Really down about the weather here in the UK at the minute, it has been raining really badly and the wind is so intense I cannot ride without the risk of getting blown off the bike and risking injury thus loosing training time :(
What is even worse is I do not have my turbo trainer here at the place I am staying so training has come to a complete halt. Work is also killing my training time because I don't have the time to eat properly and thus suffer from lack of energy almost every time I get on the bike.
I am getting up at 6:00am tomorrow and eating lots of food, then I am going to train at 8:30 - 9:00 ish through till 10:30 to try get some time on the bike but at 11 I have to be at work but there is another space I can get training in at 3pm - 4:30 is where I have a break from work... If work hasn't killed me then I may try and get another 1.5hr on the bike when I have finished but I expect to have died by then...
I will post tomorrow and let you know how the plan goes but there is no telling what will happen :(
Thursday 7 June 2012
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Wow it has been a while
Ok so whats going on?
Well I have moved. Basically I have gone from cycling on my own every day to riding with my old club again :D
Before I started writing this blog I was racing for a club in the West Midlands - Stratford CC. Stratford CC is an awesome club with many friendly members. Unfortunately towards the end of 2011 summer lost my job and by the time Christmas had arrived I had totally run out of money and had to move back home with my parents...
Recently after many painful applications and rejections a friend came through for me and got me a trial day as a chef... Unfortunately I did not perform to the head chefs standards (I was a bit slow, and they were lightning fast), so back to the drawing board it was. After only a couple more applications the same friend rings me and says "Mike we have someone who's leaving on the bar, do you want the position?" I presented this to my parents, I can't say too much because I promised I wouldn't but to cut a story short I am now in Stratford.
There is such a difference when you train with people...
1. Motivation goes through the roof!
2. Boredom factor drops through the floor!
3. The number of missed training days is not worth counting (seriously low)
It is finally sunny in England too! But shhhhhh! You might scare it away...
So life is great, the Giants repairs have not been attempted yet because I have been too busy riding and working but they will get done soon ... eh-hum hopefully :D
That's all for now but I will send photos soon of the new roads and scenery I now train along, soon :D
Well I have moved. Basically I have gone from cycling on my own every day to riding with my old club again :D
Before I started writing this blog I was racing for a club in the West Midlands - Stratford CC. Stratford CC is an awesome club with many friendly members. Unfortunately towards the end of 2011 summer lost my job and by the time Christmas had arrived I had totally run out of money and had to move back home with my parents...
Recently after many painful applications and rejections a friend came through for me and got me a trial day as a chef... Unfortunately I did not perform to the head chefs standards (I was a bit slow, and they were lightning fast), so back to the drawing board it was. After only a couple more applications the same friend rings me and says "Mike we have someone who's leaving on the bar, do you want the position?" I presented this to my parents, I can't say too much because I promised I wouldn't but to cut a story short I am now in Stratford.
There is such a difference when you train with people...
1. Motivation goes through the roof!
2. Boredom factor drops through the floor!
3. The number of missed training days is not worth counting (seriously low)
It is finally sunny in England too! But shhhhhh! You might scare it away...
So life is great, the Giants repairs have not been attempted yet because I have been too busy riding and working but they will get done soon ... eh-hum hopefully :D
That's all for now but I will send photos soon of the new roads and scenery I now train along, soon :D
Saturday 12 May 2012
General thought about how my cycling is going so far
Rubbish, < this word pretty much sums up the season I have been having so far. Excellent will be the word that sums up last quarter of the season, I hope to win at least one race this season, I have picked a road race called GT Ellingworth. The race consists of a 48mile course with rolling hills and a couple of tight sections. The race information can be viewed here in more detail.
I have picked this race because I will have entered a fair few races by this point and become more experienced and hopefully my training will have had chance to shine by this point as well. As for the races I will be entering in between now and then well I will just be entering random races as my living situation is not totally stable at this point in time. I am moving around a fair bit (this also affects training) and if I haven't made a solid living base within the next couple of weeks things are only likely to become more unstable.
