Logistics

I received my final l’etape pack with hotel instructions and details about being picked up etc. It is all a bit too close for comfort now and I have to finalise the logistics. It turns out that I need a bike box so that is yet another investment I have had to make. I have also finally been forced into making a decision on driving down after dithering with flight plans. With John pulling out I was not sure about driving down on my own for 12 hours before the ride but I have no choice now as there is no space in the airport transfer bus. I will try and recruit a driving buddy between now and then and book my Eurotunnel crossing.

There are a number reviews of the l’etape stage online that make good reading. (CycleFit's L'etape Recce; Kingston Wheelers Recce) It turns out that you can see the Mt Ventoux from almost every point of the ride as the route takes the riders around the base before the climb. So for 6 hours it will be casually sitting there over the riders shoulder waiting for its time to say hello. Marvellous! 3 weeks of training to go and I have completely wasted this week, I was driving home on Monday and needed the day off, Tue and Wed were spent in Germany on business wth no free time – even though I took my running gear. So this week has become a recovery week and I have two heavy weeks then one final recovery week before driving down to Montelimar. I will try and get in at least two “century” rides in before then so I can practice nutrition and try and eke out a bit more endurance.

Saved by Jelly Babies!

The Dave Lloyd Challenge was certainly that, although with a few days rest the pain is fading. This was easily the hardest bike ride I have done due to both the length and steepness of the hills and the total ride distance. I remarked to a friend before the ride that I was hoping to get a bit of practice climbing “out of the saddle”, i.e. standing up on the pedals to get more force. I am quite poor at this and I fatigue quickly so have been adding it to my riding over the past weeks. Boy – did I get some “out of the saddle” practice; I must have spent over 60 minutes out of the saddle with tiring thighs. At one point my motivation was to not get off and walk like some of the people I was passing, that seemed to do the trick and I made it up every hill. I am not sure how long the ride was supposed to be but we added a good 15-20 minutes due to getting lost after a few signs went “missing”, I finally clocked up 177Km in 7:49Hrs of riding. This averages at 22.4Kmh (20.5km if I include the stops) which actually puts me in good shape for l’etape, or at least for getting to the final elimination point of l’etape before the broom wagon. The l’etape cut off speed is as high as 21Kmh but as the first 150Km only comprises 1900m of climbing then I should be OK as averaged 26Kmh in the Hampshire Hilly Hundred which is comparable. If I plan to save energy for that first 150Km and average 23-24Kmh then I should be in good physical shape for Ventoux.

The scenery on the Dave Lloyd was just magnificent: The steep slate hills and quarries with sheep wandering around aimlessly (and dangerously on some of the descents!) made for some great pictures.
Unfortunately on the drive home over some of the same hills we were in the cloud with almost zero visibility and I was unable to take any worthwhile snaps. The whole area reminded me of summer holidays in my youth when we spent every summer in this part of the world, the views and familiar smells were charming.

During the ride I was focussing on not going out too fast and not hitting the hills too hard early on, the goal being to have enough energy to keep going at the same pace throughout. I think this worked although I did go through a bad patch between 110Km and 140Km where I was very tired and unable to do my fair share of the work on the front. A few handfuls of jelly babies seemed to revive me sufficiently to push harder on the last two climbs before the finish. My heart rate monitor estimates that I used up 6000 calories in the ride which equates to 1.5Kg (or 3lb) of carbohydrate, or 40ish energy gels!
I am not sure where that weight comes from but I had two meals that night and have been eating like a horse since. One of the goals of the ride was to get nutrition right; It was definitely better than last time but still not there yet. I couldn’t get down the flapjacks and in the end the hastily bought jelly babies saved me. For my next ride I shall try Mule Fuel Hanza Nut bars which I tried on a ride to work and it seemed quite easy to digest. My HR Monitor also says my average heart rate was 134bpm which is quite low and my max was 158bpm which is very low (for a high). This does confirm that I took it a bit too easy on the ride and have some more to give on the Mt Ventoux!

