Jules' Blog

The Cyclefit Festive 5000

2010-12-23T18:26:00.002Z

We're laying down the gauntlet, we challenge you to consume 5000 calories per day between now and the 30th December.
Super human couch potato Phil Cavell put on 4kg last Xmas and enjoyed every minute.
We want hard evidence of your binging: photos of your Christmas Dinner, those cheeky late night turkey sandwiches, let us know how many Quality Street you ate while waiting for your toast at breakfast. Show us those scales and how good you look in lycra after Xmas dinner.
Leave the bike in the garage, don't do it to yourself, rest, recuperate and keep taking the Rennies.

For the best photos and stories we'll put £50.00 towards a gastric band.

Merry Xmas

Jules and Phil

Shorter Cranks for better pedalling?

2010-12-15T12:16:00.007Z

I started cycling over twenty years ago, for the first few years I had no idea what crank length I used but as I continued in the sport and urchased my first mountain bike I began to know a little more about the machine I was riding.
I have the dubious honour of having virtually the shortest legs in the peloton but have for most of my cycling life used standard 170mm cranks on my road bike and 175mm on my mountain bike.
I have been fitting riders to bikes for nigh on fifteen years and wrongly assumed that bike and component manufacturers knowledge is superior to mine, after all they have been doing it longer. At Cyclefit we design custom frames to be millimetre perfect but generally use cranks that vary in length by only 0.5cm for customers whose inseams range from 75cm to 93cm.

What we are aware of at Cyclefit is that bike manufacturing is an industry and for a company to survive it must make a profit therefore reducing the number of products it produces and has to warehouse the better.
Most bike manufacturers now only produce five frame sizes to cater for the population as opposed to eight or nine ranging from 48cm to 62cm.
We are now categorised as either extra small or large or medium/large etc.
Across this range of frame sizes cranks were specced usually in three sizes 170mm, 172.5mm and 175mm, much easier for component manufacturers then to only make three crank sizes and why not stop making triple chainsets as well so inventory is reduced and we have to struggle up mountains in a 34/28 gearing.

After a season of trying to ride up mountains and hours of both physical and mental self-analysis in September I decided to reduce my crank size in proportion to my leg length.
155mm in fact.

The main reason for the change was that at the point of maximum torque in the pedal stroke a short leg will be bent more and the sheering stresses at the knee greater. This became very apparent as I struggled up the Tournmalet in the summer at about 3rpm.
Would a more open knee angle through the dead spot at the top of the stroke and maximum torque further down the stroke reduce the sheering stress and the amount of force required to move the pedal?
We based our calculations on the average saddle height of average sized riders who would normally use 170mm or 172.5mm cranks, worked out the ratio of leg to crank (not including feet) and used this to decide which size cranks to use.
It is not fool proof because femur length and foot size also get involved but the actual difference of 1.5cm is a good place to start because the body will need plenty of time to adapt to such a major change.

See table below:

Initial impressions were:

Less pressure/discomfort on the knee at the start of the down stroke.
More space at the top of the pedal stroke between upper leg and torso. this is not only because the crank is shorter but also becasue there is more space for the foot to dorsiflex on the up-stroke.
Easier to pedal in the saddle going up hill.
Legs less stiff walking down stairs in the morning!
Acceleration quicker in the saddle
Riding in the drops easier.

After three months use I can add the following:

Muscle fatigue is reduced and I can ride five consecutive days per week to work where as my legs would be tired after three days with the 170mm cranks (I am no fitter).
Right knee less sore.
Less irritation in my left SIJ.
The distance my pedals and feet now travel around the bottom bracket in an hour compared to a 170mm crank at the same cadence is less (approximately 0.5km on my commute), therefore the the distance my muscles travel when contracting and extending is less and therefore fatigue (my theory).
It feels like the quads are working more closer to the knee than rather than in the middle of the femur.
The cranks feel normal
Unfortunately I have had the opportunity to ride up any mountains yet, Mallorca will be the first climbing test and in the mean time I will get some 'power' data.

Climbing?

I haven't climbed anything substantial yet but...the picture below illustrates a 10% gradient and because a rider has a centre of gravity it is natural to tip forward on the bike to maintain this on a steep gradient. The handlebar drop is reduced as the bike travels up hill and this combination results in a reduced angle at the hip; shorter cranks help maintain an open hip angle which aids leg tracking integrity for riders with a limited hip inflexion range.

But what about power?

Well there is less torque generated by a shorter 155mm crank (so I'm told) but more force is required to drive a 170mm crank for two reasons: shorter levers i.e. legs and feet and a reduced angle at the knee.
I can subjectively say that one balances out the other. Riding over wet grass for instance at a lower cadence is no harder than with longer cranks.
Where the shorter crank is noticed is when a surge is required to increase speed, where in the past I would click up a couple of gears and push down hard I now increase cadence before changing up, but there is less need to get out of the saddle.

Short cranks and Triathlon position

Steep seat angles and forward saddle positions are it seems improving pedalling bio mechanics for triathletes and David Green of Elite Cycles has always advocated shorter cranks for triathletes 'Pedal fast, run fast' he would say - a shorter crank encourages use of a lower gear and higher cadence.
If you compare the length of my run stride to that of some one who is 5'10" for instance the difference would be more than the 2.5mm than in the suggested crank length difference found on most bikes. A shorter crank length for the shorter triathlete will give all the above benefits and more, as less leverage will encourage a higher cadence saving their legs for the run.
A lower aero bar position is achievable as knee tracking at the top of the stroke is improved.
The knee over pedal axle for a triathlon position can be three or four centimetres in front of the pedal axle, but no there is no account taken of how far the knee is in front of the bottom bracket and mor importantly how far behind on the upstroke?
A shorter crank for the triathlete means the legs will be less extended behind the bottom bracket and pelvis on the upstroke allowing the foot to dorsiflex a little more and the leg will be flexed less at the top of the stroke. This closer resembles the action of running and could reduce the difficult adaption period at the start of the run.

This is work in progress and as you can see quite subjective..

Further reading here.

Zinn Cycles

Pezz Cycling News

Our favourite customer

2010-12-08T22:39:00.023Z

This is Chris's bike.

Chris is our oldest customer not only in age but also in patronage. When we used to be known as Bikepark he would park his bike with us when he attended the Pedal Club's monthly meeting in Covent Garden.
Rain or shine.
When Phil and I became all sophisticated and started bike fitting he never noticed and has continued making his monthly pilgrimage from Portsmouth and parking his bike with us for the last sixteen years.
He still pays £1.00 for his parking despite our protestations and we still get a small box of liquors for Christmas.

One damp winter morning Chris rode in to Macklin Street and told us that he had entered the Guiness Book of World Records as he crossed Waterloo Bridge; he had recorded the highest accumulated distance travelled on a bicycle.
He used to use one of those mileometers that were clicked around by the spokes - remember them?

Chris is the honourary Chairman of the CTC - I think.

Chris bought his bike when he left school in 1953 - second hand - his bike is made from steel.

Sam of Look Mum no Hands knows this bike well he would attempt to secretly service it when Chris parked it; but was so overwhelmed by the challenge that he could only inflate the tyres and lube the chain.
James Junior of Rapha knows Chris, Chris is a person that made cycling special for James.
Barna our mechanic continues to inflate Chris's tyres each month and we look forward to our chocolate liquors this Christmas - and for many years to come.

Chris helps us understand the importance of cycling and keeps things in perspective.

Looks like Chris could do with a new chain, maybe next year.

Salad dodger morphs into multisport athlete

2010-12-07T16:04:00.017Z

Reject albino NASA Space Chimp has Cyclefit

Well that's the plan but not being an individual with a natural appetite for regular structured exercise or raw vegetables; I may, by mid June be half triathlete half Pilsbury Dough boy, a hemaphrodite of an overweight lady boy athlete sucking in my middle aged belly at the start of the swim.

Back in the day -at the end of the Eighties - I did have a small ambition to be a triathlete but this was partly thwarted by my regular weekend visits to the Spice of Life in Soho and Wendy May's Locomotion in Kentish Town both of which were preferable to exercise.
I used to run up and down Hackney Canal and ride my Kingfisher Blue Nigel Dean bike (purchased from Mosquito Bikes) around Essex and out on the chain gangs at Hog Hill on a Tuesday night. I even joined the local swimming club at Haggerston Baths and would spend an hour or so trying to keep up with the local kids and not drown in the process...it was the back stoke, the butterfly and the Speedos that I did not get on with. But back in those days there was no internet and only Winning Magazine and about three triathlons a year and then I bought a mountain bike and never looked back.

My lifestyle doesn't really provide enough time for the five hour endurance rides required for finishing the Etape but I can fit in a twenty minute run or swim here and there which in the current weather is much more civilised. Actually I haven't started swimming yet my ambition is only two weeks old and I'm building up to taking my clothes off in public - and I won't be wearing Speedos.

I'm trying to get Phil involved, he's resisting but that's part of the fun.

Short Cranks

After a season of trying to ride up mountains and hours of both physical and mental self-analysis in September I decided to reduce my crank size in proportion to my leg length.
155mm in fact.

The main reason for the change was that at the point of maximum torque in the pedal stroke a short leg will be bent more and the sheering stresses at the knee greater. This became very apparent as I struggled up the Tournmalet in the summer at about 3rpm. Would a more open knee angle at this particular point reduce the sheering stress and reduce the amount of force required to move the pedal?
We based our calculations on the average saddle height of average sized riders who would normally use 170mm or 172.5mm cranks, worked out the ratio of leg to crank (not including feet) and used this to decide which size cranks to use.

See Dr King's table below:

Initial impressions were:

Less pressure/discomfort on the knee at the start of the down stroke.
More space at the top of the pedal stroke between upper leg and torso. this is not only because the crank is shorter but also becasue there is more space for the foot to dorsiflex on the up-stroke.
Easier to pedal in the saddle ging up hill.
Legs less stiff walking down stairs in the morning!
Acceleration quicker in the saddle
Riding in the drops easier.

After three months use I can add the following:

Muscle fatigue is reduced and I can ride five days/week to work where as my legs would be tired after three days (I am no fitter).

Less irritation in my left SIJ.
The distance my pedals and feet travel around the bottom bracket in an hour compared to a 170mm crank at the same cadence is less (approximately 0.5knm on my commute), therefore the the distance my muscles travel when contracting and extending is less and therefore fatigue.
The cranks feel normal.

Unfortunately I have had the opportunity to ride up any mountains yet, Mallorca will be the first climbing test and in the mean time I will get some 'power' data.

Climbing?

I haven't done anythiNg substantial yet but...the picture below illustrates a 10% gradient and because a rider has a centre of gravity it is natural to tip forward on the bike to maintain this which beacuse the bars are higher than the saddle results in a reduced angle at the hip; shorter cranks help to keep this angle open which helps maintain leg tracking integrity for riders with a limited hip inflexion range.

But what about power?

Well there is less torque generated by the shorter cranks but more effort is required with a 170mm crank because of the reduced angle at the knee and I can subjectively say that one balances out the other. Riding over wet grass for instance at a lower cadence is no harder than with longer cranks.
Where the shorter crank is noticed is when a surge is required to increase speed, where in the past I would click up a couple of gears and push down hard I now increase cadence before changing up.

Short cranks and Triathlon position

Steep seat angles and forward saddle positions are it seems improving pedalling bio mechanics for triathletes and David Green of Elite Cycles has always advocated shorter cranks for triathletes 'Pedal fast, run fast' he would say - a shorter crank encourages use of a lower gear and higher cadence.
If you compare the length of my run stride to that of some one who is 5'10" for instance the difference would be more than the 2.5mm in the suggested crank length found on most bikes. A shorter crank length for the shorter triathlete will give all the above benefits and more, as less leverage will encourage a higher cadence saving there legs for the run leg. Plus a lower aero bar position is achievable as knee tracking at the top of the stroke is improved.
It is also worth noting that the leg will be less extended behind the bottom bracket on the upstroke allowing the foot to dorsiflex a little more and the leg will be flexed less at the top of the stroke closer resembling the action of running and reducing the difficult adaption period at the start of the run.

This is work in progress and I am very interested in any other research and anecdotes and potentially more scientific research and feedback.

Further reading here.