I have the problem of sorting the Giant as well which looks like the only reasonable solution is to replace the frame. There's one extremely good reason for this which is, the insurance for the bike only gives fair payouts on broken bikes that are new-ish. Putting a new frame on the Giant means money lost in a crash will be significantly reduced. For now though I am going to repair the frame my self as it is relatively easy to do and I have a thing about other people doing mechanical repairs for me. I guess I just like to know the job is done right, if I do it I only have my self to blame.
I am going to do some re-con on the race this week and see what I am getting my self into. I have been on most if not all the roads before but it would be good to see where the danger spots are and where the breaks will happen so a couple of laps on the actual course would be an advantage.
This is all I have for now... One of my future posts will be possible Giant frame replacements...
Wednesday 9 May 2012
My First Race Day this Year
My first race this year was a criterium race held at Barkstone Heath R.A.F air strip by Spalding CC. My dad even came along to show support and take photos for this post - Thanks Dad :D
So the race consisted of 2/3/4th Cat riders which meant this race would be pretty similar to a lot of the races I did last year and boy did it turn out that way. For the first couple of laps I felt really good, I was following wheels well and riding more comfortably than expected, considering the amount of training I had done leading upto this event. This was only a minor race for me so I didn't allow my self much recovery before the race.
There was two hairpin bends on the course and by the 3rd lap I could feel the lactic acid burning every time I accelerated out of those corners which took me by surprise because I was accelerating a whole lot quicker than everyone else and I wasn't even trying. My main thought at this point was to hang on and go for a sprint at the end, unfortunately on the 4th lap people started falling off the back of the pack. I had my work cut out for me because I had been sat at the back most of the time trying to dodge any trouble that may happen in the 1st lap.
Gaps kept opening as people were blowing up and getting shelled out the back, I knew I had made a dumb move sitting at the back. I had to keep bridging gaps and sprinting to catch up with the pack, finally I managed to get back on, it was no use though I had spent all my energy closing gaps and chasing the pack down. So on the 5th lap it was my turn to get shelled :(
I was gutted but I kept riding round as I knew at some point towards the end we would get lapped and I might be able to gain some more pack riding experience for my big race next weekend. There were four riders behind me now who had all been beaten up by the brutal speed of the main group so I decided to sit up and join them in the hope we might recover and possibly even get back on to the main group again. Some other guy dressed in red (I didn't see any writing on his kit) and me gave a few big efforts to catch back on but we got spent pretty quickly and the 3 other guys didn't look like they had left much in them. So we all worked a little to keep us moving until we got lapped 3 laps before the end (about 8-9 minutes from the end of the race).
We were now back with the pack again and trying desperately to hang on, we all made the mistake of staying at the back once again and the 2 slower guys got spat out really quickly I am not sure what happened to the 3rd guy but he wasn't with us when we joined the pack.
On this course there was 2 hairpin bends at opposite ends of the course and a 90 degree bend that set you up to shoot up a hill and into a really wide 20ft corner marked off by a cone and then into a long straight for the finish.
After only one lap with the pack I found my self getting pinned in on the really wide 20ft bend marked off by a cone at the back of the pack. I took the inside line on a corner and some idiot who was sitting almost shoulder to shoulder with me accelerated and came across my front wheel. There was almost no time for me to react and I was down before I knew what the hell had just happened. I rolled to a stop, realised that I had just crashed and the disappointment set in instantly. I wasn't hurt, but I looked at my lovely TCR and my brand new Ultegra levers and saw it had taken a battering, my carbon wheels looked ok however. After lying on the grass for a few minutes my dad had wandered over from his photo spot and asked me if I was ok.
When I got up to wander back to the car I noticed a nice new crack in my top tube from where the handle bars had spun round and smashed the pretty carbon frame :(
I am really disappointed with the outcome of the race but I have to say that I had a lot of fun bombing round that track and I wouldn't hesitate to go back and try again with more rest.
As for the the TCR, well I shall have my attempt at repairing her and see how it goes... I WILL NOT GIVE IN! :D
So the race consisted of 2/3/4th Cat riders which meant this race would be pretty similar to a lot of the races I did last year and boy did it turn out that way. For the first couple of laps I felt really good, I was following wheels well and riding more comfortably than expected, considering the amount of training I had done leading upto this event. This was only a minor race for me so I didn't allow my self much recovery before the race.
