I've put this off for too long. I had convinced myself that I would never be eloquent enough to write what I thought needed to be written about Nick. I've finally realised that others have expressed those words for me and the important thing now is to continue as Nick would have done which was always to give it 100% and find ways to push oneself even harder than last time.
For me this has manifested itself in my threshold training, I now do my 5 minute threshold intervals on Edge Hill. I had promised Nick that we would start doing several repeats of the Edge Hill ascent, 5 minutes up and 1 minute down and repeat. I'm now fulfilling that promise, I've done two sessions of 8 repeats in the last couple of weeks and I find solace in the thought that Nick would have enjoyed this session and the resulting bragging rights.
I raced the Victoria Park Criteriums last Saturday, this would have been Nick's first British Cycling Road Race. I rode the race as aggressively and as hard as I could albeit not the most tactical way. Nick would've seen my HR trace from the second race and would have seen it as a challenge to better it next time out (average 181bpm).
Nick's brother Chris is to join the team for the Maratona which is welcome news, I think he will enjoy it as much as his brother would have done.
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Friday, 16 March 2012
Return to BCH
This week, we spent a few days back at Birmingham Children's Hospital. Kirsten was scheduled for cardiac catheterisation. On her last check up before Christmas, during the scan, the doctor found that Kirsten's pulmonary artery to her right lung was restrictive which was causing some back flow of the blood leaving her heart.
We had to get to the hospital for 8:00am which meant Kirsten had to have had her breakfast by 6:30am (she's normally asleep til 7:30). We then had to keep her happy until she was due to go for the procedure. Keeping a 15 month old happy when she's hungry and tired isn't easy, but, she seemed happy enough wandering up and down the ward until it was time for her operation (she certainly entertained the staff).
She went down to theatre at 2:00pm. I have to say, having her sitting on my lap while she was given gas to put her to sleep was a bit more difficult then her just having the drugs through a cannula like last time. We were told the operation would take one and a half to two hours, but in the end it took closer to three hours for her to come back from theatre. It turned out that the procedure was a bit more complicated than had been expected as they had to put a stent in her pulmonary artery and use a balloon to dilate the branch to the right lung.
Unfortunately, Kirsten will now need another procedure when she is about double her current weight to adjust the stent.
By 10:00 the following morning, Kirsten was wandering up and down the ward again as if she had had nothing done. We were back home by 4:00 the afternoon following her operation.
We can't fault the care of the staff at BCH. Kirsten was well looked after and many of the staff remembered us from our previous visit. It was nice to see so many friendly faces.
We had to get to the hospital for 8:00am which meant Kirsten had to have had her breakfast by 6:30am (she's normally asleep til 7:30). We then had to keep her happy until she was due to go for the procedure. Keeping a 15 month old happy when she's hungry and tired isn't easy, but, she seemed happy enough wandering up and down the ward until it was time for her operation (she certainly entertained the staff).
She went down to theatre at 2:00pm. I have to say, having her sitting on my lap while she was given gas to put her to sleep was a bit more difficult then her just having the drugs through a cannula like last time. We were told the operation would take one and a half to two hours, but in the end it took closer to three hours for her to come back from theatre. It turned out that the procedure was a bit more complicated than had been expected as they had to put a stent in her pulmonary artery and use a balloon to dilate the branch to the right lung.
Unfortunately, Kirsten will now need another procedure when she is about double her current weight to adjust the stent.
By 10:00 the following morning, Kirsten was wandering up and down the ward again as if she had had nothing done. We were back home by 4:00 the afternoon following her operation.
We can't fault the care of the staff at BCH. Kirsten was well looked after and many of the staff remembered us from our previous visit. It was nice to see so many friendly faces.
Monday, 12 March 2012
Difficult Times
There is a saying that God only tests the strong. Now, I'm not really religious, but, this does sound a bit petty. Having said this, clearly the team is strong, because we have all been tested over the last few weeks.
From the previous posts you can see that our training has been going pretty well, with some good progress from the team. We've also been progressing our fundraising ideas and firming up the logistics for the Maratona in July. Team spirit was high.
Unfortunately, this wasn't to last. On Friday the 24th February, after a team meal on the Thursday night, Steve phoned me with some bad news, our friend and team mate Nick had passed away. The next few days were very difficult as we all struggled to come to terms with Nick's untimely passing. Over the last few weeks we have dealt with this loss in different ways, but, in general we have all used it as a motivator for training and improving our Strava segment times during our unstructured rides, just the way Nick would.