Zinn Cycles

Pezz Cycling News

Serotta OttrottSE - Verde

2010-12-03T15:55:00.006Z

Remember the white Ottrott we had on sale a few weeks ago?
Well this is how it turned out for one of our more creative customers. It's not a build-up I would have thought of because green is a difficult colour to work well on bikes; but in this particular case the quality of the green components shines through. Even down to the green tinit on the Brooks saddle.
The Chris King green works particularly well with the matte titanium me thinks.

Colnago Limited Edition C59 Di2

2010-11-26T13:38:00.008Z

Colnago's new Limited Edition C59 equipped with Shimano's electric Di2 groupset is now available, but only just.
Only 59 frames will be produced for worldwide consumption with only five or six pencilled in for the UK.
Price: £10,999.00

The battery is internally mounted within the frame (easy access assured). On the version we saw there is also a battery indicator integrated into the head tube..

Some photos below of the bike form the Cycleshow in October. The finish is gloss white and the Colnago logo has silver glitter finish.

Unlike previous Limited Editions from Colnago this is a really special bike.

As well as the frame size bar width and stem length need to be specified when ordering please call if you wish to book a fitting.

Serotta Legend SE - for the Belgian cobbles

2010-11-23T13:21:00.011Z

The Legend SE is Serotta's flagship titanium frameset, the frame's titanium tubes are all swaged, machined and butted in-house at the Saratoga Springs factory.Each tube is selected according to the rider's body weight to provide the individual riding characteristics required.
The carbon/titanium F3 fork is available in several different rakes to provide the desired handling when combined with the frame's head angle. The F3 fork is also available in three different levels of stiffness - 6.5. 8.5, 10.5 - and combines with the frame for a highly tuned ride.

When the frame was ordered the owner really wanted a classic look to the bike which usually means a traditional horzontal top tube. To achieve this and ensure the handlebars were in the correct position and there was enough seat post showing we specced a 2.5 degree slope on the top tube and added a slightly longer than normal (but shorter than a Pegoretti's) head tube extension.

The bike below has been built with the 2011 Tour of Flanders Sportive in mind but before then it will replace his carbon Serotta HSG for winter training rides.
Rust and scratch proof the titanium tubing will be unharmed by winter weather and harsh riding conditions and the supple tubing will smooth out the rough roads of Surrey.

Design is the rider's own and is rather special.

Trek Speed Concept - first look

2010-11-18T19:47:00.007Z

As I listened to Phil's time trial position 'dogs are more aero than humans' module this morning Jez nudged my arm and gestured to a very slim black bike tucked in the corner behind Wayne's Madone 6.9 test fleet.

It was the new Speed Concept time trial bike, Lance's secret weapon in this year's Tour de France. We're not that easily impressed Phil and I, we've been around too long, seen too many wonder bikes and too many recalls but this machine really caught our attention. Apart from it's beautiful lines, quality of construction and aerodynamic pedigree it was the bike's adjustability that we loved, the adjustability.

When the percentage of drag a time triallist creates on a bike is assessed the frame only accounts for approximately 10% of the total - possibly less with the Speed Concept. A massive 80% is created by the rider and getting a rider as aerodynamic as possible without compromising pedalling efficiency is a bike fitter's goal.
Unfortunately the most popular time trial and triathlon bike manufacturers today convince too many cyclists that their bikes are the solution and that their frames aerodynamics will make them faster; and then these poor souls make their way to Cyclefit and many other bike fitters and we have to throw their low profile aero bars in the Ebay bin and fit adjustable stems and aero bars with higher stack heights so that they can ride comfortable and efficiaently for 112 miles and then run a marathon.

The trek Speed Concept breaks the mould, the top tube is shorter than last year which makes the frame squarer. When we do a tri fit we deduct 3cm from the customer's equivalent road frame top tube length before we start, so a 56cm top tube becomes a 53cm.
Most cyclists struggle to touch their toes and can't achieve very low handle bar positions but the Speed Concept's pads can be stacked over 10cm higher than the base bar and the 'stem' thing which sits underneath comes in 5 different stack heights. The pads also have by comparison to most asero bars on the market an enormous amount of adjustability: backwards and forwards and in and out, angles can be adjusted vertically and laterally as well. It is like an infinitely adjustable aero bar with abike attached. This results in a nice tight 'aero' frame with a more comfortable and sustainable riding position.

At the back end the seatpost has three different seat clamps that range from 2cm set-back to zero setback, and they can be reversed to provide an even steeper seat angle if required.

Apparently a Dutch dealer has fitted Di2 and a accommodated the battery in the little box that sits behind the seat tube for your nick nacks, he built the bike for a very fast Dutch rider and drilled a couple of extra holes in the frame to do so - brave man.
We hope to have one at Cyclefit soon for more experiments and road tests, looking forward to it.

The movie clip shows Joaquin during today's demo-fit, about 30 minutes worth of fitting time away from a great position (not including his feet).

Trek Fit Ambassadors

2010-11-17T22:49:00.007Z

We are back with Trek Europe this week with Trek retailers, distributors and subsidaries doing what they enjoy most which is being personally involved with bikes rather than discussing margins and units and SKU's (I still don't know what these are).
Hell, we're hardly in this busines for the money.

Trek's representatives from BenNeLux France, GAS, Spain and Sweden have attended our first European Trek bike fitting course, we hope we have piqued their interest and they will adopt the programme in their respective territories. The biggest problem it seems though is the language barrier, hopefully we can recruit experienced bike fitters across Europe to spread the word.

But to a man (no women here unfortunately) everyone attending is in need of a proper bike fitting, they ahve been thinking about a bike fitting for years - there are broken femurs, leg length discrepancies, back pain, neck pain and numb hands all around us.The remedy they need most of all is an improved foot/pedal/cleat interface to reduce their discomfort and increase performance. We have found this on the seven Trek courses we have run this year and the two SICI courses but unfortunately time is too short at these events to make the adjustments neccessary and we're not really supposed to discuss wedging and footbeds on a Level One Course; and these are people who work in the bike industry....so they leave us and continue to ride with their problems.

Discovery of the day was this adaptor for Speedplay cleats to move them further back on the shoe. The adaptor was made especially for the Saxobank Team this year and mainly for the riders wearing Mavic shoes which have the cleat holes quite far forward on the sole. We have grabbed the manufacturer's number and will be placing an order.

As a thank you to our continental friends we took them out for a meal this evening, a great British curry.

Cyclefit School - Day Three

2010-11-15T16:32:00.009Z

The third and last day of the Cyclefit School had an early start in order to provide as much bike fitting information as possible.
First off a tri/TT fit demo on the new Sizecycle. Alain was our guinea pig and while he pedalled we adjusted his saddle height, saddle fore and aft and his handlebar reach and drop; and he pedalled constantly, without ever having to get off the Sizecycle. 3mm here here, 4mm there each move measurable and quantifiable and at less cost.
As we adjusted his start position (based on his own bike) we watched his left/right pedal balance begin to even out and his power output increase and the smile on Alain's face broaden!
More practical after the break and then Paraic delivered the 'business' module of the course.
How can you make a living from bike fitting?
No matter how many times I hear this presentation I always find it as inspirational as the first time when Paul Levine of Signature Cycles spoke at the Serotta Factory in Saratoga Springs way back in 2002.
At the end of the day the students sat their one hour exam. I'm pleased to say they all passed and they will receive their Cyclefit/SICI accreditation on the completion of ten Cyclefits.
Many thanks to all the class for making the course such fun and you questions that always make us re-evaluate why we do the things we do.
Good luck to all of you in your new bike fitting adventures.

Cyclefit School - Day Two

2010-11-10T22:19:00.005Z

The second day began at 8:30 with a foot-pedal interface module and the correct adjustment of the bike's front-end was inroduced.

This what an ACL reconstruction used to look like.

The students absorbed all the information we could give them and came back for more the physios helped the bikeys to understand anatomy, the bikeys helped the physios how bikes are put together which helped forge very efficient working groups.
We then looked at the frontal plane and knee tracking and considered other aspects of cleat adjustment.

After lunch (Jules, Phil and Paraic re-charged at the greasy spoon)Fran from Balance Physio presented the anatomy and anatomical landmarks module which was followed by three hours of practical.

The day ended at 6:00pm and we headed to Belgos for a group meal and guess what we talked about? Bikes and bike fitting of course.

Cyclefit School - Day One

2010-11-09T22:54:00.007Z

We gathered at Balance Physio for our bike Autumn bike fitting course this morning on a rather damp and grey November morning.
Fifteen students, four instructors, three sizecycles and lots of enthusiasm.

This is a particularly high calibre course with mainly physiotherapists in attendance, one podiatrist and a smattering of cycling/tri coaches and only two cycling retailers who are always in the minority(Gill from Mosquito Bikes, Paul from Primera Sport).

We started the day with a bike fitting demo on the new SICI Sizecycle which was immediately very impressive, we watched a rider's power output increase as we raised the handlebars as they pedalled and then decrease as the bars were lowered again.
Yes I did say up!
It is very easy to adjust and the rider does not need to dismount for adjustments.
We ordered two today!

Interview technique, anatomy and physical evaluation were covered in depth and we even managed three hours of practical in the afternoon.

Lesson for the day:
The muscles that form the hip flexors help stabilise the leg, if the leg is unstable due to poor foot/shoe alignment, biomechanics or muscle recruitment (perhaps poor glute engagement) they must work harder however they can only store enough glycogen for 45 minutes of riding; after this period they become fatigued and can no longer stabilise the leg which leads to muscle soreness and reduced range of motion in the hip area and possible associated discomfort further down the leg i.e. IT band, knee joint.

Serotta Classique Fixie

2010-11-07T22:22:00.011Z

A beautifully crafted frame from Serotta forms the heart of this eclectic fixie bike.

Serotta Classique custom titanium frameset.
Serotta F3 carbon fork with titanium drop-outs.
Phil Wood hubs on handbuilt wheels and Bottom bracket.
Campag Record levers and chainset.Deda bars and stem
PMP titanium seatpost.
Front brake - model's own...

September Blog

2010-10-08T11:22:00.009+01:00

16th century church on Walland Marsh

Tour of the Marshes

Singletrack for road bikes would be one way of describing it, grinding up Alpine passes doesn't really do it for me, I find steering my bike a lot more interesting....our plucky riders tackled Swamp Lane with its side winds and descended The Gogway to Duck Pit Lane on technically demanding roads.

Bleak House?

There are some pics on Facebook. Apparently you have to be logged on to Facebook for this to work, am I old or is it really confusing? Can I exist, is my life real without it? Is it OK to be anonymous?
It was a great day, the rider's enthusiasm infectious and the weather held, there was a bit of wind but not proper Romney Marsh ride your bike at 45 degrees wind that reduces you to 12 kmh just a breeze really.

Not in the brochure..Lydd Caravan Park

Phil and I manned the first feed and distributed bananas, flapjacks and tasty morsels to each other, chewing was occasionally interrupted by some cyclists who helped themselves to our hord apart from the stuff we had hidden that is.
The early start took its toll on Uncle Phil who drove Le Van into his hedge as he approached his house after driving back, new wing mirror then.
Feedback was great and everyone loved the signs which were pretty classy, what I didn't realise is that it takes virtually two days to put them up and take them down!
Nice signs and missing Landrover

Many thanks to Nick Gracie and James Murphy for organising the Fondo and Folkestone Racecourse for the HQ and their great bacon sandwiches and cakes.

Fields of fire
Last Friday's torrential rain at home time encouraged me to try some of Rapha's new embrocation, legs were great on the way to the car but when I tried to dry my legs off the burning began...Jesus..I had to douse my legs with the contents of my water bottle. I slipped on my dry trackies and tried to avoid any skin contact. Driving back the burning increased, there was no aroma of Provencal fields and Lavendar, only the whiff of my roasting testacles.

Etape 2011
Alp'Dhuez then (apparently) and the Galibier, I'm up for it and Phil most definitely is. Mark Neep has some rooms booked. Boot camp has already started as we ride in London most days; clocking up twenty hours between us. Unfortunately though we're not together as Phil migrates in through Uxbridge and I from Crittle's Corner (where they used to make the windows). Journeys are discussed and frustration with car drivers is vented over a coffee on arival at Cyclefit before the days work (that's what we call it) begins.

I'm still wating for the wife to ask how I got on in this year's Etape...