There was two hairpin bends on the course and by the 3rd lap I could feel the lactic acid burning every time I accelerated out of those corners which took me by surprise because I was accelerating a whole lot quicker than everyone else and I wasn't even trying. My main thought at this point was to hang on and go for a sprint at the end, unfortunately on the 4th lap people started falling off the back of the pack. I had my work cut out for me because I had been sat at the back most of the time trying to dodge any trouble that may happen in the 1st lap.
Gaps kept opening as people were blowing up and getting shelled out the back, I knew I had made a dumb move sitting at the back. I had to keep bridging gaps and sprinting to catch up with the pack, finally I managed to get back on, it was no use though I had spent all my energy closing gaps and chasing the pack down. So on the 5th lap it was my turn to get shelled :(
I was gutted but I kept riding round as I knew at some point towards the end we would get lapped and I might be able to gain some more pack riding experience for my big race next weekend. There were four riders behind me now who had all been beaten up by the brutal speed of the main group so I decided to sit up and join them in the hope we might recover and possibly even get back on to the main group again. Some other guy dressed in red (I didn't see any writing on his kit) and me gave a few big efforts to catch back on but we got spent pretty quickly and the 3 other guys didn't look like they had left much in them. So we all worked a little to keep us moving until we got lapped 3 laps before the end (about 8-9 minutes from the end of the race).
We were now back with the pack again and trying desperately to hang on, we all made the mistake of staying at the back once again and the 2 slower guys got spat out really quickly I am not sure what happened to the 3rd guy but he wasn't with us when we joined the pack.
On this course there was 2 hairpin bends at opposite ends of the course and a 90 degree bend that set you up to shoot up a hill and into a really wide 20ft corner marked off by a cone and then into a long straight for the finish.
After only one lap with the pack I found my self getting pinned in on the really wide 20ft bend marked off by a cone at the back of the pack. I took the inside line on a corner and some idiot who was sitting almost shoulder to shoulder with me accelerated and came across my front wheel. There was almost no time for me to react and I was down before I knew what the hell had just happened. I rolled to a stop, realised that I had just crashed and the disappointment set in instantly. I wasn't hurt, but I looked at my lovely TCR and my brand new Ultegra levers and saw it had taken a battering, my carbon wheels looked ok however. After lying on the grass for a few minutes my dad had wandered over from his photo spot and asked me if I was ok.
When I got up to wander back to the car I noticed a nice new crack in my top tube from where the handle bars had spun round and smashed the pretty carbon frame :(
I am really disappointed with the outcome of the race but I have to say that I had a lot of fun bombing round that track and I wouldn't hesitate to go back and try again with more rest.
Its all in the Squeeze
If you have read my last post you will know that I have shown some interest in getting some Carbon Kool Stop brake pads. Kool Stops are supposedly the best brake pads on the market, this is because they sell themselves on;
Something that didn't ever happen for me when I had Shimano Pads was progressive braking, the brakes either felt like they were on or off. When I ride my bike, something that puts the confidence into the way I handle the bike is being able to adjust the speed in which I am slowing down. I feel that this is something Shimano pads 105/Ultegra and Dura Ace (all of which I have used) only allow to happen to a minimal standard. For me this happens because there is no squeeze in the pad, once the brakes are on there is very little give in the lever.
If you ever buy a pair of these pads you will notice the arrow design on them which goes against the direction of the rim, this is to help shed water off the rim so that the lovely soft compound can caress and polish your rims to a nice silent but powerful stop.
- Performance (even when wet)
- Price (extremely affordable)
- Rim Life (Rim friendly pads = Less time with the bike doctor)
I have not actually bought any Kool Stop pads for my carbon rims yet, but what I have done is bought some Kool Stop SALMON (soft compound) pads for my regular training bike which uses alloy rims obviously.
So yer onto the first impressions, not going to waist any time with this one because THEY ARE AWESOME. I didn't in all fairness think that if I changed my pads that they would make my levers feel different. I WAS WRONG, they make a world of difference.
