Epilogue - A Trip up the Alpe

Note: This is liable to be my final wrap up post on what became my non ride of the 2012 Marmotte Sportive.  I’ve very much enjoyed writing the blog and have been wonderfully surprised by the numbers of people who have taken an interest in my ramblings. 

A big thanks to you all.

My Non Ride of La Marmotte

So as I’ve already documented, injury forced me to pull out of this years event.  Of course, I was and remain disappointed at such an occurrence given the effort I’d put into the overall preparation but still, bones heal and I’ll live to ride another day. 

Above: GPS info for my ride up the Alpe

While I might not have made it to the start line, I made it to the Alpe and ground my way up its 21 bends in brilliant sunshine on the morning of the main event.  

Above: "Done it"

Above: Alpe D'Huez final turn

Above: Alpe D'Huez final turn Panorama

While pain limited me to being unable to get out of the saddle and pull on the bars, I managed to scale the climb in a little over 53mins, a time I’m rather happy with. 

Next year.  There’s always next year.

Time to Go

So then.  I’m all packed and ready to make the trip to Folkestone to catch the Euro Tunnel.  The bike is boxed up and safely nestled in the car alongside too many clothes and a bunch of other stuff I’m highly unlikely to use.

While my broken collar bone will prevent me from riding this year’s Marmotte.  I’m certain it’s healed enough for me to at least have a stab at getting up to the top of the Alpe D’Huez.  Sure, it’s going to hurt and there’s no way I’ll be getting out of the saddle at any point to pull on those bars – TaylorHamilton way back in 2003, most certainly I’m not.

A good luck and a safe day to everyone riding this weekend (July 7^th).  I’m planning to make my way up to the finish to cheer and applaud as many as I can.

More Pasta Anyone?

And no, in this instance I'm not going on about the copious amounts of carbo loading that many people riding the Marmotte are likely to be undertaking as we get to the pointy end of the taper.

I'm fresh off a flight from Italy where I decided to spend a long weekend with Mrs T and my toddler son.  I left Italy in beautiful sunshine with the thermometer hitting 38 degrees and now find myself in temperatures of around half that with much of the UK under water though flooding.

Above: An Italian View

But never mind.  In a few days Mrs T and I are planning to load up the car and make our way down to the Alpe.  While my injured collar bone is healing nicely, there's no way I'm able to ride this years event.  The best I'm hoping for is a gentle (if that's at all possible) ascent of the D'Huez just to say I did it.

I'm planning to have a go at the 21 bends on Thursday 5th July.  No doubt I'll drop a little post or two along the way.

Hope everyone traveling has a safe trip.

A few Training Stats

Since injury will force me to miss this years Marmotte, I’m planning on winding down this blog over the next few weeks or so.  As per my previous post, I’m still intending to travel to the event if anything to use the time as a little R&R with Mrs T who has been so good with me over the past few months. 

The half finished Journey

Perhaps unwisely, I made the 2012 edition of La Marmotte my primary and only real event for the year which means I’ve nothing race wise to fall back on.  While I originally stated I was looking to achieve a gold time, I was secretly hoping for something far faster and to finish towards the pointy end of the field.  Something perhaps in the 7.15 – 7.30  hours sort of a time frame. 

While a tad arrogant, given my numbers and power to weight ratio I think this sort of time would have been doable were everything to have gone well on the day. 

Of course.  I’ll never know.  Or not at least this year.  I may return to the event in 2013 although it wont be my A1 all eggs in one basket sort of a thing.  I’m certainly planning on doing a few other things and will definitely look at some of the ultra endurance distance events within the Tri or Running world.  Perhaps I’ll make a few decisions while sitting in a café at the top of the Alpe on 7^th July.

Tale of the Tape

For anyone interested, here’s a rundown of the cumulative times and distances I’ve ridden during the course of this blog:

Oct ’11 – 14hrs 26mins – 480kms

Nov ’11 – 24hrs 15mins – 830kms

Dec ’11 – 26hrs 12mins – 855kms

Jan ’12 – 27hrs 9mins – 965kms

Feb ’12 – 23hrs 12mins – 743kms

Mar ’12 – 31hrs 10mins – 985kms

Apr ’12 – 41hrs 31mins – 1378kms

May ’12 – 44hrs 16mins – 1329kms

Jun ’12 – 5hrs 12 mins – 115kms

Totals – 237hrs 23mins – 6,930kms (4,306 miles)

That's What we call a Show Stopper

“There are two types of cyclists.  Those that have crashed, and those that are going to crash”

I’ve heard this phrase quite a few times from riders with far more experience and miles in their legs than I.  For the most part, I’ve fallen into the latter category.  Until this weekend just past.

A wet road.  A wet pedestrian crossing.  A little tumble.  A broken collar bone.

Thankfully it’s a simple break so there’s no need for it to be pinned although with 3 and a bit weeks to go I’ll not be riding this year’s Marmotte.

I still intend to travel and hope at the very least to be healed enough to ride up the Alpe. 

Perhaps another year.  Perhaps another sport.

