Ride your own ride

15.5mph, heart rate 161bpm, battling into a headwind, feeling pretty miserable and then a member of the GB talent squad comes flying past and disappears into the distance like it's a perfect summers day, a memorable moment from my ride yesterday.

A firm reminder that when you're out on your bike, you're going to come across lots of people who are faster, fitter or lighter than you and to ride your own ride, within your own limits.

I'm riding in a specific heart rate zone during January, top of zone 3 to keep my fitness topped up.  It means that you have to pedal hard down hills to keep your heart rate up and slow right down when going up, which creates a yo-yo effect.  Interesting when you've flown past someone on a descent for them to then catch you up and pass you again on an ascent.

See the wind as your training partner

Yesterday was a really interesting ride.  Strong gusts of wind meant the going was really hard and arriving at my planned cafe stop, I was feeling pretty whacked, it had been a big effort for 25 miles.  I needed to have a word with myself about "manning up" for the second half.  It reminded me of a conversation I had with legend - Graeme Obree - who said "see hills and wind as your training partners."  Sound advice.

Heading out for the back half, I got the wind on my back and it was still at tough at times, but more manageable, I managed to lift the average speed to 16.5mph (26.4km/h).  Thing is, I'm glad I went out.  I try and put in a decent January to get some early miles in to set the tone for the year and that means rain, wind and some tough riding at times.  Still rule 5 applies, which Twitter follower @hardboiled2006 reminded me of, that set me up nicely.

Heading out today, it was like yesterday never happened.  Doing the same circuit in reverse, everything just seemed to click.  Arriving back home, my ride average was 18mph (28.8km/h), compared to yesterdays 16.5mph (+9%) with the same average heart rate.  Amazing how the same route on two different days can deliver such a different outcome.

Riding in inclement conditions is essential if you're going to keep your fitness, improve and build into the New Year.  Half of it is in your head, giving it some Jens - "shut up legs."

Kickstarter Campaign Launched for @GraemeObree Documentary

Two years ago Graeme Obree set himself the challenge to build a bike capable of competing at the IHPVA World Speed Championship at Battle Mountain, Nevada. True to style Obree kept the approach simple, building his bike, The Beastie, in his kitchen using a mix of recycled bits and pieces, including an old sauce pan. 

Obree is a man well known for adopting an unorthodox approach, well known for his battles with mental illness, well known for extraordinary achievement. The challenges to his ambition, to make the journey to Battle Mountain and mount a bid for the human powered world speed record, came in many shapes and forms and ultimately turned a one year project into two year marathon. Obree finally made the start line of the IHPVA World Speed Championship in Battle Mountain Nevada during September 2013.

Journey Pictures has followed Obree every step of the way and has massed over 200 hours of footage which chronicles Obree as he faces up to the size, the scale and complexity of the challenge of propelling the human form through the atmosphere, of training the human body to perform to its maximum. The documentary footage gets inside access to Obree like no other and witnesses the unfolding of a human and personal drama of raw and emotional intensity.

However, in order to finish the project Journey Pictures needs to put in place the funding to allow the completion of what has been a very complex jigsaw. With such a diversity of footage the challenge to complete a final edit is time consuming and expensive. Journey Pictures has set up a Kickstarter campaign to enable Graeme Obree fans all over the world to become part of what may become his greatest legacy. 

Kickstarter is an online funding platform for creative projects. Individuals and groups can pledge financial support for projects in return for defined benefits. Backers pledge support for a number of reasons.

Journey Pictures requires £20,000 to finish the project which started in 2011 and deliver what will be an inspirational, captivating and dramatic documentary about one of life’s most enigmatic, interesting and iconic individuals. Individuals who choose to invest in the project will play a vital role to help bring this documentary to fruition.

I've long been a fan of Graeme, he's a one-off and will be pledging my support to see this project come to life.  If you'd like to be part of the Kickstarter campaign, you can find it here.

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)

CTT Dinner - Sat 21st Jan 2012

If you're new to road cycling, you may not have heard of the CTT -The National Governing Body for Cycling Time Trials in England & Wales.  They basically oversee the organsing of the hundreds of time-trial events which happen weekly across the UK, you can learn more about them here.   

Last night I attended their annual Champions night where they recognise the best time-triallists, distance cyclists and hill-climbers across multiplie categories and celebrate the best of the best in the sport. 