Changes:
- Progressive braking
- Really good performance in the wet
- They make my rims look shiny
 |
| Shimano Pads |
When you stop with a pair of Kool Stops there is a really nice connection that happens between the rim and the pads. One of the first things that I noticed with the Kool Stops was that they are almost silent... Funnily enough this new found silent braking didn't inspire the question, are the brakes on? This was because I could feel that these bad boys were working their wheel stopping magic. They even provide that squeeze I didn't ever get from my Shimano pads, this long missed squeeze gives me confidence because they provide me with an R.P.E (rate of perceived exertion) that tells me if I squeeze my levers with x amount of force then I should stop in x amount of time or distance.
 |
| Kool Stop Pads |
Saturday 28 April 2012
The TCR
So as promised here are some pics and info about my race bike, the one I am using tomorrow for my 35 mile pointless road race. I will get to why it is pointless in another post but for now well shall concentrate on the TCR.
Sorry to break this one to you ladies it is only the TCR Composite which means it is the cheaper one, unfortunately I cannot justify buying a TCR Advanced just yet as I stick by the rule Race what you can afford to replace! That's something I was taught by one of my best mates...!
I will be doing a post on 105 and Ultegra comparison later in the week, so watch out for that!
This is the lovely bike its self! As explained already it has Ultegra throughout and FSA wheels with Vittoria Corsa CR Tubs. This is a Schweet bike and really light too at 7.6Kg. I have just realised
that spacers have not been taken out from the last time I rode it ( I was recovering from a crash and raised the
stem to suit injuries). Basically I broke my collarbone and couldn't reach down properly to ride, this was ages
ago so no excuse to still have it like this...!
Ooops haven't posted for a while
Hi guys, sorry it has been 9 days since my last post. The weather is still no better by the way! So why has it been 9 days? Well short answer is training basically combined with being pretty tired afterwards, ZOMBIE MODE!
My training load is quite high at the minute so I am probably suffering a little bit with over training seeing as yesterday I had blocked sinuses (start of a cold) etc... This is a big sign of over training for me along with feeling down etc... Seeing as I do feel like over training is the issue here I will cut my training down a little, probably put in a second rest day or something.
So what has happened in 9 days?
Well training, training and you guessed it! More training!!! Obviously I have had to clean my bike quite a lot as well because I live in the middle of nowhere, which basically means in the UK that you live in the middle of a bunch of fields with roads going through them.
I actually have my first road race tomorrow as well which I am pretty excited about :D Its only 35 miles which means it will be less that 1hr 30. This is great news for me because I am well suited to shorter distances at faster paces. I am not actually that sure about how well I will do in the race seeing as I have been putting all my training time in to endurance and not going quick for short times. However I am naturally suited to explosive efforts so I should do ok I guess.
Above is a photo of some sheep... I don't honestly know why I am adding this but you can see the types of roads I train down. I also learnt down this road that my sheep scaring sound, sounds like a duck quacking! Yep... I road down this road quacking like a duck to scare the sheep so I didn't hit them! That being said, I find this act far less embarrassing than people asking me "Mike, how did you break your collarbone?" - Response - "Ah, well... Erm, yer!".
Thursday 19 April 2012
Boi OOOOOH Boi Things I missed today
Now these bad boys + hat will keep you warm in disgustingly cold temperatures, I have worn these in -10C and I have been sweating on a gentle ride!!! The key thing they have going for them is they both have Primaloft insulation... I don't know in all fairness what the hell Primaloft is but I know one thing!!! Its is lovely and warm!
Now I left my front door in the UK Lincolnshire today expecting to do a lovely ride (without my lobster gloves) and still be lovely and warm. What happens! It rains! Now in all fairness a little rain I expected but not as much as I got and also the temp dropped really low too!
Lucky me there is a pathway there :D The Pathway was great new BUT! what you can't see from here is the OVERSHOE penetrating, sock filling, flooded mess patch of grass you have to walk on before you got to this god send of a pathway, TALK ABOUT ANNOYING! So I took this photo as I thought there is NO WAY IN HELL that I have just filled up my crappy Specialized shoes in FREEZING cold temperatures with 40Miles left to ride without getting a PHOTO and a story for the blog!
These are the gloves I chose to ware and I recommend them to NO ONE!
