A Weekend of Two Halves

Ever had one of those days when every turn of the crank seemed like a really big effort? Most cyclists have.  I had one of those days yesterday. Coming off of a really poor mileage October, I know the first big ride of November was going to be tough.

Form is hard won and easily lost, I'd not ridden less than 300 miles per month for the previous six months and did half that in October, so yesterdays 65 miler (100km) delivered everything that I thought it would, I felt miserable.  Heading over to meet a friend, things felt tougher than normal.  The 16 mile ride over to the meet point I averaged 16.3mph and every pedal stroke felt tough, normally I'd hit 17.5mph-18mph and my heart rate was at 145bpm (top of zone 3).

Heading out on a flat 30 mile Cheshire loop, I wasn't particularly looking at speeds or heart rates as we were busy nattering and the time passed quickly.  As we parted outside of Hale, with around 19 miles to home, I felt OK, but as I tipped over 50 miles I just faded and the drop in fitness just showed.  The rest of the miles home were just a battle and I crawled home at 16.3mph, feeling pretty empty.

Re-Grouping

One thing I have learned though is that when I have a day like that in the saddle, the best thing to do is get up the next day and go out for a few hours.  The body has this magical ability to adapt and setting out from home on a 40 mile loop it was like Saturday had never happened.  The cranks felt easy and my speed had jumped up, it was a weekend of two halves.

Arriving in the exact same place as I had set off for yesterday, speed had gone up 7% and my heart rate was the same.  The wind wasn't blowing quite so much today, but in terms of fitness and feeling of form, it felt completely different.

For me, if I consistently do 100 miles over a weekend, it keeps my fitness in good shape.  When I don't do that some of distance, things tail off, 100 miles is my magic number.  As we head into the winter, the weather means that - at times - you can't get out due to icy roads or other conditions.  It's important to take every opportunity to get some good base miles in, building for the Spring.

Shut Up Legs!

It was German professional Jens Voigt that coined the phrase "shut up legs" - it's become an almost legendary saying amongst cyclists, when feeling the burn it's time to man up and keep pushing on.  

Saturday morning I had one of those moments, from the get go my head didn't seem in it, let alone my legs.  Pushing out at the beginning of a 50 miler, the first ten miles seemed to take forever.  Conditions were blustery and there was the promise of rain later in the morning.  I'd opted to take my winter bike out, complete with mudguards, for the promised showers not realising the front mech gear cable had stretched meaning I couldn't get it onto the 50 tooth ring.  It meant a lot of spinning for the fifty miles, which wasn't so bad.

Warm-Up

I've realised now after nearly 10,000 miles on a bike that it takes me at least 10 miles to warm up.  When my legs are complaining, if it's within the first ten miles they get a "shut up legs" as I know they will feel better later in the ride.  A good reminder to work up into a longer ride by giving yourself the chance to warm up properly, then to turn up the gas.

Riding home, it's also good to "warm down" by giving yourself a few miles at a very easy pace.  If measuring average speed, just stop your garmin or other device there and give yourself the time to spin home, your legs will thank you for it.

The Twenty Minute Window

Having done 100 miles this weekend, my legs were letting me know.  I'm not a big fan of sports nutrition generally, but one thing I do use is a recovery shake as I do find it suits me personally after a long ride.  

There is a magic window of around 20 minutes after your ride which is the optimum time to take on products like this, or protein related food to have the greatest effect on muscle recovery, always a good idea to have your recovery food/drink ready prepared for when you get through the door.  I've been sent some Elivar products to test, designed for over 35's apparently, so I'll let you know how I get on with them.  Don't forget to stretch too!

Checking my stats out for the 100 miles, my ride time was 5hrs 38mins with 3.7K feet of ascent.  Heart rate was 151bpm, which is just moving into zone 4 (intensive). Conditions have been quite blustery, yesterday there was an 18mph headwind for most of the ride and a heavy shower which saw me get my first real soaking for a few months.  Got another one today, so bring on the winter riding!

Post Holiday Blues....

The Cat and Fiddle

Jumping back in the saddle after a holiday is always a tough business, especially when you've got yourself into a little run of form prior.  Days worth of eating and drinking, combined with rest and general inactivity is a perfect recipe for piling the pounds on and seeing your fitness deteriorate.  I'd knocked 3kg off before going away, it's all back on again!

Heading off for my holidays earlier this month, I was wishing I had my bike packed with me so I could keep the form I was in at the right level.  Alas, Rhodes (our holiday destination) is renowned for it's incredibly hot climate and with my pasty skin, it would have meant some very short rides.  So, no bike for me for ten nights, missing two weekend rides which would normally rack up around 200 miles.


Plan B.  I made a few visits to the gym to sit on the exercise bike for an hour and knock out 20 miles per session, just to keep the tanks topped up.  I also did some core exercises each day, particularly planks, aswell as some general stretching as part of my new regime to improve my core conditioning generally.

Each day when I saw a guy roll out on a road bike that he'd brought on his holiday, I hankered after my ride.  As it turned out, he was a Swiss domestic professional riding an absolutely beautiful S-Works team bike, complete with Rotor Cranks, Zipp Wheels and Di2.  He was called Stefan and said he'd be over in Manchester later this year for the track masters.  Cool guy, stunning bike.

Back in the Saddle

Returning home to the UK, I'd be planning to go and do a big ride, using of of my additional days holiday to try and win back some fitness with a long day in the saddle.  Plan was to head over to the Peak District and go over the Cat and Fiddle, one classed as 'the most dangerous road in the UK' due to the number of motorcyclists killed there over the years.  Along the way, I headed up Swiss Hill (a nasty little local cobbled climb you can read about here).