Around 300 people attended the dinner last night, there wasn't a pointy helmet or skinsuit in sight!  The whole event was masterfully compered by Eurosport commentator - David Harmon, who worked his socks off from the awards ceremony kick off at 5pm, right the way through to the final nightcap at around 3am in the bar!

Graeme Obree

I was invited along as I'd helped to organise Graeme Obree along as their guest speaker on the night, he went down an absolute storm re-counting his past achievements including the two hour records, his traning manual and forthcoming attempt to take the human-powered vehicle land speed record, more about that here.

He bought along one of his bikes (the pink one in the background, made of steel.  It was remarkably light and had a massive front chain-ring on it - Obree style).  You can read my previous interviews with Graeme here and here, only one word for Graeme - legend.

David Harmon interviewing Graeme Obree

Simon Richardson

Also present was Simon Richardson MBE, in his first official function since the horrific collision in 2011 which injured him so badly.  There was tremendous support for Simon amongst all the attendees, the CTT displayed the #SIMONSTRONG bike on a podium in the centre of the stage during dinner.  Simon also addressed the audience during the awards ceremony to thank them for all the messages of support, a very emotional moment.

Graeme Obree generously offered up a signed poster of the Flying Scotsman film for auction, with the proceeds being donated to help Simon buy a new wheelchair.  A very generous bid by David Harmon's wife of over £1000 bagged it, I'm not sure David was expecting that but he dropped the hammer and they became the new owners!  A lovely gesture by all concerned, which will go a long way to helping Simon achieve his aim.

I sat next to Simon over dinner.  Clearly he is still in a great deal of discomfort and it was a big effort for him to undergo the car journey to get there.  Simon is allergic to the bulk of prescribed painkillers, so mostly survives on paracetemol which does nothing to deal with the pain he experiences.  Typical Simon though, he smiled through the discomfort all evening, putting on his face for those present and continuing to be a force of inspiration for those around him and working for his sponsors (see back wheel of the bike!).

Simon Richardson's #SIMONSTRONG themed bike

Now that's quick!

The Champion of Champions awards were dominated by Michael Hutchinson (mens category) for the 25M, 50M, 100M distances, Julia Shaw (womens category) for the 10M, 25M and 50M distances and Ryan Mullen (juniors category) in the 10M and 25M distances.

The Best British all-rounder 2011 was won by Jeff Jones of Chippenham & District Wheelers, if you want to benchmark yourself, here's the times he posted in numerous distances.  50 Miles - 1:39:03, 100 Miles - 3:31:51, 12Hrs - 305.51 miles.  If you think about that for a minute, 100 miles on a bike in just over three and half hours, that's quick, I would cover about 50M in that time!

Signing Off

Graeme Obree was up until the early hours signing copies of his training manual, which was selling like hotcakes.  I'd helped organise a book signing in Manchester that morning and it's amazing how far people will travel to meet Graeme.  One lad cycled over from Sheffield in horrendous conditions, to get a book signed!

Overall it was a terrific evening, a total sell-out, I rolled out the bar around 3am after a really good natter with Graeme Obree's agent.  The CTT celebrates it's 75th anniversary in 2013 and they will no doubt work hard to produce another fantastic evening.  If last night was anything to go by, they'll have their work cut out.

Graeme Obree Training Manual

Graeme Obree is one of this nations greatest cyclists.  The underdog who built his own bike, trained without technology and went on to break perhaps the most prestigious record in cycling - the hour record - not once, but twice.  Cycling legend - Eddy Merckx - reckoned that the hour record "took years off of his life."

Obree's story is the stuff of legend.  With all the odds stacked up against him, he flew in the face of the UCI and pushed the very boundaries of bike design eventually quitting the sport.  If you've never heard his story, it's one of the most inspiring there is.  I'd recommend you read his auto-biography - The Flying Scotsman - and watch the DVD. 

I've interviewed Graeme previously and consider him one of the greats of the sport. You can imagine how proud I felt to be asked to edit his upcoming training manual, where he reveals some of his training techninques and thoughts.  It was a pleasure to assist someone who has inspired so many.  I'd encourage you to read my former blogposts around meeting Graeme, which should be below.

The Training Manual

This is a long awaited book for road cyclists.  When Chris Boardman used heart rates and power cranks to train for the hour attempts, Obree took to the hills of Scotland, old school.