I know from previous experience that these gloves FAIL to work below 3C which is rubbish I bought them to replace my old BBB thick winter gloves and they were great (I have no photos but they were great). The temperature today was 4-5C maybe 6C I think and some light showers were expected but nothing serious. So I thought I would give the Lobster bad boys a miss and trust these bringers of cold! The temperature started well then started to drop a little, then the heavens opened and I froze to death for the remainder of the ride! OH CHIBA Gloves, is it time for the bin with you?!
Monday 16 April 2012
Testing Microsoft Word Blog Post Up loader
Ok so I just found a cool feature of Ms Word 2007 which of course is the fact that it can upload to your blog...
So here goes – To see if it can :D
YEAAAAAAA!!!!! It WORKS!!! WOW like that feature V-much, so there you go you just have to create a new document and select blog post when given the option put in your BLOGGER passwords and user info JOBS A Frozen Monkey Pancake :D - OOOPS some weirdness spilled out there but I don't really care ha!
Size Matters
Ok so size matters, and not just the parts of the human body ;D
Why does size matter? What happens if I buy a bike too big or small? - If you have found yourself going for a bike with looks over practicality you are in good company! Loads of people do this and yes it is YOUR fault along with the person who SOLD you the bike, whether you like it or not that's the facts!
However if you are doing some research before buying a bike CONGRATULATIONS you are already smarter than most of the people you will be racing or commuting or sportive riding with!
If you buy a bike too BIG then you will need a shorter stem which will make the steering more twitchy and the pedals a bit if a stretch!
If you buy a bike too SMALL! Then you will need a longer stem which will take feeling and control away from the steering in the sharp corners! You will also need to jack the saddle so high you will look like you are riding a childs bike!
THE RIGHT SIZE! - If you buy a bike the right size you should;
1. Still be able to see the logo on the seat post
2. Have a stem between 100-110mm (General guidelines)
3. Where the saddle connect to the seat post it should be clamped in the middle
4. The bike should feel comfortable and put a tiny arch in your back when riding
5. Make sure you get the right crank lengths so that you can achieve optimal cadence and sustain it! Please use this website of guidelines - http://www.cptips.com/crnklth.htm
That is all I have for now I may come back and add to this but feel free to come to my blog and ask me questions on this in the comments.
I have also posted this at - http://followingthechainline.blogspot.co.uk/p/forum.html Here you will find topics and all sorts of cool things to talk about an ask questions about! I believe this forum has only just started but it looks really good already and has a lot of interesting topics for you guys to discuss.
Why does size matter? What happens if I buy a bike too big or small? - If you have found yourself going for a bike with looks over practicality you are in good company! Loads of people do this and yes it is YOUR fault along with the person who SOLD you the bike, whether you like it or not that's the facts!
However if you are doing some research before buying a bike CONGRATULATIONS you are already smarter than most of the people you will be racing or commuting or sportive riding with!
If you buy a bike too BIG then you will need a shorter stem which will make the steering more twitchy and the pedals a bit if a stretch!
If you buy a bike too SMALL! Then you will need a longer stem which will take feeling and control away from the steering in the sharp corners! You will also need to jack the saddle so high you will look like you are riding a childs bike!
THE RIGHT SIZE! - If you buy a bike the right size you should;
1. Still be able to see the logo on the seat post
2. Have a stem between 100-110mm (General guidelines)
3. Where the saddle connect to the seat post it should be clamped in the middle
4. The bike should feel comfortable and put a tiny arch in your back when riding
5. Make sure you get the right crank lengths so that you can achieve optimal cadence and sustain it! Please use this website of guidelines - http://www.cptips.com/crnklth.htm
That is all I have for now I may come back and add to this but feel free to come to my blog and ask me questions on this in the comments.
I have also posted this at - http://followingthechainline.blogspot.co.uk/p/forum.html Here you will find topics and all sorts of cool things to talk about an ask questions about! I believe this forum has only just started but it looks really good already and has a lot of interesting topics for you guys to discuss.
Thursday 12 April 2012
Back to the Weight Thing - RANT
So as you may have read in the post previous to this one I think I am slightly light and at the same time I don't think I am light enough. I had a nasty reminder yesterday about my weight on a training run which is what prompted me to talk about my weight in yesterdays post. I BONKED/HIT THE WALL/ALMOST BLACKED OUT... What was even more worrying was it was not even a particularly long training ride or intensive to say the least!!!