Summer's Over

2010-09-06T16:27:00.008+01:00

Three wasp stings (all in one week, a forearm like Popeye's and a granny ankle),
a holiday (www.sailingholidays.com = sailing for numpties and great fun and more laid back than a GPM10 trip if that's possible),
a baby (congratulations Phil and Donna),
new school shoes for the kids and the summer is behind me; long awaited and over all too soon – not like when we were kids though, eh?
Talking of kid’s shoes I made some Sidas Footbeds for my ten year old daughter, her feet are very flexible and she was in some discomfort when running or walking a lot. I consulted Mick Habgood the podiatrist at Balance Physio who demonstrated to me how crap Converse trainers are. He scrunched one up against a wall to illustrate the lack of support provided to the rear of the foot. On a child with flexible feet not only does the foot bend at the forefoot but also just in front of the ankle pushing the navicular into the gound which can cause bruising and reduced blood flow - and discomfort.
So those of you who have sporting ambitions for your kids make sure their shoes look after their feet and that they are well supported.

Laurent Fignon has passed away but I did not realise how young he was (50)when I used to watch him in his prime I assumed he was much older. His autobiography is an insightful read with lots of illegal substances consumed on and off the bike.

Talking of which, Phil is now a father for the first time at the ripe old age of 48, which apparently is a good time to have a baby as middle aged men are up visitng the bathroom two or three times in the night anyway. We sometimes ring eachother at four in the morning while he waits for the Formula to warm up....

We’ve ducked out of the bike shows though, it is too busy at Cyclefit to mince around in Friedrichshafen and Phil’s got his little one to look after; his eyes are set deep and his hair is wilder than normal but he’s enjoying the experience. His new Legend SE frame still hangs on the wall since its arrival in the spring I can’t see it moving far now, perhaps he’s waiting for the new 2012 Campag Super Record….

The Cyclefit Fondo is only two weeks away and we would love to ride it with you, well at least some of it as we're both a bit out of shape now, fitness is harder to get and easier to lose these days. It all depends on how many helpers we can get together - must speak to the wife....
Three commutes this week, the first ride felt odd after the lay-off the second a bit better and by the third I was worn out. I’ll keep riding through the winter but no Cyclocross racing for me, too many balls in the air I’m afraid with Cyclefit, Trek Fit Services and a seldom seen family.

Jon Iriberri our Spannish bike fitting friend spent two weeks with us in August, his knowledge is immense and his enthusiasm infectious. He was employed by the Basque government until recently to ‘bike-fit’ the Euskatel Euskadi riders and now works for himself and fits most of the Casse d’Epargne team. His regular exposure to 58kg riders had not prepared him for many of our clients and we had to discourage him from telling them ‘they had too much ‘mass’ for such a low handlebar position’. His obsession with hamstring tension while pedalling nearly got him in trouble a few times when he would press his fingers into a client’s buttocks while they were pedalling on the turbo, male, female, young or old he did not discriminate. It was possible though to feel the difference between left and right and give an indication why a rider’s hip may be dropping on the down stroke.

John’s Tips:
Lowering your handlebars too much may destabilise your pelvis and power output will be adversely affected.
Too much dorsiflection of the foot can destabilise the knee.
The kinetic chain runs from your toes to your finger tips and adjusting your handlebars can affect your pedalling dynamics.
Foot stability is everything (told you)
The bike should be designed around the rider’s centre of gravity for a balanced ride (I think we’ve mentioned this).
If you have a big arse you need a big saddle (generally).
Retul sucks

John Mullineux of LondonCycleSport.com dropped by with some hardcore Belgian Cyclecross DVD’s for Kimberly (strange woman)the other day and commented how riders he had met recently that had been fitted by Cyclefit do not appear to have their handlebars as high as they used to.
We haven’t changed the way we fit, but I do think that people are becoming more accustomed to how a well fitted bike should look; at least we like to think so.

Mavic 2011

2010-08-04T21:07:00.012+01:00

I popped down to the Holiday Inn just off Oxford st on Tuesday to have a look at Mavic’s offering for 2011 and Sean showed me his tackle.
That’ll be Sean Dines for the record, the same Sean Dines I caught on the Tourmalet a couple of weeks ago. Mr Dines ex-Star Trophy rider (going back a few years now), the ‘raced in Belgium’ Sean Dines, old Dinesy who used to be quite handy; Sean '39/29 will be enough' Dines who recently wore the yellow jersey in the L2P.
Before I’d even looked at a wheel he emphasised the point that he had stopped for at least two lunch breaks of at least half an hour each on the Tourmalet and then took his time on the climb.
‘Yeh, right, I saw you Sean…..’

Oh yes, Mavic wheels.
I breezed over the cheapies and went straight to the business (expensive) end and was very impressed, despite Mavic coming up with more names I can’t pronounce, spell, or remember.
Several of the wheels have a matt black coating on the alloy rims to improve braking and give the wheels a ‘stealth’ look. Graphics have been scaled right back and there is only a small yellow graphic next to the valve hole.
The hubs on the R-Sys SLR are matt black to complete the 'Mad Max' look (reminds me of my Lambretta GP200 - bored out to 225cc - , it made it to Great Yarmouth and back to London before seizing in Hackney).
The wheels now come with Mavic’s own tyres in –you guessed it – black. Matching yellow and red decals create a desirable package. The tyres are front and rear specific and to keep it simple the front tyre has stickier sidewalls to reduce wash out on corners.
The R-Sys wheels and the Carbones are also available in a tubular option and Mavic will have their own tubular available soon. I think they must be the only company in recent years to produce a new tubular such is the popularity of clinchers.

Here’s a brief overview:

Ksyrium: The first ‘factory built’ wheelset on the market and still the leader in our opinion for performance and value. Alloy rims and spokes make for a fast and responsive wheel that can be used for racing and mountain riding. A bit harder than the R-Sys but more aerodynamic.

Ksyrium SL 1485g £710.00 (alloy braking, alloy spokes)
Ksyrium SR 1445g £900.00 (alloy braking, alloyspokes front and Tracomp (carbon R-sys wheels) rear). This is a good choice for Serotta owners with the new beefed up fork dropouts ‘cos the R-Sys front does not fit. Comfort at the back and good energy transmission and sharper steering at the front.
Ksyrium SLR I think this is front only, no comprende.

R-Sys: My wheel of choice this year, light and stiff so as not to lose any drive out the back end. The carbon spokes work like a Dolby filter and absorb the high frequency vibration fromm the road. The faster you go the more obvious it becomes and the bike purrs underneath you.

Models:
R-Sys Red 1390g £1,000.00 (like mine)
R-Sys SL 1295g £1500.00
R-Sys SLR 1994g (inc. tyres or tubulars) sexy matt black.

Cosmic Carbone: there are several versions available in Mavic's classic deep section wheel that has been a favourite in the peloton for many years.
We have a pair here on Chris Boardman's bike that are tied and soldered and the font wheel is a 650c. The cheaper version has a steel spoke and alloy hub which makes it a bit heavier but it’s a great wheel for heavier riders to thrash around on.
The Cosmic Carbone SR uses Mavic’s own carbon spokes which reduce weight and improve lateral stiffness without making the ride too harsh. They have been used in the mountains for the last two seasons by GPM10 and have worked faultlessly. They sound good to. The SLR version includes Mavic’s tyre combo.
The Cosmic Carbone Ultimate it slightly shallower and is all carbon, available as tubular only it weighs in at 1185g and is consequently suitable for any terrain. Like the Cosmic Carbone’s its aero design kicks in noticeably when speeds of over 30kmh are achieved; it’s like a gentle hand gives you a little push from behind. My dream wheel.
The Cosmic Carbone 80 - as used by HTC Colombia – is the latest from Annecy. The 80mm section rim is laced with Mavic’s own stainless steel black spokes and by all accounts is more aerodynamic than a Zipp equivalent, but then they all say that. It comes in just under 2000g so is a bit lumpy for mountain riding. Most suitable for time trials and road racing it will definitely turn heads and make your bike look gorgeous.

Prices:
Cosmic Carbone SL 1740g £850.00 (alloy braking surface, steel spokes)
Cosmic Carbone SR 1595g £1,400.00 (alloy braking surface, carbon spokes)
Cosmic Carbone SLR 2239g (inc. tyres) £1700.00 (alloy Exalith braking surface, carbon spokes)
Cosmic Carbone Ultimate 1765 (inc.tubulars) £2,500.00 (all carbon, tubular only)
Cosmic Carbone 80 2280g (with tubulars) £1,800.00 (all carbon rim, steel spokes)

Mavic shoes
Mavic’s shoes are all pretty much the same as last year apart from one new model (name unpronounceable) with a new sole (unpronounceable also). Mavic’s shoes are good but they are best suited for lighter riders with fairly narrow feet and for feet that do not require too much support in the heel cup.

I’m not sure if the designers have noticed but human feet are not symmetrical and they don’t come to a point in the middle so why design a shoe that is? Riders with wider feet need to move up a size but the cleat holes are too far forward and cleat position is compromised.
We would recommend a more robust heel cup, a wider toe box; a width option and the cleats drilled a little further back.
On the plus side there is an excellent size range including half sizes and availability and spares is very good. They are comfortable from the first ride and can be washed in the washing machine if you think you won’t get in trouble.

Etape 2010

2010-07-22T17:05:00.019+01:00

I would do it again today.....

On Wednesday we left Cyclefit HQ in Central London an hour and a half behind schedule, someone thought it would be a good idea to close Oxford Street and it took Phil an age to get from Marylebone to Covent Garden; I took the first call from the wife as we passed Look Mum no Hands
"Jules, my back's gone, I can hardly move"
Oh, I thought, good timing...
"Get yourself to the Doctors and see if they can give you any painkillers" I helpfully suggested.
We were heading to the Channel Tunnel and picking up our new podium's from my house en route when I took the second call:
"Jules, my back's gone and I'm on the floor in the chemists on the High Street, I can't move". She was crying and in a lot of pain.
"Oh fuck" I said and swung the van hard left and headed to the High Street. Picked up the wife, the car, fed and bathed the kids and cooked dinner.
Walked the dog in the morning, dressed and fed the kids, took them to school left the wife in tears on the bed and drove to Euro Tunnel.
The two day journey turned into a twelve hour epic and we arrived in Pau at midnight, driving at eighty miles and hour with the windows open (no air-con) can get a little wearing; not a good start.
For the next 48 hours we manned the stand at the Expo, making footbeds and fitting riders, fettling, chatting and generally enjoying ourselves. By Saturday evening my legs were very tired from standing so I decided to ride back to the hotel but managed to get lost and rained on in my t-shirt and baggy shorts.

Sunday morning I've been awake since 3:00am, I creep out the room and do all the pre-ride faffing in the hotel lobby. I'm in the start pen and look around for some familiar faces and find two, no longer am I Billy no-mates.
We wish eachother luck as the countdowm starts.

We toodle over the line and then everyone nails it, it has to be the best part of the event 40km/h through the town all over the road and chasing wheels; it was fast, maybe it bit too fast but who cares its the feeling of release that is addictive.

The French Natonal Tandem Champions come steaming through, I hope they don't get on the front, that will put the pace up.
On the short descents the smell of smoke fills my nostrils, and I realise it's the pads heating up on the bikes with carbon rims, yikes!

I pick up 'Sir' Alex Bastin and stick with him; he is a seasoned Etape rider and I know he will keep a lid on his wattage, nothing over 300 if he could help it.
There's Nigel from Trek UK, mmmm not sure about that position, he needs some Cyclefit magic I think.
Still fast over the Col de Comte we tried to conserve energy and not get left behind by the faster moving riders.....then we popped out at the base of the Marie Blanque and we twiddled along the lower slopes.
No point in rushing we concurr its going to be a long day. Climbing through the morning mist I feel OK in fact even comfortable, such a contrast to my last visit. I pass the layby where I had stopped before "Who's the daddy now?" I ask it.

Out into sun light at the top and the descent to the Plateau de Benois, taking on food and drinking, I still have a full bottle and plan to stop at Farriere at 100km and I motor through the feed station I'm having too much fun to stop. We are an hour twenty minutes in, that's good going I thought.
A large brown mare and her foal stands firm on the road despite the best efforts of on-lookers to shove her away.
Fast down the newly re-surfaced road picking up riders as I go, braking late into the corners I pass a skinny guy on his carbon rims who is feathering the brakes he has to take it wide.
Psssstttttt someone behind me gets a puncture.
Is that Kevin Connor on the side of the road? Something's happened, puncture, crash?