Obree - famed for his innovative techniques, re-invented the rulebooks so many times that the UCI locked him and his designs down.  He is in the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame aswell as the British Cycling Hall of Fame, recognising the massive contribution he has made to the sport.

Graeme has kindly agreed to me publishing his last paragraph.  You'll see from the sentiment, what the manual is all about.

"Please trust me that this body of honest work is given in the best of spirit, I have been the guinea –pig in the quest to refine my training on every level and I can commend it really does work. Knowledge and understanding is a constant quest. This book is not definitive and keeping an open mind on new findings and developments is not only a good thing but essential if you are serious in your search for new and better ways to improve your cycling and athletic performance.


Information is the golden thread throughout this book. The more information you compile in relation to your preparation for any chosen event then the better prepared for your task you can become and this can make the difference between being a club rider and a world champion. My quest as an athlete was always to go into the minute detail in the areas I could influence to affect the outcome to my advantage in terms of my performance. Trust me, if you take care in all aspects of your preparation and performance you will become an improved cyclist and perform better in your chosen discipline, if that is your goal."

Thirty quid - at first - seemed expensive for a book, relative to other books.  But this is no ordinary book, this book is by the master - Graeme Obree.  A guy that never sold out, a guy who quit a top team because of his anti-doping stance, a guy who took on the highest governing body of the sport and challenged their very being, a guy who did it without money and sponsorship, a man of the people.  He didn't earn a fortune in cycling, like modern day riders, why shouldn't we show our pride in this national treasure by buying his manual.

In the manual, he shares his secrets.  The thing that stuck with me most was his breathing pattern.  Previously only shared with a secret few but now available to all. I've used this when climbing and found it of considerable benefit.

Reflecting on what I spend on kit and stuff to make me feel like I'm going faster, thirty quid - in context - is nothing.  It's the knowledge I'm buying, it's not a book - it's more than that, it's a little bit of cycling history from one of our very own cycling legends.  If someone offered me a pair of shorts for £100, I'd buy them.  Therein lies the value.

The manual, launching next week is exclusively available via Graeme Obree's website at http://www.obree.com/.  For a limited time, Graeme will be signing copies ordered, now that is a momento worth having, I'm in.  I have a feeling that this training manual will go down in cycling folklore, purchased by those that understand the story, the sentiment, the beautiful mind.

Graeme Obree announces he's gay

Former x2 World Hour Record Holder and World Champion - Graeme Obree - today announced that he is gay. The news - exclusively run in the Scottish Sun - will come as a surprise to many, given that Graeme has formerly been married and has two children.

In a frank and honest interview, Obree talks about his "homophobic upbringing" which ultimatley led him to self-harming as a way of coping with the realisation that he may be gay. It must of been a real torture for him and I can only imagine the relief that going public may bring him.

For those that have read the book about his life, you will know that Graeme is a complex character, so the latest news comes as another twist in his colourful story. It's certainly going to make for another great book in the future.

Reality is however, who cares? From my point of view, it doesn't matter one bit, it doesn't take away from his achievements as a sportsperson, designer and legend of the sport of cycling.

I guess what he needs right now is a bit of privacy and some support from those that respect him for his achievements on the bike. Chapeau Graeme, get on with your life, be happy.

Graeme Obree

Graeme Obree is one of cyclings legends. The guy that took on the bureaucrats of cycling, challenged bike designs and positions and became a double World Record Holder and double World Champion. I've been very fortunate to get to know him over the last year or so. A real gentleman.

This great interview appeared on Bikeradar in July 2009 and what caught my eye was the huge gear on the fixed wheel bike in the photo.

According to the article it's a 63x13 - or in other words - bloody huge! It must take some strength to get it going, yet alone keep it pumping over a time trial. Just goes to show the strength of the man and his natural ability.

Talking to one of the lads on the club run Sunday, we talked about suffering and - over the years - Obree has demonstrated his ability to sustain long periods of maximum effort, carrying on, long after most people would have given up. He's currently writing a training manual which promises to be a fantastic read, describing his training techniques. I know a lot of cyclists will be really keen to read that.

Revolution 31

In a three-quarter full Manchester Velodrome, riders competing in The Revolution series battled it out for points last night. I went along at the last minute due to a spare ticket cropping up from fellow North Cheshire Clarion club member Adam Leadbetter.

It's been a while since I've been to the National Cycling Centre, last time was for the Track World Cup as a guest of British Cycling, where I was in the centre of the track and went home with a sore neck (it was a bit like watching Formula One racing cars zooming by).