Nick was a great bloke and a good friend and if he was reading this he'd be sure to be taking the mickey out of me for being a wimp, so enough of this emotional guff.
As a team we had always planned to ride the Mad March Hare sportive on the 4th March as a gentle introduction to sportives, well at least that was how Steve was selling it. The week running up to the event had nice weather and was looking good for the Sunday ride. Unfortunately, on the Sunday morning it was cold and wet, but, we decided to carry on regardless (it's what Nick would have wanted).
We set off as a team into the Worcestershire countryside and, even though it was cold and wet, we were all enjoying the ride. Half way through the ride, though, it started to get tougher. As we approached the major climb on the route the temperature dropped, then Simon's chain broke, then just to add insult to injury it started to snow. By this point we had become split up. I stopped at the feed station after the climb to wait for Simon and Mark. At this point, I wasn't able to remove my gloves as they were so wet I knew I wouldn't get them back on again. After a five minute wait and, as I started to shiver, I had to carry on on my own through the snow and wind - my Garmin was reading 2°C at this point. For the next 30 miles or so the ride was a battle of mind over body. There were a number of occasions when I considered turning off the route and heading for home, but, in the end I stuck it out to the end.
By the time I arrived at the finish, I no longer had enough control over my left hand to shift gears. However, as luck would have it, my legs were so cold I couldn't turn the larger gears anyway. It took over an hour to fully regain the feeling in my fingers so that I could actually pick things up properly.
We all completed the course and out of 500 people who signed up and the 180 who took part we all got respectable finishing positions. Simon and Mark had an especially tough time, as towards the end they made a wrong turn, which, not only meant they had extra distance to cover, but, also another hill to climb. Add on top of this that Simon's chain broke again and Mark pushed him the final mile to the finish.
Our first team fray into sportives, while not the most enjoyable, taught us a valuable lesson. We now all know how to suffer and we clearly have the mental strength required to complete the Maratona.
From the previous posts you can see that our training has been going pretty well, with some good progress from the team. We've also been progressing our fundraising ideas and firming up the logistics for the Maratona in July. Team spirit was high.
Unfortunately, this wasn't to last. On Friday the 24th February, after a team meal on the Thursday night, Steve phoned me with some bad news, our friend and team mate Nick had passed away. The next few days were very difficult as we all struggled to come to terms with Nick's untimely passing. Over the last few weeks we have dealt with this loss in different ways, but, in general we have all used it as a motivator for training and improving our Strava segment times during our unstructured rides, just the way Nick would.
Nick was a great bloke and a good friend and if he was reading this he'd be sure to be taking the mickey out of me for being a wimp, so enough of this emotional guff.
As a team we had always planned to ride the Mad March Hare sportive on the 4th March as a gentle introduction to sportives, well at least that was how Steve was selling it. The week running up to the event had nice weather and was looking good for the Sunday ride. Unfortunately, on the Sunday morning it was cold and wet, but, we decided to carry on regardless (it's what Nick would have wanted).
We set off as a team into the Worcestershire countryside and, even though it was cold and wet, we were all enjoying the ride. Half way through the ride, though, it started to get tougher. As we approached the major climb on the route the temperature dropped, then Simon's chain broke, then just to add insult to injury it started to snow. By this point we had become split up. I stopped at the feed station after the climb to wait for Simon and Mark. At this point, I wasn't able to remove my gloves as they were so wet I knew I wouldn't get them back on again. After a five minute wait and, as I started to shiver, I had to carry on on my own through the snow and wind - my Garmin was reading 2°C at this point. For the next 30 miles or so the ride was a battle of mind over body. There were a number of occasions when I considered turning off the route and heading for home, but, in the end I stuck it out to the end.
By the time I arrived at the finish, I no longer had enough control over my left hand to shift gears. However, as luck would have it, my legs were so cold I couldn't turn the larger gears anyway. It took over an hour to fully regain the feeling in my fingers so that I could actually pick things up properly.
We all completed the course and out of 500 people who signed up and the 180 who took part we all got respectable finishing positions. Simon and Mark had an especially tough time, as towards the end they made a wrong turn, which, not only meant they had extra distance to cover, but, also another hill to climb. Add on top of this that Simon's chain broke again and Mark pushed him the final mile to the finish.
Our first team fray into sportives, while not the most enjoyable, taught us a valuable lesson. We now all know how to suffer and we clearly have the mental strength required to complete the Maratona.