What was different about this ride for me was that I was riding a 53x39, with a 12-25 cassette on it (to learn more about gear ratios, click here).  The bike I would normally take on a climbing day has a 50x34 with 12-27, but I've recently sold that.  I did wonder whether I'd be OK, as there is a big difference between those two gear ratios (23%), you need a lot more leg strength and can't 'spin' at the same frequency.

As it turned out, I was fine.  Yes, it was a bit more effort to push the gears through and my heart rate perhaps went a little higher than normal, but I enjoyed it.  Where 53x39 comes into it's own is on the downhills, where you can push hard get some great speed up.  

The new standard?

Since selling my Onix RH Pro, I've done a lot more miles on the standard chainset on my other bike (53x39) and I have to say that I do prefer it to a compact chainset.  The gearing seems to suit my cadence and there's a lot less gear changing needed across both levers.

Rolling back home with 100 miles in the bag and around 5,000 feet of ascent, my legs were definitely letting me know that they were tired, the last fifteen miles home were pretty tough as the wind picked up and tiredness increased, however it felt brilliant to be riding again.  Average speed was 16mph across it all.

With a days rest, I rolled out and did another 40 miles on Saturday morning, it was clear to me once I got going that I was still fatigued from the Thursday ride.  The first ten miles were brutal getting the legs warmed up, but I rode into it, returning home with 18mph avg speed which was remarkable given how I was feeling.  

Today (Sunday) I'm resting.  You have to listen to your body when you feel fatigued or you risk over-training and getting little benefit.  Give the body a chance to rest, recuperate and catch up is as good for your long term fitness as any other piece of on-bike training you can do.

Question for me now is about what gear ratios to order on my new Beacon bike?  Standard or compact?  One I'm going to think about over the next couple of weeks.

Turning 18!

This has been my fastest weekend ever on the bike.  Coming off the June mileage, fitness seems to have really begun to click in and over the weekend, mileage has clicked in at 126 miles (I actually did around 140 miles but forgot to start my Garmin after the cafe stop) with average speed hitting 18.2mph (28.8km/h).

This weekend I've discovered that my heart rate maximum has gone up by 2bpm, to 186bpm (see below) indicating higher fitness.  I hit that whilst doing a very fast segment into a headwind with a really fast rider I'd met on my way home.  Thought it would be good to share the load but quickly realised he was super strong and this was the pace all the way home!

I burned all my matches over about four miles at an average speed of 26mph (41km/h), which felt exhilarating but alas not a speed I could keep up for the 15 mile journey back, maybe in the future!

Ride data for this weekend

Riding with Stronger Riders

After returning from London to Paris, I'd resolved to spend more time riding with faster riders and today was a great opportunity.  Meeting up with a group of around 10, we did a fast, flat loop of around 60 miles returning with an average speed of 19mph (30km/h).  It just goes to show what you can do with a good group.

It wasn't a walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination.  Whistling along in the group around 23mph, my heart rate was at 150bpm.  When it was time to go on the front, with the wind, it went up to around 175bpm.  Lucky for me, there were some good strong guys on the front doing prolonged turns, so my overall average came in at 147bpm which is at the top of my zone three, a couple of beats away from zone four, so a good workout.

Reflecting on the weekends riding, things felt different.  Things feel faster, I feel stronger, maybe the new carbon wheels I'm testing might have added a little shizzle to proceedings.  Either way, I want this post to demonstrate to new riders that you can get fitter and faster with the right training.  Having a good quality base is where it all starts.

One of my ride partners today - Andrew - who is a very good rider and has raced a lot in the past and present, said something really interesting today passed on to him by a former coach "make sure you train in all the heart rate zones to be a good all round rider." 

That I think is the key to why I am feeling real improvement on the bike.  I'm keen to build from here for the rest of the Summer, let's see how things go with holidays and other commitments.  For now, it's great to turn in with an 18mph average for a big weekend on the roads.

Increasing Intensity

With just over three weeks to go until I ride the London to Paris 2013 event, I've been upping the intensity of my rides.  Most of my training for the last three months's has been mainly controlled, using heart rate training zones to build up aerobic capacity.

During May, I've been pushing the intensity up, to replicate the conditions of riding in a faster group.  The rides I've been doing have been a little harder in terms of profile and I've been pushing harder at a higher heart rate.  Today was a good example of that.

Wind conditions as I left this morning were a 10mph Northerly wind with 30mph gusts, it promised to be tough and it delivered perfectly to spec.  Setting out, I was straight into the wind and the first 10 miles were pretty tough with an average speed of 15.9mph (25.5km/h).

With the wind on your back, it was great and I was whistling along at 24mph (38km/h) with a heart rate sitting around 156bpm (85% of max).  As I came through Tatton Park in Cheshire I pushed on and rode through at 34mph (55km/h), that felt great, I don't think I've ever ridden so quickly!

As I swung for home, I had a tailwind and it meant for a quick back twenty miles.  Looking down at my Garmin, I was at an average speed of 17.8mph (28.6km/h) which is equivalent to my personal best (PB).  With ten or so miles to home, I thought it a good opportunity to see if I could raise my that further.

The last five miles were straight back into the wind, I'd pushed up to17.9mph (28.8km/h) by that point but quickly dropped back to 17.8mph again as I went up a drag with the wind in my face.  I was mentally prepared to give it everything and glancing down at my heart rate monitor I was at 177bpm (98% of max), which you can't sustain for too long.  After an all effort, I hit 18mph average (29.9km/h) as I hit my ride end - result - despite the strong wind over the 42 mile (68km) circuit.

