Big May
Finished off the month with a 141km ride to Surrey and 2,400m of climbing. Legs felt absolutely shot immediately following my trip to France. Managed 10 ascents of Box Hill, plus Ranmore, a new PB on Staple Lane and a quick zip up the 10% of Crocknorth Rd.
Stats for May:
Time on bike: 43hrs 59mins (41hrs 23mins on the road)
Distance cycled: 1,028km (938km on the road)
Total climbing: 15,555m
To say I'm pleased with that is an understatement
Saturday 31 May 2014
Thursday 29 May 2014
Return To The Windy Mountain
We flew into Marseille on Sunday where I had intended to get on the bike as soon as I arrived and ascend the Mont Ventoux. Unfortunately this was scuppered by our plane breaking down as we taxied away from the stand, meaning that we were delayed by 4 hours.
When we finally arrived, we were picked up by Jerry from VeloVentoux and set off into the heart of Provence. Upon sighting the Ventoux, Emily was sure that it looked bigger than last year (although we were later to find that it had shrunk by a metre!)
With my planned ride scuppered, I headed out with Emily and Jerry for a leg-loosener of 32km, which finished with a blast up the 9 hairpins of the Col de Propiac.
500m climbed and a great introduction into the week ahead. Arrived back at the lovely guesthouse to meet our fellow cyclists for the week - a fantastic bunch which included Team Sky's number one fan Rusty Morris:
Day two took us on a 80km ride around Provence, which included the climbs of the Col de Fontaube, Col d'Aulan and another crack at the Propiac. 1,100m climbed and everyone was raring to go for the big one the next day. Fuelling came courtesy of the pizza van parked at the end of the VeloVentoux driveway, and a huge bowl of pasta made by Vicky. Lots of nervous excitement around the table that night!
Day 3 - Cingles du Mont Ventoux
After a fitful nights sleep, we were up at 6am for a huge breakfast before rolling out in a notably quiet group in the direction of Bedoin, the start of the most famous and arguably hardest route up Mont Ventoux.
When attempting to complete the Cingles challenge (ascending all 3 routes of the Ventoux in a single day), evidence of your achievement comes in the form of a small card which you need to get stamped at the 3 towns at the bottom of each ascent, and once in the shop at the top.
Finding somewhere in France that is open at 8am that will stamp your card can be tricky, but eventually the surly proprietor of the local tabac obliged us and we were away. We set off in good spirits, and hopeful that the mist covering the deforested top of the mountain would disappear before we got there.
I climbed well, and eased my way through the tough forested section. At the end of this you reach Chalet Reynard, where you are exposed to the elements. For me this meant freezing fog and a Mistral wind in the region of 50-60km/h. The headwind was brutal and almost blew me backwards on a couple of occasions, the fog meant that I could only see the 5 metres of tarmac in front of me, and the cold made my fingers go numb even though the blood was pumping hard from the effort of climbing.
I dug deep and kept going, practically crawling past the memorial to Tom Simpson with 1km to go. Eventually I rounded the final hairpin and crested the summit. I quickly checked in with our support van to fill my bidons and grab some food, then it was over the other side for the descent to Malaucene. This was the worst part of the entire ride - the wind blew the bike across the road, the lack of visibility made any sort of speed very dangerous, and the cold made my fingers so numb that I had no feel for the brakes, it was impossible to change gear and it brought on searing cramps in my tired legs.
It did get warmer as I got lower down the mountain, but I was still shivering when I got to Malaucene to get my card stamped. It was tough to turn straight back around and head upwards once more, and I resolved to just spinning in granny-gear to try to clear the lactic acid in my legs. Halfway up I began to feel really weak, and realising that the banana I'd eaten after the first ascent probably wasn't enough, I pulled over to the side of the road to consume an energy bar. Immediately after this pit-stop the road ramped up for a brutal 4km where the gradient was always between 11 and 13%. After having already climbed the mountain once, this was a tough section which was probably the hardest riding I've ever had to do. I wound my way up the mountain and back into the freezing mist again, desperately looking for the next kilometre marker.
To say I was elated to summit the mountain a second time is a gross understatement, knowing that I had only the easiest ascent of the Ventoux left, and the promise of lunch in Sault before attempting it. The descent (once out of the fog) was a lot of fun, as it's the quietest road on the mountain, and it was resurfaced with billiard table-smooth tarmac last year.
