All work and no riding makes Darren a dull boy!

So off the back of 5 days of training in 2 locations - Sheffield & Norwich. Trouble is it was the conference / classroom form of training not the 2-wheeled kind! Ergo Sum diet has gone to pot and flab returned?!

That said, the training / input and networking were very good, but I didn't half miss the open road. Still managed to shoehorn in 145 miles at the beginning/end of the last 7 days though!
Up to 839miles for the month, and (a massive?) 2621miles for the year to date - all good and as I am planning a crack at my first century of 2012 next weekend, should be around 1100miles all being well for March and around 2900miles for the first quarter of 2012 come this time next week!

In other news Brad eventually won Paris Nice, Cav was off colour at MSR, but is competing at Gent Wevelgem this afternoon so here's hoping? Criterium International is also on and final stage of Volta Catalunya - "just can't get enough" it would seem?

LIVELOVE

Hope to be getting an informal ad-hoc community of cyclists going soon, have canvassed a few mates and associates and there would appear to be a positive vibe so the loose plan is to meet up once or twice a month on a Sunday Afternoon for a 2/3hr ride with the ubiquitous Coffee/Cake stop halfway. - More info soon...
Just a few blokes, getting together, building relationships, doing life and riding bikes or "Live, Love, Velo" - it's a winner!!!

I read the news today - Oh Boy!

Don't hold out for being a lucky man - but certainly I am a blessed man!

Got my biopsy results back - all clear!

Big Smiley Face!!!!

2000 Miles

In the words of Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders):
He's gone 2000 Miles, It's very far
The snow is falling down, gets colder day by day
I miss you
The children will sing He'll be back at Christmas time.

Hopefully my family will see me before Christmas, but nevertheless 2000 miles have now gone under the wheels for 2012! That's probably still about 5-600 miles up on the same point last year too.

The rains (and wind) have come to Norfolk 25mph+ winds on Monday plus driving rain saw me compete in a simultaneous swim/cycle combo - managing 25 miles before feeling was lost in all extremities, a lull yesterday, but wind and rain again today - ho hum!

In other news Wiggo is going well in Paris Nice, sat in Yellow, with Team Sky doing a brilliant job thus far, Tirreno Adratico kicks off today too, with Cav participating ahead of a tilt at Milan San Remo.

Spring has sprung!

It's 1st March, St David's Day and technically the 1st day of Spring?!

So keen was I to get out this morning, I was cleaning the posh bike at 6am! Then under white clouded skies I set off, only to be enveloped in fog 2 miles further up the road, which stayed with me until I hit the city centre on the last few miles of my "commute"

Having said that, temperature wise it is warm, and indeed as I write the sun has most definately got his hat on, to the point that I feel I may even be sans-legwarmers on the way home later today too!

Mileage for the first 2 months of the year is 1782, which is around 500 up on 2011, so progress so far is good and the outlook looks favourable too!

In other news, Cav won Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne as the classics season kicked off last weekend, could he repeat his Milan San Remo win from 2 years ago too? Paris-Nice commences on Sunday, with Brad Wiggins hopefully going to flex his muscles in the peleton for the first time this year.
John Bishop, the Liverpudlian comedian is 3 days into his 5 days of #BishopsHell - a 185mile cycle from Paris to Calais, rowing the channel and the 1st of 3 marathons over successive days done - all for Sport Relief. 2 more marathons to do, today and tomorrow - legend!

Put me back on my bike!

Back on it - not quite as swift a turnaround at the quacks saw my resumption of cycling delayed until 5.25pm last night but all good!

A fairly swift 15miles completed last night, followed by 31mile "commute" this morning and I am about to embark on a 20mile-ish homeward trip to complete my 24 hour return!

Cycling will be a bit sporadic over the next few days, as i will be sandwiching it around attending a course Friday / Saturday but still hopeful of achieving 200 miles all in this week.

You can't keep a good cyclist down! - I'm a bike rider - I ride bikes!

Today's the Day!

No I am not talking about Pancake Day, although I have experienced that proverbial "flat as a..." feeling but it's the day I get to climb back on my bike after a weeks absence!

Stitch removal is booked for 5.10pm at my GP's Surgery, and bike / kit are all primed to be ridden / worn / utilised at circa 5.15pm!

Just the 10-12 miles are planned but need to feel the road beneath my wheels, and the wind blowing against my body. I will have clocked up around 36 miles walking this last week but there is NO comparison!