There has to be a time in a racing cyclists life where they say AM I TOO LIGHT? If you ask your self this question then the answer is probably yes... The clue is the fact you asked your self a leading question!
3KG in one ride!
I can loose 3KG in weight in one ride... This is fine natural and normal. What isn't fine natural and normal is that I don't seem to be able to put the weight back on again! BIG PROBLEM! If you don't put the weight back on before your next session GUESS WHAT! YOUR BODY SHUTS DOWN! Unfortunately for me this happened on a relatively small training ride, but! I am experienced enough to know what happened and where I went wrong. Lots of you others aren't!!!
MY ADVICE - EAT MORE!!! GUESS WHAT MY ADVICE IS TO ME!??! - YOU GOT IT - EAT MORE!!!
What happens if I over-eat? - EAT LESS, get on those scales every morning and weigh your self. Get an idea of what weight is...! If you don't see your self going up and down in those pounds everyday then you will have no idea how much to EAT!!! COMMON MISTAKE!!!
OK so having successfully turned my weight issues into a RANT/Self help load! I think I will call it a night...
- Told you I was weird!
- Stay away from the cheeseburgers!
- Cycle and BE FREE!!! < "what a weirdo" "who says that on a blog!"
As Promised More about Me and Cycling
OK so on my bike I spend a huge amount of time in my head thinking about various things such as what my goals are in life and what my goals are with cycling...
THEY BOTH SEEM TO BE THE SAME THING... My life basically is cycling and I have only really realised this in the past year or so. Everything I do weather it is work, eating, sleeping or thinking dreaming etc, is all towards cycling. I don't even bother reading non cycling magazines or books anymore. EVERYTHING IS CYCLING, and CYCLING IS EVERYTHING TO ME!!! Take it away and there isn't much in the world.
OK so you have the view now that I have a pretty strong attraction/obsession towards the cycling life/sport, and obviously you are 100% correct. You are also probably thinking 'Damn why doesn't this dude get a girlfriend'. Well there is a simple answer to that as well, GIRLS DO NOT INTEREST ME! NO I AM NOT GAY! (I don't care about sexuality in others I just to care to be judged before I am known)
At this point in my life I see girls as a 100% distraction from my sport, to the point where I CANNOT talk to a girl without thinking that if I asked her out on a date it would develop and distract me from cycling and I will miss my window to becoming something that I want to be - PRO.
I AM NOT A PRO CYCLIST yet, I don't think that I could be TOUR DE FRANCE good but I do think that I could be PRO based on what I have seen in racing so far. The trouble is with being Tour De France good is that it really does require that massive edge which I most definitely have physically (there is NO SHADOW OF A DOUBT in my mind about that). What I don't have is consistency to train, without consistency in the PRO cycling world you are and you have NOTHING! This is especially true in the Tour PRO's.
Well I shall stop rambling about training and consistency for now and ramble about something else... If you want to know more about training you will need to pick up a training book or watch some you tube videos and then pick up a book when you realise how useless MOST of the You Tube Vids are.
WHY DID YOU PICK CYCLING?
I picked cycling probably for the same reason many of you reading this blog have picked cycling, IT SET ME FREE.
Cycling literally set me free when I was younger. If my parents were pissing me off I would go hop on my little mountain bike for a blast round the village. If I wanted to go exploring then I would go off on my trusty steel steed (unfortunately I have no photos of me when I was younger or my bikes) but yer cycling did set me free.
Why is cycling so popular?
There are 3 things that I can think of here;
THEY BOTH SEEM TO BE THE SAME THING... My life basically is cycling and I have only really realised this in the past year or so. Everything I do weather it is work, eating, sleeping or thinking dreaming etc, is all towards cycling. I don't even bother reading non cycling magazines or books anymore. EVERYTHING IS CYCLING, and CYCLING IS EVERYTHING TO ME!!! Take it away and there isn't much in the world.
