Herneweb Cycling Blog and Photos

Giro d'Italia 2008

2008-05-05T21:04:00.006Z

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

2008-05-04T21:15:00.003Z

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

2008-04-27T19:06:00.008Z

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

2008-03-30T19:27:00.008Z

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

2008-03-24T20:45:00.006Z

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

2008-01-23T21:21:00.000Z

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

2008-01-20T20:48:00.000Z

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!!

Jason Macintyre 1973 - 2008

2008-01-16T10:03:00.000Z

It was a shock to read about the death of Jason MacIntyre. I watched him winning the 2006 TT Championships. News like this is always a very sad and unpleasant reminder of the risks cyclists are exposed to on the roads.

50+ miles, 3+ hours

2008-01-13T21:23:00.000Z

50+ miles yesterday, over Ranmoor to Box Hill and then down through Newdigate to Rusper and back via Capel and Forest Green. Frustratingly my legs ran out before the miles did and Newlands Corner, which is always pretty miserable with the traffic, was a slow and tedious grind at the back end of the ride. We should have gone via Coombe Bottom, at least then the grinding final hill is scenic.

I'm hoping the legs will come back soon, these rides were bread and butter last year. It's always difficult to get out enough this time of year. Communting by bike is not a realistic option in my present job so I fear more mid-week turbo is in order. Bring on the hamster wheel!

Pipe dreams?

2008-01-09T22:08:00.000Z

Time off has resulted in the vote being subject to public influence for a while now. Final results show that 61% of you think that cycling is 'A leading example' in the fight against doping in sport.

The new vote is prompted by the news that Dave Brailsford intends to have a British team compete for overall victory in the 2012 Tour de France [ BBC - GB boss outlines Tour team target. ].

Given his excellent track record (if you'll excuse the pun) I would like to think he has some proven plan to acheive this, but at present the idea of a British Tour winner seems like a dream rather than a realistic aspiration.

Could Dave Brailsford's British team really acheive victory in the 2012 Tour de France??

Rainy but Happy New Year

2008-01-01T18:53:00.000Z

Last night's celebrations left us feeling pretty jaded, but neither that nor the dull, grey and wet weather was going to stop us getting out for the first ride of the New Year. The weather did however shorten the ride a bit. A 2hr out and back through the Surrey Hills over Ranmoor via Crocknorth Road and Ranmoor Common Road to Box Hill, only to find the cafe at the top closed (I should've known better).

The hills made up for the lack of distance and the rides over Christmas seem to have done my legs some good. I was climbing comfortably today but my descending was dire. The rain made it tricky but more frustrating was the jacket I was wearing, the slightest hint of speed/breeze and it would blow up like a balloon and I found myself wearing an airbrake that would have brought the Space Shuttle Columbia to a halt on a postage stamp. It was old MTB waterproof that I thought would be a little warmer than my lightweight but I'll just add another base layer next time.

So, not a perfect, but a satisfying start to the cycling New Year, I hope yours has started well.

Happy New Year!

Slow and steady

2007-12-30T17:07:00.000Z

Time restricted me to two solo 2 hr rides over the weekend, but I can't complain, the weather was great and I'm feeling nicely tired this evening. The New Year's Day ride will be a chance to get more miles into the legs with a longer ride in a group. I'm a bit frustrated with my fitness on the bike at the moment. I was hoping there would be something remaining from earlier in the year and while it's not back to square one, I am definitely having to take things slow and steady at the moment while I get back into a routine. Out of interest I was looking around for some articles on residual fitnesss and what effects how quickly it can drop off, but as yet can't find much. I'll post more on this if I find anything.

On a different note, one professional cycling generation seems to be handing over to the next. Some of Lance Armstrong's greatest rivals have decided to throw in the towel this year. I bet they thought those final years without Armstrong might allow them to go out having swelled their palmares. However, none really managed to improve and have either left under a cloud of doping suspiscion or were unable to reach there previous levels on returning from injury (Heras retires , Beloki retires, Vinokourov retires , Ullrich retires).

One rider who seems intent on returning to win is Ivan Basso. Although, it will be some years before he rides for a ProTour team as his suspension prevents him from signing for a top level team for up to 4 years from its start (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/dec07/dec28news). I wonder what happens if Barloworld get promoted during this period, is Basso then allowed to race in ProTour races?

Happy Christmas, here's to the New Year!

2007-12-23T14:45:00.000Z

Cycling and Herneweb have been taking a back seat in the second half of the year as we have settled into parenthood. The year started with 6 excellent months of cycling and then the arrival of our daughter refocused my energy elsewhere. I haven't regretted a single missed ride (or missed blog post) but as things have settled down I am managing to get out on the bike with increasing frequency and I hope I will be back to writing and posting more often.