In to the valley I latch on to the back of Mr and Mrs 'Laurent Paris' and we make a nice a menage-a-tois, Mr Paris tows us along to the large group ahead. No sign of Mr Bastin.
The pace hasn't really slowed down and I'm wondering how long I can keep it up, rations are getting low and I'm starting to feel thirsty. On our Etape recon trip Mark paced me behind the van on the same roads to the foot of the Soulor and I swear we are going the same speed now. Stronger riders were moving to the front and stretching the group out. Not many Brits about mostly French or Spannish riders, I just kept pedalling.
The elastic frist snapped just before the feed station, I had to let the wheels go as I was getting out of my comfort zone. The feed station was efficient and simple we rode our bikes to the trestle tables handed over our empty bottles and once re-filled reversed out and continued - upwards unfortunately.
I think that for every person I passed on the climb five passed me, young and old male and female. About half way up two handy looking individuals in fluorescent green and white kit passed by chatting, they had no numbers on and must have been out for a training ride I was climbing like a toad on a Brompton.
They were so lean, their legs smooth and tanned and their long white socks pulled up just below their sculpted calves. Bye then.
I trudged on up.
At the top I took on more water and had a pee, just over the top answering the call of nature I passed Mr Bastin.
Whoosh down I went again, faster, faster oh joy. On to the back of a group again I headed for Agnost le Bain. Hanging in there out the wind but it was still pretty quick, you're gonna pay for this later Jules I mused.
Through the town now and there were people three or four deep cheering us on, it gave me goose bumps, the group sped up ping I was on my own and a few of us stragglers regrouped. Leaving the town we rode past two young lads displaying their wedding tackle to us, why they thought twenty salt encrusted cyclists would be interested I do not know; a couple of local slappers getting them out for the lads would proabably increased the tempo a little more.
A few of us tried to form a pace line but it was unsuccessful and the pace slowed on the drag up to Luz St Saveur, then it inreased by about 0.5 kmh.
Ping.
I rolled up the valley on my own, not good now Jules you're empty. I heard voices behind me that I could understand, just.
"You're the first English people I've heard all day" I exclaimed.
"Oh, ay?" the three of them replied, "Where have you come from?"
"Pau I said same as you"
"Nay not us laddy we're just out for a spin".
"By 'eck, of course it must be the Etape" they exclaimed, "we wondered why the roads were closed, can we get t'top of Tourmalet?"
"If you want" I said to the one on the Ribble, who could do with putting his saddle up.
They rode off I carried on, oh boy here comes the ramp in Luz St Sauveur...and I'm over it and looking for our feed station, now I know how riders felt last year on the Ventoux.
"How's it going Jules?" asks Sir Alex as he comes up beside me.
"I have one bsicuit left" I croaked
"Mine are all gone" he replied and then clicked up two gears, got out the saddle and rode off. Funny, I don't believe you.
I churned on up finally seeing the signs, not far now. I see the boys surrounded by Frenchies dishing out the water, easy lads we'll run out.
"It's OK" they chorused. "We're getting it from the river behind us".
It was the best water I had ever tasted, and so cold!
On I went, only a few kilomtetres left now but it was a struggle, I came up to Sean our Mavic rep "How much for your compact chainset?" he begged.
Up through the hairpins in to Bareges - it's steep here but there are lots of people cheering us on, water is being poured over over-heated heads and bodies and still we trudge on in silence unable to respond with a smile or a thank you.
Groups of riders are sitting in the shade now its the middle of the day and well over thirty degrees, the road levels off just before Super Bareges and the second half of the climb.
I know where I am as we reconned the route in May, through the car park and then left; but the riders are going right, surely that's wrong it's left here not right, I SAID LEFT!

I unclip and stand motionless trying to comprehend the change in direction, I really can't face any more pain, shall I just turn around and head back to the Cyclefit tent? I find some sweets in my back pocket that Konrad had put in despite my protestations and nibble away at them, I could eat more but my pockets are empty. I'm thirsty as well and make a U-turn for the water station and fill up again.
OK, this is it, let's get it over with, I join the line of weary bodies climbing the mountain and continue.
"Jules, hello mate" Bonzo rides up behind me. "We need to do 10kmh to get silver, come on".
"How fast are you going?
10kmh he said as he left me behind on the hill.

This is worse than I thought, ten minutes later I stop, forget my old mantra 'Don't stop 'til you get to the top' what bollocks. I feel like a climber on Everest, if only I could just stop for a while and close my eyes, I'll feel better later.
And I keep on going.
"Hi Jules"
It's Peta, resplendent in her Sky kit, she glides past sucking out my last few remaining male chromosomes, filling her bidon with them and chugga lugging down my masculinity, I am a shell, an empty husk of masculinity, what am I to become?
The legs are just moving around now, there is no power in them, my brain is forcing my body to move lost in a desert shuffling ever forward looking for that oasis over the horizon.
1km to go, motor homes are parked all over the mountain in anticipation of the Tour de France, their owners baptising the pilgrims with pure mountain water, I feel cleansed, I have emptied my body of all impurities.
The final ramp, the final 300m and I see Bonzo again, I stand up to pedal and then sit down immediately I crawl on two wheels over the timing mats.
It is done.
We retire to the cafe for a pint of chilled milk and a Mars bar, the omelette and chips looks nice.

More picture here at FLICKR

Bloody typical

2010-07-13T07:15:00.003+01:00

So bloody typical, just when I thought I'd nailed it I get a cold.
Since the TDMB I have folowed doctor's orders and rested, recovered and continued to train. After the four days in the Alps it took at least another two days to straighten my legs out as my hamstrings were so tight. It was more comfortable on the bike than walking.
It works though local hills are a nuisance and the legs stronger, I may have peaked last Monday - I was gagging to put some effort in to the commute and did 6 reps up the hill in Geenwich Park, now that is a rarity. According to the experts the form should continue for a few weeks so no need to panic.
Friday was my last blast before the 18th and I rode the hilly section of the Cyclefit Fondo and added in an extra climb up to Capel-le-Ferne which is part of the route of the L2P (must do that next year). Well, I meant to ride the route but being 'Mr Low Tech' I ended up getting lost and getting home late. Three hours later I rolled home, covered in insects but with more riding left in me which is a good sign.
At the weekend I rested and went sailing in the Solent actually we spent more time eating and drinking than we did sailing but I didn't stand up much so the legs are rested and I also managed to top up the tan.
Since the Alps trip I managed to lose a kilo which is a bonus but as it was my birthday last week I have come in to contact with at least three chocolate cakes...
I thought my cold may have been hayfever but it developed throughout Monday, as long as it doesn't go to my chest I'l be OK. I tackled it head-on when I returned home in the evening with a bottle of Leffe and half a Melton Mowbray pork pie, vitamin C, Echinacea and a couple of paracetamol.
Tomorrow we head off for the Pyrenees in the white van, I'll keep posting if there is a connection.
See you out there.

Tour de Mont Blanc - Stage 4

2010-06-30T09:26:00.021+01:00

Route: Hautluce to Chamonix (Saisie, Aravis, Colombie)
Distance: 140km
Ascent: Ample
Weather: Baking

Bonjour? Maybe

Dinner was a struggle on Sunday night, after the match and my two beers I felt an urge to lay down. It rained quite heavily as I lay in my bunk but it was cosy under the duvet listening to the rain fall and the roar of the river outside the window.. Half an our later I shuffled to the restaurant and was met by a very subdued, bleary eyed group of men - I fitted right in - not becaue they had witnessed England playing football I think but because for many the previous three days were the hardest riding they had ever done.
Converstaion was stifled, the food delicious and service excellent but by 9:00pm only a few remained at the table. Could we demand any more from our ageing bodies in the morning? The first few pedal revs on the Saisie would reveal all.

Hautluce is half way up the Saisie,I had finished the day in the 27 sprocket and that's how it started.
Twenty seven teeth at seventy two revs I said to myself that's interesting, over and over and over again I said it, climbing, climbing, twenty seven, seventy two, seventy two, seventy two, I sang the Turin Brakes song 'Emergency 72' in my head. As usual I was riding alone, just behind the faster riders and just in front of the not so fast. Never quite with the fast group, just behind - the story of my life.
At the summit it was already over 25 degrees and still only 9:30 am, I'm soaked in sweat, the descent rejuvenates me.

On to the Aravis and I chatted with Tony and Chris on the rolling section up the valley and then they just fucked off without looking back, thanks, involved in their own little dual, get you. By the time I started the climb I was on my own again; seventy two, seventy two, seventy two I sang. Nice climb though, by which I mean not too steep.
Down we go woosh, woosh, woosh I remember the descent from the Time Megeve some years ago, slowly through the village along the valley and left at the bike shop. If you missed the small sign for the Col de Colombie you could easily miss this anonymous turning to a world of pain. Thirty degrees by now and its not yet noon, whos that ahead of us? It's a cross country skiier of course and we weren't really gaining on him as he powered up the slope, He's going quite quick we decide he must be a professional, it makes us feel better.We catch him as he pulls over to his mum waiting in the shade with a bottle of water.

On we pressed until Ben's feet gave out half way up, he's been suffering a bit, I've done what I can but he needs to come to CF for a makeover. We rested, re-grouped and lunched at the summit. I recommend the Passion Fruit tarts.

The road back down to La Cluse is the fastest and most enjoyable downhill so far and by the state of the riders coming up it is the harder side to climb. I chased Neil - snowboarder, mountaineer, all round hero - down the mountain; hands in the drops carressing the bar tape, feathering the brakes, pedals horizontal with a small amount of backward pressure, saddle between my thighs We carved through the corners like snowboarders through powder snow.

33 degrees now as we head back along the valley in tight formation, its nice to pedal on the flat, drafting the big guys in front, past the lake and the sunbathers,whoops nearly hit that van, past the climbing wall and up the final climb to Les Houches. I try to hang in with the leaders but I'm distanced again and find myself chasing them through Chamonix, can I go faster? I notch up a gear but the legs lock up, no is the answer. I feel strong, I'm pedalling well, differently even, much smoother, much more symmetrical depsite the previous four day's efforts

Three weeks to go until the Etape, enough time for recovery and to try and lose some more weight - if I can behave myself.

Tour de Mont Blanc - Stage 3

2010-06-27T20:33:00.010+01:00

Route: Pre St. Didier to Hautluce

Distance: 110km

Ascent: 2850m

Weather: 28 degrees

Bonnnnnnnnjourno Italia

Oh boy, just the two Hors Categorie climbs today.

The local road builders have built the road up to the Petit St Bernard at a considerate 6-7% which makes the climb one of the most pleasent in the Alps and even more so because the first hairpin is only 500m from the Hotel door.

And up we went for 90 minutes to the summit spectacular scenery, its the warmet I can remember the Alps in June, two years ago we were greeted by snow at the summit. This year we enjoyed warm sunshine and an espresso.

Over the top we went and descended for forty minutes to Bourg St. Maurice, its a nice descent but not super fast but the last few hairpins through the meadow and pollarded plane trees are some of my favourites.

We refuelled and set about tackling the Col de Cormet de Rosaland, it was getting very hot by now and the steepness of the first 10km took its toll on some of the group who had dismounted and were taking a breather in the shade.

On they pressed to the summit pushing into a headwind that made the 6% gradient feel a lot harder and according to some of the Garmins on the bike the road was climbing at closer to 9%. By the time I had reached the top I was spent, I went all a bit shakey and demanded a coke from Mark.

Now, the descent dowm to Beaufort has to be the best so far its the steepest and has many tight hairpins at the bottom to test the nerve and the tyres, we were clocking 80kmh and everything was good in the world until Jim and I got stuck behind a car through some of the best corners.

At the bottom we turned up to Hautluce and by now it was 3pm and getting very hot, at one point I had bit of moment and had to peel my gloves off in a frenzy.

Tired legs now and the climb continues, I'm suffering out in the heat. All around me it is hay making time and in nearly every field men and women are gathering the freshly cut grass under the unrelenting sun; it is hot and dirty work but the hay needs to be gathered now in preparation for the winter and unlike me they are not doing it for fun. They aren't preparing for the Etape du Hay Making and I don't expect them to be discussing the gradient of their fields and their respective heart rates.

A few more corners, a few more efforts out of the saddle and I make it to the hotel and then another two final uphill pushes as I help Mark drag some suitcases from the van.

As a special treat the hotel owner let his son out the cellar

Showered and with a cold beer in hand I can finally relax and watch England lose 4 - 1.

