The 3rd week of mega km's

Woo hoo! Gerrans..you're de man...you know your talents and use them wisely

Cancellara..you're a machine ...so incredibly strong and your favourite method of winning...full power to the finish ..but if you're not alone, if others have managed to stay with you.... you wont win. 


And here in Melbourne at a slower pace.....

The weather's been kinder this week and so I've had less of mind numbing ergo work and when I had to I've had  DVD's of previous years' classics on to distract me.  Memo to self, must buy more of these.....

With a public holiday on Monday and no Italian one on one conversation sessions and no track or gym session, I've managed to get a fair amount of rest and recuperation happening, so as I reported to "he who must be obeyed"...I'm still tired from the increased work but not so tired that I'm sick.  I've also managed to lose a kilo or 2 and  I'm noticing an improvement in fitness/strength/power up the hills..

Since my TT season is about to commence  (~2 TT's per month) I opted to get out on the TT bike yesterday.  I chose to ride the Boulie rather than Beach Road.  There were 2 reasons for this...firstly it's closer and secondly on the way back I can shop at Leo's supermarket in Kew.. (there are at least 3 items I regularly buy which both Coles and Woolworth's have opted to remove from their shelves but which I can still get at Leo's.  Yay for independent grocers).

my brief for this ride was 40km at high rpm with a few efforts thrown in for good measure.  Not sure about the high revs bit, but I certainly got in a few efforts as I "did" the Boulie x 3 plus the extra loop  x 1  to ensure I got to the magic number.  The saddle still feels good and with a deep dish wheel on the back and a smaller deep dish on the front, I'm happy with the set up although I need to visit John Hine at Cycle Edge in Geelong to have it  tweaked to perfection.

Saturday in Wangaratta - time on the TT bike and Adamo saddle

After delivering  my TT frameset  and exchanging $$ in the car park at Wangaratta(!) I drove back to Glenrowan to recce 2 of the 3 TT courses I plan on racing this season.  The mapmyride.com profile of both of them appeared extremely benign, but I've learned my lesson and now just don't believe it. 

The first course however was flat to very flat with just a couple of pimples that even I didn't need to change out of big chain ring....'nuff said!  I couldn't go all the way as there was a road closure sign  at the junction prior to the turn around and with my race wheels on, I didn't want to explore.  With such a flat course there was nowhere I needed to get out of the saddle and so the Adamo got a really good trial....more on that later.   This is a planned 40km race and is I think the last of the 3.  Before I set off  a lost lady begged directions back to Glenrowan  although looking at the map you'll see she wasn't actually "lost" just a bit geographically embarrassed and confused.

After getting back to the car, I shifted parking spots and  checked out the other course, which will be raced on 24/3.  The elevation profile for this one illustrates how it misses out on the fine details.   The course starts off with an uphill heave over the freeway a bit of an undulation or 2 then is  flat to very flat.  I drove the full course but only rode halfway and back.  The slope on the way back being harder since you approach it from a flat run rather than a downhill swoop (and you are tired).

Adamo Saddle
For me getting to be UCI legal WRT to the relationship between the nose of my saddle and the bottom bracket left me with the option of only 2 saddles, the Fizik TT saddle and the Adamo.  I'd already tried and failed with the Fizik, so the Adamo just HAD to work.  And surprise, surprise it did.  I'm not sure that I've ever before  had a saddle that has been an instant hit, but this one was and is and will be.  I might have to equip all my bikes with one..its just a pity there isn't a retailer in Aus.  Ebay it is....again.

Bike set up...there are still a few tweaks that need to happen for the perfect fit; I can feel a bike fit at Geelong  coming on. 

Loooong weekend and a rather special month of March for the family

Woo,hoo!!...a whole 4 days with no work commitments and today no training at all.

