Where did my legs go!

I have not raced since xmas after dislocating my shoulder, untill tonight and honestly my training has been pretty spasmodic with all the wedding planning.  Tonight i decide to race again.. But i soon realised that over the last 2 weeks my fitness has dropped off quite a bit. For the first 20 minutes i felt ok, but then when the speed increased i just didn’t have the legs to go with it. I realised what was happenin s  just continued around to the finish.  After getting dropped off the group i made a few solo efforts to ty and getback, but i just didnt have the power. OH well, lesson learned.. keep training!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I thought i’d get in early an say happy newyear!

im looking forward to any thigs in 2010, getting married is the biggest along with othr goals!

In the next few days i will post my goals for 2010, and a quick reflection of 2009.

Overall its been a pretty good year with a few up and downs. Im happy to be back on the bike and i am enjoying trying to get fitter.

Christmas Classic

Saturday was the Christmas Classic Criterium at VUT, held by Footscray Cycling Club.  This is a race i have been looking forward to for a while. My training so far has been pretty good and on the morning of the race i was feeling great.

So We rode down to the race, and did a warmup.  Everything was good- getting ready for the start.. the rain began to fall. Everyone started wondering is it on or off… but the wind came back and things soon dried up.

So the Egrade race begins. good turn up of 8 riders including to young guys who looked very very fit.  The race was progressing well for the first 20 minutes. I was feeling really good and when i looked down to the garmin, i saw my heart rate was still fairly low. I must be getting fitter and i was quietly confident of a place in the race.

Then things started going badly, coming around one of the corners had to break very sharply to miss another rider who had braked to avoid a wattle bottle that had dropped on the course.  A bit of a surprise and wake up, but thats ok.  I was still travelling well and then i took a turn at the front.  unfortunately just as i rolled over the front the rider behind me touched my back wheel and bang..  Broken Spoke wrapped around the cassette.  Luckily i didn’t come off the bike and just rolled off onto the gravel.  I flipped the bike over and quickly went to work on removing the remnants of the broken spoke.. All done i flipped the bike over, hoping to get back in the race.. but no good. The wheel was so far out of true that it would not turn a whole revolution.  Game over.. walk back to the spectators area. 

I was a bit disappointed, as i was feeling really good during the race, but it was good to watch the last few bits.

The challenge now will be to get the wheel replaced. I doubt it will happen before xmas, but fingers crossed.

I did enjoy the after race bbq. it was the first time since i started training that i  have eaten a sausage and drank a beer.

A couple of pics

It has been a while since i have posted any pics, mainly because i have been lazy but also the weather has been crap.

So to brighten up things a bit on the fromt page here are a couple of recent pictures. The pics are crap becasue were aken with my blackberry, but so what.. they stil have memory at least or me.

MY BIKE before today's race. notice my xmas present the new race wheels

I often like to take pictures of the bike leaning against things, but im still trying to find a good background! the new wheels were a christmas present form my fiance. They are Easton  EA90TT. very light and i think make the bike look good. I also added a new durace cassette and some continetal gp4000s tyres.  I really like how these wheels feel and definatly roll better than the shimano RS10 wheels that came with the bike.  One day i might actually write some more about the wheels.

Also below- here is a picture taken 2 weeks ago during a sunday recovery ride to williamstown and back… note the ride ending storm approaching! The pic was taken during a quick toilet break at willi beach.

Storm approaching Williamstown Beach

A windy day to race

Had a good race today, really windy but thats ok, everyone has to deal with it! The E-grade race was really good today. In the morning i still felt a little sore from my D grade effort on Thursday, but after warming up i started to feel good.  Today was the first day i have really felt comfortable during the race, and while i didnt finish in the top 3 (i think i came 4th) they were only a little bit in front (50 metres max)

So overall a good result again and im really starting to feel the benifits of my training. I cant wait to have a race on a nice sunny calm day. The time for me to start getting better positioned for when the final run to the line is coming. I feel fitter and i am having no problems holding a wheel or taking a turn at the front. It just gets better everytime i race.  I am still learning so much and i need to thank all the guys around me, phill who rides along with E grade sharing his knowledge and the people in the divisions above me who often give me encouragemnet (especially when im really hurting.

Recovery ride tomorrow and then work (aaargh)

Up 1 level of pain!

Drove down to altona in the hope of getting a race in.  No a big field of riders turned out with some really black clouds and a howling wind.  Due to the decreased number of riders, D and E grade were combined (only 2 in E- including myself)

So off we went straight into the wind.  E grade usually takes off slowly and everyone has plenty of time to get their rhythm. D grade was different. off we go at 30,31,32,33,34 straight into the wind. My first thoughts were im not going to last this one and im probably going to pull out. 

I surprised myself, lasting 25 minutes before i got dropped by the bunch, but i still managed to finished and experienced a new world of hurt trying not to get lapped while riding the course solo!!  Relieved at the finish, and proud. the race was quicker and went for a lot longer than my usual race. Also i have never tried to race in that sort of breeze before so i learnt heaps.  I can’t wait to lose more weight.. its still coming off, but every week im a kg lighter and i go that bit faster for longer.

A special thankyou to my fiance Joanna, who braved the cold to sit in the gutter for 55 minutes watching me as i attempted to finish.

Bring on saturday and bring on a return to e grade race!!!  Time for a radox bath.. and massage!! oooohhhh.

Rain rain, go away..

Just quickly… home form work just now and its started raining!! tonights race not looking good. fingers crossed the rain will stop and we get a dry road tonight. Its got 3 hours from now to get dry!!

4th Place

Yesterday i had my best result yet..4th!! i was so happy and so nackered. before the start of the race i was sure i was going to do poorly as it was very windy and quite cool. i always struggle in these conditions. but im happy to report that i didnt give up no matter how much it hurt.  i only got dropped form the lead group on the second last lap and i sprinted away from the guy who finished 5th. so happy, im in a world of hurt today but its good pain.  i went for my recovery ride today. managed to hold a good average speed but my legs felt quite heavy.  I will have a swim tonight to try and loosen up some more and then a rest day tomorrow.

bring on the rest.. Really i am so motivated now. i really want a 3rd place or higher! i’m slowly getting faster with more stamina, it takes time-still loosing weight but im definitely the heaviest out there still.  hopefully a couple of the other guys in our division will go up a grade which will help the slower amongst us hang on some more.

Happy happy happy!

Catch up

Ok, its been a while since my last post. things are coming along well, but unfortunatly work was pretty hectic last week with a few days working night and day. anyway this week its all back to normal and time to get some good training in. With the hectic work week training was difficult due to my disturbed sleep and little time to spare. unfortunatly my diet went a bit waywood as well.

Really looking forward to this weeks training. Lots of new things including comuting to work on the bike each day. Also looking forward to this week having 2 races on thursday night and saturday. 

I have also been suffering from a slight cold, which seems to go away and come back a little each time i put and effort in on the bike.

Happily back to normal.

A day of nothing.

Today is my rest day. This is good because today my legs feel just a bit heavy. Last night I slept like a baby all night, due I guess to my ride yesterday. So today is a day of nothing, I’m not really sure what I will do. This morning I took the bike for its first service and while I was there just spent a bit of time talking crap. This afternoon my plans include a little bit of internet surfing and maybe I will go for a swim spa and sauna, just to loosen up the muscles a bit. My motivation to get fitter is very high. Everyday I’m thinking about things I can do to make myself better. I’m sure this is a good thing!