Clockwise or Anticlockwise?

Been thinkin. - yeah yeah i know two days running - dangerous huh?

So given the choice does one cycle clockwise or anticlockwise? For me there is only one answer - Anticlockwise wherever possible.

Why? I hear the masses cry

Obvious - all left hand turns therefore minimise slowing down / stopping time - keep the bike moving and therefore keep speed up.

Now isn't that just what everyone would do - or is it just me?

Commuting v. Training?

So there I was out on my bike this morning on a training ride, with time to ponder, contemplate and generally put the world at large to rights, when I began to consider the issue of commuting and asked myself the question:

What is the difference between commuting and training?

Now before you rush in with a gut reaction, consider my situation - most days I choose to take a circuitous route into work, I live about 2 miles from my place of work yet end up doing in excess of 25 miles most days on my commute. Now broadly speaking i would consider this to be a commute on the basis that the ride has a clearly defined beginning and end, and the main purpose of the ride is that i end up at work or conversely at home after completing my day's work. However considering the mileage clocked, I would put up an argument that it qualifies as training too (being the sad git that I am I time myself from A to B every time - wherever A and B might be!).

Training for me tends to be a home to home route, usually of 20 miles plus often way more, (again timed) and may take in varying terrain, or have a purpose eg maintaining cadence, hill climbing, tempo riding the list goes on. But whatever the definition of training is easier to nail than commuting.

Can they co-exist as per the first scenario above? Are they distinctly different, and therefore mutually exclusive? Or is there some magic point that is reached either mileage-wise or time-wise etc when one mutates into the other?

Answers on a postcard...

Training Update Week 3

180 days to go until L2P24...

Progress so far:
Mileage this week - 180
Mileage year to date - 331

Most mileage in one ride - 35
Most mileage in one day 55 (not the same day)
most seperate rides in a day - 3

Fundraising is at £180 - 10%  of the target already so thanks to all who have contributed so far

Interestingly for those of you who don't know i have cycled London to Paris before in the more conventional time frame of four days, in 2007 so just for fun and maybe as some kind of incentive or equally a beating stick i thought i mght compare my mileage back to the preparations then, and to date i am 50 miles or so ahead!

2 complaints this week - firstly why a month after the Winter solstice is it still so dark in the mornings? secondly it is also damn wet!

Have booked in to the Norwich 100 and have also got my eye on the Norfolk Huff and Puff both rides ideally positioned at the beginning and end of June respectively - 2 centuries back to back will be good for the training and an assessemnt of progress at that point.

In the TDU, Sky wrote the headlines at the beginning and the end, with Sutton and Henderson providing the places again on th last stage, but Andre Griepel and Columbia HTC stormed away with the title for the 2nd time. Good to see the boys from The Shack on the road too - early days though, way more to come.

Rest day today (the Pro's do it so why not me!?) but back into it again next week.

Enjoy!

Sky's the Limit?

First race = 1st and 2nd - bodes well for the future! Henderson and Sutton (Team Sky) lead home the field on Sunday in the TDU warm up race. TDU itself starts tomorrow.

94 miles completed personally this week, hopefully will increase again this week and gain some kind of momentum too?

L2P24 almost full only 5 team places left as at earlier today - hurry hurry hurry!

Just need to get a training programme together, plus invoke a few centuries / sportives.

New Year, New Challenge...

So following on from the new years resolutions:-
One long distance ride arranged - check. (see above graphic) - which actually lends itself to achieving the others too!

So the challenge teams of 2 cycling in relay from London to Paris in 24 hours! each team member will cycle around 200miles in total, metaphorically passing the baton from team mate to team mate along the route. Full details of challenge here
The ride is fully supported by Action Challenge and is in aid of Scope.

The sweetener is that the Sunday (which we get to spend in Paris) is the last day of Le Tour which we will get to experience - oh yes another one of thos 101 things to do before you die sorted then!

Again I have teamed up with Simon and our awe inspiring team name is the "Roaring Forties", the roaring bit could be down to our bravado or what our muscles will be doing come July, and the forties bit a reflection of our age!

So personal performance wise, the snow kinda tripped me up last week, but still did around 60 miles, although felt sluggish most days, Wii Fit impressed me this morning telling me it realised i was 39 so well done Nintendo - spot on! Weight came in at 75kg / 165lb so am still 4 lbs above target - that'll come. Hopefully the thaw will set in this week and mileage can consolidate / increase?

In other news TDU starts a next week - looking forward to Sky and the Shack et al performing for the first time.