Big day tomorrow.......

Tour de Mont Blanc - Stage 2

2010-06-26T21:42:00.019+01:00

Route: Champax to Pre St Didier
Distance: Lots
Ascent: 2500m
Weather: Hot, 30 degrees

Gooood mooorning Switzerland!

I received a text this morning from the Neepster at 6:45 which made me wish I hadn't ridden quite so hard on the last climb, but when I had seen Tony zig zagging ahead of me, and knowing how much he wanted to beat me to the top I did raise my tempo a little.I composed myself and slipped into my lycra....

After a light breakfast and the usual pre-ride faffing we dropped down to the start of the road that leads up to the GSB. Another great descent and not too chilly despite the early start and an exilhrating way to start any ride especially as no pedalling was involved.

Gilets and armwarmers were removed at the bottom and stowed in the car and we set about tackling the 23km to the summit.

The main road to Italy is a steady 6% gradient and for the first 13km three of which are through a long snow tunnel, the traffic is diverted through a tunnel to Italy and a few tourists in cars and us cyclists took the scenic route. Its steeper here getting up to 10% in places but our legs are less surprised now by the gradient and we stoically tackled the task before us.

It was the warmest I have experenced the GSB even though the lake is still frozen. Once all together we enjoyed spaghetti bolognaise (seeing as we were in Italy); before the very long descent to Aosta. Only a double puncture to report on Jim's bike but he seemed un-perturbed depsite his sidewall blowing out at 75kph.

'Eh, Antonio, ow mucha you want?'

I was back in the support car now and went ahead to refill the bottles from the spring in the valley as the group headed towards Pre St Didier climbing up the valley in 29 degrees of heat. I coudn't find any shade to stop the card in for them to re-fuel so we made a quick stop in a very hot car-park before the final leg to the hotel.

Beer and peanuts were order of the day and for some of the riders it was their first experience of a big day in the mountains, they held it together well, no toys were thrown out of any prams and nobody did anything silly. Good riding.

Its an early start tomorrow, two cols to climb and hopefully we'll get to the hotel in Hautluce in time for England v Germany.

Tour de Mont Blanc - Stage 1

2010-06-25T17:01:00.011+01:00

Stage 1:
Route: Chamonix, France to Champax, Switzerland
Distance: 55km, Ascent: 1500m
Weather: Sunny, 25 degrees

Goooood Moooorning Chamonix

I'm sitting contentedly in my hotel room in Champax having ridden the first stage of the Tour de Mont Blanc. Its early evening and I've just crawled out from under my duvet after an afternoon nap; Warrick Spence - he of Cyclefit fame - my room mate is still under his despite only having driven the car today. Dinner is only twent five minutes away. The sun is warming my back and birdsong drifts through the window accompanied by the soft french voices of the girls who work in the hotel.

Sean and Ben on the first climb of the first day

It was not a long ride today, we started late and had coffee on the Col de Forclaz. Helen who works at the Hotel Eden joined us and kicked some ass despite wearing Converse pumps and hardly having ridden before - good girl.
Helen takes a breather

Claire takes control of the rations

The descent was fantastic we hit 75km/hour through the vineyards that cling to the steep sides of the valley. Tucking down into the bars for extra speed, stomach on the saddle and knees grabbing the top tube and then sitting up to catch the air and swooping into the corners, beautiful, beautiful.

The last climb of the day up to the hotel is 12km long (like the Marie Blanque) but the gradient sort of works in reverse: Steep nasty hairpins at the bottom and a slighter gradient at the top.

The difference today is that I knew the climb - I gave it the respect I should have given the Marie Blanque - I took it easy at the bottom until I found my rhythm, others attacked and blew their biscuits at the halfway point, begging for energy bars from other riders in the group as they passed; and they still never fully recovered.

Even Mark when he caught up to me said he went too hard at the bottom and was considering getting a compact.

'Consider?' I thought as I churned on 'More like compulsory!'

Tomorrow the group climbs the Col de Grand St. Bernard a mountain that easily rivals the Tourmalet but the sun usually shines up here and that makes a lot of difference. The bowl of pasta at the summit's restaurant also offers some respite.I'll be driving the support car but will probably have a little spin in the evening along the valley road not that I need to but because I can.

We'll be heading thataway tomorrow

Are we nearly there yet?

2010-06-23T09:41:00.003+01:00

Barna - Cyclefit's mechanic - says I can't have a 29t sprocket, he says if I need that I should give up now and to pull myself together. I think he was a bit too busy to fit it yesterday but there you go, I'll be riding the Tour de Mont Blanc this weekend out of the saddle.
The trouble is I'm losing my motivation and my legs are getting slower and heavier.
Work is busy, the garden is getting out of control and I'm so, so tired. Crystal Palace is a distant memory
I was overtaken on the way home last night by a guy in jeans with 12" turn-ups he just rolled away from me, then a VC Elan rider just pedalled away from me on the climb through Greenwich without even getting out of the saddle.
That's not right I shoudn't even notice them.
I'll be glad when its all over, I don't think I will do that well this year in the Etape I just need to get through it and then hang up the bike for a few weeks.
Ironically though my start number is the same as in 2008, should I look at it as good karma or a bad omen?
Quite frankly at the moment I don't care.

Photos from Etape Recce

2010-06-23T09:36:00.002+01:00

Pat, our resident Pyrenean guide took a few shots out on the route.
Please follow the link below:

Pat's Pyenean photos

Cyclefit-GPM10 Etape Recon - Day 2

2010-06-09T07:02:00.004+01:00

Route: Up the Tourmalet and back down the other side
Weather: Overcast but warm

The trailer was carefully packed with thousands of pounds of bicycle hardware this morning, but fortunately van drivers all over the world have a secret weapon to protect their valuable cargo, the candlewick bedspread. Was it always the destiny of these bed covers when replaced by a more modern duvet from Ikea to travel the roads of Europe in the backs of vans and trailers wrapped around precious goods?

It was another early start and the bikes were assembled in the town square at the base of the Tourmalet and we headed off - uphill - oh joy.
It was on the lower slopes that I got the call from home:
"Dad?" a sad little voice said.
Hi Zakky, what's up?
"Dad, the fox has killed the chickens" he whispered.
I was still pedalling and switched the phone to loudspeaker so I could hold the handlebars with two hands. Not quite as focusssed I ploughed on. My daugheter came on the phone and gave me a run through of the casualties I won't go into any more detail but it did give me another excuse to sit in a layby for a few minutes.
At Bareges though we stopped for a quick Espresso before tackling the rest of the climb, it is probably the steepest part of the ascent here. It's a big one the Tourmalet but once past Bagerre the gradient is pretty consistent and it felt a lot easier than climbing the other side in 2008. This was confirmed on the descent when hurtling in to La Mongie the road became very steep, the rogue donkey in the snow tunnel slowed us down a bit.....
The road continued to weave its way lazily up the mountain, you can see the pass but the road takes you away from it as it searches for the easier gradient. The cloud closed in and it got colder but I was still sweating profusely and wishing I had a
29T sprocket. It takes around ninet minutes to climb but on the day it could easily take two hours plus and like the Soulor their is a long gradual climb up the valley which will need to be ridden in a group to maintain maximum speed and at the same time conserve as much energy as possible.
At the summit it was very cold and we changed in to warm dry gear, the cafe was open for the first time this year and we took the opportunity to have a hot chocolate before the descent into Bagniere de Bigorre straight to the hotel.
All questions had been answered about the route the only other question was how would it go on the day and how long would it take?

Cyclefit-GPM10 Etape Recon - Day One

2010-05-31T20:57:00.010+01:00

Saturday: 145km Col de Marie Blanque, Col du Soulor, back to St.Bagere de Bigorre. Weather: Sunny

There's nothing quite like riding the route of the Etape to focus the mind on the job in hand. We started about 40km into the Etape course in shorts and jerseys, the weather was warm and the roads quiet. My legs felt rested and I tootled along at the back of the group. A sharp left hand turn took us onto the foot slopes of the Marie Blanque, the painting on the road indicated that a climb was coming, one of the group translated it as 'Death Approaches' or something similar. How hard could it be? It was only 12km to the summit.
The road has been recently relaid and is super smooth and we tapped along comfortably. The distance to the top and the gradient is sign-posted at one kilometer intervals, anything that went above 8.5% really spoilt my day.... Despite my earlier confidence I soon started to feel uncomfortable: pain in the chest, pulse throbbing in my ears, pain in the legs, hot, really hot, down to 50 rpm, out-the saddle, in-the-saddle. Then 3km from the top I saw the sign saying 13% for 1km, then I saw a small lay-by in the shade and then I stopped, I never stop on a climb. Then there were three of us - what the fuck is all this about? - its only 50km into the Etape and we're bolloxed and there's another 130km to go!

After a few minutes I no longer felt like I was going to die on the spot, remounted and passed a little old Frenchman trying to re-engage his pedal on the steep gradient. Over the ensuing 2.5km/20 minutes I developed a new technique: The front wheel wiggle; instead of holding the bars still and pointing the front wheel up the road I let the bars move side to side slightly in time to my pedal stroke. My pelvis was anchored in to the Aliante saddle and my shoulders felt more comfortable and perhaps the gradient was reduced slightly... it helped but I could have been hallucinating.

The top was an anti climax - visually, not emotionally, just a few logs and that bloke Mark Neep again - the descent was gradual and pleasent but it did require pedalling. The road opened out onto an a small fertile palateau, I was feeling better. The descent became steeper and the road twisted unpredictably but it was great fun - in the dry that is, in the rain it would be a different matter and there is a lot of cow shit on the road. Watch out for the cattle grids as well. After the first cattle grid the road surface deteriorates, contentrate here because there's a few sections that could throw you.
Into the valley we rode with a welcome tail wind, a brief lunch at an anonymous deserted village, there was us, three english cyclo-touristes and 4 people outside a bar and we didn't see another soul.
The Soulor has a lovely steady gradient for the first 10km and winds its way up a beautiful lush valley a tailwind helped us maintain cadence and speed. The ambience was spoilt by a right hand hairpin that was easily 9% and it also turned us into the wind - here we go again, and so it was for another hour. The Soulor is a long and steady climb and opens out to some big views which include the road snaking its way up the side of the valley, something I would rather not see. I should add at this point that I was armed with a 27T sprocket but a 29T is now on order and if I could fit a 32T I surely would.

The descent was faster than before and the valley road is conducive to group riding, work with a group here up the valley past the Hautacam and you will save valuable time.

We were joined for a while by a very enthusiatic dog.

We turned off the route to head back to the hotel via Lourdes and joined the Etape's2008 route, its a lovely road and despite our earlier efforts members of the group were keen to up the tempo and we formed a paceline past Dom's place and hit the small climb; I led from here and set the tempo feeling like Peter van Petegem only to be jumped at the top - it was war. I couldn't let the three of them get away, there was my reputation at stake and I was also supposed to be looking after their welfare out on the road (or vice versa); so I chased on the descent and just caught them before the long run-in to Bagnere de Bigorre. Ash set the tempo (I could hear his breath rasping from my place fourth in line where I was swinging off the back). Haneef took his turn (he later told me at dinner that on the run-in earlier he had wanted to ride faster but wasn't sure at what speed it would become impolite to the other guests to make them suffer more than they might like).
I had a couple of turns but mainly at junctions where the speed slowed and I could try to gather myself. We navigated the centre of Bagniere and headed for the hotel, the pace was still pretty high and I noticed the bridge that lead to the Laurent Fignon Centre. "Is that the hotel?" I asked innocently. "Yes" they replied and so I attacked them, how pathetic, and sprinted away feeling both guilty and stupid for only giving them a tenth of second warning and also for filling my tired legs with lactate before the next day's ride of the Tourmalet. The consolation though was that everyone enjoyed the day and that's the most important thing. Our guests shuffled in to dinner and struggled getting in and out of their chairs, by 9:30 everyone had gone to bed. Job done.

Seven Weeks 'til E-Day

2010-05-27T10:21:00.008+01:00

Time is running out for my Etape preparation, the calendar on my kitchen wall is filling up with more non-cycling activities. I was hoping to tell you that I had entered the Smithfield Nocturne, well I did, until I was told it was the school's Summer Fete...how inconvenient, no more dreams of winning the sprint in front of a home crowd, I'll be manning the Roll-a-Penny stand instead.