Being up in the stands gave a much better view of what was going on, both in the pits and on the track, I really enjoyed it. For a cyclist, there's lots to take in. Not only the fantastic bikes that are on the track, seeing the up and coming talent plus some blistering racing but also the stalls and shops that set-up for the night.

I managed to bag a Condor cap for seven quid and a DVD that I've been after for absolutely ages called "The Battle of the Bikes," which details the rivalry between Chris Boardman and Graeme Obree. An absolutely superb documentary of a rivalry from the mid 1990's which follows both riders in a "fly on the wall" style aswell as fantastic footage of their individual achievements. Brilliant for a cyclists Christmas stocking.

If you've never ridden in a Velodrome, it's a completely different experience to road cycling requiring a completely different set of skills as a cyclist. I went on one of their track taster sessions, which you can read about here and I'd recommend it to anyone who fancies it.

The Flying Scotsman

Christmas is coming. A must have stocking filler for any cyclist is DVD "The Flying Scotsman," which tells the story of Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree's life. One of my favourite cycling movies, you'll probably only pick it up on Amazon now, be quick though as there are some copies on there for a fiver. Graeme didn't (and doesn't) earn anything from the film rights and has only watched it once. See my previous interviews with him here and here and my book review here for further info on this cycling legend. You can also follow him on Twitter here.

Graeme Obree Documentary

Not wanting to be accused of being Obree obsessed this week, but I found this fascinating documentary whilst doing some research about him, on Youtube. I've watched the film, however this Channel 4 documentary is about as authentic as it comes.

The quality isn't brilliant, the sound - at times - terrible, however it gives you a real "fly on wall" feel of the competitiveness that existed between Obree and Boardman, culminating in Obree beating Boardman at the World Championships. If you want to watch it, you can view it here. It's chopped up into six minute chunks which you can keep linking sequentially to on the right. Really worth a watch.

Meeting Graeme Obree (Part II)

Continued from previous blogpost...

Graeme Obrees Top Tips for New Cyclists

I asked Graeme what his top tips would be for someone new to road cycling. He claims that the following “made him World Champion”.

1. 1. Seek out older riders. Ask their advice, really listen to them, particularly about racing tips or riding in groups.
   2. Never stop thinking about your position on the bike. Saddle height and saddle fore/aft. Keep making minor adjustments to this to see if your performance improves. If it doesn’t put it back to where it was.
   3. Learn when to rest.

Graeme was very insistent that rest is the #1 element of his training, not to constantly keep knocking yourself out, but to include rest as a key element of your training plan.

Do specific training for specific results was something he kept re-iterating. Whether it be a TT, a road or velodrome race, tailor your training specifically for your objective. Graeme finished by saying that he would rather ride a cheap bike that fits him perfectly, rather than an expensive bike that doesn’t. Sound advice (remember my bike fit service, details here).

Nutrition Tips

It’s well documented that he’s not an advocate of performance products, preferring to scrutinise what he eats. Here are his three top tips: -

1. Eat a balanced diet and avoid sports fitness drinks and products.
2. Eat plenty of vegetables and avoid processed foods.
3. Chew your food!

The only two foods that he eats on the bike are Bananas and Marzipan. He says Marzipan is one of the most overlooked sources of energy for bike riders and contains all the necessary things you’re system needs (including digestive) when out on long runs. He’s done all the research on this (Marzipan is a new one on me).

Graeme had studied the way our digestion system works in great detail. He became really animated and went into great detail on this topic, I couldn’t take the notes fast enough. I guess you’ll have to wait for the book!

Other Things in the Conversation

a) The original “Old Faithful” bike can be seen in the Scottish Museum in Edinburgh. He donated it.
b) A replica “Old Faithful” was made for the film. Graeme made this himself and this will be donated to the Scottish Transport Museum.
c) Graeme wrote his book “The Flying Scotsman” himself. He wrote the entire book longhand and amazingly still retains the original manuscript (including the strike throughs that he had to remove for legal reasons). He told me that once he had finished his manuscript and done the final edit, he has never read the book again.
d) Graeme names all of his bikes and feels that everyone should give their bike a name. His current steed is called “Lady Penelope” (he owns two bikes which he’s built himself).
e) He said he is either “full on or full off” when it comes to cycling. Giving everything or giving nothing. Full intensity or no intensity. I guess this comes as a by-product of his personality.
f) Graeme doesn’t own a car and has never driven. He rides everywhere or uses public transport.