Patience is a virtue

Building fitness takes time, I talked about this in my last post.  Month's of training are paying a good dividend and I'm riding better than I can remember.  This has taken over one hundred hours of patient training, base mile riding and seeking out more challenging miles.

If you have a new bike and you want to ride quickly, expect this to take a few months and have some structure to how you use your time on the bike.  If you are limited for time, then use that time wisely.  Buy a heart rate monitor, understand how you can train efficiently, without riding 'empty miles' with no real effect on your long term goals.  Whilst it might feel frustrating at times, if you keep a longer term outcome front of your mind, you will end up a faster, more capable cyclist.

How fast can you go?

Around half way into my ride today, I realised that I was riding a little faster than normal and feeling pretty good.  Stopping for coffee at around 30 miles (50k/m), my average speed was 18mph (29km/h), faster than I'd ever ridden.  I put it down to a tailwind as the wind was around 13mph (20km/h).  

Heading back I went into the wind and it was pretty gruelling, nevertheless I decided to put the effort in with a raised heart rate and see if I could keep the average speed up.  Inevitably, it was going to take some effort and I eventually arrived home with an average speed of 17.8mph (28.6km/h), a new personal best for me.  

Checking my stats out, my average heart rate on the back 20 miles was significantly raised, indicating the wind strength, the table below refers.  Working at that level effort (my maximum is 181bpm) means you have to keep your carbohydrates topped up and I ensured I had a yoghurt with 45g of carbohydrate in when I stopped, plus a gel.

So far this year, I've put around 100 hours of training in, covering 1,500 or so miles and it seems to be paying off.  I've not lost any weight, however the power seems to be improving and with it, ride speed and intensity.

A Few Records

I got a copy of the CTT handbook this week and within it there is lots of information about records for certain distances.  There's nothing like looking at your own effort to understand where you fit in the food chain of fast cycling.  Check out some of these times by time trialling experts: -

10 mile time trial - 18 mins :07- Michael Hutchinson
25 mile time trial - 47mins :01- Michael Hutchinson
100 mile time trial - 3hrs 23mins- Michael Hutchinson

12hour time trial - 302 miles covered - A. Bason
24hour time trial - 541 miles covered - A. Wilkinson

Quite phenomenal times and displays of endurance cycling I'm sure you'll agree.  I'm a long, long way from any of those, but then again I don't take things anywhere as seriously!  Still, I'll bank today's little personal achievement and see if I can build on it.

Blood, Sweat and Gears

Another day of riding in the wind.  It's become a feature of the last three of four rides I've done, a steady 10mph wind coming from one direction or another with some big gusts thrown in for good measure.  It does make long rides hard work and you need to stay on top of your effort levels and also fuel appropriately as your heart is working harder than normal.

Whilst riding today I met a competitor in the forthcoming Bolton Ironman competition who was riding the route.  We got chatting and three things struck me that we had in common: -

1. We had both been bike fitted.
2. We both wore foot inserts.
3. We both used heart rate monitors.

Doing an ironman requires you to be right on top of your pacing and nutrition, monitoring your heart rate and ensuring you take on board the 60g of carbohydrate the body can process each hour to keep your tanks topped up for such an extreme event.  It also requires you to have good technique, for running and cycling, so it was interesting that he'd got fitted up on his bike and had inserts in his cycling and running shoes.

I've worn inserts for a few years and got a pair custom made a few months ago. It's surprising when you go and see someone and they look at your standing pose and immediately note that there are corrections that can be made.  I'd recommend you to think about a set as I found my foot comfort improved a lot after using them. 

Food and Drink

There have been a few more questions of late about nutrition and what things I eat when I'm out riding.  I wrote a blog about gels and sports products recently which you can read here. 

Setting out today, I knew things were going to be tough. I'd picked a route which was had an ascent ratio of 50+ which when combined with the wind, would need a little something.  Here's what I consumed pre, during and post-ride: -

Last night - pasta dinner (Carbohydrate rich meal).
Pre-Ride- x2 Scotch Eggs, 0.5L bottle of Gatorade.
On the ride - 1.5L of water with High Five Zero tablets in, 1 x SiS Energy Bar, 1 x Gel.
Post Ride - Chicken + Egg Mayonnaise + SiS ReGo.

So, pre-ride and during the ride the focus is ensuring that you are taking on carbohydrate, hence the gel and the energy bar.  I took the gel ten miles from home as I was feeling the wind, normally might of skipped it as I would have had a coffee somewhere.  However, no cafe stop today, did the 65 mile route without stopping.

Post-ride is all about getting protein into your system within the magic 20 minute window of finishing your ride. I'd recommend a post-ride supplement if you are at effort, it all depends on how hard you've been working!

See Wind as a Welcome Training Partner

The last time I rode in windy conditions like today was February time, a couple of years back, it inspired me to write this blogpost about riding in the wind.  It felt windy yesterday, however in an not hugely distracting, but you know it's there kind of way.  

Today was totally different.  As I rode out, I could feel power of the gusts.  In the first mile, it was such hard going, I thought about turning back.  At that moment, something Graeme Obree (cycling legend) said to me came into my mind - "see wind as a welcome training partner", I decided to push on and do three hours in the saddle, with no expectation as to what my ride speed might be.  The wind would act as additional resistance for endurance.