Monday, 13 February 2012
Sportstest #2 - The Results (Part 1 of 2)
After my diatribe on the benefits of the chosen training methods it's only fair that I pen the review of the first set of the Team's re-tests with Dr Garry Palmer.
The running order for the day was Alan, me, Manuel (a friend of the team), and Simon. Simon and I popped in half-way through Alan's test to offer some 'encouragement' to find that he looked to be making light work of the test that he found significantly more difficult back in October. Alan completed his test to found that the hard work he had put in since October had paid dividends - max power 288W up from 231W!, power to weight 3.66W/kg (target for July - 4W/kg), VO2max efficiency looks good, and down to 17.8% body fat which means a loss of 3.7kg of fat since mid-October! Impressive stuff considering that there is more training to come in preparation for July, Alan now embarks on the second phase of endurance training to increase his mechanical efficiency and power when riding at this intensity.
Alan also provides the first photo for our caption competition -
I was next up after Alan had set the bar so high. I felt comfortable during the endurance and threshold tests. Apparently I was trying to wrestle the cycling rig by the end of the ramp test which showed that my peak power has increased since October, which wasn't expected as my training plan wasn't targeting that. My mechanical and VO2 max efficiencies are improved significantly and Garry says that I'm in better shape now than I was at the end of last race season (which should have been my peak) so I'm well set for the coming season. To facilitate this Garry has designed a particularly unpleasant Threshold training programme for me. My contribution to the caption competition:
Manuel was introduced to the ramp test next, I won't publish his results here but if he could develop more power without putting on weight he would make an awesome climber!
Simon was the last test rider of the day, I hope he won't mind me saying that he was feeling the pressure of the improvements of the other tests that day. Alan was on hand to provide moral support and capture an unfortunate gurn at the end of test. Despite Simon's concerns his results showed that he too had made impressive gains since his last test point in October. Max power up by 10%, mechanical efficiencies look good, power to weight 4.13W/kg!, VO2max efficiency looks good, and 17.1% body fat down from 18.9% (although some dietary changes required - Simon can update you with these later). These results are especially impressive considering that Simon's recovery rate revealed that he is actually heavily fatigued and run down at the moment, the Dr P has ordered rest and recovery until he feels better at which point he can continue his training.
Simon's entry into the caption comp will be entered shortly.
The remainder of the team will be tested in March, I will be taking a day off that day so I don't have to enjoy the wrath of Nick should his results not show that he can now rip up tarmac with every pedal stroke....
Overall, the results of the team so far have been really pleasing and bode very well for a rewarding ride in July!
The next major event in the team's calendar is the Mad March Hare Sportive on the 4th of March, 75 miles and 1100m of climbing, keep your eyes peeled for the blog entry on that one.
The running order for the day was Alan, me, Manuel (a friend of the team), and Simon. Simon and I popped in half-way through Alan's test to offer some 'encouragement' to find that he looked to be making light work of the test that he found significantly more difficult back in October. Alan completed his test to found that the hard work he had put in since October had paid dividends - max power 288W up from 231W!, power to weight 3.66W/kg (target for July - 4W/kg), VO2max efficiency looks good, and down to 17.8% body fat which means a loss of 3.7kg of fat since mid-October! Impressive stuff considering that there is more training to come in preparation for July, Alan now embarks on the second phase of endurance training to increase his mechanical efficiency and power when riding at this intensity.
Alan also provides the first photo for our caption competition -
I was next up after Alan had set the bar so high. I felt comfortable during the endurance and threshold tests. Apparently I was trying to wrestle the cycling rig by the end of the ramp test which showed that my peak power has increased since October, which wasn't expected as my training plan wasn't targeting that. My mechanical and VO2 max efficiencies are improved significantly and Garry says that I'm in better shape now than I was at the end of last race season (which should have been my peak) so I'm well set for the coming season. To facilitate this Garry has designed a particularly unpleasant Threshold training programme for me. My contribution to the caption competition:
Simon was the last test rider of the day, I hope he won't mind me saying that he was feeling the pressure of the improvements of the other tests that day. Alan was on hand to provide moral support and capture an unfortunate gurn at the end of test. Despite Simon's concerns his results showed that he too had made impressive gains since his last test point in October. Max power up by 10%, mechanical efficiencies look good, power to weight 4.13W/kg!, VO2max efficiency looks good, and 17.1% body fat down from 18.9% (although some dietary changes required - Simon can update you with these later). These results are especially impressive considering that Simon's recovery rate revealed that he is actually heavily fatigued and run down at the moment, the Dr P has ordered rest and recovery until he feels better at which point he can continue his training.