OK so you have the view now that I have a pretty strong attraction/obsession towards the cycling life/sport, and obviously you are 100% correct. You are also probably thinking 'Damn why doesn't this dude get a girlfriend'. Well there is a simple answer to that as well, GIRLS DO NOT INTEREST ME! NO I AM NOT GAY! (I don't care about sexuality in others I just to care to be judged before I am known)
At this point in my life I see girls as a 100% distraction from my sport, to the point where I CANNOT talk to a girl without thinking that if I asked her out on a date it would develop and distract me from cycling and I will miss my window to becoming something that I want to be - PRO.
I AM NOT A PRO CYCLIST yet, I don't think that I could be TOUR DE FRANCE good but I do think that I could be PRO based on what I have seen in racing so far. The trouble is with being Tour De France good is that it really does require that massive edge which I most definitely have physically (there is NO SHADOW OF A DOUBT in my mind about that). What I don't have is consistency to train, without consistency in the PRO cycling world you are and you have NOTHING! This is especially true in the Tour PRO's.
Well I shall stop rambling about training and consistency for now and ramble about something else... If you want to know more about training you will need to pick up a training book or watch some you tube videos and then pick up a book when you realise how useless MOST of the You Tube Vids are.
WHY DID YOU PICK CYCLING?
I picked cycling probably for the same reason many of you reading this blog have picked cycling, IT SET ME FREE.
Cycling literally set me free when I was younger. If my parents were pissing me off I would go hop on my little mountain bike for a blast round the village. If I wanted to go exploring then I would go off on my trusty steel steed (unfortunately I have no photos of me when I was younger or my bikes) but yer cycling did set me free.
Why is cycling so popular?
There are 3 things that I can think of here;
- Cycling is awesome
- LANCE ARMSTRONG
- Childhood memories/buried feelings
Wednesday 11 April 2012
Me
Hi I am Mikey...
I weigh 57.5Kg and I am 5ft7" and I am a little weird
Me
I don't think I am particularly weird looking as you may get to see (photo maybe - if I feel brave one day) at some point during my posts. I just think that my personality can sometimes be a little off compared to others of my age group.
Weight
Now being a weight of 57kg at my height isn't particularly light for a cyclist if I am honest and if I am even more honest, it is just far to light for me... I need to be around 59Kg otherwise I tend to run out of energy on the longer training rides.
Coaching
So far this year I have not competed at all, I messed up the winter and didn't really train a whole lot and what little training I did do was all in level 1. However over the next 6-7 weeks I am in the process of playing catch up with the rest of my peers. I am already 4weeks into a training program (self prepared) - in other words I am a self coached cyclist. Being a self coached cyclist has its advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
Equipment
So this is my bike...
Anyways I am pretty much done talking about Me + Equipment tonight so I am gonna post this and get some sleep and hopefully during the day time tomorrow, post another that continues this post :D
I weigh 57.5Kg and I am 5ft7" and I am a little weird
Me
I don't think I am particularly weird looking as you may get to see (photo maybe - if I feel brave one day) at some point during my posts. I just think that my personality can sometimes be a little off compared to others of my age group.
Weight
Now being a weight of 57kg at my height isn't particularly light for a cyclist if I am honest and if I am even more honest, it is just far to light for me... I need to be around 59Kg otherwise I tend to run out of energy on the longer training rides.
Coaching
So far this year I have not competed at all, I messed up the winter and didn't really train a whole lot and what little training I did do was all in level 1. However over the next 6-7 weeks I am in the process of playing catch up with the rest of my peers. I am already 4weeks into a training program (self prepared) - in other words I am a self coached cyclist. Being a self coached cyclist has its advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
- Understand the coaching your self
- Cut the risk of burnout
- Seeing as your the coach better communication between you and coach
- Both you and coach understand what you mean when you give an R.P.E figure (Rate of Perceived Exertion)
- If the info you consume is correct better quality of training when used properly
- Seeing things from a cyclist and a coach point of view at the same time can be confusing
- Reading the coaching materials
- Understanding good and bad training
Equipment
So this is my bike...
It has 105 throughout, Ultegra wheels and Schwalbe Blizzard tyres. The bike is by far the best training bike I have had to date or even ridden, and what is even better is I built her my self :D
Doo Notice how I said TRAINING BIKE this bike will not go round corners like my Giant TCR (photos to come) so I leave the Forme as my training bike and the TCR as my race bike.
BYE 4 NOW...
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