Yesterday, I did a hillier day in the saddle. As I step up my training for London to Paris, I'm now doing a lumpier ride on a Saturday, with a flatter recovery ride on a Sunday.  My legs were a little battle weary it has to be said and looking down at the Garmin, it showed 13.2mph for the first ten miles.  It was miserable, a block headwind with gusts of 35mph.  At times I was doing 17mph, then a gust would come and I'd be doing 11mph in less than a second or two. 

I'd decided to do a fifty miler today, with the first 25 heading into the wind, so I could get the benefit on the way home.  As I hit the lanes, I got a little more shelter and in the next 10 mile section my average speed increased to 16.5mph.  As I turned and started to head to home, I got more tailwind and the next three 10 mile blocks averaged 18.5mph, 19mph then 18mph.

The highlight of today was zooming through Tatton Park, where I picked up the speed to 35mph on the fast section from the Knutsford end, ably assisted by the tailwind.  It made all the suffering worthwhile!  In between that, at times I was learning twenty degrees into a sidewind or battling to keep the bars straight.

Turning towards home, I hit the headwind again and the last five or six miles was all about putting the grimace on and keeping the pedals moving.  To add insult to injury, I got a puncture about a mile from home - hey ho.

All in all, the overall ride came back a little quicker than I'd imagined given the conditions.  I'm glad I toughed it out and got some extra miles in for the weekend.  That's two weekends on the trot where I've managed to do 100 miles and it's pushed me over 1100 miles year to date, so I'm pleased to be catching up after the awful start to the year.

Today's Ride
Distance 49 miles (78km)
Avg. Speed - 16.2mph (25.9km/h)
Ascent - 1,972
Avg. HR - 143bpm (Zone 3.2 - Aerobic Endurance).
Ride Intensity (Ascent/Distance) = 40 (Medium/Undulating)

March Miles Update

Another half decent weekend on the bike for me just passed.  Managed two rides, a flat ride on Saturday of 40 miles and an undulating 45 mile ride in and around the Ribble Valley on Sunday.

The run on Sunday had 2.8K of ascent across the route and I felt good going up and over anything that came my way, despite some very wet and cold conditions it felt great being out on the roads near the Trough of Bowland.

Plan was to re-run the Onix Twitter ride route from a few weeks ago with some fellow riders from the up and coming London to Paris event I'm participating in, however snow on higher ground overnight meant the roads were slush and deserved a miss and we re-routed on roads in lower ground.

Necking a coffee at our start point - ProTool Cycleworks - in Waddington (quick recommendation if you want a bike fit or bike service use these guys, they are the best in the business), we weren't quite sure what the day was going to bring - other than rain. 

Given the striking scenery, the weather conditions were easy to ride through, I was well layered with a full sleeved base layer, full sleeved top and rain jacket.  On the bottom half, three quarter bibs and overshoes kept the worse of the conditions at bay.  Arriving back, everything was wet to the core, bike was filthy and we got straight in the cafe after getting changed.

One welcome addition on the ride was the neutral race support vehicle which followed us around the route on Sunday.  Lucky it was there as we had a couple of riders who tired at different points on the run and they jumped into the support vehicle for a warm ride home!

Neutral Race Support sponsored by Brother UK

March has so far seen me put around 14 hours in the saddle, covering 218 miles (350km), with two full weekends to go (crossing fingers for good weather) I hope to build on that to around 350 miles (560km).  Total ascent has been 8.3K ft with an average speed of 15.7mph (25km/h) so everything is totally on plan for my London to Paris ride in June.  Voila!

Ride One
Distance - 40miles
Ascent - 1,154ft
Avg. Speed - 16.3mph (26km/h)
Ride Ascent Ratio (Ascent/Distance) - 28.9 (easy/flat)

Ride Two

Distance - 45miles
Ascent - 2,814ft
Avg. Speed - 14.6mph (23km/h)
Ride Ascent Ratio (Ascent/Distance) - 62.5 (medium/undulating)

Marching into March

You can tell when your fitness is beginning to improve.   Hills seem a little easier, you ride quicker on the flats whilst your heart rate doesn't spike quite so much, and rides don't feel quite so hard as when your unfit and breathing through your ears!

Over the last two weekends, things seem to be clicking back into shape for me after a harrowing start to the year with my fitness in need of a total re-build.  After putting in around 500 base miles, my aerobic engine is coming back into shape, demonstrated by a couple of rides this weekend. 

Saturday I did a 55 miler up into Parbold and Rufford, taking in around 1.6k of ascent, returning home with an average speed just over 16mph (25.8km/h).  Today, despite a late night, I put in a 42 mile flat ride coming home with an average speed of 17mph (27.2km/h).

Contrast those two rides with January, where at 75% of MAE (maximum aerobic effort) I was coming home with around 14.5mph from every ride.  February has seen a steady increase as I've picked up the mileage, coming into this weekend where I've managed just shy of 100 miles over the weekend.  Ride speed average across the two rides was 16.5mph (26.4 km/h).

The bit I'm particularly pleased about is that my ascending speed is improving - bit by bit.  This was demonstrated by the average speed on yesterday's ride to Parbold.  There's still a long way to go, by a long shot however the green shoots of progress are showing themselves.

I feel confident that I can cruise along at 20mph (32 km/h) on the flat, so I need to focus my efforts over the coming months on getting back into the hills and work in the gym on strength and core training. 

A summary of the two rides can be seen below: -

Ride One
Distance - 55miles
Ascent - 1,850ft
Avg. Speed - 16.1mph (25.8km/h)
Ride Ascent Ratio (Ascent/Distance) - 33.6 (medium/undulating)

Ride Two

Distance - 43miles
Ascent - 695ft
Avg. Speed - 17mph (27.2km/h)
Ride Ascent Ratio (Ascent/Distance) - 16.2 (easy/flat)

Winter Training - Guest Post from @bodybullet

From time to time I invite someone that I rate to write a guest blog.  I'm pleased to welcome back Simon Vincent from www.totalcyclingperformance.co.uk to talk about winter training.  I can wholly endorse the points that Simon is making, having used one of his programmes to prepare for London to Paris earlier this year.