Simon's entry into the caption comp will be entered shortly.
The remainder of the team will be tested in March, I will be taking a day off that day so I don't have to enjoy the wrath of Nick should his results not show that he can now rip up tarmac with every pedal stroke....
Overall, the results of the team so far have been really pleasing and bode very well for a rewarding ride in July!
The next major event in the team's calendar is the Mad March Hare Sportive on the 4th of March, 75 miles and 1100m of climbing, keep your eyes peeled for the blog entry on that one.
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Sportstest #2 - The Reckoning
Alan chose the idea (to ride the Maratona) and I created the route of how we were going to get to the end goal of getting all the team to finish line of the Maratona without any major dramas during the race. Based on my previous training experience for the Etape I arranged for Dr Garry Palmer of Sportstest to assess our current condition and create tailored training programmes for us. Part of this process included a follow-up test with Garry to assess our progress. That time is now here - Alan, Simon and I will be tested this week with the other team members to follow later in the month.
I feel for me that this an opportunity to vindicate my training methods, but you can already see the results of the training programme for Alan, Simon and Gavin even without testing them. Simon has covered significantly more mileage than he has ever done before, and more comfortably. Alan has done rides over 40 miles, a huge achievement from his starting point in October. Gavin is showing signs of his previous impressive form. The impending Sportstest should show improvements in aerobic economy, increase in power at endurance pace, improvements in mechanical efficiency and reduction in body fat/weight (therefore an increase in power to weight ratio). This will give them an foundation for the next phase of training - Threshold, this phase is to increase power and improve economy near to lactate threshold which will improve their climbing ability (a vital part of the preparation for a mountainous race such as the Maratona).
You'll notice that I've only referred to three of the team members so far. This is the part where the blog starts it's controversy in earnest. One team member is struggling to find the time and self-belief to stick to his training programme but with some support is starting to turn it around, hopefully you'll hear his story first hand when he gets round to signing up for the blog. Which brings me onto the final member of the team - Nick. You've read his posts which vividly portray his disillusionment with his training programme, as I mentioned above this training method was my idea so I'm left asking myself whether I've failed Nick, should I have suggested a training method that would suit his preference to ride hard during most of training?
If I had the ability to turn back time would I have changed my suggestion based on Nick experiences since starting the training programme? The answer is no, I've read several training books and magazine articles and they all share the same fundamental approach - periodisation. Periodisation is a training approach that focuses on differing aspects of fitness dependent on the time year in relation to a target race date or the start of a race season. Winter is the best time to focus on base and endurance fitness as this is off-season and the road conditions don't lend themselves to giving it the 'beans'. As the target race gets closer it is time to increase the training intensity to ensure that you arrive at the target event at your peak and not burnt out from training on the limit all year round. There are exceptions to this rule - Eddy Merckx being one, he believed that the only thing better than lots of training miles was even more training miles. Going slow to go faster may seem counter-intuitive but it's all about managing fitness, form and fatigue and arriving at your target event with your best fitness and form with as little fatigue as possible.
Keep your eyes peeled for the results of the Sportstest this week, personally I'll be happy with an improvement in my endurance economy and my mechanical efficiency at endurance pace which means I'll be able to sustain a faster speed for longer. My average speed during my first Sportives was 16-17mph for 60 miles before I started following a structured training programme in 2010, last year I did the 200km Dragon Ride at an average of 18.5mph.
I feel for me that this an opportunity to vindicate my training methods, but you can already see the results of the training programme for Alan, Simon and Gavin even without testing them. Simon has covered significantly more mileage than he has ever done before, and more comfortably. Alan has done rides over 40 miles, a huge achievement from his starting point in October. Gavin is showing signs of his previous impressive form. The impending Sportstest should show improvements in aerobic economy, increase in power at endurance pace, improvements in mechanical efficiency and reduction in body fat/weight (therefore an increase in power to weight ratio). This will give them an foundation for the next phase of training - Threshold, this phase is to increase power and improve economy near to lactate threshold which will improve their climbing ability (a vital part of the preparation for a mountainous race such as the Maratona).