I found a cafe in Sault that would provide me with food and stamp my Cingles card, and having inhaled a chicken supreme and 2 cokes, I set off on the final leg.
The ascent between Sault and Chalet Reynard averages only 4.5%, given that it's longer and starts from a higher point than the other routes up the Ventoux. It felt like a 10% average when faced with a headwind however, but when I turned through hairpins and got the wind on my back I was flying, and actually contemplated shifting to the big ring! All good things come to an end though, and upon reaching Chalet Reynard you rejoin the road from Bedoin and the final 6km of the road used in the Tour de France. The fog had lifted a little and the temperature had increased slightly as a result, but it took all of my remaining energy to keep the bike moving forward. As on the etape, the kilometres seemed to tick by at the same rate as ice-ages, but eventually I passed Tommy's memorial again and made the final couple of bends to hit the summit for the last time.
And that was it. I was a member of the Cingles club.
Riding time for the 3 ascents and 2 descents was 7:40 so was very pleased with that. With a lunch stop, pit stops at the summit (including doing the final few metres again for the benefit of the camera!), card-stamping time and riding to/from the mountain, the day was a lot longer.
Ascent from Bedoin: 01:51
Descent to Malaucene: 00:41
Ascent from Malaucene: 02:12
Descent to Sault: 00:49
Ascent from Sault: 02:07
I rolled off down the mountain for the last time, and met up with a few of the other guys for a victory beer in Malaucene before riding home. By the end we had ridden 174km, climbed 5,100m, and had smiles as broad as the Forth Bridge.
Day 4 was a great recovery ride with the whole group through the vineyards of Provence with a steak & chips lunch-stop and a final blast up the hill to Faucon to conclude my riding for the trip.
A great end to a great trip, where I'd achieved one of my two goals for this year. Very encouraging to chat to a couple of guys who did the Marmotte last year and were both in agreement that the Cingles was a harder ride to do.
VeloVentoux
Although the purpose of this blog is to log all my training efforts in pursuit of the goals I've set, I felt I must just put in a word for Craig & Vicky at VeloVentoux. These guys have a great reputation in cycling circles for their hospitality and it is totally deserved. This was the second time Emily & I have stayed with them, and once again we had a brilliant time - the accommodation is first class, the cycling is beautiful and challenging, the people you meet are incredibly friendly but most of all Craig & Vicky are wonderful hosts. We will be returning again. And again.
We flew into Marseille on Sunday where I had intended to get on the bike as soon as I arrived and ascend the Mont Ventoux. Unfortunately this was scuppered by our plane breaking down as we taxied away from the stand, meaning that we were delayed by 4 hours.
When we finally arrived, we were picked up by Jerry from VeloVentoux and set off into the heart of Provence. Upon sighting the Ventoux, Emily was sure that it looked bigger than last year (although we were later to find that it had shrunk by a metre!)
With my planned ride scuppered, I headed out with Emily and Jerry for a leg-loosener of 32km, which finished with a blast up the 9 hairpins of the Col de Propiac.
500m climbed and a great introduction into the week ahead. Arrived back at the lovely guesthouse to meet our fellow cyclists for the week - a fantastic bunch which included Team Sky's number one fan Rusty Morris:
Day two took us on a 80km ride around Provence, which included the climbs of the Col de Fontaube, Col d'Aulan and another crack at the Propiac. 1,100m climbed and everyone was raring to go for the big one the next day. Fuelling came courtesy of the pizza van parked at the end of the VeloVentoux driveway, and a huge bowl of pasta made by Vicky. Lots of nervous excitement around the table that night!
Day 3 - Cingles du Mont Ventoux
After a fitful nights sleep, we were up at 6am for a huge breakfast before rolling out in a notably quiet group in the direction of Bedoin, the start of the most famous and arguably hardest route up Mont Ventoux.
When attempting to complete the Cingles challenge (ascending all 3 routes of the Ventoux in a single day), evidence of your achievement comes in the form of a small card which you need to get stamped at the 3 towns at the bottom of each ascent, and once in the shop at the top.
