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.

Target Update

Training going swimmingly, and so i feel it is a good time to review the targets for the year:

• 5000 miles in 12 months - hmmm, currently riding at 3748, so i have extended this to 8000 - original target should be achieved before end July.
• Do 10 miles in 25 Minutes
• Buy a new bike 

 Target No.1, as stated is well on way, and Target No.3 is in progress - i have the funds just need to avail myself of the Cycle2Work scheme and make a purchase. Target No.2 is a wish list item, but hey i have done just over 26mins this year already so it is doable even for a veteran like myself!

Training Update Week 21

Today is a year since we cycled coast to coast! Picture opposite is jst outside consett on Day 2.

Speeding towards  number of goals now. - 53 days till L2P24, but only 6 days until norwich 100.

This weeks numbers:

251 miles completed, that's 3748 for the year to date, longest day in the saddle was only 55 this week, also did 36 miles in one hit taking in various hills and climbs.

Wii Fit age is 25, BMI 23.90, thats 11st 7lb.

L2P24 fundraising is now at £2075.20 - we have also banked our minimum target of £1,800 and completed preference forms and full registration ahead of the ride - insurance et al sorted! Roll on July!

No purchases this week, if you exclude a boxful of SiS goodies in order to sustain us to Paris. Bike purchase is no further forward, have looked at the Boardman Team Carbon, but am also trying to get my work to sign up to the Cycle 2 Work scheme in order to save 1/3 on the price - watch this space...

On the Pro Scene, Emma Pooley completes her victory in Tour de L'Aude, and Basso takes the Giro - quite a turn around of fortunes for the Italian. Stijn Devolder takes the Tour of Belgium and Maxime Monfort takes the Bayern Rundfahrt.

Tour of Luxembourg and Dauphine Libere kick off this week, TDF in 30 days!

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...

Cycling likes and dislikes

Soap box at the ready... Moral high ground not withstanding!

Dislikes:

Red Light Jumpers - I can empathise with those that go on the "B of the Bang" as it were - amber changing to green is fine, but those "cyclists" who go straight through (usually on a pedestrian crossing) at red or who go so far over the white line that they are in a different postcode to where they started are just muppets.

Cycle Lanes - Why would i want to share my cycling experience with pedestrians (and dogs) or alternatively glass and other road debris or even cars parked slap bang in my way? Give me the open road with vehicles brushing my elbows every time

Pavement riders - do you have stabilisers fitted to your bike? are you a child? no to either or both questions means that you should not be on the pavement - are those few seconds really worth the aggravation and embarrassment you cause the rest of the cycling world?

Hi-Viz particularly day-glo - Safety first plus practicality i agree to, but just because you are wearing a hi-viz clothing item, does not mean that you have any idea of how to ride a bike or have any road sense. Still i guess it is a warning to the rest of us to keep well clear.

Likes:
Bus Lanes - some day all "cycle lanes" will be made this way - nice wide route, ability to undertake motorised vehicles legally - NB beware the taxi driver...

Freedom - go where you want, when you want at whatever speed you like (obviously this should always be as fast as you possibly can given personal fitness / stamina and prevailing weather conditions on the day!)

Cycling Speak - Love talking cycling with other non game players and seeing them lose the plot as they get lost in jargon / code

Kilometres - Sounds more impressive and clock up / down faster than miles - must rememebr to use the metric system more!

Probably loads more - will no doubt formulate some more on teh wya home tonight so watch out for part 2...

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...

Every Dog has it's day...

A sad day yesterday, almost 9 years and 9 months to the day, we had to make the difficult choice to have our pet Leonberger, Febi put down.

She had suddenly deteriorated health wise in the past 2 weeks, to the point where she was not wanting to go out for walk and even getting up and moving around was clearly too much effort.

The picture shows her not so much as sat on my lap, more like swamping me and the chair, and was probably taken around 6 years ago.

A great dog and a massive part of the family and home that will be hard to fill. - Funny how the things that she would be berated for are now the things that you miss...?

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:

PB's for 2010

Personal Bests for 2010, as per Endomondo tracking

One hour   19.75 miles
10 miles     26m:08s
20 km        35m:20s
50 km        1h:38m:49s
50 miles    2h:42m:59s
100 km      3h:38m:06s

OK not earth shattering but i am an old man - plenty more where that came from... hopefully

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?