Totals

So just before I leave for the Marmotte, here are the years training totals:

Road miles: 1641
Road time: 105 hours
Road climbing: 74,590 ft (22,735 m)
Spin classes: 121.5 (91 hours)
Turbo time: 34.3 hours
Weights sessions: 17
Body balance / yoga classes: 21
Body pump classes: 7

So that's 230 hours of riding (of one form or another). If I include estimated hours for the other activities then that's 266 hours of training in total. Hope its enough!

On the weight front, here are the final numbers:

These latest numbers are very recent and just in time too. I'm really really pleased with this, and I hope it will be a great help when climbing the mountains. Looks like I've finally figured out the nutrition side of things.

So that's it, that's all the work done. Now for a rather lovely ride in some breathtaking scenery :-)

Before the Marmotte

Well its nearly here and the time has really flown. People ask how the training is going and its strange to say that its basically done, things are just winding down now.

After the Fred Whitton (and an easy week + weekend off) I had 3 very tough weeks out of the following 4. I've now had 2 weeks tapering since then and I have finally stopped feeling permanently shattered. I'm starting to feel rested, focussed and as ready as I can be.

I am really looking forward to the ride, thanks in part to Graham Watson's website (pro race photographer) and some of the breathtaking pictures of the Galibier from last years Dauphine.

http://photos.grahamwatson.com/Print-Gallery/2009/10378977_XQRGz#722456040_aoVY7
http://photos.grahamwatson.com/Print-Gallery/2009/10378977_XQRGz#722455385_mQL29
http://photos.grahamwatson.com/Print-Gallery/2009/10378977_XQRGz#722454737_urdmU

Beyond that there isn't a huge amount to say. I am taking both the new tubular wheels and the clinchers, just in case its so hot that there is a worry of glue / tape melting and rolling a tub, then I've got options. I can say I'm much more relaxed than I was this time last year before the Etape when I must say I was bricking it. I've trained hard, I've trained (thanks to my coach) well and that's all I can do. If it goes pear shaped for whatever reason then sometimes that's just how life is. Although don't get me wrong, I'd rather it didn't :-)

If you have read the posts I've published then I am truly very grateful. As I have said before this hasn't gone exactly how I intended due to the change in training introduced by my coach. Save for the Fred Whitton I've had no point of comparison to last year at all, and while the weeks have ticked past its been very hard to say how things are going. I trust my coach, but it doesn't make for interesting reading! I could have listed what I've done but I didn't want to just post for the sake of it, I wanted to share things that I thought were interesting / different. If you do want to know what I've done (i.e. the program) then I'm pretty sure you can take a look at Joe Friel's book on training. He is my coach's boss and I'm fairly certain that the plan I am following, albeit a little tailored.

I will of course post the results (whatever they are) in a week or so's time. And then, finally, I am going to go out and get very very drunk :-)

Oh and one other thing I had forgotten, on a point I raised in one of my first blogs. I am very happy to say that I have kept my weight down at its lowest level, or within a lb which is good enough. Last year after my lowest weight I was over half a stone heavier by the etape, so to have kept it down this year should be a huge plus.

Kingston Wheelers

I've finally had enough of training on my own and have joined a local club called the Kingston Wheelers. They have a club ride every Sunday that usually has 3 different ride choices, a fast training ride, something a bit longer (but not as quick) and a much shorter "easy" ride. I liked the sound of this as it should make it easier to work into my plans (i.e. turn up and choose which ride matches my plans the most).

My first ride was a couple of weeks ago now and I've got to say it was a hell of a shock! It was the end of 3 very hard training weeks out of 4. That week my coach had given me my first ever block of 3 anaerobic sessions on consecutive days. I knew that was going to be tough and it was, so come Sunday I was OK but definitely feeling the effects. My plan basically said "ride as you feel" with no HR restrictions, so I went along to the club meeting point.

After introducing myself I was pointed to the guy running the "training ride" which is the quick group. He explained the route (which I know well due to Simon liberating it from the club website well over a year ago) and said it would take about 3 hours. That's fine I thought as I can do it in 3 hours from my place, let alone starting 6 miles into the route. From then on things went downhill, although not literally.

For reasons I still don't fully understand the pace was quick and (as described by one guy several times) "its not usually this quick". One member quickly bailed on the ride due to the speed. I was left for dead on the climbs and struggled to keep up. Once at the top of Box Hill we stopped. A couple of young guys peeled off soon after that and the pace become, lets say manageable. But to put it in perspective on a nice smooth, wide, every so slightly downhill road coming home where I would expect to be doing between 24-27 on a good day, feeling great with a smug grin, here I was doing 34 (mph) just to stay on the back. I'm not sure of the exact numbers but we did something like 45 miles in 2hr 15mins, so a 20mph average

As I said I was tired and the legs were pretty empty, but to be honest I really don't think I would have kept up even in top shape, certainly not up the hills.

Still it was an enjoyable experience even if I did go home and have to sleep for most of the afternoon!!

I went along the following Sunday and went out with the next group down as I wanted something longer and easier (it was not in the plan to beast myself 2 weeks before the Marmotte). This was huge, huge fun. Again I was exhausted and was so close to not getting up. But soon after setting off I ended up next to a good bloke called Kevin who did the Marmotte last year, is doing it this year, has a lovely bike and also watched all the recent pro races. So I just geeked out on cycling for a few hours, had some silly yet highly enjoyable moments of male bravado racing up hills. It was a great tonic to just get out and enjoy riding again. Stopped for a cup of tea, waited for the group, loved it. I have spoken with my coach and I will be working these rides in every week now.

I'm not buying the club kit though unless I start racing (and have no plans to do that) as it doesn't match the bike :-)