2008 Entries
Clandon Park 10km (run), 30 March 
White Horse Challenge 150km, 27 April
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Giro 2008 - Stage 5 - No Millar time
I love the small breakaway finishes like the one in yesterday's Giro stage. The cat and mouse in the final kilometers is great to watch. Rotten luck for Millar, another mechanical failure ruined his, what looked like good, chances of a stage victory.
This is a great slo-mo replay of the moment and Millar's frustrated tantrum, reminds me of Riis in the Tour de France time trial. That's a whole lot of nice kit (chain excepted) to be chucking about.
Giro 2008 - Stage 4 - Mark Cavendish
So good to see Mark Cavendish win a stage today. He really is proving himself to be one of the very best sprinters in the peloton at the moment. The helicopter view showed how fast he was at the finish line and Zabel and McEwen were way off. Check out the video highlights at Eurosport here
Giro 2008 - Stage 2 - Go Riccò
Having read about Ricardo Riccò, his attitude and his relationship with other riders in the cycling magazines and online I hadn't particularly warmed to him. However, anyone who can talk about winning a stage and then go and deliver on the promise deserves recognition. I'll be watching out for him during the rest of the race.
Giro d'Italia 2008
Sadly, this year's Giro will again be a TV spectacle for me. It's been few years since I have been down to Italy to watch the race live, but that hasn't dampened my enthusiasm for the most exciting of the Grand Tours. It's good to see that Astana have been allowed back into race, they have some riders who could really liven things up a bit. I will be following the action on Eurosport and online at...
...and looking out for the Brits on team High Road and Slipstream and for Simoni in the commentator's favourite team name "Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli"; I'd like to see Duffers try to say that after a glass of Chianti.
The usual Box Hill loop
We were out on a rare afternoon ride just short of 60 miles today; me having been on babysitting duties this morning. Luckily the gloomy skies remained just that, without releasing the summer storm they were threatening. I was riding with a friend and who is training for the Forestman Triathlon in July; I am training to train with him :-). Last week's Whitehorse Challenge did wonders for my legs, we did the usual route up to Ranmoor Common, over Box Hill and into Sussex in a much better time than the last effort round this loop in the Surrey Hills, although in the last 20k we paid the price for the slightly over enthusiastic out leg.
The only disappointment on a otherwise great day of riding was the puncture which I got in the Vittoria Open Corsa tyre which I used for the sportif last week. The tyres feel great on the road, really fast and supple, but the number of punctures I have got since fitting them has been a real disappointment. I will return to the tried and trusted Schwalbe Stelvios for the next ride. One piece of kit I will not be changing any time soon is the Planet X saddle I have been using. It's essentially an affordable version of the Fizik Arione and it's sooo comfy. For years I have been swearing by the Selle Italia Flite and the ProLink but with the Planet X I have found myself happily sitting and spinning up the climbs in the saddle when previously I might have been beginning to feel the pressure. Along with my trusty 8 year old Oakley M Frames the saddle is definitely earning its place in my top 5 kit list. Speaking of which:
- Oakley M Frames - I wear contacts and these are simply the best eye protection I have found for the bike. After 8 years they are still crystal clear.
- Schwalbe Stelvio Tyres - lasted longer and punctured less than most I have tried.
- Campagnolo Neutron/Nucleon wheels - light, strong and true for years, unlike their owner ;-)
- Planet X Superlight saddle.
- Windstopper gloves - never returned home with cold fingers.
White Horse Challenge
We rode the White Horse Challenge today, almost exactly a year after my last cycling event, the Granfondo. It was a 150km ride in and around the hills of Wiltshire, taking in a number of the white horses and some of the trickier climbs in the area, as close as the UK gets to a Granfondo I suppose.
A 6 am start made me thankful that I had prepared everything in advance so there was no last minute rush when I got picked up for the drive down. 150km later we were unpacking the car to do the same distance on the bikes.
Sign-on was straightforward and we were out on the course very quickly having scanned our timing chips at the start. The first 40km were mostly flat which gave us the chance to put some easy miles behind us and save the legs for the middle section. Gradually the undulations became steeper and I was beginning to feel the lack of early season miles in my legs. Up to about 90km I was doing pretty well but beyond that I had to ride more and more conservatively. Thankfully there were two organised feed stations on the route to refuel, both well stocked with food and drinks. Annoying not long after the second at 105km, I had a puncture but the tyres were easy to remove and a CO2 canister did a cracking job of getting me back on the route.