The Dave LLoyd Mega Challenge

The Dave Lloyd Mega Challenge takes place on Sunday and I planned a 130Km hilly ride on Saturday as a final warm up for that. We gathered at 8am in Dorking and planned to hit all the major Surrey Hills with climbs going up to 21%. Riding with a bunch of mates who are better cyclists than me would help motivate me to get up the tougher ones, most of which are detailed on the rather good Jibbering web site (I can also recommend the home made sports drink and gel recipes). All went well until around 20Km in and I was chatting to Bob on a descent when we came across what appeared to be a scene from “Casualty” with a car stopped right in the middle of the road and a body slumped across the bonnet with his legs up the windscreen towards the sunroof. My first instinct was that this was some sort of photo-shoot but as is the way with these things I immediately realised it was for real and that the rider was one of our bunch, Phil who organises the rides. I quickly dismounted and rushed over to him where he was also being attended by Scott. He was still unconscious and it looked bad, my big concern at the time was him waking up and then falling off the bonnet. Sure enough he woke with a start and we supported him and eventually got him to stop moving whist we assessed the physical damage. He was remarkably sober and apparently, superficially at least only suffering minor injuries. His bike was a mess and he was more worried about how he was going to race in Ironman Switzerland in 4 weeks with nothing to ride on. We called an ambulance and the “comportement” (a French word without exact translation but roughly meaning behaviour) of the driver and the locals gave us a strong indication that the police needed to be called to ensure accurate statements and scene records. The paramedics took Phil off to Guilford hospital and he was subsequently released after a series of detailed scans. It looks like he will be OK and will still be fit enough to ride and swim this week in prep for his IM. A blessing really considering what had happened. The upshot of this is that we decided to cut short the ride and did a few of the hills on the way back to Dorking, a ride totalling 50Km. Strangely I was riding the hills well at the beginning of the ride but after the hour or so break my legs stopped working properly and riding was a real struggle.
We finished off up Box Hill which in the end was quite an easy climb; I put the machine in first gear and spinned my way up to the top expecting it to get steeper which it didn’t. I averaged 14Kmh up the hill and could have dropped a gear or two so that means I think I am OK for the early hills on l’etape which are of a similar gradient, if not a little less. I managed a 2 hour MTB ride on Sunday morning which compensated for not getting the full 130Km in on Saturday and I subsequently found out that Phil managed to get 100Km in on his old winter bike as well, so he really is strong.

Here is a profile of the Dave Lloyd Mega – those hills look quite steep but it is hard to say. I know the one at the end finishes at 25% so if I can do this ride in sub 8 hours then I think l’etape will be achievable as well.

Back on the Bike

After a brief focus on triathlon for the last two events, my bike is going to get hammered over the next few weeks prior to l’etape. I have a 130Km ride planned on Saturday with some buddies and then the Dave Lloyd Challenge next Sunday which entails 177Km with 3500metres of climbing (almost exactly the same as l’etape). The profile of the Dave Lloyd is different to l’etape but with the same amount of climbing it will be a good indicator of what to expect in France.

I have acquired and now swapped over a 12-27 Cassette onto my race bike. This will give me more room on the climbs and I shall try it out on the Surrey Hills on Saturday. If that doesn’t work out well then I am in trouble!


The Dauphine Libere bike race is taking place this year. I like this race as it was our local race when we lived in Grenoble and I will never forget seeing Miguel Indurain in Grenoble after the finish one year. He had huge thighs and tiny arms, I guess the ideal physiology for a cyclist. Not a shape I have aspirations to have, so I guess a life as a top level cyclist is not coming. The Dauphine Libere shall climb the Mt Ventoux tomorrow so I have Eurosport set to record and will watch the whole climb as done by the pros. I wonder if the gradient will show up on the TV, it rarely does when I watch Skiing.

Mid Term Report

It is time for a review of my achievements vs. goals, in other words “How am I doing?” Firstly, I feel like I am a better cyclist and certainly a better swimmer. I am not convinced I have improved my running, I think a maintenance of last years’ standard is more accurate. If I do an approximate year on year comparison between two sets of events: The Big Cow Sprint and the Eton Super Sprint then there are some telling results:

Eton 2009: 1:09:34 vs. Eton 2008: 1:11 (92nd on GC vs. 249th)
Big Cow 2009: 1:16:56 vs. Big Cow 2008 1:22:08

My overall times were better and if I take into account the weather conditions in both events this year (wind and freezing rain for the Big Cow and strong cross winds in Eton) then the results are better than they look. I improved from 249th to 92nd out of 1000 at Eton whereas I dropped down the order in the Big Cow which I will put down to a) it being the National Champs this year and b) the bad weather deterring the lower order athletes from turning up. Point a) can also be re-enforced just by looking at the quality of kit on display compared to previous events; the type of kit only used by top end athletes (or very rich athletes)!

If I break down my splits then it is apparent that the training strategy I adopted last year has done what should be expected. My Bike and Swim times are much improved over last year whereas my Run time has remained static. My swim is vastly improved, not only in terms of speed but also in the lower level of fatigue that I have when I get out of the water.

Here is an updated Event table. I have added a new event which is the Big Cow Sprint on June 28th. I will enter this event if I am recovered from the Dave Lloyd Challenge and if the weather is forecast to be suitable.

