50mph Winds... Check. Flooding... Check.

Well then.  My planned decision to wuss out on riding the Wiggle Ups and Downs Sportive has been taken out of hands.

Given the truly terrible weather, a very wise decision!

Wiggle Ups & Downs Sportive 2012 Likely to be Shortened....

With the weather this weekend looking mightily hideous (massive amounts of rain, hail, sleet and a bitter wind), there's a very good chance I'll give the event a miss.

Of course I can hear the calls at the back of the room telling me to get my ass out on the road, that the conditions might be like that on the day of La Marmotte and that all in all, I'm being a big girl about the whole thing.

Well perhaps. 

In my defence it seems highly likely the event will be shortened down to a 75 miler rather than the century.  As the good people of wiggle put it:

Thank-you for entering the Wiggle Ups & Downs Sportive. Current weather reports indicate conditions will be very poor with heavy rain & wind expected.

For your safety, it's more than likely that the Epic 100 Mile course will be shortened to Standard 70 Mile course.

In this case, I feel excused to sit for 6 or so hours on the turbo with my TV for company.

Extreme Turbo Action - 5 Hours & 100 + Miles

Like many others, I awoke yesterday to leaden grey skies, blustery gales and rain.  Lots and lots of rain.

While my training plan demanded a 5 hour ride, I really wasn’t in the mood to head off out into the Berkshire Countryside for a freezing cold drenching.  Instead I opted to complete the session on the turbo in the front room while watching the TV.

Some would argue this a cop out although in many ways I’ve always found these type of sessions to be as hard, if not harder, then getting out onto the road due to the lack of freewheeling opportunities.  Besides, if like me you train with a power meter,  these type of sessions remove the stochastic nature of power production within cycling and therefore offers the perfect opportunity for dialling into the specific wattage needed to develop what ever aspect of physiological adaptation the rider (ie me) is looking to boost.

So ride the turbo I did.  For a little over 5 hours with only the Grand Prix, The London Marathon and my iPod for company.

Above: My View for 5 Hours

Above: Ride Supplies

Above: The Workout - Watts and Times

If I’m honest, I really enjoyed the session.  The sense of achievement in riding 5 hours and over 160kms indoors is something I’m rather proud of.  It was a tough session too with me mixing up riding within the endurance, tempo and by pulling out a classic 3 x 20mins sweet spot effort. 

Above: WKO+ Analysis of the 5 Hour Turbo Session

Of course, in retrospect I should have dragged my backside out into the rain.  What if come July 7^th the day brings rain and winds rather than the warmth I’m hoping for?  No doubt it’s better to have ridden and trained in such situations that be unaccustomed to it on race day.

Ride Details:

- Time in Saddle: 5 hours
- Distance: 165.4 kms
- TSS: 267.8
- Norm Power: 231

Wiggle Ups & Downs Sportive Preview - April 29th '12

Having seemingly recovered well enough from my recent bout of mystery illness its high time I got to thinking about my second organised Sportive of the year.

The less said about my first outing of the year the better where I failed to finish the Kentish Killer due in the entirety to missing a number of direction signs along the way.

Hopefully this time things will be different as the event, the Ups & Downs is organised by Wiggle, the online retailer who know a thing or two about good organisation and by the looks of things these chaps also know a good and clear direction sign when they see one......

Above: Now that should be hard to miss....

In truth, I'm really looking forward to this ride in and around the Surrey Hills and North Downs. The profile looks reasonably challenging and the scenery should take the mind off the pain in the lungs and legs.

Above: Ups & Downs 160km profile

 Fingers crossed for good weather.  Naturally I'll post a follow up report in a week or so.

A Momentary Set Back

For the the most part, I've been really quite happy with how the training has gone thus far in the run up to this year's La Marmotte.

Without in anyway wishing to jinx things, I've been, for me at least, remarkably free from illness and injury over the past six or so months. This is in stark contrast to a few years ago when during my Etape adventure when I seemed to fall ill or get injured on at least a bi-weekly basis.

What's even more interesting is that I've taken a far more serious approach to La Marmotte than I did the Etape. By this of course I mean I've trained harder, with more intensity but also using a power meter so I've been able to accurately gauge my efforts rather than relying on heart rate data with all those inherent and associated issues I've covered earlier in this blog.

Additionally I've been more serious in my diet and all round general health care. Lots of fruit, veg and plenty of sleep which I'm sure has helped me recover far better than my sessions for the 2010 Etape.

So forgive me my one and only reader if I have a little moan......

By Thursday evening of last week (12th April '12) I was feeling really, really sick. I had completed a 90min Sweet Spot session over an extended lunch time and not too long after felt a little queasy. Not long after cam a series of hot flushes as did a growing and building feeling of nausea. Within an hour of finishing my work-out and having showered and eaten I was tucked up in bed with all of the above symptoms and with a 39.4 degree temperature.

Man I felt rough.

And that's pretty much how things continued until mid afternoon on the Saturday when I began to feel a little better with the temperature dropping and with me feeling like I could eat something without seeing it again some 10 mins later.

Of course this meant last week was essentially over training wise come the Thursday. I was feeling well enough on the Sunday to sit on the rollers for a gentle 3 hour spin although I had hoped to rip up last weekend with a good 8 or 9 hours in the saddle.

Still. Clearly things weren't going too well with my insides and no doubt my body did what it did for a reason. Unlike me I doubt it can be intentionally a stubborn bugger....

Mimicking an Alpe on the Turbo

While there are a few testing little hills around my local area, like many and most parts of the UK there's very little that comes anywhere near close to resembling the climbs found on La Marmotte.