You'll notice that I've only referred to three of the team members so far. This is the part where the blog starts it's controversy in earnest. One team member is struggling to find the time and self-belief to stick to his training programme but with some support is starting to turn it around, hopefully you'll hear his story first hand when he gets round to signing up for the blog. Which brings me onto the final member of the team - Nick. You've read his posts which vividly portray his disillusionment with his training programme, as I mentioned above this training method was my idea so I'm left asking myself whether I've failed Nick, should I have suggested a training method that would suit his preference to ride hard during most of training?
If I had the ability to turn back time would I have changed my suggestion based on Nick experiences since starting the training programme? The answer is no, I've read several training books and magazine articles and they all share the same fundamental approach - periodisation. Periodisation is a training approach that focuses on differing aspects of fitness dependent on the time year in relation to a target race date or the start of a race season. Winter is the best time to focus on base and endurance fitness as this is off-season and the road conditions don't lend themselves to giving it the 'beans'. As the target race gets closer it is time to increase the training intensity to ensure that you arrive at the target event at your peak and not burnt out from training on the limit all year round. There are exceptions to this rule - Eddy Merckx being one, he believed that the only thing better than lots of training miles was even more training miles. Going slow to go faster may seem counter-intuitive but it's all about managing fitness, form and fatigue and arriving at your target event with your best fitness and form with as little fatigue as possible.
Keep your eyes peeled for the results of the Sportstest this week, personally I'll be happy with an improvement in my endurance economy and my mechanical efficiency at endurance pace which means I'll be able to sustain a faster speed for longer. My average speed during my first Sportives was 16-17mph for 60 miles before I started following a structured training programme in 2010, last year I did the 200km Dragon Ride at an average of 18.5mph.
It's February
Hi blog reading bicycle buddies; you'll be pleased to read that I am back again for another instalment of blog writing tomfoolery.
puncture
Get a cuppa and settle down for a long read.........
[Warning: this is not motivational]
[Disclaimer: reading this could cause unexplained punctures]
So, here we are in February. Work and play are doing their utmost to spoil my training. Pre-Christmas I was merrily (get the xmas reference) churning out 800-900 miles per month. However, all fell apart as I escaped England over the Christmas and New Year period by enjoying the summery wonders of New Zealand. I then returned to Blighty for 1 day before being dragged off to Sweden for work for one week. Another 24 hours rapidly ticked by back in the UK before heading off to France snowboarding for a week. Finally, I am now writing to you from Austria, again work related travels; and I am stranded here for a further 2 weeks. Joy!
puncture
In the midst of all this I have managed to jump on some exercise bikes in various gyms across Europe and squeezed in 10 days back-to-back riding on the bike, rattling off 400+ miles in the process. Work then whisked me off to Austria.
So, the million dollar question, "how is training going?" puncture
I'm afraid the answer is more long winded than 'well'/'badly'........................
puncture
I am assuming the bulk of Endurance training has now finished. I won't have chance in the near future to see Dr. Palmer to assess how the training has gone but to be honest, I've had enough! Maybe another Sports Test would reveal some hidden and mystical improvement in my Endurance threshold performance, but in the most part, it has failed to reveal itself to me. Average speed has shown no improvement, still hovering around 19mph for the longer rides. Maybe it's not meant to improve.....'so what's the point?' Hehe.
puncture
The last ride I did before heading off to Austria with Steve did give me a glimmer of hope though. I actually managed to climb some hills while remaining in Endurance; fancy that! My Facebook post on Feb 3rd revealed my surprise and delight. So, that is where I left it. My last Endurance ride on the bike before I headed off to snowy climbs for work was a good one and it's not all doom and gloom. punctures
In other news, I have also bagged myself a few punctures, I mean 'segments' on Strava, which is encouraging. Having said that, I doubt this has much to do with training! Having said that, training wasn't meant to increase my sub 10min 'sprint-ish' performance. Having said that, it is very frustrating feeling no quicker. Having said that, maybe a Sports Test would reveal an improvement Endurance wise. Having said that, I'm bored of having said having said that! puncture
puncture puncture puncture puncture puncture
So, looking to the future now. I have joined Epic RC and have plenty of rides organised, both Sportives and races. I plan to start my Threshold training block when I'm back in the UK. This will once again be interrupted by a climatic test trip for work at the end of March. Luckily I have managed to move the trip around to allow me to enter the Victoria Park Crits and the Cheshire Cat (on consecutive days no less).