Finding somewhere in France that is open at 8am that will stamp your card can be tricky, but eventually the surly proprietor of the local tabac obliged us and we were away. We set off in good spirits, and hopeful that the mist covering the deforested top of the mountain would disappear before we got there.
I climbed well, and eased my way through the tough forested section. At the end of this you reach Chalet Reynard, where you are exposed to the elements. For me this meant freezing fog and a Mistral wind in the region of 50-60km/h. The headwind was brutal and almost blew me backwards on a couple of occasions, the fog meant that I could only see the 5 metres of tarmac in front of me, and the cold made my fingers go numb even though the blood was pumping hard from the effort of climbing.
I dug deep and kept going, practically crawling past the memorial to Tom Simpson with 1km to go. Eventually I rounded the final hairpin and crested the summit. I quickly checked in with our support van to fill my bidons and grab some food, then it was over the other side for the descent to Malaucene. This was the worst part of the entire ride - the wind blew the bike across the road, the lack of visibility made any sort of speed very dangerous, and the cold made my fingers so numb that I had no feel for the brakes, it was impossible to change gear and it brought on searing cramps in my tired legs.
It did get warmer as I got lower down the mountain, but I was still shivering when I got to Malaucene to get my card stamped. It was tough to turn straight back around and head upwards once more, and I resolved to just spinning in granny-gear to try to clear the lactic acid in my legs. Halfway up I began to feel really weak, and realising that the banana I'd eaten after the first ascent probably wasn't enough, I pulled over to the side of the road to consume an energy bar. Immediately after this pit-stop the road ramped up for a brutal 4km where the gradient was always between 11 and 13%. After having already climbed the mountain once, this was a tough section which was probably the hardest riding I've ever had to do. I wound my way up the mountain and back into the freezing mist again, desperately looking for the next kilometre marker.
To say I was elated to summit the mountain a second time is a gross understatement, knowing that I had only the easiest ascent of the Ventoux left, and the promise of lunch in Sault before attempting it. The descent (once out of the fog) was a lot of fun, as it's the quietest road on the mountain, and it was resurfaced with billiard table-smooth tarmac last year.
I found a cafe in Sault that would provide me with food and stamp my Cingles card, and having inhaled a chicken supreme and 2 cokes, I set off on the final leg.
The ascent between Sault and Chalet Reynard averages only 4.5%, given that it's longer and starts from a higher point than the other routes up the Ventoux. It felt like a 10% average when faced with a headwind however, but when I turned through hairpins and got the wind on my back I was flying, and actually contemplated shifting to the big ring! All good things come to an end though, and upon reaching Chalet Reynard you rejoin the road from Bedoin and the final 6km of the road used in the Tour de France. The fog had lifted a little and the temperature had increased slightly as a result, but it took all of my remaining energy to keep the bike moving forward. As on the etape, the kilometres seemed to tick by at the same rate as ice-ages, but eventually I passed Tommy's memorial again and made the final couple of bends to hit the summit for the last time.
And that was it. I was a member of the Cingles club.
Riding time for the 3 ascents and 2 descents was 7:40 so was very pleased with that. With a lunch stop, pit stops at the summit (including doing the final few metres again for the benefit of the camera!), card-stamping time and riding to/from the mountain, the day was a lot longer.
Ascent from Bedoin: 01:51
Descent to Malaucene: 00:41
Ascent from Malaucene: 02:12
Descent to Sault: 00:49
Ascent from Sault: 02:07
I rolled off down the mountain for the last time, and met up with a few of the other guys for a victory beer in Malaucene before riding home. By the end we had ridden 174km, climbed 5,100m, and had smiles as broad as the Forth Bridge.
Day 4 was a great recovery ride with the whole group through the vineyards of Provence with a steak & chips lunch-stop and a final blast up the hill to Faucon to conclude my riding for the trip.
 |
| Check out the company I'm in! |
A great end to a great trip, where I'd achieved one of my two goals for this year. Very encouraging to chat to a couple of guys who did the Marmotte last year and were both in agreement that the Cingles was a harder ride to do.
