the hop as 56 riders broke at 20km and destroyed the field and GC temporarily. Mount Zoncalan lived up to its reputation yesterday with Basso establishing his credentials, but Evans and Vino still in touch. Mountain TT tomorrow should be epic. In the ToC Cav won the initial stage, before a couple of stage wins for Sagan mid week, with yellow going to Mick Rogers, DZ and Levi making up the podium.
In the Tour de l'Aude Emma Pooley is wiping the floor with em - go girl!
F
Finally Floyd (cheat) Landis finally admitted what we all knew 4 years ago that he was and is a doper, but now wants the world to suddenly believe he is now telling the truth as he attempts to tarnish LA, Big George, Johan, most of US Postal past and present, plus BMC amongst others. Once a liar....?

Out  for a night ride tonight and some hills...

Training Update Week 19

Rushing towards L2P24 at pace now - only 68 days to go! Jersey design released, updated route and profile, instructions coming thick and fast oh and an SiS freebie too!

Funding target has been surpassed - £1,896.26 is the lastest total, with the curry night still to come- come on!

So on with the stats, just over 250 miles completed this week, the most for a few weeks, thats now 3,239 for the year to date. Longest day in saddle 51 miles.

BMI 23.58, Wii fit age 36.

Under 3 weeks to the Norwich 100, and may do a fundraising ride next weekend for Voice for change, cycling 39 miles around the Wensum Valley

In other news, the Giro is under way, with crashes spicing up the first couple of stages in the Netherlands. Wigo in pink day 1, but then falling victim to the crashes, Evans, Vino swapping the maglia rosa until Liquigas stored the TTT, and then Evans wins a stage on a hideous rain and mud soaked day yesterday with vino grabbing back pink. Millar in 3rd. First Mountain stage today - watch GC change again.

Tour of California kicks off today - watch Cav and HTC blast their critics, letting his legs do the talking - also watch out for Big George and The Shack too.

Curry night tomorrow and plenty of miles planned for the week. More next time...

L2P24 updates and stuff

OK so as official Cyclist A, we now have the splits of mileage that we are to do each:

We also have the profiles of the route, firstly the UK section:

then the french bit:

How cool is this?

This is the (long awaited...) design of the FREE jersey that all participants in the L2P24 raising money for Scope will receive. Team colours would appear to be based on the old Discovery Channel Team colour scheme, complete with Livestrong-esque yellow banding. Obligatory sponsorship logo's plus our team name will end up resplendant on the left breast. Loving the Keifer Sutherland numerals too!
Rather flattened I admit in its current pictorial state, but nonetheless still looks pretty dandy - huh?
 
Now how about a pair of matching bib shorts - or could that just be a fashion statement too far?

Training Update Week 18

75 days to go to the start - reality sinking in.

A great week - where do i start?
Mileage not awesome but consistent at 203miles, longest day in saddle at 52 miles that's a massive 2988 for the year to date.

Quiz night fundraiser was a great success with fundraising jumping to an equally massive £1,658.24!

But maybe best of all is the Giro prologue result - First Grand Tour for Team Sky, and first stage win. Wiggo blitzes the Prologue TT course and ends up in the Maglia Rosa (Pink Jersey) see below:

That's 2 years running with a Brit in pink after stage 1! Sky now need to defend the jersey for a day or two before the TTT where they will look to win again!

More next week...

Training Update Week 17

Under 12 weeks to go - eeek!

A good week this week I feel:
243 miles completed, that's 2785 year to date.
Longest day in the saddle only 47miles but still ok.
BMI 23.54. Wii Fit Age 31.
Fundraising up to £1,193.44 - creeping up. Quiz night next weekend - hoping for 10-12 teams, just need people to book in!!! - 4 weeks to go to hit Fundraising Target of £1,800.

In other news - gotta love Cav don't ya?

A simple point (or two) made to the watching critics and he gets slammed. Surely he was only telling us he had now won his 2nd race of the year???

Anyhow he is still is the best sprinter in the world, regardless...

Emma Pooley wins again, Levi still leads the Gila, and the Giro starts next weekend - cant wait for Sky's debut in a Grand Tour.

 

More next time...

Training Update Week 16

Sweet sixteen? Not an earth shattering week, but still a good one. Weather beautiful and dry - could be a bit warmer in the mornings but legs out ad fully on show now regardless!

The stats:
215 miles for the week - down on recent weeks, but enforced day off at start of week, has led to only 5 cycling days, so not too bad. That makes 2,543 for the year to date - Over halfway towards my "annual target" - revised aim is definately at least 5000 miles pre Paris in July. Revised annual target in negotiation!
Longest ride - 50 miles, a lovely ride in the norfolk countryside in the sun, holding out for a smidge under 18mph pace - even if i didn't recognise the roads for 15 miles of it! - 3 deer decided to appear momentarily in the road in front of me. but progress was not hindered too much.
Wii fit age peaked (troughed?) at 25, but i finished the week at 28, so still pretty good, and my BMI has dropped to 23.3 that's around 158lbs or 11st 4lbs - all good!
Fundraising for L2P24, up to £1,163.44. Quiz night and Curry night open for participation and a school assembly tomorrow at Simon's son's school to rase awareness and request donations too!

In other cycling news, Evans takes Fleche Wallone (with an attack to beat Bertie), Emma Pooley takes the womens version from Nicole Cooke.
It was a case of ex-dopers reunited at Giro del Trentino, with Vino taking the overall, Ricco taking a stage and ending up 2nd, and Basso also top 5. Sad to hear of Frei and Li Fuyu both being suspended for failed drugs tests - but the fight goes on and is being wo - slowly (On the doping front when is AV gonna be banned across the world not just in select countries?)
Last classic today with LBL - looking forward to that one.
ToB route was revealed this week - Sept 16th, stage 6 and the route goes from Kings Lynn to Gt Yarmouth - day off already booked!
Tour of Romandie kicks off on Weds. May is looming fast and with it comes the Giro and the Tour of California to name but a few.

Favourite sign off on a cycling forum - "Cycling is like church - many attend but few understand"

More next time...