A Classic 3 x 20 min Sweet Spot Session

Note: This post draws from Training & Racing With a Power Meter - 2nd Edition by Hunter Allen & Andrew Coggan.  Brillinat book.  Seek, buy and read.

Having spent the winter and the early part of this year building upon my aerobic base, much of this part of the training cycle for La Marmotte is aimed to help build upon my Functional Threshold Power (FTP) - in short, the bigger the number... the better.

To this end I'm spending a fair bit of training time within the Sub Threshold or the "Sweet Spot" aspect of my power profile.  This equates to roughly 88 - 94% of my FTP and is essentially on the verge of the top end tempo and bottom end lactate threshold levels.

While the hours spent at this level are not going to improve my VO2 Max or Anaerobic Capacity, it should help stimulate the bodily adaptations and improvements needed to spend the best part of half a day going over four mightily large mountains come the early part of July.

The graph below taken from my WKO+ shows one of these types of sessions, a classic 3 x 20 min interval ride on the turbo with 10 mins easy spin between each set.

Above: Classic Sweet Spot Session taken from WKO+

For each interval I had planned to stay within a steady wattage range of 278 - 294 - I wasn't bothered about speed, heart rate or cadence.  So, how did the session go?

Interval 1) - Ave Watts: 284

Interval 2) - Ave Watts: 287

Interval 3) - Ave Watts: 286

Perhaps naturally I was really pleased with this workout.  Each of the intervals were well within the limits I'd set for myself and I finished each set feeling strong and fresh.

Hopefully a few more of these over the next few weeks will help me "fly" come July 7th.

Weekend Away…. Cancelled

Sadly I didn’t make it to Bournemouth this weekend for the Wiggle Sportive.  A poorly toddler coupled with a resulting sleepless Friday night meant I chose to stay close to home come the Sunday.  Naturally I was disappointed to miss the ride although I was still able to get out and stretch the legs come the Sunday afternoon.

Hopefully I’ll be able to make the Wiggle Magnificat ride this coming Sunday (June 3^rd).  While coming in at 127 miles is probably a little too long it should give me a psychological view of what it’s like to ride for 7 hours plus.  Something I’m certain to do come the main event in a few weeks time.

Perhaps I’ll see you there?

A Weekend Trip to Bournemouth

Sunshine.  Dusk to dawn wall to wall flipping beautiful sunshine.

Perhaps it’s only me but I’m quite certain the mood in the office has certainly lifted over the past few days with plenty of smiles and perhaps even a hint of laughter wafting over the PC monitors.

This weekend sees me head down to the British Sea Side town of  Bournemouth for one of the Wiggle Super Series Sportive events.   I’m looking forward to it.  The weather looks warmish and the route is shaping up to give my legs a nice workout.  Nothing too strenuous but long enough to help build upon the work I’ve been doing over these past few months.

I had planned to ride a few more of these type of events although for the most part I’ve opted to ride the longer distances within a small group or by on my lonesome. 

While I enjoy sportive riding I’ll be honest and admit there’s a safety element that does concern me.  I’m not too bothered with other cyclists antics (although sometimes the standard of riding can be a little questionable) I do get concerned with the heady mix of 750+ cyclists and what this sometimes does to the odd car driver…..

I’ll report back over the weekend.  Safe riding everyone!

Sunscreen Anyone?

After the grey skies and rain of the weekend just past, what a difference a few days make?

Yesterday and today I hit the road in short sleeves!  No arm or leg warmers and no rain mac in the back pocket either.  Flipping brilliant!

Todays ride was a simple out and back for 90 mins at a brisk pace within my top end endurance and low end tempo zones or roughly 250 watts. 

Up at 5am and out the door half an hour later onto almost empty back roads around Newbury, Yattendon and a few other places within the Berkshire countryside.  Today everything on the ride just clicked. 

My legs felt strong with smooth pedal stroke pushing over the barrel at the top and wiping the mud off the shoes at the bottom.

Even the early rising car drivers were on form this morning with nobody cutting me up or trying to stick me into a hedge.

In the words of the warrior poet Mr Ice Cube ..... today was a good day.

6 Weeks and Counting

With only 6 more Saturdays to go until this years La Marmotte , we’re certainly heading towards the pointy end of the training cycle.

Like no doubt many others taking up the challenge this July, my past weekend was spent out on the bike in the cold and grey English summer.  Despite the greyness and occasional rain shower, I had a really great time with a 2 hour there and back ride on the Saturday and a 5 hour century ride on the Sunday.

For the most part, I’m quietly confident of how things should turn out on the day.  A gold time should be well within reach although of course there are many things that could happen in the run up to, or on the day itself to scupper such plans. 

More of such things to follow….

My Fave Pre Ride Foodage – Eggs & Pasta

Today sees a very quick post and one that shares my all-time favourite pre long ride meal. It’s a simple variation on the classic eggs and rice dish that cyclists and other endurance athletes have been eating for years.

Ingredients:

• 50gms of Orzo or Rice
• 2 fresh eggs
• A handful of black olives (stones removed)
• Fresh Basil for garnish
• Soy Sauce
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper to Season

Method:

Add the pasta or rice to boiling salted water and cook according to the guidance on the packets.