VeloVentoux
Although the purpose of this blog is to log all my training efforts in pursuit of the goals I've set, I felt I must just put in a word for Craig & Vicky at VeloVentoux. These guys have a great reputation in cycling circles for their hospitality and it is totally deserved. This was the second time Emily & I have stayed with them, and once again we had a brilliant time - the accommodation is first class, the cycling is beautiful and challenging, the people you meet are incredibly friendly but most of all Craig & Vicky are wonderful hosts. We will be returning again. And again.
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| Craig & Vicky - chapeau to them |
Thursday 22 May 2014
Tommy
Provence and Mt Ventoux beckon on Sunday, and it's impossible to think of that ride without considering Tom Simpson, and his untimely fate on the mountain in the 1967 Tour de France.
I remember Tommy being in my thoughts a lot last year when I ascended the mountain for the first time, and I have no doubt that it will be the same this time round.
Whilst obviously never pushing myself as hard as Tommy did on the day he died, climbing the Ventoux does put you on the limit of your abilities, and you are therefore able to garner the smallest glimpse of what Tom pushed himself to and beyond in the pursuit of his ambition.
The epitaph on his gravestone in Harworth, Notts reads:
Provence and Mt Ventoux beckon on Sunday, and it's impossible to think of that ride without considering Tom Simpson, and his untimely fate on the mountain in the 1967 Tour de France.
I remember Tommy being in my thoughts a lot last year when I ascended the mountain for the first time, and I have no doubt that it will be the same this time round.
Whilst obviously never pushing myself as hard as Tommy did on the day he died, climbing the Ventoux does put you on the limit of your abilities, and you are therefore able to garner the smallest glimpse of what Tom pushed himself to and beyond in the pursuit of his ambition.
The epitaph on his gravestone in Harworth, Notts reads:
"His body ached, his legs grew tired, but still he would not give in"
And that's all the inspiration you need...
Saturday 17 May 2014
Thursday 15 May 2014
The Numbers Game
When working towards hitting peak form, you often hear pro cyclists talk about posting 'encouraging numbers'
Now I don't have a full time coach, or even a power meter, so my 'numbers' are a bit less scientific.
However, the last few weeks have seen me put in some good performances, with numerous PB's, high average speeds on long rides and some very satisfactory turbo sessions.
Of course, it'll be a totally different ball-game when the road starts pointing upwards for 20-25km at a time, but it's really good to see genuine improvement.
Monday 12 May 2014
Etape Caledonia
Despite forecasts to the contrary, the worst of the weather stayed away for Sunday, and so we lined up in Pitlochry for the start of the Etape Caledonia in good spirits.
Got straight out of the saddle at the start and was soon up to speed and making good progress up the early climbs. The profile doesn't look too demanding with 130km and 1,300m climbing, but there's a few tough climbs and essentially a 50km TT around Loch Rannoch. I picked up a partner within 25km and we had great fun ripping up the road and jumping from group to group.
Barry eventually dropped me on the main climb of the day up the Schiehallion, but I still climbed well, setting a time of 7:52 for the KOM segment which was the 277th quickest time of the day. More importantly, it was 30 seconds quicker than Chris Boardman's time. I'm sure he's crying himself to sleep with his Olympic gold medal, and dabbing away the tears of disappointment with his TdF yellow jersey.
After that there was the great descent back into the valley, then more hard pedalling with very little help (I turned around at one point to find I was pulling a train of 5-6 riders, with none of them willing to take a turn!)
With 35km to go, I knew a sub 4 hour time was possible, so I really attacked the last series of climbs. I was pretty much on the limit on these and I was very thankful to finally start the descent back into Pitlochry as my climbing legs were shot.
So it was hard to see that the final 400m was a climb into the town. I gritted my teeth and got out the saddle to empty the tank, and had nothing left as I crossed the line for a time of 3hr 56min.
That gave me an average speed of 33.2km/h and 499th place (out of 5,000+ riders). Very happy with that performance, and now my focus is on climbing with my trip to Provence in 2 weeks time.
The long drive home to London was put in perspective when we spotted an Omega Pharma Quickstep truck on the M1. Pitlochry to London may be a slog, but it's the equivalent of nipping round the corner in comparison to driving from Dublin to Italy in the middle of the Giro d'Italia
Thursday 8 May 2014
Monday 5 May 2014
Hitting The Peaks
Down to Surrey on Saturday with Emily and a couple of mates who are taking on the Etape Caledonia with us, so that they could try cycling on some hills in preparation. A really fun ride in great weather, with everyone showing a bit of form.