On Tuesday night I had planned to ride at Hillingdon as Crystal Palace was cancelled, but a late collection at Cyclefit and absolutely diabolical traffic did not give me enough time to get to the circuit. I have to say it was one of the worst riding experiences I have ever had, it was impossible to pedal for more than twenty or thirty seconds before braking, weaving between cars and then accelerating again (slowly,repeating the tedious process at least a hundred times along Oxford St, through Notting Hill and along the Uxbridge Road. That's why cycling in london is referred to as dead miles - it does you no good what-so-ever.By the time I got to Southall it was too late to get signed-on and with another queue of traffic in front of me I turned round and played relay with a bendy bus carrying about three passengers. Traffic and travel in this town is not working - we know the answer though don't we.

So I returned to Shepherd's Bush and had dinner with brother in law and cosoled myself by eating and drinking more than I needed, what's the point?

I continued in the morning with a hearty breakfast.

The point is that tomorrow I head off to the Pyrenees with some clients to recce the Etape route and test the legs on that thirteen percent section on the Marie Blanque, better go and pack the bike and hope that BA don't lose it.

Chavtastic

2010-05-27T09:56:00.004+01:00

I came across this young man belting up and down Rochester Way on my way home Monday night. He was popping wheelies at about 50 mph and must have gone up and down the road five or six times - it must have given him a buzz - each to his own I suppose - and a thrill for the kids watching from the park. I'm not sure why I said "go on" to him, he was going on perfectly well; I think I wanted him to pop a wheely before he passed or hit me...it was close.

Phil - My Hero

2010-05-27T09:50:00.002+01:00

Despite what he has written in his blog about his race at Hillingdon, you can't deny his class. After a only a few laps he slipped off the front of the peloton with a group of five after the first break had been caught and stayed away for a lap or so!
To finish his first crit with only a few hundred miles in his legs is a great achievement.
I'm looking forward to getting on his wheel for the sprint.

Proper Training

2010-05-24T16:25:00.005+01:00

On Friday I rode the first 100km of the Cyclefit Grand Fondo which will take place on the 19th September on Romney Marsh in Kent.
I zig zagged out to Rye, Sussex on the small lanes and felt really good with the tail wind - looking at the scenery, playing the 'what house do I like best game' and pretending I was riding the Tour of Flanders. Then turned into the head wind out to Camber and Dungeness, not fun. What had been a nice tempo ride became a battle to maintain forward progress, I hunkered down into the drops to create as little resistance as possible and ground forward.

Riding into a headwind is easily as hard as climbing but a lot more demoralising, I had to keep the speed up as I was behind schedule and needed to get back to pick the kids up from school. I also wanted to complete the full distance out to Dungeness.
After half an hour of headwind action my lower back was really aching, it felt like I was being punched in the kidneys and my glutes weren't too happy either; but pain on a bike can be a good thing because if you're suffering you're getting stronger and that's what I need to do if I'm going to get around the Pyrenees in good time.
Back in the lanes it got a bit easier and I thought I better ride the only sizeable hill on the 100km course; I'd been riding at pretty much the same cadence for three hours and hit the base of the 1/2 mile 25% climb and started spinning up; after about half way my legs went and I had drop into the 27 sprocket and I didn't even need that in Majorca!
I don't think I would have made the next 50km which is very lumpy, but I'm going to work at it it will give me a focus after the Etape.

Crystal Palace - Return of the Gimp Part 2

2010-05-20T17:06:00.004+01:00

I have to say I was a little frustrated at being dropped last Tuesday and was completely bolloxed afterwards however the bonus is that I feel a bit stronger this week; so on Tuesday night I went back for more.
This time it was much warmer which is how it should be at Crystal Place and I even put some warmup oil on my legs - the smell gets me in the mood for racing and fills the shop witha lovely aroma. Phil cam and sniffed me out I could see in his eyes that he wanted to get back in to it and as I left he murmered something about the vets race at Hillngdon.
I didn't get lost this time but my saddle had been moved for a test ride and when I got to palace I dropped the nose a notch and moved it forward 3mm - much better.
Until that is I attempted to put my new mitts on and found that I had two right handers...I looked around everyone had gloves on, what if I fall off and skin my palms, oh my gawd....
It was easier this time round and I felt confident and stayed in the top twenty for most of the race until Wile E. Coyote hitched that anvil to me again.
Thirty nine minutes this time and to put a positive spin on it as you must that's a 50% improvement; plus, on the ride home the two hills I have to get over felt much easier, so it must be working, right?

Crystal Palace-Return of the Gimp

2010-05-20T15:58:00.005+01:00

As part of my 2008 preparation for the Etape I paid a few visits to Crystal Palace Criterium Series on a Tuesday evening, its a very tight, technical circuit and is so dangerous that it is cancelled if the track is wet.
Last year having damaged myself I did not have the mojo to attend but so far so goos this year, I'm also starting earlier this year to improve my fitness before the end of July.
So it was two Tuesdays ago that I rolled out of Cyclefit on the 40 minutes journey to Crystal Palace it was unusually cold and uninspiring and I managed to get lost without Warrick leading the way this year.
As I entered the park the nerves started and the adrenalin started running through my veins,I signed on and chatted with a few old faces until my phone range. There ahd been a bit of a drama at school and my wife was upset and ran me through the events of the day, I diligently listened while all around me my competitors were warming up. I shuffled to the start line still on the phone and took my place on the grid, at least I was on the front row.
Phone call over I put the bike in the big ring and noticed I still had my pump on the frame, I quickly removed it with seconds to go and lobbed it on to the grass - and then we were off.
What I had learnt in 2008 was that for a rider without race fitness getting into the first corner in the top 10 was key to maintaining a good position and using less energy as the peloton stretched out in the corners and it was safer.
My goal for the evening was to last as long as possible and not come off and with both feet clipped in within a few meters I hit the hairpin for the first time.
Its a bit of blur after that....corner, sprint, corner, sprint, again, again. Pains in my chest, dry throat, corner, sprint.
Lots of blue shorts, a rider wearing Time Equipe shoes and pedals - they must be fifteen years old. Hold the line, hold the wheel, corner, sprint. Water on the track on the top straight, oh dear wet tyres and here come the hairpin, made it, I'll use another line next lap.
The marshalls are blowing the whistles and waving flags to divert us so we don't get caught by the 1st cats. Smack the rider to my right hits the deck (I hate that sound) and we sprint down the hill.
Three more laps and then I get my ticket back to the changing rooms; it feels like Wile E Coyote has tied an anvil to the back of my bike and my legs just don't respond...I drift to the back and try and hang on, forget it, its time to go home.
Twenty five minutes of frenzied cycling way above my threshold, hopefully it will pay off.
Stepping stones a Phil?

Mallorca - One week on

2010-05-09T21:32:00.006+01:00

Route: Waitrose, the tip and back via the farm shop
Distance: 20km
Ascent:130m
Weather: Cold and grey

Not quite the same mileage as last week for me, but I'm sure you are all out there getting the miles in.
I took three days off after the training camp and despite feeling a bit slow I was a lot better going up the hill through Grenwich Park and revved up behind a Bianci that had repeatedly left me behind at the lights through Deptford; I rode up to his back wheel and listened to him wheeze and splutter until he dropped down a gear. I just sat there behind him though; is that cruel?
While I was leaving Waitrose this morning I waited for a rider to pass and recognised the Serotta Ottrott GS and then the rider, 'glad to see you out on the bike Richard' I thought, 'looks a bit cold though'.

At 11:00am I was on the start line, edging through to the front row with butterflies in my stomach 'start steady and put in a surge at the end'. Zak (my youngest) tried to ignore me and chatted to his mates. It was the annual Hythe Run and the kids had to cover 922m each. There was a lot of 'dad' advice being passed on to the youngsters at the start and Zakky was getting some strange looks from his fellow competitors and parents. It might have been because I'd put cotton-wool soaked in Olbas Oil up his nostrils to clear his tubes before the start. If it was good enough for Adrian Timmis and Gary Baker back in the day then it's good enough for my boy .
Much like his father he covered the distance in a series of short sprints but was never a threat to the micro-ectomorph who ran away from the field, however ten out of ten for style laddy.
Elsa's race started dramatically (as does everything)as she was stiff armed into the barriers and hit the deck, but she recovered and made some ground up at the end.
Races over it was time for tea and cake, at least I can still do that bit.

Fifty minutes of core work in the afternoon mowing the lawn with my nice new hover mower, its an Allan Professional equipped with a meaty Honda engine. Far more mower than I need, it's like the Serotta of the lawn mower world, a Flymo would be more appropriate for my requirements but that would be like riding a Specialized Roubaix...and I could never do that.

Its been a funny old week.

Mallorca Training Camp - Day 7

2010-05-03T07:36:00.006+01:00

Route: Club Pollentia to Arta and back.
Distance: 100km
Ascent: Just a quicky
Weather: Sunny and warm

Only a few of us gathered in the car park on Friday morning, some guests had returned home and others decided to do their own thing and get some quality pool time.
The ride to Arta is straight down the coast road and we tapped along at a leisurly pace, the only highlight was me trying to squeeze the van through the narrow roads in Arta.
Once out the other side a few made the effort to ride up to the Ermita de Bethlehem which is a lovely piece of road. I've always wondered whether it is possible to get down the other side but I've always been driving on this run and have yet to find out.

We lunched on sea bass risotto at the Hotel San Salvador which is worth a visit jst to see the toilets.I swapped with Soran (we had by now agreed that Ryan Adam's best albums were: Heartbreaker, Gold and Magnolia Mountain)for the ride home, the wind was behind us and the pace soon picked up and we came across a double pace line of riders.They were going just a little slower than us so we decided to overtake, well some of us did but a few remained behind. Then I heard a sharp blast of a whistle - I thought it was the police behind us as we were spreading out a bit. Then with another blast the group came past us, it was their leader guiding the group 'Hold ze formation' he instructed as they motored past. I thought we would let them go but three of our riders (Simon, Jeez Louise and Jeremy) had other ideas and went on the attack causing a general nuisance - did I say yesterday we had our riding skills dialled??
By the time we returned I had decided to ride out to the Cap de Formentor as I had not made it on the Saturday and should make the most of the opportunity. The first climb out was OK but I soon discovered on the draggy straight road afterwards that there was nothing left in my legs; but I soldiered on to the end and then dragged myself back. Not having been out their for ages I kept looking for the lighthouse over every rise, it semed to go on forever and the road surface was awful, I needed my Ottrott.

What agreat week that was....I'd ike to thank everyone for coming on the trip and for their good humour and the love for cycling that we all shared - it made for a great week both on and off the bike, I look forward to next year.
Adios

Mallorca Training Camp - Day 6

2010-04-29T19:10:00.005+01:00

The Longest DayRoute: Pollensa old town, to Puig Major, Soller, Deia, Valldemossa, Santa Maria del Cami, Llosetta, Campanet, Buger, Sa Pobla, Alcudia and home...
Distance: 160km
Vertical Gain: Loads
Weather: The usual

Felt surprisingly fresh this morning especially after the buffet breakfast and copious amounts of coffee. Mark's bought himself a little coffee machine for his room but is extremely tight with it, and seeing as I brought him out an Aliante saddle for his birthday and some clean rags he's rather mean.

We headed off around 10:00am and Alan shared the lead with me (now known as Spasm Alan due to his attack of the cramps near the top of Sa Calobra, he was found by Paul in a semi-crouched position unable to move. Paul took Alan's bike off him and helped him shuffle crab like to the side of the road and some shade to recover. It worked out that we both decided to become cyclists in 1987 after the Tour de France stage where Stephen Roche chased Pedro Delgado to the finish despite being written off Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett. It was certainly stirring stuff. We both wanted to ride and pedal like Stephen.
Roche v Delgado on La Pagne '87
There were many Roche/Delgado moments on the trip as our riders challenged eachother and themselves on the climbs.
Two highlights, actually three highlights of the day were:
The descent from Puig Major to Soller, long fast, hardly any need for brakes, overtaking cars etc. On the first hairpin I went in poretty fast (showing off) and the corer kept tightening anf tightening and I kept leaning and leaning...dpenedent entirely on the Michelin Pro Race 3's not to give up their meagre grip with the asphalt. They didn't let me down and the corner spat me out and I backed off a little.
The climb up to Deia, I told the feistier members of our group it was half an hour long (more like 15 minutes actually) and scooted off and dualled with a German lad on a Cannondale. It was great fun as it was not too long, not too steep and you could accelerate out of the hairpins, it was my last climb of the week so I made the most of it.
The third highlight was Ian riding virtually the the day's whole 160km; on the Monday he bailed after only 15km so it was a great achievement. Well done Ian, I think he was a bit down afterwards his poignant comment as headed back was 'That's life I suppose' he's certainly perked up now and is talking about riding Chamonix-Nice.