While the pasta cooks, add the seasoned eggs and olives to a pre heated frying pan coated with a thin film of olive oil and scramble the mixture with a fork or wooden spoon according to your taste.

Once the eggs and pasta are cooked, combine the two together on a plate before adding a dash of Soy Sauce and basil to garnish.

Enjoy!

Above: Orzo, Scrambled Eggs & Olives.  Tastes Better than it looks!

Inspired by recipes from within The Feed Zone Cookbook –Biju Thomas & Allen Lim

A Weekend Spent in the Hedgerows of Berkshire

Hello Sun!  Welcome Back!

Last week found me having a really good old British moan about the dull grey and rainy weather we all seem to be having here in the UK.  After all, we’re in the middle of May and I really cant recall a run of weather this poor, this grey and this rainy for many years.

Thankfully things were pretty much all change over this past weekend with sunshine and warmish ambient temperatures from the Friday afternoon to the Sunday early evening. 

Like many others I took the chance to actually get outside and do some riding  in the Berkshire hills away from the turbo which of course made for a welcome change.  Sadly some other annoyance made an unwelcome return which pretty much ruined all three of my rides over the weekend.

Three Rides & 5 Punctures.

Yep.  That’s quite correct. 

This weekend found me getting 5 punctures over the course of 3 rides – I never thought that possible….  Interestingly and perhaps a measure of the rubbish that’s found its way onto the roads over the past few weeks of poor weather only one of these flats came from a pinch.  The other 4 were from bits of flint getting through the tyre or in the worst case (see pic below) a stone had ripped open the sidewall of the tyre.

Above: Front Tyre Ripped Sidewall.  40 - 0 kms/h in secs

This no doubt was one of the most scary things that has happen to me on the bike for some time.  I didn’t see whatever it was that caused the tear although I certainly heard the bang and hissing noise as the front inner tube deflated in a matter of seconds.  This brought me to rapid and very undignified stop in the middle of a narrow little country lane with high hedgerow either side leaving me somewhat exposed as I figured a way out of the predicament.

Upon inspection it quickly dawned on me that my tyre with its ripped sidewall was pretty much toast and I’d have to work out a quick fix to be able to ride the bike home.  Up stepped a used Torq nutrition bar which I inserted into the cavity between a new inner tube and the tyre.  Upon reflation the wrapper made a suitable, if a little fragile, seal against the tube being exposed to other ride side debris and from the rim itself which would probably have caused a pinch flat had I tried to ride the bike home.

As it was, I made it back the 35 mins home without further incident which certainly offset the moodiness of getting the puncture in the first place.

As for the 4 other punctures I had over the weekend, well those are altogether different stories and ones I’m certainly not going to bore anyone with…. For now at least.

I’ll be off to buy a few more inner tubes and CO2 canisters……….

TIme To Rest Up

Note: This is a follow up post to one from earlier in the week that discussed a somewhat hard training session that took me deep into the red.

A coach once told me something I’ve never forgotten - "If you’re still feeling a training session in the legs after 48 hours, then your either doing something wrong or doing too much."

In my case, I suspect it’s the latter. 

The session from last Sunday has really taken it out of me.  My legs are still sore and I’m struggling to produce enough power to stay within a tempo session for more than 20 mins Clearly there is something not quite right going on so I’ve decided, against my normal judgement, to take two complete days off the bike.

When I should be training, I’m going to have my feet up and my nose in a good book.  Hopefully this should help recharge the batteries and let me be fit(ish) for the weekend long rides. 

I know this years La Marmotte is only a bike ride and yet for me it's a whole lot more and something I've worked really hard at for more than half a year.  With only 8 and a bit weeks to go I cant really afford to take any risks.

Can we Have Some Sun Please?

As I type, another long British Bank Holiday weekend spent under grey clouds and rain rapidly draws to a close.  For goodness sakes, I know this is the UK.  I know the weather here is more often rubbish than balmy and yet please, could we have at least a few days of temperatures into the teens with perhaps the odd hour or two of sunshine? 


Really, is that too much to ask for?  At least there's plenty of Snooker to take the mind of it.....

Anyway, I digress.  The last week was the forth in the monthly cycle which for me meant a week spent "recovering".  Perhaps I use such a word a little too lightly as I still managed to get a good nine or so hours into the legs.  What set this past week apart from the previous three was the reduction in overall intensity and a reduced long ride come the weekend.  As it turns out, this was more than welcome.

Given the horrid weather, I opted to get on the turbo for the weekly long ride and somehow I managed to mess the rides nutrition by failing to drink or eat enough during the session.  For some reason I failed to abide by my normal mantra of eating every half an hour and drinking every ten mins which had my head spinning and legs cramping after a little more than three and a half hours.

Lesson learned.  Thankfully I was riding in my front room rather than a few miles from home or lets say half way round La Marmotte. 

The post rides symptoms of dehydration were clear.  A white tongue.  A loss of 2kgs in body weight and a raised body temp nudging 39 degrees. 

Stupid.  Very stupid.

Above: A fetching salt ring around my bib shorts....

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......