"ITS TIME TO CONSIDER THAT MILES IN THE SADDLE IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT"


As many people’s attention begins to turn to winter base training and how they are going to fit in all those anticipated ‘extra’ miles around their other “non-cycling” commitments, it is worth pointing out that base training is not all about the miles, and indeed more progress could be made with less focus on the miles and more focus on addressing the rest of the physiological components that make up “total cycling performance”.   We are only ever as strong as our weakest link and for many of my clients “cardiovascular fitness” is not an issue, yet they have been stuck on pretty much the same cycling speed for years.

Many would have ended the 2012 season with a fairly large amount of miles under their belts (alongside a high level of cardiovascular fitness) so after a well-deserved few weeks away from the bike, the time has now come to turn one’s attention to a type of ‘winter base training’ that will offer the most return on investment in respect of the time one is able to put into training.

The most important aspect of any that any plan should address if you are going to become a faster cyclist in 2013 is gaining ‘strength’ through the use of weights, and no before anyone thinks out loud “but weights will make you bulky and slow” trust me, bodybuilders look like they do because they eat many thousands of calories a day of protein and carbohydrate, whilst training each body part in isolation through vast amounts of sets/reps to the point of complete muscle breakdown.

When this practice is deployed and muscles given enough calories and time to recover, part of the healing process involves laying down additional muscle fibres to cope with the increased stress, hence the wacky pumped up appearance occurs.

To give an example of how strength training and not “bodybuilding” use of weights improves ones endurance performance, I would like to draw your attention to Mo Farrah’s performances during this year’s Olympics. Mo had spent several months in America working with a top coach who is very big on sprint finishes and strength training, and the last time I saw Mo run on television, he did not strike a pose that resembled anything Arnie would have put out in his hey-day. He was however able to put in a performance with an apparent ease not previously witnessed in a lot of his former winning performances.

Another fairly old school view of strength training is that it takes too long to do as it needs to be done nearly 3 – 4 times per week to be effective. This again is wrong and very successful strength progression can be achieved with just two 30 – 45 minute sessions per week, as part of a structured “progressive overload” training plan.

The most important aspect is that this overload is small but frequent. I have worked with clients who prior to consulting my services had used the gym for years and had never really increased the weights they lifted for the very fear of “getting bulky”.

 When explained to them about the myth and how difficult it is for men to put on lean muscle bulk, they quickly realised the error of their ways and with a bespoke training plan created for them, many have gone onto to double their leg strength during the first 8 weeks and, have been shocked to have lost inches around their waste despite the scales telling them that they had not lost any weight. Has this had any positive impact on their cycling speed? Well I will let you read the testimonies on my website for you to find out for yourself.

Muscle weighs more than fat but takes up considerably less space, hence the reason many are shocked once they realise the truth. Whilst there will always be cyclists out there who make great annual gains in cycling speed, strength and endurance through cycling alone, these are few and far between, and those that do make such gains tend to have the luxury of not having to juggle a 50 hour working week, alongside family and other commitments away from cycling.

Alongside strength training it is important to not let all that previously amassed cardiovascular fitness go to waste. However in this respect many cyclists make the mistake of trying too hard to often. The most important aspect in developing greater speed and efficiency as a cyclist is the ability to stay out of the “grey zone” whilst developing MAE (maximum aerobic efficiency)

The grey zone is present in the vast majority of “frustrated riders” training, when they are riding too hard to develop MAE, yet not hard enough to increase their blood lactate threshold, hence the reason, despite increasing their weekly mileage, increases in anticipated cycling speed simply fail to materialise.

This problem is made worse as riders begin to clock this speed stagnation and think the way to overcome this issue is by pushing harder or longer than before, alas they are not going to get any faster.

Quite the opposite is true and by spending more time in this “grey zone” many riders risk illness, burnout and frustration, as they fail to get any faster, despite attempting to put in more miles in order to compensate, which leads to further performance stagnation and frustration.

It is not the amount of miles that one puts into the saddle, but the quality of those miles that count, and many of my clients have made more progress during the 1st 8 weeks of their bespoke training plans than years previously, despite in some cases having the amount of miles they spend out on the bike cut in half.

The professional riders although very talented are still mere human beings and are able to ride like they do because more than anything else they train, rest and eat correctly.

With a bespoke training plan tailored around addressing all weaknesses present in your current performance, you too could enjoy considerable gains in cycling speed, strength and endurance. Whilst I can’t promise you will go onto to be the next Tour de France winner, I can promise a level of personal performance like you never imagined possible in less time each week than most old school coaches would tell you is just not feasible.

For a no obligation chat about your performance issues and goals for 2013 and beyond, please do not hesitate to contact me via www.totalcyclingperformance.co.uk or you can find me on Twitter @bodybullet.

Good luck and remember is #smarterNOTlonger training that will make you a better rider than you ever gave yourself credit for in 2013 and beyond.

Chicken Run - Balancing your Diet

I'm writing this post from the bar on the 23rd floor of The Hilton hotel in Manchester. There's a very tempting free bar for residents and I'm two beers into it - STOP!