Not long after we were warned of a crash at the bottom of a descent, by the time the group I was with got there the air ambulance had arrived on the scene. I hope the rider was ok, it looked very nasty.
The final 20km were ok on the flats but I was suffering with terrible cramps on the climbs; I was glad to drop out of the hills for the final 10km into the finish and a "Silver" placing and a ride time of 05:45:00.
All in all it was a really enjoyable day, very well organised, good atmosphere and a great way to mark a return to longer rides. Now I just have to find another event to concentrate on later in the year.
Glorious Mud
Clandon 10k run today. It's been raining all week so we were expecting the mud bath the course had become. It was just over 1k on the road and then 8k on a mix of gritted farm roads and muddy field paths. It was deep, wet, slippery mud and there were a fair few falls and slides. Thankfully I managed to stay on my feet. This was the first running event I had done in few years so I was a bit nervous how I was going to get on. The decision to start steady was a good one because the mud really sucked the strength out of my legs. My clean, light shoes turned black and heavy within a few seconds of getting off the road. I had no illusions for a fast time; I simply haven't run enough in preparation; so it was mostly a case of plodding away and making sure I didn't do a face plant in the mud.
The route through the park had lakes, ditches, stiles and bridges to distract me and running by our house towards the end gave the family a chance to shout their support, a great boost just when I needed it. I enjoyed this run, much more than I have done previous running events and it has left me wanting to keep it up throughout the year instead of stopping as soon as the evening bike rides become a possibility in the Spring. I doubt I'll be a particularly fast runner but I that won't stop me enjoying it.
Synchronicity
The first event of the year for me is looming in the form of a local 10k run this weekend. My preparation has not been ideal but events in the last few weeks have worked in my favour and I am feeling more comfortable than earlier this year. The major "planets" in my life have aligned pretty well giving me a boost of energy and motivation. It is Spring time, cycling has been on the TV loads recently, our baby daughter is sleeping through the night (at last!) and I am finding the time away from work to play and rest properly.
Talking of motivation, you can't go wrong watching Great Britain at the World Track Championships, As I write this I am watching the re-run of the men's pursuit team breaking the world record on their way to one of Britain's 3 gold medals from today. Another highlight was watching Chris Hoy beat Theo Bos in the sprint quarterfinals. Apparently Bos hadn't been beaten for years. The timing for Rob Hayles' failed blood test could not have been worse but I think the success of the GB team should help shift attention to the action on the track. Saying that, cynics will undoubtedly question the success in light of the bad news. Given Wiggin's outspoken attitude to doping, his support for Hayles gives him the benefit of the doubt in my book.
Too tyred to turbo
I have just lost the the best part of the evening, two inner tubes and the most of the skin on my knuckles fitting a new trainer tyre to a old Campg Vento rim.
In the end it took me, my wife, four tyre levers and an uninterrupted monologue of expletives to complete the operation. As a result the planned turbo session was rescheduled for tomorrow.
I don't usually have this much hassle fitting tyres but I remember this wheel always being a pain to fit tyres to, and this combined with the material of the turbo tyre made it a Sisyphean task. If anyone knows a quick knuckle-safe trade secret on fitting a tyre I would love to hear about it.
The Green miles
A late start left the main weekend ride shorter than originally planned but what we lost in time we made up for in effort. A faster paced loop in the Surrey Hills passing down through Forest Green onto Ellens Green and back via Shamley Green! I rediscovered a great breakfast combination this morning, baby rusks (a tip I picked before the Granfondo) and yoghurt, washed down with a short strong coffee. I can never eat much early in the morning before a ride but this went down a treat.
I finally bit the bullet lask week and purchased a new turbo trainer to keep the legs moving during the dark evenings. I went for a Tacx Satori in the end. I had read very good things about it and I can't justify spending a great deal on a torture device only to have it torture me again by telling me how little power I am generating. With any luck the evenings will be lighter before I have run out of cycling videos for motivation.
Talking of motivation, it's great to see that Cipollini is planning to return to racing at the age of 40. He doesn't seem to have that long to prepare for the Tour of California so I can only guess that he has been keeping in good shape during his "retirement". Vai Mario!!
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