I have been back in the UK for just over a week and as I predicted in my previous missive, there are no nearby races before I head back into the sandbox on 05 Oct so long rides are the order of the day.
Apart from seeing my family the biggest excitement was getting on the Salter fitness scales to determine how much work that I would need to do.
I do like the Salter scales. It allows me to monitor weight, BMI, body fat, water and calories required and obviates the error-ridden analogue scales provided in our desert retreat. Granted I did have to endure a weekend at a friend’s place in Colchester quaffing champagne because his redundancy from the Army has been accepted and no time in the legs but how many pounds could that be? We got back to Trowbridge on Sunday evening and on Monday morning I stepped onto the Salter and waited whilst it whirred into life . . . . . 151.6 lb read the display; as I looked into the mirror I mouthed the words “f^&^ MyFitPal” and stepped off thinking that the only solution is 60 km+ rides for the next week at best effort.However, the Colchester trip was well it as I had the privilege to meet with a very discrete and humble Belgian ex-pro who owns a bike shop in that part of the world. Patrick Schils has been in the UK for 23 years and has been selling the Belgian bespoke bikes that bear his namesake for that time. In the last 15 years he has opened his own shop in Colchester and it is a treasure trove of memorabilia. It is a rare moment to find a bike shop where the owner lives and breathes cycling. It was typical of Patrick that, although he was getting ready for a Sunday race (he is a few points off Cat 2) he made more than an hour to simply chat everything road-racing; and he knew everything about road-racing. Between his story of how Eddy Merkx fit and bought him a frame through to his exploits on the Ras, I came away with the romantic idea that I would love to bring my bike down and say: “hey Patrick, how can I improve”. The one thing that did leave me scratching my head was when I asked him how often that he trained and what sort of training that he did. He reassured me that it does take about 10 – 12 hours per week but for him it is all about the bike. No gyms, no weights, no core strength just riding his bike with as many races as he can fit in. If you are in Colchester then you must fit in a visit: http://www.veloschils.com/ Browse the site and be impressed by Patrick’s Palmares.
So tipping the scales at almost 152 lb I got back on the bike realising that the only solution was one that I knew: 60 km in 2 hours or less for every day with as many hill climbs as I could. By mid way through the first week I was back to 149 lb but then the drive train on the training bike, the Specialized Tarmac, gave in. I must be honest, it has probably done about 15k and is long overdue a new groupset but I have just not got around to replacing it. I was out on a wet and windy session when the conditions made their way into the drivetrain and the gears would simply not stick so I limped home and spent the rest of the week on the racing machine or the turbo trainer. By this morning’s session (65 km in 120 mins) I was back to 145 lb. Granted a stack of that was water (although my water % still reads 60.1% which is fine).
The highlight of the weekend was watching Cav win the World Championship. Team GB had done a lot of work at the front and with 5 km to go it looked like the other national teams were going to take them apart. The chaos that ensued really meant that Cav would either win and dispell the thoughts that his success was down to his lead-out train or that the later would be proved correct. As the peloton went under the red kite it seemed like the later conclusion was foregone: the Australian lead-out was firing; Ian Stannard looked spent and Geraint Thomas was desperately looking round for his sprinter to try to bring him back to the front. Indeed, it is clear that GT spots Cav in the last 500 m and pulls aside realising that he can do nothing for him. Given the number of riders to his front it looked as if Cav was finished but the line that he chose on the inside and his pure speed seen him make the front and pull clear- it was a superb win for Cav, the GB team and British cycling. The tally was 6 medals across the event which is very impressive. Being married to a Welshwoman, I was disappointed for Nicole Cooke who placed 4th.
So with a week to go before I return to the Sandbox, probably for the last time, I will leave you with that image of exultation as Mark Cavendish siezes victory in the World Championships . . . it has only been 46 years!
Enjoy the ride!
Kite*Surf*Bike*Rambling 