Gave the climb out of Shere the full gas out-of-the-saddle treatment and felt very quick. Unfortunately my Garmin chose not to record it! Hey-ho.
Out with Jon today for 140km, and despite him being off the bike for a while due to the London marathon, he still beasted me up all the climbs. I did however manage PB's on Box Hill, White Downs, Staple Lane and Crocknorth, and once again hammered the 30km home from Surrey for a really big and well-timed confidence boost
Friday 2 May 2014
Utah
Back from the USA and did manage to get one ride in whilst away (plus I managed not to add any weight despite the generous portions of food on offer)
Moab in Utah is a great place for outdoor sports (it's a mountain-bike mecca), and is blessed with a very scenic, quiet and tough 100km loop road for a spot of road-biking - the La Sal Loop road. This includes an alpine-like climb up 'the Big Nasty' - a total of 1,200m climbing over 30km. This however hides the fact that the second half is where most of the climbing is done, with gradients of 6-13%.
Emily and I hired a couple of very nice Giant Defy bikes for the day and decided to do the loop anti-clockwise to get the climbing out of the way early during the cooler hours of the morning. This made the trundle up the shallow incline out of town very enjoyable, but the mountain was always directly in our view.
Emily left my wheel as the first slopes of 11% were hit, and eventually she turned around having completed the 'Little Nasty' about halfway up the main climb. On my own, I pedalled up the steep slopes of the little nasty, then galvanized myself for another big effort as a second set of steep ramps came into view. My earlier hubris on the little nasty, plus the dry heat of the desert sun and the thin air meant that I was soon gasping for breath, and I began to feel quite light-headed as my heart felt like it was trying to escape from my chest.
Around a sharp left, the gradient eased to 6-8% for the last 3km's of the Big Nasty, before a short but welcome descent into a river gorge, then the final ascension to the highest point of the ride at 2,500m above sea level. The road surface in the last km was particularly poor, and was a complete gravel road by the summit, which was just inside the snow-line. Stopped at the top for a photo, and some calls of 'Good Job!' from some mountain bikers that had driven up the road to descend one of the trails, then it was over the top for the long descent back into the valley.
The road was again poor at the top of the descent, so I had to take it easy, but once the steep switchbacks at the top had been negotiated, the surface improved and I was able to get some real speed up.
After the main descent, there is a great 17km section of road with a slight negative gradient that entices you to get on the drops and time-trial the bike through some of the most beautiful desert scenery, and I averaged 46km/h along here. By the time I got to highway 128 for the last 30km home I was shattered and had very little water left. Perfect Marmotte training. I focussed on staying strong mentally as I rode yet another stunning road, with 200m high canyon walls on either side and ground out the kilometres.
With about 10km left, who should I see waiting at the side of the road but Emily, who'd ridden the route clockwise to meet up with me and ride back into town. More importantly she had water, so after a rejuvenating drink we knocked off the remaining distance back into Moab town.
I was absolutely shattered by the end of the ride, but was glad to have got this in prior to Provence and then the Marmotte. I certainly learnt to take it easy on the lower slopes of a big climb as being in the red when in the thin air 2,000m+ above sea level really takes its toll.
Should be happy with this ride, but the constant doubts about my abilities have manifested themselves in the thought that this ride was essentially the equivalent of climbing Glandon and the long pull to the foot of the Telegraphe. Could I have done the Telegraphe/Galibier and Alpe d'Huez straight after? Not. A. Chance.
As a reward for the efforts of the day, we went to the Moab Brewery next door to the bike hire shop for a couple of beers and the best burger I ate all holiday.
Back from the USA and did manage to get one ride in whilst away (plus I managed not to add any weight despite the generous portions of food on offer)
Moab in Utah is a great place for outdoor sports (it's a mountain-bike mecca), and is blessed with a very scenic, quiet and tough 100km loop road for a spot of road-biking - the La Sal Loop road. This includes an alpine-like climb up 'the Big Nasty' - a total of 1,200m climbing over 30km. This however hides the fact that the second half is where most of the climbing is done, with gradients of 6-13%.