So that ends my post about meeting Graeme Obree. He's a one-off person, his own man, not afraid to speak his mind. You have to admire his guts, determination and sheer audacity. A privilege to meet the man. He was generous to carry a poster of his film all the way from Scotland to sign for me, that's being framed this weekend and going up on the wall in the study.

Meeting Graeme Obree (Part I)

Last night, I spent a good amount of time with former World Individual Pursuit Champion and Hour World Record Holder Graeme Obree. I hired Graeme as a speaker for an after dinner talk and – as a result – got to spend a lot of time with him one to one. It was fascinating to meet him and I had so many questions, we spoke for about an hour in the bar of the hotel as I scribbled notes furiously.

Since getting into cycling over a year ago, I’ve read many biographies and The Flying Scotsman (his biography) was one of those that I really enjoyed. I saw the film on TV a couple of months back which I highly recommend you watch.

Reading the book and watching the film quickly established that his life had been full of adversity, serious challenges and – at times – failure. His well documented battle with mental illness simply goes to underline the strength and resolve he subsequently showed in breaking Franceso Moser’s record in 1993. I wanted to focus our time together on his cycling achievements, rather than his battle with bi-polar disorder.

Speaking to him, what strikes you about Graeme is his intensity. He’s either staring you steely straight in the eyes or looking the other way when talking. He’s a maverick. Outspoken. Single-minded. Opinionated. Highly analytical. Focused. Quirky at times. He’s been compared to James Dyson in the way he analyses problems and finds solutions, using first principles for solution searching.

Underneath all of this was someone who is a genuine person with an amazing story and a large dose of modesty and – after the initial nerves – we warmed to each other and relaxed. On many questions, he really paused before answering, considering details, asking that some responses not be published, for political (cycle politics) reasons. I agreed to this, so some elements of the conversation have to remain with me.

I’ve captured as much as I can from our time together. For me, I wanted to get inside the head of a world champion. To understand what it was that made him tick? To understand how we kept going, in the depths of personal and sporting despair when the odds seemed stacked against him? Earlier in the day I’d asked on Twitter if anyone else had a question for him, these are answered below.

Question via @leeboyman – Rumour is that he has a book on training coming out. Is it true? A – True. Graeme is planning a book; however it is not yet started. It’s the next big thing he plans to work on and ideally would like it done for the Spring 2011. The book will cover road cycling, time trialling, training and nutrition.

Question via @leeboyman - Can you ask him if it's true that he just trains on 'feel' ie no heart rate monitor or power? A – True. Graeme told me that his set-up is as simple as this. He has a turbo-trainer at home, with a big screw in it so that the position never deviates or moves. He uses exactly the same track pump, inner tube, tyre and tyre pressure to ensure that his bike set up is absolutely constant over a long period with no deviation. Then he looks to constantly improve every time he trains - sometimes by only 0.5%. Therefore, he trains by feel only with no electronic measurement. Amazing.

Question via @adamleadbetter - I'd like to know what he thought of the film version of "Flying Scotsman"? A – He enjoyed the film, however has only watched it once and doesn’t like to watch it. He was careful to remind me that this was a film, not a documentary. There are some factual inaccuracies; however – in the main – it is representative of his life. He enjoyed the emotional and evocative style and felt that the film has introduced his story to a newer generation.

Q – Do you think you could ride in a team? Are you a team player? A – Yes I could but only if people were as obsessed about results as I am. If people can’t give critical feedback about their performance or mine, then it would serve no purpose for me to be there and I would be better to ride alone.

Q – Do you think the press attention dubbing Old Faithful “the washing machine bike” was detrimental to your career? A – Yes, sponsors didn’t take me seriously at the time, it meant that most of my career I’ve lacked serious sponsorship. Many people have offered me alternative sponsorships of types over the years, but I’ve refused it as I felt it would compromise by ability to speak out or do things my way.

Q – Do you think you would have liked to have ridden the Tour de France? A – Yes. He cites in the book that the amount of doping at the time meant that he could not have ridden the Tour and felt as if he was competing on equal grounds. He would have ridden it if this was not the case.

Tomorrow I'll put up the second post which contains information about his diet tips, advice for new road cyclists and all of the other general information I captured. To be continued...

Update. Here's the link to the second part of the interview and other Obree related articles I've posted.