The whole group is riding better now, they are much tighter and neater on the road. Communication is clearer down the line 'car up', car back' etc, it makes riding much safer. This evening as we headed back we passed some slower cyclists and the inside riders indicated with their right arms behind their backs to move out. Classy.

Mallorca Training Camp - Day of Rest

2010-04-28T18:44:00.007+01:00

Well the hydration continued well into the night for some of the guests and it apparently got a bit messy. It was all too much for me I retired early and nodded off when Steve Davis was losing 3 frames to 12.
It would appear that some of the guests bring a little too much baggage with them and I'm not talking about the type that gets checked in at Gatwick, perhaps they should though.

The rest day is a chance for everyone to recover from their exertions and relax by the pool, squeeze in a ride, go for lunch in Pollensa or combine all three.

I dealt with some admin in the morning and in the afternoon went for a lttle spin down the 'Reedy Road'. It's not used in the current itinerary but we used it a lot in the earlier camps to get deeper into the island. I waited until the afternoon to go riding because the wind changes to a North Easterly and I wanted to spin effortlessly along the old Reedy Road.

The wind was right behind me, everything went quiet, there was no roaring in my ears from the wind blowing through my helmet straps, just the hum of the wheels and the swish of the chain. At Sa Pobla I turned North and headed to Supermotard road taking in the scenery and breathing in the scent of the orange blossom; getting some good Spannish oxygen into my tired muscles. I was also playing my favourite game:
What house would I buy if I was rich?
It's always fun but always a little frustrating, one day maybe....I mentioned to the wife before I left that we should buy somewhere, it would save me the arduous task of booking the family holiday each year; but she reminded me that I couldn't sort out the place we lived in let alone a run down farmhouse with its own olive grove. I can dream though, which is very easy to do as I ride around this beautiful island, we all love it we do, me, Michael, Catherine-Zeta, Michelle Pfff. I wonder if they realise they have something in common with me.

I picked my way through the lanes behind Club Pollentia, took a wrong'un and ended up on the main road. My old legs didn't feel too bad mind and I even did a bit of stretching back at HQ.
Off to dinner now and some rehydration. Hopefully it will be an early night for everyone before tomorrow's monster day in the mountains.

Mallorca Training Camp - Day 4 part 2

2010-04-28T10:01:00.003+01:00

It was between Selva and Campanet, we slowed down but she did not appear. Mmm we thought, thats odd. Her husband was with us as well - Scott Hultz from Specialized - and he looked a little concerned.
It was like in the movie The Vanishing, the original Dutch version of course not that Hollywood remake with Keifer O'Sutherland.
We retraced our steps in case she had punctured but there was no sign of her, we called the van in for back-up and retraced the short stretch of road again and tried to figure out which way she would have turned off of a straight road.
At Moscari the road had been blocked by two trucks and we had squeezed by on the pavement, as Lesley had approached this blockade a handful of seconds later she saw some bikes turning right down a tiny road to Inca and followed these.
What we didn't realise is that she had Mr Hunter for company, a seasoned Mallorca campaigner who took her back to camp via Inca.
When Lesley asked him where he thought the road would come out he answered in his own deadpan way: 'It will come out somewhere'. So they pedalled on and clocked up 98 miles for the day while we hurtled around the island in the delivery van.
By now you will probably know how we de-stressed: San Miguels and peanuts (for the salt)by the pool.
While the guests continued to rehydrate the staff retired to Minerva 4, because Tuesday night is Movie Nite for the GPM10 crew.

Mallorca Training Camp - Day 4 part 1

2010-04-27T20:58:00.006+01:00

Route: Campanet, Losetta, Orient, Bunyola, Soller, and back via Puig Major and the descent from Lluc.
Distance: 170km
Ascent: 2,500m
Weather: Very hot

A very big day for everyone.It was a slow start, we had a puncture in the first 15km, I stopped to help change Pete's wheel with Soran and then we paced back to the group at 40kmph, I took a few turns but Soran did most of the work; he's a younger American version of Warrick and even looks like him on the bike.
His left heel is similarly externally rotated and he has a hitch in his left hip, but I'm glad to say it doesn't slow him down and we soon caught the main group where he immediately had to replace a gear cable.
Riding fast in a small group is the best way to ride the road to Campanent as it swoops its way through the foothills, we call it 'Supermotard road' at Cyclefit as back in the day it was mainly unsurfaced, it became our own little Roubaix.

We had a quick coffee and pastry stop at Orient and lunched at the top of the Col de Soller.

The hour long climb of Puig Major was my first big climb since last summer and it seemed to go well and I avoided putting the chain on to the 27 sprocket, I'm saving that for the Pyrenees.
Simon - one of our most regular customers - climbed like a beast and I couldn't hold his pace, he's going well for a 50 year old with only four years cycling in his legs. He uses his power meter and trains religously and its certainly paying off.

Andrew was suffering though as he has adopted the 'Phil Cavell Training Programme'. Nothing for 8 months and then 350km in three days, he's suffering but at least he knows why.
We descended swiflty back to the garage at Lluc, Louise is a descending godess the woman has no fear and cranked the bike over in the corners; she outpaced a lot of the male riders on the climb as well.
Our legs were becoming very heavy and we struggled along the heavy rolling road from the viaduct to the garage.
The newly laid road down to Selva made the earlier suffering almost bearable as the descent was fast, there was hardly any traffic and the evening light gave the mountain slopes a golden hue.

Then we lost Lesley - part two tomorrow.

Mallorca Training Camp - Day 3

2010-04-26T20:30:00.012+01:00

Route: Campanet, Selva , Le Luc to Sa Calobra and back up, back to Port Pollensa. Distance: 130km Ascent: 2,000 m Weather: 34 degrees, no wind, blue skies This was the first of our two days in the mountains before the rest day, a bit of a warm-up for tomorrow's 180km excursion. It was my turn to drive Mark's new Morrisons delivery van. Its a highly stressful experience for me as I'm not the best of drivers, especially in reverse. It's big, it's left-hand drive, the roads are narrow and there's loads of cyclists about, I really don't want to take one of the guests out with the wing mirror or the side out of the van again. We negotiated the road works: 'Por que le photo?'said the big one with the beard. 'Err, for the blog mate' answered the little one in the van with the beard. It felt like I was at a road block in San Salvador but the tacit mutual beard admiration got me past. The group enjoyed the recently resurfaced climb from Selva up to the garage at le Lluc, the sun had warmed up the mountain sides and the pine trees by the time we arrived, the resulting scent in the warm air, it's why we ride. When I had the opportunity to get out the van it was possible to appreciate the stillness and tranquility of the island, the sound of the bells worn by the sheep ring continuoulsy and continue to do so even when I am no longer here.

Once regrouped at the viaduct we lunched on chorizo and local cheese, but were outdone by a group of senior French cyclists on the neighbouring table who produced a bottle of red wine and an already half consumed bottle of Pernod. Sante! Particularly attractive was one character who insisted walking around in just his rolled up lycra shorts with his heart rate monitor strap tucked under his man boobs. After lunch most of the guests descended down the sineous roads to Sa Calobra and then retraced their wheel tracks up the climb for another round of Cafe con leche at the cafe before the final leg to Port Pollensa. During this period of their physical exertion I drove the van up and down the mountain for Peter to get some footage for GPM10 the movie, narrowly avoiding a van load of French cyclists weaving erratically towards me. Apres ride is getting a little more sociable now as everyone gets to know eachother over tapas and a glass or two of Cava by the pool, dinner starts and ends later. Its great to see everyone start to relax. Soran has flown in from Signature Cycles in Connecticut and put Nick's Ottrott back together. He's a big Ryan Adams fan and that is a very good thing. I like Soran.

Mallorca Training Camp - Day 2

2010-04-25T20:58:00.012+01:00

Club Pollentia to San Salvador
Distance:140km
Weather: 31 degrees, blue skies

A flat ride down the coast through Alcudia, Can Picafort, Mancor and Felanitx and then a climb to the top of a volcanic plug that has the monastery of San Salvador perched on the top. 4.8km at an average gradient of 6.5%.

The plan for the day was for Paul to ride out and me drive to San Salvador and then swap for the return journey, unfortunately we had someone on the deck withtin 15km. Not sure how it happened, it was either a touch of wheels or a catseye. Luke managed to sidestep the accident, laying down his bike and staying on his feet. Neither party can remember how it happened.

Nick's bike was unrideable so he swapped with Paul and I had to make a quick change and jump on my bike after Nick who,by this time was chasing the group and venting his frustration on the Cube we had donated...a bit of a comedown from his Ottrott.
Paul paced me to Nick behind the van and my heart rate went from 60 to 180 in 3 seconds, we eventualy caught Nick and headed to Petra but there was no slowing him down and I dangled behind him not wanting to go in to the red to catch him incase I blew my biscuits later in the day and this status quo was maintained nearly all the way to Felanitx.
Great roads though, lovely weather as well, no armwarmers or vests and the bike felt good and my knee no longer gave me any gip after Phil's adjustments on Tuesday. Thanks mate.
After a leisurely lunch and coffee the return journey was pleasent and un-eventful and I only had to pace a couple of stragglers back to HQ.
Back in the day there would have been an unruly sprint along the coast road, the pace would pick up as soon as we left Alcudia and we would fan out across the road outside Club Pollentia, its a bit more sedate now though, possibly because of Phil's absence; he always liked to stir things up.

An ice cold San Miguel by the pool ended the day and tired legs were dipped in to try and aid recovery for the next days riding - apparently Paula Radcliffe does something similar.

Back in the room Mark endeavoured to show Paul his new 'stretch' apparently his friend Johan did some work with AG2R, that's as straight as Paul could get his leg though...some work to do there eh?

Isn't he cute?

Mallorca Training Camp - Day 1

2010-04-24T22:10:00.007+01:00

Its good to be back at Club Pollentia, I missed last years camp due to injury (more here) but I've made it intact for once, although in 2008 I fell off in front of the group and brought several riders down on top of me and spent the rest of the day in bed after a visit to the hospital.
For anyone reading this don't be alarmed cycling is not that dangerous - as Richy demonstrates cornering uphill:

Watch this.

Mark spent the week alone waiting for his guests who unfortunately missed the Training Camp due to the volcanic ash disruption.

No riding today as we arrived a little too close to dinner time. However Luke went off to the Lighthouse at 18:30 and came back in the dark.....

Tomorrow we ride to San Salvador, its a 140km round trip and as it is a fairly flat route it will allow the group to settle in and get used to riding in a large group; and on the short stiff climb to the monastery the alpha males will be able to test their legs and eachother. Once we get that out the way and we know who the pack leader thinks he is we'll be able to cruise back to base...until the next day.

Felix End 2 End Ride

2010-04-20T15:56:00.004+01:00

I thought I should mention that we are helping six members of the Royal Logistic Corps Improvised Explosive Device Disposal team, injured in an incident while on duty in Helmand province, Afghanistan, who are cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise money for BLESMA.

You can find out more about them on their Facebook page. Felix End 2 End

We have three of them coming to Cyclefit next Friday to have their positions checked so they are as comfortable and as efficient as possible during their marathon ride.

Mallorca Training Camp - not

2010-04-19T23:19:00.003+01:00

Phil's still here, so are all the guests and Mark is on his own at Club Pollentia.
He's a bit bored but is managing to get some miles in. He says he feels like he is an episode of The Prisoner and dreamt that a giant swiss ball chased him across the Marshes.
It's very dissappointing for everyone involved, maybe they'll get a couple of days in before the end of the week. Phil road in to Cyclefit today and plans to do so all week to partially replicate the week of riding he was so looking forward to.
At least its not raining here.