Lots to write about now so keep checking back for updates.

Happy New Year!

Pleasantries over, on to the resolutions then....

I will be fitter this year and will be cycling in excess of 5000 miles.
I will endeavour to get out with the club most weeks.
I will organise a long distance ride and complete it this year
Weight will be maintained sub 11.5 stone on average!

Ref the new cycling season, as per last post, can't wait till it all kicks off (quite literally) in the TDU.
Team Sky to make a massive impact and challenge for / scoop up early season victories all over the place.
The Shack to muscle in on the act too.

Still think that Bertie (even without a team to speak of) and Mr A Schleck will be tough to beat in the Tour, but my heart will forever go for Lance (could we see the old postal blue train / disco boys reincarnate in July?) and don't forget Wiggo either and his awesome support cast too.
Cav to continue where he left off, but also develop the cycling brain and get the green jersey in the tour this year.

Off the road will be interesting watching the seperate games of chess played out by Johan and Dave (Brailsford), on that note is Swifty going to Sky yet - do we know? Is Cav gonna jump ship to Sky ready for 2011?

Time to sit back and watch the action unfold, now where did i put Wiggo's autobiography...?

Happy christmas!

Hey!

yeah yeah i know, a few days too late but its a bit sad striking up your laptop on the day innit?

So roll call of pressies was great:

• A couple of Twin Six T-Shirts probably the coolest bike related T-shirts in the known universe.
• A couple of CD's - Kings of Leon and Ian Brown
• A few books - Chris Evans and Wiggo Auto Biogs, Ben Elton newbie plus LEJOG Guide to name a few
• Wii Fit Plus Game - watch this space for new fitness regime coming your way
• Others included - New Wallet, socks and sweets.

Furnished myself with a Nokia 5800 phone pre-xmas which i am loving - internet everywhere, so twittering is on the increase.

Looking forward to the new cycling season, will be making predictions just after new year, along with mileage targets etc but can't wait to see Team Sky and the Shack in the peleton, plus hoping Cav continues to obliterate all in his path and goes green this year?

Still a week of hol to go, so maybe another posting or two may surface, but for now wherever you are - A hapy christmas, and if its late i hope it was a good one, if like me you are still off work - eek it out as long as poss!!!!

Team Sky / The Shack

Wiggo to Sky then (At last)? http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/10122009/58/team-sky-expected-confirm-wiggins.html

Not sure about Swifty though (Katusha got a bit grumpy when Sky announced him on the TDU roster when he is still under (their) contract!

The Shack have a prototype shirt out - a bit Silence-Lotto isn't it?

End of season round-up

Bertie tops the UCI Rankings.
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/19102009/58/spanish-dominate-cycling-rankings.html
Wiggo wins Down Under
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/58th-jayco-herald-sun-tour-2-1
Cracknell + Hot Chillee guys break 35hours for E2E
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/cracknells-team-ride-end-to-end-in-under-35-hours-23644

Also i managed to take a low speed dive off my bike last night, after running into the verge and entering one of those drainage soakaways - road rash to hip and look what bike radar have published:
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/fitness/article/health-how-to-deal-with-road-rash-23619

Perfect timing!!!!

The answer to the important question is that bike still functions fine and no clothing was damaged in the making of this fall....

News round-up

So Team Radioshack have a Pro Tour Licence - excellent! Team Sky, still to announce another 6 riders - rumour mill still revolving on that one!

Gilbert tops off his season with back to back wins in Paris Tours & Gran Piemonte.

Only 259 days till the start of the TDF in Rotterdam - what am i going to do till then? Loving the look of the route - cycling brains needed for first week in the cobbles and definite legs / engines for the end in the pyrenees, although why is there another valley finish allowing all the gains to be chased down? No Alpe d'Huez but Col Du Tourmalet twice, plus a summit finish can't be bad.

Only 3 days cycling this week so vastly reduced mileage - starting to get dark as well, so rain and sludge soon to follow. Have purchased and fitted some Crud Road Racer mudguards, to alleviate some of the road spray etc from the forthcoming inclement weather, plus gained (not sure if that's the right word) a slow puncture mid week which was a definitive pain in the proverbial.

note that NABC saturday rides starting from thepub on the corner now fit with my days off so will be venturing out on some of those pre christmas, plus a couple of Audax rides look interesting too so who knows. Norwich 100 date has been published - June 6th so diary has been highlighted / ringed in red etc.

A potential 6 days cycling lined up for the week ahead so should / could achieve some decent mileage again for this next week - its all good.