Race Report: British Sprint Champs

The British Sprint Championships was taking place this weekend with a decidedly dodgy weather forecast. I had a 4:30am start from home and when the alarm went off at 4am the wind and rain were making their ominous presence felt. If Tony had not been picking me up I would have turned the alarm off and gone back to sleep. Just putting the bikes on the roof rack entailed a battle with the elements which we lost and ended up wet through even with waterproofs on. On the way up to Milton Keynes we agreed that we would re-consider racing if the weather was still bad when we got there. We arrived at the venue at 6am and it had calmed a little, just a few spots of rain which was a relief. What I neglected to realise when we left home was that the temperature was 9degC (48degF) which was a whopping 18degC (40degF) colder than mid week.

The Swim
The swim went pretty well, I managed to go the whole 750m without stopping which was a race first for this distance. I did however lose someone’s feet after the first 100m and I didn’t find another draft for the rest of the swim. The reason was that I was swimming on my own again, not because I was too slow but because my stroke keeps pushing me to the right. I ended up swimming so far away from everyone else that I couldn’t see anyone. I went so far round the buoys that I must have added at least another 100m to the swim distance. I came out of the water and the first thing I saw were my cheerleaders hunched under three umbrellas looking very wet; during the swim I hadn’t noticed that the rain had returned with a vengeance.

As usual most of the bikes around me had already gone by the time I got to T1. Everything was wet but I had placed my shoes in a bag and they were still dry which made it easier to get them on. They stayed dry for around 30 seconds, my bike glasses were so wet and fogged up that I couldn’t see my way out of transition and dressed in a “summer” 2 piece Tri-Suit I felt a little exposed to the elements.

The Bike
The rain started coming down very heavily during the bike leg and my attire was so inappropriate that my shoulders started to get really cold. The bike went pretty well considering the conditions and I was surprised to see so many “draft busters” on motorbikes all around the 1 lap course. Twice I saw cyclists stopped at the side of the road with a “draft buster” so I assume they were disqualified. By the time I finished the bike I was starting to really feel the cold, the last 3Km of the bike leg is a long downhill drag where I was hitting top speed and the wind was going right through me. What was different this time compared to last is that I only made up around 5 places on the bike. The quality of the field was clearly superior to Eton, as was the quality of the gear! The transition area was aglow with Cervelo logos and an array of aero helmets and racing wheels more expensive than my whole bike.

The Run
The transition area looked like the end of a bad house party by the time I got back to it , there were shoes, hats, bikes and wetsuits strewn everywhere. I managed a quick change into my dry running shoes and immediately ran through a puddle 3 inches deep, so much for keeping them dry. Half the run course was under water by this point as the rain was getting heavier. The run started well but then the cold just kicked in, my thumbs went numb first then my hands. The run was made up of two laps around the lakes passing through the transition area half way round. The marshals were still very enthusiastic despite the conditions and it was great to have them call out encouragingly as you passed. There were noticeably almost few supporters hanging around which was understandable given the conditions, it made me feel quite proud to have three people there watching Tony and I. I managed to finish with a pretty slow run time due to being so cold and I was incapable of taking off my timing chip as my hands were numb and were starting to go from a pale blue to deep purple. People were finishing in all kinds of states, some just collapsed to the ground and others were helped to the first aid area and wrapped up in heat retaining blankets.

I quickly put on some dry clothes but that didn’t make much difference, I was soaked through again within minutes. I was given a cup of tea but was shaking so much I couldn’t hold it without spilling it everywhere, I had to be fed like a baby. Fortunately my mum lives nearby so we adjourned there and stood by the fire for an hour and slowly regained normality. A we left the event site there were still women from the last wave coming in off the bike; some of them just gave up and put on warm clothes, others soldiered on. I did want to stop and offer my support but I was badly in need of warmth as I think hypothermia was setting in.

I finished in 1:16:56 which was my fastest Sprint Distance race by 5 minutes but my slowest 5km since taking up triathlon. Not bad but pretty slow compared to the leading finishers. I guess a lot of the “back of the pack” racers opted to stay in bed whereas the elite racers hoping to qualify for the Worlds still came out to play.

Arrghh! It's real now

The official route for the Tour de France and hence l’etape du tour 2009 has just been published. More importantly, the elimination times have also been published. Here is the official route from their website:

First thing to do is check out the elimination times. There are two cut off points:

In Sault after 115Km @ 1pm (which is 5:20 - 6 hours after the start at an average speed of 19-21Kmh depending upon my start time)
In Bedoin (the bottom of the Mt Ventoux climb) at 150.1Km @ 2:55pm (after 7:15-7:55hrs which equates to 19-21Kmh) then you have 3 hours to get to the top. The Final Cut off is at 172.1Km @ 5:55pm (10:15 at 15.8-16.7Kmh). Here is a link to the official route and cut off times.