 Currently  I'm employed for a regular 2 afternoons a week and 1 day a fortnight plus the occasional couple of hours on a Friday afternoon. All of which nicely fills the coffers for little luxuries such as a massage,  private Italian conversation lessons and groovy lightweight carbon cranks for my TT bike

 Training wise...my body is  slowly getting used to a different training regime and so I'm VERY pleased to have a day off the bike today..a 100% ME day....well no work and no training but still doing my other job...domestic slave. 

During the week I sold my previous TT frame on ebay and since the guy who bought it lives near where my next TT race is (Wangaratta), I've opted to drive out there to suss out the course, give my new TT bike a decent test and deliver the  frame  to him.  It's a win win situation ...it saves him freight and it saves me having to pack the thing up and hand around waiting for the courier to turn up.   The courses there tend to be pretty flat so I've got my fingers well and truly crossed that the roads are open since there's been some flooding around the state.

March 2012

• By the end of the month Ben and Melissa will have the keys to their new house.
• By the end of the month Alex will have had a rather significant birthday..not sure how he feels about this!
• And finally an anniversary none of us really want to remember and certainly wont celebrate:  this time last year Alex hadn't had to take a stick out of his knee, didn't have a huge scar on his knee and hadn't spent an agonising  time in hospital on nuclear strength IV antibiotics. But a week after this holiday in 2011 he'd experienced  all of the above. A traumatic time for the entire family with Phil also in hospital at the same time. 

Training shift

So  how do I feel after week 1 of my new training regime?

Tired! but happy.

The shift away from highly objective wattage based  training to  a more subjective approach has been a breath of fresh air, although it leaves me a little concerned that I'm not working hard enough.  The current emphasis is on rpm and I'm to aim for 90-100 in a fairly easy gear.

I'm putting in more km's that's for sure, although most km's this last  week were on the ergo, given the wet stuff that was constantly leaking from the sky....and it still is.

On Thursday I was s'posed to go first to the track and then to  the Austin respiratory lab  to be VO2max tested as part of a medical research program.  The track part got ambushed by my car's light with BOTH my headlight globes having blown.  I was soooo annoyed, getting up at 4am to be at the track  for training by 6 only to get in the car and find out I had no lights.

The VO2 max test was slightly different from other times I've done it in that the bike and its set up and the room was...very average.  Naturally I couldn't use my own pedals/shoes and the saddle was waaaay uncomfortable.  The room was very small  and there was no fan which was not an issue to begin with but by the end of the test I was dripping.  Having said all that, it was a medical research test and not an in-depth test of my personal fitness level.  There was a doctor present who took my BP every 2 minutes, I think it ended up being 200/85, he was surprised how quickly my pulse dropped once I'd stopped exercising.

However, apart from failing to keep my lips sealed over the mouth piece during the final effortful grunt, I was happy with the session. I kept going for ~15 mins I think ..maybe 14.  He increased it by bigger increments than is normal for my age since he felt that we'd be there for ever!  I wanted to stand up to grind out the last  bit and felt I could have gone on for a minute longer if I had been allowed to do that, but sadly that's not in the protocol.

Apparently I'm so far above the norm for my age that I'm off the page.  My score was ~50, it was actually high 49 but he said due to the poor seal towards the end, it was under reporting.  I've been tested 2 or 3 times before and need to unearth the results, but from memory, I don't think it's changed much.

VO2 Max values for Women as measured in ml/kg/min
Age	Very Poor	Poor	Fair	Good	Excellent	Superior
13-19	<25.0	25.0-30.9	31.0-34.9	35.0-38.9	39.0-41.9	>41.9
20-29	<23.6	23.6-28.9	29.0-32.9	33.0-36.9	37.0-41.0	>41.0
30-39	<22.8	22.8-26.9	27.0-31.4	31.5-35.6	35.7-40.0	>40.0
40-49	<21.0	21.0-24.4	24.5-28.9	29.0-32.8	32.9-36.9	>36.9
50-59	<20.2	20.2-22.7	22.8-26.9	27.0-31.4	31.5-35.7	>35.7
60+	<17.5	17.5-20.1	20.2-24.4	24.5-30.2	30.3-31.4	>31.4

and from another source:

Women Age 50-65 (I'm 67)

•  Low          <21 
•  Fair            22-28 
•  Avg.           29-36 
•  Good         37-41 
•  High          42-45 
•  Athletic     46-49 
•  Olympic    50+

ok..now I've finished polishing my ego I'd better go out and train!

