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.