So I possibly need to average 21Kmh to the bottom of the Mt Ventoux. To put it another way, I have to ride 150Km over 3 “Category 3” Climbs and 1 “Category 4” climb at an average speed of 21Kmh. Then I have to average 7.5Kmh up a “Hors Category” climb for 22Km. Easy Peasy. Maybe not. I have just reviewed my previous blog on this topic and realised I am not in good shape at all. Last years’ l’etape cut off was set to 17.5Kmh, this year (if I ignore the final climb) it is set to 21Kmh. A massive difference. I managed 24Kmh in the Hampshire Hilly Hundred. Ok I was not going full speed and could have gone faster but all the same that is pretty close to the cut off time. I hope I can get in with a group and up my speed. I must check out the etiquette of doing just that. I can see myself avidly watching the first few stages of The Tour to see how steep those Category 3 climbs are.

They have also published the “ravitaillement” or refuelling stops which are at 78Km and 150Km which sounds good. The good news is that there is a liquid refill available after 14Km of the final climb.

Rain Rain Go Away....

After a blissfully warm and sunny fortnight it has started to rain in time for my next Triathlon. The forecast is poor for the Big Cow Sprint 2 A.K.A the National Sprint Championships this weekend with both wind and rain. I had set a goal of 75 minutes for this but the weather may have an impact on success. I keep checking the BBC Weather site but it does not look good. Unfortunately both weather.com and MetCheck give me the same results! What a drag, I could be optimistic if at least one of them was showing a glimmer of hope! In general I am in good shape but my calves are still giving me pain since my swim last Saturday, to the extent that I have been unable to train. I have managed just two Open Water Swims since Eton so I may go again on Saturday morning just for an easy 800m. Just as well this was planned to be a rest week I guess! I am still trying to work out the best way of managing a Triathlon in the rain, the main problem is all your things getting wet whilst sitting in Transition; shoes being the major issue. I think I shall place my shoes in plastic bags to keep them dry and hope they don’t blow away. I shall check out everyone else’s strategy for future reference. The other damper for the event is that there is a car event at nearby Santa Pod on Sunday as well which means the usual abuse and dangerous driving from the kids in their supercharged street cars as they overtake you on the bike. Hopefully the Police can finally address the one minor niggle I have with this event once and for all.

Back in Blighty

Upon my return I managed to get up at a sensible hour and go to the lake for a swim. It is open till 10am and only 20 minutes away so it is great to get up at 8am on a Saturday and stroll over in time for a dip in the water. The venue was packed and there was a real buzz about the place, a far cry from early season when Tony and I were the only ones there. They have turbo trainers for anyone to use as well as spin bikes and there is a masseuse available to ease those weary legs. I managed two laps totalling 1600metres (a whole mile!), the furthest I have ever swam in one go. Woo Woo. It actually felt good even if I did take it easy. I was disappointed to see the time on my watch read 38 mins when I got out of the water but my sighting is so poor that watching me swim in Open Water must be akin to watching a bad golfer hacking down the fairway: left rough, right rough, left rough, right rough. So I must swim a lot further than the marked distance. I did suffer from cramps in my left calf after 1200m and when that abated my right calf cramped up. Even now, two days later they are very painful. I will have another go on Thursday and see if I get the same problem. I would like to try a long swim on Saturday but with the National Sprint Championships on Sunday I do not want to be doing that in pain if I cramp up again. It is bad enough that my favourite tri has been designated the National Champs and hence I shall be finishing somewhere towards the back of the pack, but to do it with calf problems would be pointless.

No cycling this weekend, I went for a long run on Saturday. Sunday was so hot that I planned to ride later in the afternoon but by then the BBQ and a cold beer were calling my name so I succumbed!

Training Done: Swim: drills, Bike: 45’ Z2; Run: Intervals 3x8’; Bike: Intervals 3x8’; Swim: 1600m; Run; 45mins Z2. And two long haul flights.
Plans for this week; Swim drills: High Elbow! Bike easy, Run: speed session.

3.1 Training Sessions

Denver was great, the weather was sunny and I had a set of good meetings. I managed 3.1 training sessions! Two bike, one run and 0.1 swims. I have to be cautious now when I train after a long haul flight; I damaged my knees in Sydney due to training with tight hamstrings from the flight apparently. So lots of stretching and then some hard sessions. Unfortunately I left my swim goggles at home again and had to buy a pair in the hotel. They didn’t fit and water poured in to an extent I thought I may have lost a contact lens! I only managed 4 lengths before giving up. It was too late to go and buy a proper pair from the local sports store by then so I saved the swimming for my return to blighty. I managed two 5:30am starts in the gym which was just as well as the place was so busy that all the equipment was taken up by 5:45am – lots of East Coast visitors with jet lag I assume.