The last ten days have seen me really change my eating habits and stuff with refined sugars within it is a no no (cutting out the rubbish) and in a moment of weakness the free bar got the better of me. Interestingly my bottle of Fosters doesn't have any ingredient labelling on it, no sugar or carbohydrate info but I'm guessing it's better I don't know.

Looking back on the last ten days of my nutrition plan from www.totalcyclingperformance.co.uk, I'm definitely feeling the benefits. I've not been suffering any afternoon blood sugar crashes leading me to normally reach for my office biscuit basket, I don't feel empty anymore which often led to late night snacking on crisps at home, I've got more energy as my hydration levels are really benefitting from the 2-3L of water I'm getting down my neck a day and my diet is a lot healthier with more fruit, fish and veg within it.

Bread has had to go, except after a long ride in the recovery window. One thing I am enjoying is steering away from foods with the words "low fat" on them, primarily as they tend to be packed with empty carbs. My new favourite tipple is a pint of full fat milk everyday, contributing to getting the right balance between protein, carbs and healthy fats right and I'm eating chicken or eggs for breakfast - nice. In fact, chicken is one thing I'm eating a lot of to increase my protein intake to around 110g per day.

This is all part of a big master plan to get my body burning more fat naturally by ensuring it gets everything it needs through a day to function, minimum calorie intake is 2.1k per day and 3.5k if doing a long ride for me. Funny enough some days it's harder than you think, particularly when you're trying to balance protein and carb intake. Initial results are it hasn't felt too hard. It takes more planning, that's for sure, particularly if away on business and it costs a little more than normal as fruit spend has gone up.

Target is for a gradual weekly decline of around a kg, sustained week after week until reaching the desired weight. Idea is for a lifestyle change, changing body composition and eating habits for the long term, a marathon not a sprint.

One things for sure, I'm in the saddle less. Focusing more time on high intensity bursts on the watt bike, two gym visits for weights and stretching sessions leaves around six hours per week for an aerobic ride on the road. It will be really interesting to see the results.

Garmin, Garmin, Gone....

This weeks been one of my best mileage weeks for ages, managed to get 160M/256KM in the saddle from Monday to Sunday, between the last two weekends it's 280M/448KM in total.

Regular readers of the blog will know that I'm now in training to ride the Hotchillee London to Paris three day event in June.  This particular event is a fully escorted ride departing 21st June, so around twelve weeks away, plenty of time to make sure that I've built a decent base.

Chatting to my ride buddy today - Irish Dean, who has just acquired the most magnificent Titanium bike from Spin cycles, complete with Rotor cranks - we were talking about riding 100 miles and how tiring it can be and what recovery period you need.  I recalled the Fred Whitton sportive, 114 miles of sheer hell which took me about two weeks for my legs to recover!

I've done a good quantity of centuries in isolation, but never any back to back.  This is my key goal, to build the strength and endurance to get in the saddle three days on the bounce.  Personally, I think I'm good for it.  I do get tired after a 100 miler, that's for sure, so anyone that wan'ts to leave their top recovery tips, please leave a comment.

I'm reading The Man that Cycled the World at the moment, adventurer Mark Beaumonts account of his 194 day record breaking journey across the world by bike.  I was lucky enough to meet Mark recently at a dinner (blog here), so I hope to be able to get an interview from him in the near future about this experience.

The thing that struck me most about his attempt was he had to ride 180 centuries almost back to back.  That takes one huge amount of strength, particularly when your bike weight was almost 30kg.  I guess it puts my three day jaunt to Paris in some context.  Man up!

Garmin, Garmin Gone

My ride today was blighted by my Garmin 800 playing up.  It's such a great bit of kit when it works, it's hugely frustrating when it has an off day.  Today's off day, was the unit thinking it was stopping every fifteen seconds, auto pausing, then re-starting - it was bleep city.  When I got home, it had only recorded 28 miles of my 60 mile route.

My journey with Garmin hasn't been the best, I've had three of their products, all have had technical problems. The 800 has been the most superior in terms of functionality, however it does still have software bugs, so let's hope that get a patch or O/S upgrade sometime soon.

Weather today was smashing, around twelve degrees, not too hot, not too cold. Looping over to Henbury and Alderley Edge, the roads were quiet.  We stopped at that little Italian cafe in Alderley Edge again - superb.  Leg's were a little sore towards the end of the ride, primarily as I'm continuing to push bigger gears up the hills as I mentioned last week.

Spinning the last few miles home at around 100 cadence, I was pleased to be home.  Recovery drink, hot bath and straight into Mothers day.

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe!

Picture the scene, I've decided on a 75 mile route today, chucked in a few hills over Pott Shrigley and am standing in the garage debating which bike to ride.  Do I go with the winter bike, large gear range and spin up the lumps, the compact on my race-pace theme bike or the standard on the Onix Azzuro?  Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

When I last saw Simon Richardson MBE, he said I needed to "man up" and push a bigger gear at a lower cadence to start building some strength in the legs.  OK, decision made - standard chainset it is.

It was a gorgeous day for cycling, setting off from home around 8am, pedals were turning really well.  On that point, let me talk bikes for a second.

Onix Azzuro

I've owned the Onix Azzuro for about a year now.  Every time I ride the bike, the pedals just seem to purr and I come home having really enjoyed the ride.  The bike has really grown on me and I've come to really appreciate the stiff frame, power transfer and whippy geometry.  On this bike I feel fast.

Yes, you feel the bumps a bit more but ask the bike to put some power down and it responds instantly.  The Jodrell Bank sportive was on today, so there were quite a few riders out on my route and at what point a very quick group of riders who were part of a triathlon club went whizzing by, I thought I'd jump on their group for a bit.  As soon as I accelerated, the bike just responded and I was able to join the back of their group whisking along around 25mph.