Stir Crazy

Due to a small suspicious mole on the rear of my right thigh, I have been sidelined from the bike for a week, following a biopsy (and stitch to repair skin) on Tuesday.

I am currently counting down the days to next Tuesday evening when the stitch will be removed and I will be free to cycle again?!

In the meantime my cycling related life involves some or all of the following:

• Winter bike has been serviced/repaired and is ready for collection later today
• Just started reading "We were young and carefree" by Laurent "The Professor" Fignon
• Latest issue of Cycle Sport, recieved and read
• Keeping tabs on Tour of Oman, and #FantasyCycling scores
• Preparing to watch the Track World Cup from the Olympic Velodrome this weekend
• Cleaned, degreased and re-lubed Posh Bike as well as fitted crud catcher rear mudguard
• Surfing (and drooling) over potential new kit...

Need to get back on bike though as walking for all it's merits is just not the same!

Triathlons R Us?

Whether it was inspiration from Lance's Ironman 70.3 2nd place in Panama at the weekend, or my current reading material Can't Swim, Can't Ride, Can't Run, From Common Man to Ironman I'm not sure but I completed my first unofficial and completely non-regulation triathlon today.

I begun the day with a 34 mile cycle ride, before returning to the house to change and collect the rest of the family for a swim at Norwich Riverside Pool, once car was parked, and I was changed etc, I duly completed 500 metres of swimming or 20 lengths of the pool (plus a sauna for 10-15mins). The day then proceeded with lunch at Zak's (a local Restuarant) and a brief city-centre shopping trip, before a trolley dash around Tescos (the "run" stage). Hey Presto one "Triathlon" completed!!!

As you can see I need to get the disciplines in the correct order (Swim-Cycle-Run) and my transitions need some serious work as I guess I technically spent more time between disciplines then actually taking part in them, but still 3 "events" in one day is not to be sniffed at, and as essentially I am/was only competing against myself - does it really matter?

On a serious note, I really enjoyed the swim and may well do more swimming on a regular basis, as for running, I enjoyed it once but can't really get excited about it anymore so my future may well be more biathlon than triathlon...!

A Mid-Feb muse from the saddle

Glancing back at a previous post - Marmite Days i feel the need to add the comment that although cold and bright is good, extreme cold and cloud is NOT! Minus 8 degrees C my Garmin descended to yesterday morning - the feeling in my fingers (not that there was much feeling left) can only be described as Pain, and yes pain was written with a capital 'P' on purpose!
But hey every cloud as they say has a silver lining and today it was 15 degrees warmer today (the correct side of zero!) and 3mph quicker for a similar distance - Marmite indeed!

Tale of the tape reads as 1335miles covered year to date, that's already more than last year for Jan/Feb so all good there. Posh bike has had a few outings too as the Scott (of the Antarctic?!) has developed a slipping chain and rear wheel wobble so hi ho hi ho it's off to the LBS it goes!

In other news, unless you have been in outer space, you will probably know that Steak-Gate, has been resolved and with it the "winner" of the TDF2010. Bertie has been banned for 2 years from summer 2010, meaning that his results are wiped from the records - TDF2010 & Giro2011 to name a few, so congrats Andy Schleck and Michele Scarponi! - So disappointed at what a waste of time, money and effort all round it was, and worse Cycling is dragged through the mire again - the "truth" may never be known but WADA, CAS & the UCI need to get it sorted, perhaps a guilty till proven innocent charge would work better???
In more doping or not related news Jan Ullrich finally admits his doping and apologises for the same - so that's all OK then? And the case against Lance has been dropped with no charges - personally I'm glad but I appear to be in the minority amongst tweeps and other bloggers/commentators.

Back to the sport I love and real race action - Cav gets off to a winning start for Sky doing the World Champs jersey proud in Qatar with 2 stage wins before a tumble on the last stage. Tour of Oman this week, and so more #FantasyCycling action too!

Spring is coming isn't it?

M (that's 1000 for you non-Romans!)

1000 miles on the 2012 clock - that's about 3 weeks ahead of last year in terms of mileage already!

It has turned very cold though, and I do need to get my bike sorted out as the big ring is inaccessible at the moment - although on the up side I am perfecting my cadence!


May chance it on the posh bike at the weekend - if it's dry...?