I have inevitably lost some fitness and gained some weight, but I'm not too worried about it and have already set myself a challenge for early in the New Year to motivate me over the winter. We will be riding the 150km White Horse Challenge in Wiltshire next April.

I'll keep posted on progress but in the meantime, here's wishing you a very Happy Christmas and all the best for your cycling in the New Year.

Race of Champions suspended

2007-09-22T21:06:00.000Z

Race of Champions suspended.

Shame, would have been an interesting end to the season. I wonder who would have won? I would put my money on �scar Freire for the flat, Alberto Contador for the climb and Fabian Cancellara for the TT.

50/50 for Rasmussen

2007-08-01T20:13:00.000Z

The latest vote asking if the Danish Cycling Union was right to drop Rasmussen during the Tour de France has produced as very even split (50/50 at the time of writing). I am surprised about the level of support for Rasmussen given the poor press and general distrust of cycling and cyclists at the moment. It does seem that he lied to his team and the authorities and as everyone's favourite commentator on all things doping, David Millar, has said "He has either been unprofessional or has used the system.".

Cycling has got a higher profile in the mainstream media as a result of the recent problems and I heard a fairly lengthy and interesting exchange of views on Radio 5 last week discussing whether the Tour is now a joke. Personally, I hope it isn't seen that way, I think the efforts that cycling is making to change are significant compared to other sports, but I agree that this year's Tours has proved there is a long way to go. How many cyclists out there have mentioned their hobby to their friends only to be met with derisory comments about drugs?

So, continuing the theme of recent discussion the new vote is as follows: Is cycling becoming a joke or is it a leading example of the fight against doping in sport?

Want to support The Chicken?

2007-07-28T21:18:00.000Z

The curent vote asking readers if they support the Danish Cycling Union in their exclusion of Rasmussen is showing roughly 60% in favour and from what I have read, watched and heard this roughly reflects the general feeling.

However, if you do not agree, you have the opportunity to register your support for "The Chicken" at a new site set-up for those who believe Rasmussen had been treated unfairly, www.kyllingen.com [ chicken in Danish ]

Sunday surprises?

2007-07-28T21:03:00.000Z

The last day of the Tour maybe a little more exciting than just the final sprint. With Leipheimer only 8 secs from 2nd place and Evans 23 secs from 1st the bonus sprints might make the champagne worth avoiding for a few hours more.

And it's not just the racing that might grab attention, there is rumour that there will be a spectacular demonstration by riders protesting against doping.

Another great ride, another failed dope test

2007-07-24T21:28:00.000Z

Not too much to say about the new's of Vinokourov's positive at the moment, unlike David Millar who seems to have become the peloton's official commentator on all things doping. He is being quoted left, right and center in the British press and on the cycling web sites.

It's disappointing to see some great stage performaces being wiped out by the revelation that they are achieved on dope through blood manipulation. Especially from Vinokourov, who I've always enjoyed watching. Thankfully Linus Gerdemann's great ride seems to have been an honest, exceptional performance.

As a distraction from the more serious news here's a link (thanks Julie) to a few amusing cycling clips. I especially like the finishing straight gloater and the bizarre run-in Burghardt has with the dog earlier in this year's Tour.

Five funny cycling clips

A year of two halves - cycling and parenthood

2007-07-19T19:47:00.000Z

I haven't posted for a while now but as you can probably guess from the title, life has changed in a big way in the Herneweb household. After one of the most consistent six months of cycling I have done for some years the next six are going to be oh so very different since our new arrival in June.

Both myself and my wife are determined to maintain our fitness hobbies, but not at the expense of enjoying parenthood.

The blogs I read frequently prove there are cycling fathers out there so I'm hoping there is some good advice to be shared about finding a good balance.

I will continue to blog about my experiences when I find the time and I would love to hear from anyone who has advice for new parents trying to keep fit and their own experiences.

One bonus of staying in at the moment is that I have had the chance to watch much more of the Tour than I usually manage while working. It's been a great race so far with some excellent individual performances and the last week is lining up to be one of the best for ages. I felt sorry for Kl�den having to wait for Vino as I think he had a real chance this year, but then he did agree to play domestique when signing for Astana. Contador is a phenomenal rider, so fast on the climbs. Personally I would like to see Cadel Evans win, but I would like to see him shake off the "wheel-sucker" image by doing something exciting in the remaining mountain stages.

Granfondo Dieci Colli Bolognesi 163km 2700m

2007-05-02T20:15:00.000Z

I've been keeping quiet about this one as earlier on in the year I wasn't sure if I would make it out to participate. Thankfully things went to plan and I have done my first Granfondo, the Dieci Colli Bolognesi (10 Hills of Bologna)

I am staying out here and cycling with Phill (my brother and co-contributor to herneweb) who lives in the Trentino region near Lake Garda. It's a few hours away from the race so we travelled down to Bologna on Monday night and checked into the hotel. Then it was out to meet up with Michele, a local cyclist and friend of Phill's, for a bite to eat and quick reccie of the hills we would be riding. The hills are quite deceptive in this region, they look fairly tame from a distance but closer up the bumps and dips hide some significant height gains.