I know that Onix bikes have the framesets on a half price clearance deal right now, I think it is a superb ride, so if you can convince the wife - get one whilst they are on offer.

 Pushing On

As you can see from the route profile below, the first lump came a couple of hours in and I just put got settled in a cadence of around 50rpm, just pushing through the cranks, climbing at about 6-8mph.  No speed climbing records were broken today, that's for sure, however I will say the climbs felt more doable than normal, those base miles paying off perhaps.

Not long after that, there was a bit of a lumpy section.  I was riding in Pott Shrigley at that point, which is known for having a few little ascents, it's a lovely part of the world and I was enjoying every minute with the weather being a little overcast, but not cold.  Heart rate was all over the place as you can see, looking at the average it's a zone three (intensive, aerobic endurance) ride.

Cafe Stop

I didn't eat much before heading out today, just a small Snickers flapjack, so when I'd done around three and a half hours I felt pretty empty - time for food.   Remembering a nice looking cafe called Aldeli as I entered into Alderley Edge on the way out, I thought I'd head back there - BIG mistake.  After waiting at the counter for two to three minutes, with no one bothering to even acknowledge that I was there despite being able to reach out and touch me, it was time to move on.  Bye folks, I won't be back, avoid at all costs.

As it happened I found a beautiful little Italian cafe on Alderley Edge high street, which I didn't know was there.  Entering inside, it was like stepping into a cafe in Rome.  An elderley Italian waiter, singing away to Tony Martin which was booming away in the background, Espresso, shelves with big tins of tomatoes and lots of cured meats and bottles of Chianti in the window.  A double espresso, breakfast pannini and a teacake put me in tip top shape for the twenty five mile ride home. I just sat and soaked up the atmosphere, I'll be going back there -  £7.50 all in.

Heading Home


The trip home felt quite hard.  The wind had picked up and the legs were beginning to let me know how they felt.  I'd done a 45miler the day before, so with this ride I'd be ending on 120M/192KM for the weekend.  Pushing through on the way home, I began to tire a bit and my thoughts started to turn to the London to Paris ride in June which requires three back to back centuries, so i'll continue to add some longer rides into my training between now and then.

Arriving home, I felt pretty tired but pleased at the same time.  It had been a good ride today, nice weather, great route and a super new cafe stop (cafe probably not suitable for large groups, but perfect for a couple of you). 

Wrapping Up

Clicking over 75 miles for the run today, the legs felt tired - but not shot - when I got inside and got the bath going.  The winter base miles I think have paid a dividend, pushing up some of the climbs today validated that.

Whirring round the lanes I couldn't help but think that on a bike you get to not only see places, but also smell and hear them - you get more of an experience of the areas you ride through.  Today's cafe was a great example, I'd driven by it many times, but failed to even know it was there. 

Reviewing the ride stats, I'd covered 75 miles in just under 5hours, giving a ride average of around 15mph.  Ascent was around 2.2K, cadence was average 82.  Today wasn't about average speed, just enjoying the weather and the route.  That I did.

Back to Base(ics)

One thing I've learned about road cycling is how quickly your fitness can leave you when you've had a break from the bike.  Looking at my July numbers (which were at least half of what I'd normally manage), plus a prolonged period out of the saddle due to holiday/illness, today's ride was about taking it easy.

Any coach will tell you that it's about building back up again slowly, when recovering from illness.  Not aiming for your personal best, but holding right back and keeping your heart rate in the lower zones, whilst your body recovers.

I opted for a flat fifty miles today, taking it very easy indeed.  In fact, I did almost the whole ride on the small ring (34T), just flicking up and down the rear cassette, with a cadence of around 80-85.  It meant, that I arrived home with an average speed of around 14mph (around  20-25% less than I would normally do).

Everyone zoomed past me.  It was an "all the gear, no idea" moment.  I rode the Unicorn2 with my new Brother bioracer 141 kit that we've just had delivered (which looks the business), as rider after rider whizzed past, I wanted to just whirr up the pedals and get going - but not today.

Arriving home I gulped down a recovery shake, stretched and rested up.  It will be the same spec tomorrow, nice and slow, building, building, building.

This is why we do it....

Riding the Fred Whitton a couple of Sunday's back, I stopped the bike to take in the scenery.  It was absolutely stunning.  Yes, the weather was awful, but all that did was change the perspective of the view. It reminded me of one of the key benefits of cycling in that you can cover a lot of ground and see places, that you might not normally see. 

I stopped again today and just absorbed a view in the country lanes.  There was only me, the bike and the elements.  Watching this movie from Rapha yesterday, which captures the essence of you vs. the elements, today's wind was more of a challenge than an hinderance.  Bring it on.


Rapha Continental – The Movie from RAPHA on Vimeo.

Since the Fred Whitton, I've not done much on the bike.  Not intentionally, just how things have fallen, so I was itching to get out today.  First ten miles, I took it easy to get warmed up but after that, the pedals turned really easily.  Rolling home, fifty miles in the bag, it felt good to be out.  Planning another fifty in the morning.

Talking of Rapha.  I tried out my new Rapha overshoes today.  I keep buying cheap ones from Wiggle and they fall apart, so thought I'd push the boat out recently with a little assistance from Andy Tennant to get some (plus some bib shorts).  Let's see how long they last!

When you hit Form...

Form's a funny thing. It can come and go. Suddenly here, suddenly gone. Top athletes talk about it a lot. It's that feeling when everything feels effortless, things just "click."