Emily and I hired a couple of very nice Giant Defy bikes for the day and decided to do the loop anti-clockwise to get the climbing out of the way early during the cooler hours of the morning. This made the trundle up the shallow incline out of town very enjoyable, but the mountain was always directly in our view.
Emily left my wheel as the first slopes of 11% were hit, and eventually she turned around having completed the 'Little Nasty' about halfway up the main climb. On my own, I pedalled up the steep slopes of the little nasty, then galvanized myself for another big effort as a second set of steep ramps came into view. My earlier hubris on the little nasty, plus the dry heat of the desert sun and the thin air meant that I was soon gasping for breath, and I began to feel quite light-headed as my heart felt like it was trying to escape from my chest.
Around a sharp left, the gradient eased to 6-8% for the last 3km's of the Big Nasty, before a short but welcome descent into a river gorge, then the final ascension to the highest point of the ride at 2,500m above sea level. The road surface in the last km was particularly poor, and was a complete gravel road by the summit, which was just inside the snow-line. Stopped at the top for a photo, and some calls of 'Good Job!' from some mountain bikers that had driven up the road to descend one of the trails, then it was over the top for the long descent back into the valley.
The road was again poor at the top of the descent, so I had to take it easy, but once the steep switchbacks at the top had been negotiated, the surface improved and I was able to get some real speed up.
 |
| If Carlsberg made descents.... they'd resurface this one and call it a day |
After the main descent, there is a great 17km section of road with a slight negative gradient that entices you to get on the drops and time-trial the bike through some of the most beautiful desert scenery, and I averaged 46km/h along here. By the time I got to highway 128 for the last 30km home I was shattered and had very little water left. Perfect Marmotte training. I focussed on staying strong mentally as I rode yet another stunning road, with 200m high canyon walls on either side and ground out the kilometres.
With about 10km left, who should I see waiting at the side of the road but Emily, who'd ridden the route clockwise to meet up with me and ride back into town. More importantly she had water, so after a rejuvenating drink we knocked off the remaining distance back into Moab town.
I was absolutely shattered by the end of the ride, but was glad to have got this in prior to Provence and then the Marmotte. I certainly learnt to take it easy on the lower slopes of a big climb as being in the red when in the thin air 2,000m+ above sea level really takes its toll.
Should be happy with this ride, but the constant doubts about my abilities have manifested themselves in the thought that this ride was essentially the equivalent of climbing Glandon and the long pull to the foot of the Telegraphe. Could I have done the Telegraphe/Galibier and Alpe d'Huez straight after? Not. A. Chance.
As a reward for the efforts of the day, we went to the Moab Brewery next door to the bike hire shop for a couple of beers and the best burger I ate all holiday.
Thursday 1 May 2014
On The Limit
Completed an interval session on the turbo-trainer last night to blow away the cobwebs. Utilised Sufferfest's 'Angels' workout as this has three 8 minute maximum efforts incorporating many short intervals.
Felt good throughout so decided to really push it to the limit on the last effort. Looking at the Garmin stats afterwards, it showed that I was beyond my maximum heartrate threshold of 183bpm for the whole thing, and peaked at 195bpm in the final sprint.
Very pleased to sustain this level of effort for the 8 minutes, as this replicates the kind of effort needed to get over the particularly steep ramps that occasionally appear during alpine climbs.
Stats For April:
Time on bike: 12 hrs 42 mins (9 hrs 7 mins on the road)
Distance cycled: 323km (200km on the road)
Total climbing: 3,265m
Completed an interval session on the turbo-trainer last night to blow away the cobwebs. Utilised Sufferfest's 'Angels' workout as this has three 8 minute maximum efforts incorporating many short intervals.
Felt good throughout so decided to really push it to the limit on the last effort. Looking at the Garmin stats afterwards, it showed that I was beyond my maximum heartrate threshold of 183bpm for the whole thing, and peaked at 195bpm in the final sprint.
Very pleased to sustain this level of effort for the 8 minutes, as this replicates the kind of effort needed to get over the particularly steep ramps that occasionally appear during alpine climbs.
Stats For April:
Time on bike: 12 hrs 42 mins (9 hrs 7 mins on the road)
Distance cycled: 323km (200km on the road)
Total climbing: 3,265m
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