We turned in early to get ready for the early start in the morning. However thanks to some joker who called the fire brigade about smoke coming out of a window we had a pretty disruptive night of phone calls and knocks on the door. Needless to say I wasn't feeling too bright when the alarm went off at 0545.

As the hotel breakfast didn't start for another hour or two and they were unlikely to cater for our requests for pasta and cheese we went over to Michele's for an excellent pre-ride meal and to make final preparations. With stomachs at the same pressure as our tyres we set off for the race start in the town centre.

A couple of thousand people lined up to take part; you are assigned to a particular start place depending on how early you register and on your previous placings. We were one back from the first group containing among others, ex-Tour podium finisher, Raimondas Rumsas. There was an overwhelming smell of the complementary pre-race embrocation cream that came with the race packs. Incidentally the race packs were very good with free coffee, tea, chocolate, bottles, degreaser and lube.

The massive numbers of racers and the narrow start gate meant that everyone was immediately trying to make up places to get in a good group to reach the first climb with some space to move. There was no chance to take the start easy, I found myself sprinting over the start line out onto the streets of the city along with everyone else, hopping on and off each others wheels in a effort to make some ground and find a faster group to sit in to get to the first climb.

The first hill took some time arriving, I was hoping some of the undulations might count but the '10' are clearly marked so unmarked inclines are just a reminder that there's more to it than the name of the race suggests. Once on the hills I started pretty gently and climbed well within my limits, spinning up with small groups of riders. Hills 1, 2 passed fairly quickly but by 3 the sun was fairly high and the temperature was on it's way up to 30 degrees; I was in no state to be competitive. I had be advised to make sure I got into a group for the longer stretches between the hills but more often than not I was on my own in the valleys. I put this down to my poor descending. On the hills I was constantly riding up past the same riders only to be overtaken by them on the descents. My descending slowed even more due to caution when I had a completely inexplicable tube blow out on top of 5, the tyre just popped off the rim and the tube blew out with load bang (lucky I wasn't going downhill at the time). After a roadside repair it was back out onto the road for the big climbs of 6,7,8 and 9. 7 was quite exposed and the long lone run through the valley to 8 was never ending. 9 was the worst climb. After 94 miles it was a 375m climb well above 12% consistently. The climb was a long sweeping right hand bend which meant you could see exactly where you were going and the long line of riders crawling up the 16% ahead. The short steep climb up 10 was made bearable in the knowledge that it was only the descent into the finish remaining with a welcome plate of pasta and cheese.

So I have completed my first Granfondo and my first ever race (although I can hardly say I was was racing). A great experience and something I have learned loads from for next time...

Arrivo

2007-04-30T11:27:00.001Z

Arrived in Italy at the weekend for the biennial Herneweb visit. I am staying near Arco, where the Giro del Trentino has just been visiting. I only have a week this year, so not a lot of time to get used to the hills and heat. I am primarily here to do an event down in Bologna but I hope to have some time and energy to get a few climbs in around this area too. I'll write some more once I've settled in.

French window shopping

2007-04-26T20:17:00.000Z

Gavin has posted a note on the message board asking if there are any recommended bike shops in the French capital he should visit when he's over there. Good question, I have been to Paris but never been in a bike shop there.

Is there a "must visit" bike shop in the home town of le Tour?

Puerto riders to be excluded from the Tour?

2007-04-20T18:45:00.000Z

So Christian Prudhomme has decided to try to prevent the Operation Puerto riders from participating in the Tour de France and has already approached the teams involved, including Discovery, to discuss withdrawing the named riders. This is going to be interesting...

Tour will snub dope-probe riders

The Flying Scotsman - Official Trailer

2007-04-04T12:37:00.000Z

Here's the trailer for the long awaited (by me at least) Flying Scotsman. Release date early July, looks good...

The Flying Scotsman Trailer

Bradley Wiggins: 54% David Millar: 46%

2007-03-30T05:18:00.000Z

Great to see Bradley Wiggins take a track gold at the Worlds, he gave Bartko a bit of a pasting. He also beat David Millar in the latest vote, by a smaller margin though. 54% of you wanted Wiggins to win the Tour prologue over Millar. Prompted by a recent comment on a post about Phil Liggett I'm putting Duffers and Liggett in a head-to-head for your favourite non-pro commentator in the new vote.

I like Liggett's commentary on the highlights but I'm not sure he can compete with Duffers' cyclo-gastronomic ramblings on the all afternoon coverage.