Coming back after Christmas, my fitness had really dropped. Combination of weather and viruses. I've been determined to try and get back in shape and I've managed - on average - 100 miles a week on the bike since.

The last couple of runs out, I've really felt like my fitness is coming back. Things just aren't as tough as they were a few weeks ago. Miles in the saddle are really helping to get my aerobic fitness back.

I thought about when I first started riding today. For three months I went on club rides and was the last up everything and always battling at the back of the group. Then "click". One day, my fitness just came. I was faster going up and on the straights. Like someone had just flicked a switch. My form had come.

Next weekend I'm helping to coach/advise a bunch of riders who are doing a charity ride from London to Ashton-under-Lyne. Shree Bharatiya Mandal, Indian Association aim to cycle up from Wembley over the Easter Weekend in support of Willow Wood Hospice and Tameside Hospital (any support you can give them is appreciated).

One of the pieces of advice I plan to give them is to get out in the saddle and put miles in their legs on the road in order to try and reach some form. Not in a gym, not running, but on a bike! I'll be posting my hints and tips for them here on the blog, for ease of reading.

For that route, which will be couple of hundred miles, my estimate will be they will need to put in at least 500 miles of bike riding to get some sort of basic fitness. Let's hope everyone has the time!!

With more miles in the saddle, I'm really hoping to build on my fitness over the next couple of months and arrive into the spring with at least 1500 miles in the legs ready for the Sportive season to start. Please let the weather be kind! How's your training going?

Red pill or the blue pill?

Remember that scene from the Matrix when Neo gets asked about taking the red pill or the blue pill?

We had one of those moments today, when forty five miles or so into a windy and rainy ride we could opt to either take the short route home (the red pill) or opt for the longer drag (the blue pill).

Given that my ride partner was out on his maiden voyage on his brand Specialized Tarmac SL3, it had to be done (gorgeous bike by the way, same as the one in the picture). The blue pill it was.

That choice pushed todays mileage up to an unplanned 65 for the day. In a headwind and with driving rain for the back 25, conditions were difficult, however the grimace went on and carry on we did. I felt great today, could have easily knocked 100 out I reckon, pedals just seemed to be turning, perhaps some of my pre-Xmas fitness is starting to come back. Let's hope so.

Most irritating moment of the day was forgetting to press the start key on the Garmin 705, so none of my ride stats got captured. Garmin, will you please just put an option in the menu that if you load a route, it automatically says "Do you want to start this route now?" The prompt would be appreciated.

Riding back home, I thought that when I first started riding, rain, hills, wind etc was an excuse to not go out. Contrast that with today, I just put on the waterproofs and got out there and enjoyed it. Boy did I enjoy the hot bath when I got home and a good dousing of Rosso post-ride massage oil. Pleased to be back in the Matrix.

Groundhog Day

Bong! Just as Winwick Church clock struck nine, I rolled into the car park for today's club ride. A few of us needed to be back earlier today, so a route North of Warrington was planned. I have to say, my legs were pretty mashed after the previous two days rides (circa 95 miles), combined with a very late night Northern Soul dancing, I was pretty tired rolling out on the bike from home.

Checking the route, it turns out, we were heading out to the same place I rode to on Friday - Rufford Marina, groundhog day! Setting off, the pace was pretty high and about four miles in I thought I might have to turn round and head off on a slower bimble, knowing that a lumpy profile was ahead and my legs were aching, I might struggle to keep up. Decision time. Stick with it and make the most of it. I'm glad I did.

Arriving at the cafe (which was far less busy than last time we were there) I got a four sausage barm cake on order with a big piece of flapjack, tea and water. Just the trick (did I mention I was also slightly hungover). Jumping back on the bike, legs didn't feel much better, but my stomach and morale certainly did!

Whizzing back to the start point, there were a couple of lumpy bits which I just spun up, no heroics today, just survival. Arriving home, a hot bath, Rosso massage oil and utter relief. I'm glad I went out, Feb I'm having an op which will take me off the road for a couple of weeks, so best get the miles in now.

(No) Red Lights Spells Danger

Kerrunch! That was the sound of my rear light being driven over by a 4x4 after it flipped out of it's bracket on my ride out today. Descending a hill about 25mph, the bumpy descent, usual potholes etc, I had one of those matrix slow motion moments as I looked over my shoulder and saw the light in the road, frame by frame, I saw a couple of hundred pieces of light fly all over the road.

Fair enough. Problem was it was 4.15pm, I was 20 miles from home and dusk was quickly drawing in. Tricky. So, front light on the back, so I could be seen, head down and get home asap. It made for a nervous run home as rush hour descended and traffic increased.

A cold but bright day, I set out from home and as I passed near Ormskirk my feet were absolutely freezing, solution - divert to Harry Middleton cycles and pick up some foot socks. Thankfully, I'd stuck twenty quid in my back pocket, so had it covered. It made for a comedy moment as you had to cut holes in the bottom and they only had a blunt stanley knife blade and blunt scissors. A few hacks later and they were on, much better!

It was a nice route today, 50+ miles with around 1.6k ft of climbing. Just the ticket after a busy week at work. Saw lots of folk out. Mileage wise, I've ticked over 300 miles for the month so far, so it's getting back up there. Saying that, the old heart rate hit 5.8 at one part, as I hit a steep ascent!!

Nice way to end the week. Saw on Twitter earlier that Bradley Wiggins and David Harmon were at Dolan Bikes in Ormskirk today, don't I wish I'd stopped by!

Lessons Learned

1. Always take a credit card out for contingency.
2. Pop a temporary light in my back pocket when I know my ride out is likely to end around dusk.