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Showing posts from May, 2012

Ride Stats for May

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Not quite sure how I managed to do 900.3 miles this month, when I didn't touch the bike for the first five days due to illness. Not bad though considering I'm spending pretty much seven days a week behind a desk revising at the moment. Last weekend's BUCS road race proved perhaps a challenge too far, being an E.1.2.3 level race (see the race report on the blog homepage), but I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do in three weeks' time when I'm back down racing at home.

BUCS Road Race 2012 - Brutal

Today's BUCS road race can only be described as brutal. Of the 85 starters, less than 30 finished and I reckon I was probably around 23rd. I made some mistakes, I learnt a lot, I had a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to next year. The race started neutralised up the first ascent of the one big climb on the course, and damn it was a beast. About a mile long and getting up to probably 15%, Harby Hill promised to break anyone that wasn't feeling on top form. The course itself was composed of 5 laps of the circuit, bringing it to 65 miles in total, and whilst most of the rest of the course aside from Harby hill was relatively flat, we also had a five mile stretch of exposed road into a headwind for one edge of the box shaped circuit. For the first lap of the course I followed the numbers I knew were going to be good; such as Tom Last of Sigma Sport and the other Elite level riders that were in the field. I was fairly comfortable in the peloton, and although the speed

Weekend Watch: Rapha Continental Assynt

http://www.rapha.cc/assynt "Well, the only way I see this happening is in an extended ride north. When I say that I mean a long, terrible, trying trip…" Wally Maclean, The Idea of North by Glenn Gould, 1967

Choose Cycling.

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Choose Cycling. Choose to ride. Choose to train. Choose Road Racing, Cyclo-Cross, Time-trials and Cross Country. Choose bulging legs, low body fat and the upper body of an eight year old. Choose tiredness, pain, aching muscles and energy drain. Choose a bike. Choose clip-in pedals. Choose a jersey and shorts in matching colours. Choose early morning club runs and late night turbos. Choose a team. Choose village sign sprints and interval training. Choose lactic acid searing through your muscles as you strain on the hills. Choose far away races, long drives and wondering who the hell you are on a Sunday morning. Choose the breakaway. Choose risks. Choose clipping the apex and feeling your rear wheel skid on a drain cover. Choose energy gels, caffeine, cake and protein shakes. Choose mind numbing, spirit crushing winter rides in hail and snow. Choose your turbo music. Choose Dance, Trance, Rock and Pop to make those monotonous revolutions seem more varied. Choose "That&qu

Wednesday Watch: 'Giro d'Italia - The Greatest Show On Earth'

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"This fantastic short film attempts to explain why the Giro is so famous and so loved. Considered by many to be the best cycling film ever made!"

Weekend Watch: Team NetApp's Journey to the Giro

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An interesting underdog team to watch in this year's Giro.

Weekend Watch: 'Rest Less Ride'

Rest Less Ride from howies on Vimeo . On the night of the Spring Equinox, Rob Penn and friends rode across Wales. The Rest Less Ride took riders from beach to border overnight on roads riddled with pot-holes, sheets of gravel and barrier-less hairpin bends. They dropped into deep dark valleys, through forests and over 25% climbs in a race against the sun. This video documents the 16 riders, riding 125 miles for 12 hours, led only by small road markings, the faith in the peloton and the promise that no-one would get left behind in the wilderness. Some were slow, others were fast, but the spirit and determination in the pack got everyone to the end. Determined minds willed-on tired legs over every peak, hoping it to be the last, knowing that once daylight broke, the end was in sight. The ride forged friendship through adversity; sharing the experience of digging deep when you’ve got nothing left, feeling sick, delirious and weary but pushing yourself and fellow riders further t