I can also reveal a cunning plan for the work test trip. I intend to buy another bike before the end of march. This way I can send one of the bikes over to Tenerife with the test cars and still have transport left in the UK. Tenerife altitude training here we come!
Right, I know you're bored now so I'll be off.
puncture
Bye for now bloggers and blog-readers. Don't forget, with power comes punctures. puncture
Nick Punctured Power Rawlinson
puncture
Get a cuppa and settle down for a long read.........
[Warning: this is not motivational]
[Disclaimer: reading this could cause unexplained punctures]
So, here we are in February. Work and play are doing their utmost to spoil my training. Pre-Christmas I was merrily (get the xmas reference) churning out 800-900 miles per month. However, all fell apart as I escaped England over the Christmas and New Year period by enjoying the summery wonders of New Zealand. I then returned to Blighty for 1 day before being dragged off to Sweden for work for one week. Another 24 hours rapidly ticked by back in the UK before heading off to France snowboarding for a week. Finally, I am now writing to you from Austria, again work related travels; and I am stranded here for a further 2 weeks. Joy!
puncture
In the midst of all this I have managed to jump on some exercise bikes in various gyms across Europe and squeezed in 10 days back-to-back riding on the bike, rattling off 400+ miles in the process. Work then whisked me off to Austria.
So, the million dollar question, "how is training going?" puncture
I'm afraid the answer is more long winded than 'well'/'badly'........................
puncture
I am assuming the bulk of Endurance training has now finished. I won't have chance in the near future to see Dr. Palmer to assess how the training has gone but to be honest, I've had enough! Maybe another Sports Test would reveal some hidden and mystical improvement in my Endurance threshold performance, but in the most part, it has failed to reveal itself to me. Average speed has shown no improvement, still hovering around 19mph for the longer rides. Maybe it's not meant to improve.....'so what's the point?' Hehe.
puncture
The last ride I did before heading off to Austria with Steve did give me a glimmer of hope though. I actually managed to climb some hills while remaining in Endurance; fancy that! My Facebook post on Feb 3rd revealed my surprise and delight. So, that is where I left it. My last Endurance ride on the bike before I headed off to snowy climbs for work was a good one and it's not all doom and gloom. punctures
In other news, I have also bagged myself a few punctures, I mean 'segments' on Strava, which is encouraging. Having said that, I doubt this has much to do with training! Having said that, training wasn't meant to increase my sub 10min 'sprint-ish' performance. Having said that, it is very frustrating feeling no quicker. Having said that, maybe a Sports Test would reveal an improvement Endurance wise. Having said that, I'm bored of having said having said that! puncture
puncture puncture puncture puncture puncture
So, looking to the future now. I have joined Epic RC and have plenty of rides organised, both Sportives and races. I plan to start my Threshold training block when I'm back in the UK. This will once again be interrupted by a climatic test trip for work at the end of March. Luckily I have managed to move the trip around to allow me to enter the Victoria Park Crits and the Cheshire Cat (on consecutive days no less).
I can also reveal a cunning plan for the work test trip. I intend to buy another bike before the end of march. This way I can send one of the bikes over to Tenerife with the test cars and still have transport left in the UK. Tenerife altitude training here we come!
Right, I know you're bored now so I'll be off.
puncture
Bye for now bloggers and blog-readers. Don't forget, with power comes punctures. puncture
Nick Punctured Power Rawlinson
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Post Chrimbo Training
So far so good. I am coming towards the end of my base endurance training and am very much enjoying spending time in the saddle. While most of my rides have been on the turbo trainer, the festive holiday gave me much more opportunity to get out for a ride during the hours of daylight. Also, the better half gave me a Garmin Edge for Christmas and I am now totally hooked on Strava. If this is all gibberish to you, take a look at http://app.strava.com/clubs/lowroaders and you can see all of the ride data (map trace, elevation, speed, heart rate) from the teams training. I've uploaded all of my ride info since Christmas which even includes a few rides from a recent trip to the USA (I didn't take my bike over, just the Garmin which I hooked up to a bike loaned to me by the in laws).
Now that the holidays are over, I will be doing most of my riding on the turbo until the nights get a little lighter. The picture on the left shows the 'Oag Training Camp' set up ready for action (what you can't quite see is the TV just out of shot keeping me entertained with back episodes of Nitro Circus and Moto GP season review shows!). I plan to get out at the weekend whenever possible and also make the journey home from work by cycle on a Friday when it fits.
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