Next Sunday's TT race

Hmm..question: do I really  want to do this?

and the answer is, naturally enough  "NO!".  however ..it's awful but it does you good.  

I  think.

2nd TT of the year and a change of coach

TT's that are set specifically  for Masters riders  tend to be fairly flattish.  The 2 TT's I've ridden this year with the Coburg Club have not been set for Masters riders.

Yesterday's race was from Cottles Bridge to Strathewen and back , starting off with a ~ 2km uphill grunt with a nasty tendency to get worse the closer you got to the top. 

...I'm not quite sure how I managed to have a loop on the map 2/3 the way in since it was an out  and back course...but ...

The fastest male was back in 34 minutes, I took 53.  I recall Steve Moneghetti commenting on how much admiration he had for the extra work, grit and determination shown by  those doing marathons in 4 hours against his 2 hours + a few minutes and wonder if these fast guys spare a thought for those of us slogging it out for that much longer in 30+ degree heat.  I somehow doubt it!

Not only was it hot, it was quite windy and  so the run out was much worse than the run home, by 7 minutes for me with a top speed of 66kph on the final hoon home.  I arrived at the turn around with a dead brain and promptly ignored any and all instructions from the marshall...not a question of DISobeying, more a question of "who are you and what are those flags in your hand and who am I and ??????". Whoops.

Best parts of the race: the cheer squad at the top of the hill on the way out, the downhill hoon and finishing!


When I got home the shower and nanna nap I was looking forward to suddenly took second place when I noticed the Flea the hunter had a wound  on his left hip and at 1330, I'd missed the local vet's Sunday morning surgery so we had to go off to the 24hour extremely expensive ($260) emergency vet clinic.

Many hours later I was home and packing up 2 parcels of things I'd sold on ebay.


Change of coach
After about 5 years with the same coach, I've opted to change  since I was more in need of face to face input and also was not managing the "ride to this wattage" approach.  So after a break of about 6 weeks I'm now back with a program.  Any change to training starts off bringing results since you are forced out of your comfort zone; hopefully this change will not only bring results immediately but also long term and will give me the boost I need both mentally and physically. 

Just a bit of waffle on cats and bike bits

So cats don't have facial expressions?

 Caught unawares in a somewhat undignified position

now he's been alerted to the camera and and if looks could kill I'd be dead.

Helping the British economy

And yes, we do buy stuff on the internet when it's clearly cheaper and especially when  the postage is free.....

but when this wheel box arrived both Alex and I were a bit nonplussed since neither of us had ordered a wheel.  Delving down to the bottom we finally uncovered  the "black box" (!) containing an MTB bar.  Since freight goes on size rather than weight we think Wiggle must be coining big time.

PS...thanks Wiggle...I've just sold a wheel and the box will now go via courier to Queensland.

Preventing crossed eyes

Finding a saddle that suits is a long and arduous task for some:

• For women this is even more of a problem, although there are fewer options on the market that could even remotely suit.  
• Given the inherent problem women face then triple it, bold it, underline it and put it into italics for those of us  using  TT bars on track or road.   
• Add to this the UCI ruling as to where the nose of the saddle should be (or not), 
• and what a saddle should look like, it's length, angle etc etc
• then consider the problems of those of us who forgot to grow long legs.

So what you're left with is a choice of about 2 saddles
this one:

 tried and failed.

or this one which  I'm now trialing:

looks weird, but time will tell.  More anon