Sure, my local hills can be hard, but 16% over a little under 1 km really doesn't cut it training wise.

To make amends, I've "built" a subtle contraption from a bike riser and a Wiggle box stuffed with out dated Yello Pages.  Stick the bike in the turbo and on the riser, crank up the resistance and away you go......

So How is that FTP Doing?

Re-testing Re-testing

Back in early Feb in my first FTP test of the year, I managed a score of 298 watts which gave me a watts / kg ratio of 4.32.  Not great but not too bad either.

While the past few months haven't been aimed at increasing this FTP figure, rather in building an aerobic base, I decided I'd adapt one of my sessions to just to see if anything had changed and if I should adapt my training accordingly.

A 1 hour 30 min session which should have been a mix of Zone 2 and Zone 3 (endurance & tempo) became a session that gradually built towards a 20 min time trial - ie an FTP test. 

The Results

The image below shows the session (from the 5th April '12) in its entirety.  I've highlighted the 20 min time trial which shows I averaged 333 watts over the period of the test.

Above: Data from my 2nd FTP test of the year

All of this suggests I've upped my FTP to 316 watts (95% of the 20 min test period) which gives me a new watts / kg of 4.57, a 6.04% increase over a two month period.

Naturally I'm really pleased since I've not really been training to up this figure, all that is yet to come over the next 13 or so weeks.

Perhaps I can get this number closer to 330 over the next 60 or so days and then maintain it into July while at the same time dropping a few more kgs off the tummy.

A watts / kg ratio of 5.0 really would have a nice ring to it......

Velocity A23 Wheel Review - Strada Handbuilt Wheels

Note: This is a follow up post on my recent Velocity A23 wheel set purchase and build from Strada Handbuilt Wheels.  If anyone is interested in looking over a view unboxing pics then please, head over in this direction.

Summary

To cut a long story to something shorter, I’m highly impressed with these wheels and their associated build.  In fact I’m willing to go a little bit further.  These A23’s are the best feeling and most comfortable clinchers I’ve ever ridden.  For me, they are an ideal if not the perfect choice for everyday training, racing and Sportive riding.

The Build

Perhaps the most obvious and well known product for people looking for a wider than normal rim would be something from within the HED Ardennes range which have been around for a good number of years and are generally well respected and thought after.  In truth I was quite ready to pull the plug on a set of these wheels before a work colleague suggested I could have a bespoke made to measure build for a similar price.  This got me thinking….

After a few evenings trawling through Google, bike magazines and the usual Internet Forums I found myself on a phone call with Strada discussing the A23 rim and what sort of build would be most appropriate for me.   We discussed my weight (69kgs), riding style and likely riding scenarios which in this case was a wheel set for every occasion built around using a PowerTap rear hub that I would be supplying.

Above: My Canyon Ultimate AL '11 with the A23's

Having discussed the many available build options (see the web site for more details) we opted for using a 20 hole PMP front (solid & reliable for the cost) with a 24 hole PowerTap rear laced to the A23 rim with black Sapim CX spokes (for strength and aerodynamic benefits).  This all came out at a grand total of 1,556 g which I'm more than happy with.

The Ride

From out of the box I fitted the A23s with a pair of Continental Gator Skins paired with a set of standard Continental inner tubes.  Taking to the road it became immediately  apparent how comfortable and smooth the ride felt. 

My winter bike, a Canyon Ultimate Al, with its aluminium frame usually offers somewhat of a firm ride over our rutted British roads although shod with the A23s it offered a totally different experience.  With my previous wheels, a set of Mavic factory standards, any ride over 4 or so hours had me feeling I’d done as much and yet with the A23s I’ve managed 4, 5 and even a 6 hour trip around what seemed most of Berkshire without getting the bodily soreness I would have previously expected.

Through a little bit of experimentation and advice from Strada, I settled on using 85 – 90 psi which is far lower than the 110psi minimum I would tend to use with my narrower rims.  Perhaps naturally I spent the first few rides a little worried that running the wheels on this relatively low pressure would up the risk of pinch flats.  Thankfully thus far I’ve been puncture free so such fears have been thus far allayed. (edit - 1st such pinch flat took place on the 8/4/12...... typical)

In addition to the improvements in comfort, there’s a noticeable increase in my perception of how much grip I have while cornering.  I’ll put this down to the wider rim offering a greater surface area between the tyre and the road which in turn has made me faster and more confident tackling the few longish sweeping descents close to home. 

In particular, close to home there’s a section of road with a 1km decent with a nasty left to right hander with a gradient of 8%.  Usually as a safety precaution I’d tackle this bit of road with fingers on the brakes.  Not so with the A23s which gave me the confidence to roll through the turns without any such worry.

As the weather and road conditions  improved I ditched the Gator Skins for a couple of longish Sunday rides with the  A23s coupled to a set of Continental 4000s and a pair of latex tubes.  Put simply, the ride with such a setup is incredible.  Fast, smooth, comfortable and bucket loads of grip.

With rims offering this level of experience, I’m starting to wonder I’ll ever seriously consider using tubs as these A23s seem to offset most of the supposed benefits they offer while giving the ease of use we all know and love about clinchers.

Tough Week Gone By...

This weeks numbers clearly show that with less than 100 days to go I'm ramping things up:

TSS: 557
Time in saddle: 10 hrs 16 mins
Distance: 362 kms

Without in any way wanting to put a jinx on things is how great I've felt through each session and how I feel at the end of the week.

Naturally this is really good for my confidence as I'm feeling strong, fit and healthy and have been able to get the hours and distance under the belt though and demanding working week.

Hopefully the next few weeks will go as well as this one before we move into a recovery week and then another FTP test.

I'm looking forward to that.