Training update

2010-04-19T23:04:00.002+01:00

Six and a half hours last week, I would have preferred a couple of more hours but that's life....
I put in some harder efforts on the last commute of the week and everything seemed to hold together although the right knee is a bit sore, climbing in the saddle is better but I was easily outpaced by a Planet X in Greenwich Park even though his saddle was too low - 'just let him go Jules, your time will come..'.
I have since the earlier shoe blog reduced my stance width and moved the right cleat back a little, feels a lot better and added 1 varus wedge to each shoe.
I'm also riding the Serotta HSG carbon getting the position tweaked ready for Mallorca and trying out a pair of Mavic R-Sys wheels which I can report are very nice.
The bike hums along the roads of South London and when I squeeze in a few metres of dirt on Black Heath the frame and wheels smooth out the vibration, its a great combination. I used Ben Serotta's DT wheels off of his Ottrott SE we have at Cyclefit and wasn't very impressed the front wheel has a lot of radial spokes which gave the bike a very hard ride.

Another Sunday

2010-04-11T22:41:00.007+01:00

Another busy weekend and no riding; I managed four hours during the week and must confess I feel crap. I have started prepping the HSG for our Mallorca Training Camp, I'm getting very excited but have yet to ride for longer than two hours this year. I missed it last year due to a crash - between now and the 24th I'll ride as much as possible so I don't look like a complete numpty by day three.
Today I spent three hours in the car driving back from Nottingham having picked up the kids from the grandparents, they had been looking after them for a few days during the school holidays.

As I turned down our hill I was confronted by some very uncomfortable riders dragging themselves up the one-in-four climb that I live on (and never ride), the hand written numbers on their handlebars indicated that it must be on of those 'sportives' I'd heard of.
Grandad Sam had given me some tomatoe plants and whilst re-potting them from the greenhouse I admired the efforts of the riders straining up Lympne Hill. I was torn I was...family, bike, family, bike, which comes first, family or bike, garden, homework, Cyclefit....?

But not for long, it was Paris Roubaix day - my favourite race - and fortunately I had some shelves to put up in the lounge, time to tune in.
Cancellara time trialled away at the end but my support was for the little fella of course: Roger Hammond, he's about my height but his head is even bigger if that's possible, he outsprinted Boonen for fourth place, chapeau Rog.
The shelves took about 98km exactly to put up.

Cancellara's pelvis is a bit wonky though, dropping to the right side with his right foot more plantarflexed....something going on there... wait 'til he reaches 45!

Growth Spurts

2010-04-08T21:55:00.005+01:00

I had a great morning on Wednesday with Graham Anderson from Balance Physio - who runs a clinic from Cyclefit on Wednesdays - the more time I get to spend with him and Fran the more I learn about the human body and how it works.
The two most intersting clients we saw that morning (no offence Tom you're interesting as well) were two young lads around 18 years old who, depsite their youth and energy were struggling on their bikes.
Both had experienced growth spurts in their mid teens.
Master T - accompanied by dad - had limited flexibilty despite his young age and suffered from knee pain and lower back pain.
I had fitted him a few months earlier and had raised his saddle 5cm and fitted footbeds and hoped that the improvement to his position would alleviate his problems - the low saddle height I though was the reason for his discomfort. Unfortunately his handlebars could not get any higher once the saddle was raised and the drop was increased but he couldn't afford a new frame to resolve this.
His tendons had still not been able to cope with his longer limb length and they struggling to accommodate the new saddle height and handlebar drop.
Graham examnined him and also discovered a LLD (I'm kicking myself for missing this)his advice was to improve muscle balance and tone, stretcch to improve range of motion and gradually get back on the bike.
Re his bike we recommended lowering the saddle back down by 2cm and fitting an adjustable stem so that the bars were high enough to be comfortable and on the turbo for the short sessions he was advised to undertake.
Master Y came in for footbeds (with his mum)and once we started chatting his story unfolded: a high level junoior rider, new sponsor, twenty hours a week on the bike, knee pain for 18 months, a poor bike fit, many physios, scans and wot not.
Mater Y usually rode twenty hours a week - before the knee pain became too much - and had been doing this for the last few years as his body was forming. His feet are very mobile with fallen arches and a varus tilt and they struggle to provide a stable platform for the power driven down through his legs. To improve the stability he rides with his knees in towards the top tube which switches off the Medial Quads and over uses the Lateral Quads and hamstrings.
Graham's examination revealed a very weak VMO and over dominant lateral quads and hamstrings amongst other things; the signals were just not getting through from his brain to the muscles needed to stabilise his knee joint.
There wasn't any problem with the knees, it was a combination of issues that manifested themselves in the knee joint and reuslted in pain and discomfort.
It will be ( a lt of)work off the bike that gets this young man riding again and a Cyclefit next week to make sure he is sitting where he should be - I will also be able to give Graham feedback once I see Master Y in action.
Graham's observation was that a young athletes body will grow into their respective sports and unless they combine different movements and activities alogside their chosen discipline (and that includes Facebook) their bodies will become unbalanced as they grow. At Cyclefit we have many clients who rowed in their teens who have quite severe assymetries on the bike due to rowing hour after hour until their backs gave out....
What can I draw from the above, is that young athletes should embrace as many different activities as possible alongside their chosen sport to balance their bodies as they grow; and in some cases riding a bike will flag up a physical assymetry not only causing discomfort but emotional distress as well. Cyclefit can do their bit but a holistic approach towards the body's bio-mechanics can and will provide positive results.
I can also reveal - as many of you may already suspect - that in my teenage years I never experienced a growth spurt; nor did I get seduced by my best mate's mum nor have a pair of Gulwing trucks for my skateboard. That short sentence pretty much sums up my life story, great.

That clothing brand goes bling...

2010-04-08T21:46:00.004+01:00

I had imagined that Mr Rapha was driving around in an old Citroen DS rather than this Tonka Toy, but then I have seen snide copies of Rapha's jerseys on Walthamstow Market next to the Dolce and Gabanna rip-offs....

or Nothing

2010-04-06T22:28:00.006+01:00

One hours riding in one, two three, four, five...eleven days.
Thats not so good.
That one hour was a lap around Milton Keynes with our friend photographer Gerard Brown whose pictures have graced many a page of Rouleur magazine.
Me and 'him-not-indoors' Phil were in MK training Trek's best dealers some of the intricacies, science and the art of bike fitting and managed to escape from the Holiday Inn Express last Tuesday evening for a ride on two Trek Madone 6.9's equipped with Shimano Di2 around Milton Keyne's Red Routes.

First impressions apart from the bike's lightness were its smoothness over the bumps and it's feistrous (feistrous is one of my daughter's new words) response out of the saddle, it just kicked away but didn't skip about at the back end.
Handling was stable on and offroad a great lightweight frame and great value and made in the USA. There is a lot of technology in the Madones and I'm not really doing it justice...but I would like to take one to the mountains just to see....
The Bontrager 6.0 wheels were smooth and fast but offered little road feedback and predictably picked up any stiff crosswinds - hence the off-road reference.

The downside was the Shimano Di2....the temperature dropped to a wet and windy 4 degrees and finding the two small buttons positioned so close together with cold hands was...virtually impossible. I can't complain about the shifting once I pressed the button it was accurate every time but there was no 'feel' to it, like driving your automatic car in the 'tiptronic' option: no clutch control and no idea what gear you are in.
The other issue that bothered me was the shape of the brake lever, the outward curve at the top of the lever was exactly where my fingers made contact which increased the reach and eventually made my fingers ache.
Could do better.
To make this innovative groupset even better the buttons should be bigger, further apart and have a much more positive click or movement. The brake levers need to be redesigned to accommodate smaller hands, actually re-designed to work properly in fact...is it that difficult?

All

2010-04-06T21:53:00.004+01:00

Since my last installment I have clocked up about twenty five hours on the bike over the last three weeks. Weight down a bit, pedalling nice and smooth but no umph so far.
I did get sore knees on the last week though, however I did change my pedals and shoes twice that week. I swapped from SPD's to Keo's to start with; the MTB shoes were just nor supportive enough under heavier loads and I was clawing with my left foot to improve stability. The Keo's and my Mavic Zxellium shoes I thought would be the answer, however due to my wide feett I had to go up a size. Comfort for the piggies improved but the cleat hole drillings moved forward under my feet and I couldn't get the cleats back far enough and the switch made me feel like I was pedalling with my toes and there was extra loading on the front of my knees.
The Keo's did not feel too stable either and I could rock my feet in the pedal more than in the SPD's, this combined with the fairly soft heel cupsof the Mavics was not very encouraging and by Wednesday nothing had improved.
I switched back to the Shimano MTB shoes and felt a lot better and took the plunge the following evening and CHANGED MY PEDALS! The first time in about umpteen years to Shimano SPDSL's and I CHANGED MY SHOES! To Lake 400's 42E (wide)(Last used in the 2008 Etape du Tour by your's truly).
Pedals? OK, quite floaty compared to the Keos....the jury is out.
Shoes? Oh yes' lots of room for my trotters and cleats in the right position.
Lake's Founder Leo Katz' theory is that a stable heel ably supported by a strong heel cup improves knee tracking and also reduced the emphasis on the forefoot to provide foot stability. This means less energy is required to support the foot and lower leg and possibly less forefoot canting. I think he is right too, after two rides I can feel the difference; the shoes are mouldable as well which means an even better fit and any rear foot pronation can be reduced.
It takes me around three weeks to get used to new shoes or pedals so I'll keep you posted.

No Escape from cycling

2010-03-22T22:39:00.003Z

It sort of works in reverse for me, at the weekend I like to get away from bikes and spend time in the garden, not thinking about inseam measurements and crank lengths but where I am going to put the First Earlies and cleaning out the chickens.
This weekend however there was no escape.
On Friday night the family watched Sport Relief and it was wall to wall cycling (Gardner's World has not been the same since Monty left and I can't watch any more close-ups of flowers anymore); as I watched the Dallaglio ride I pointed out several Cyclefit customers riding alongside the leader to the good wife beside me on the sofa: "yeh him, and her and that one there just beheind the one in the red jacket". I was quite excited.
Respect to all of them, the conditions were arduous and the stages long, I don't think I would have managed it.
Then on came David Walliams with his end to end ride.
I have to let you know that we did offer our services to the team of celebs but were politely declined. Well I can only say that if we had fitted them they wouldn't have fallen off going up hill....maybe next year. Once again though it was bloody cold, not my idea of fun.
On Sunday evening I settled down to watch Countryfile with the kids hoping to watch something about hedge laying or rare breed cattle only to be confronted by a couple of blokes riding their bikes up hill and one of them was Rob Penn, journalist and Cyclefit customer.
Was there no escape?
I did though try and watch the highlights of the Milan san Remo I had Sky + but didn't quite make it to the descent of the Poggio, and woke up watching Biathlon....it had all been too much.

The Etape plan and Training

2010-03-20T22:10:00.002Z

I don't like too tight a structure.

January and February it was pretty much week on week off due to inclement weather and teaching. Its the coldest winter I can remember not riding in.

In February I was getting wet every day both in and out to work, after four consecutively wet days I put the bike away and didn't get on it again for another 9 days and 2 kilos heavier!

From the beginning of March though I have built up the weekly hours riding using the daily commute (1hr 10mins each way): 8 hours, 7 hours and this week 11.5 hours. Its all very low intensity fat burning rides and general condition building. Once we get in to April I'll add some harder sessions.

The end of April is our Mallorca Training Camp which will bring things on a bit and then our Etape Recce weekend four weeks later.

I'll try and ride a few events at Palace to get the top end - either that or I'll blow my biscuits before I get to the Pyrenees and then a couple of Sportive events maybe if I get the pink slip.

Then if I can work some magic I'll ride the Tour de Mont Blanc with GPM10.
Four days of mountain riding is fantastic preparation.
I did this two years ago, three weeks before the Etape and felt dreadful afterwards for over a week but by the time I got to the Etape my legs were back and my body had over compensated and was ready for the Tourmalet and Hautacam.

I'll probably do all this without the aid of a heart rate monitor or power meter - it took me five hours to load the header photo for this blog so there's no chance I'll be downloading any 'data'.

Overdue blog

2010-03-20T21:35:00.000Z

Hope you like the Forest Gump look, I've been getting the miles in.
Its been a busy start to the year at Cyclefit, the weather has been shite and we've been locked away in Milton Keynes at Treks HQ for four weeks surrounded by bikes and unable to ride...
so I/we - me and Uncle Phil - have hardly ridden atall.
I planned to write this on March 1st at the beginning of my new training schedule for the Etape, last year was fun watching you lot climb the Ventoux but I really wanted to ride, so sod it, you'll have to look after yourselves this year and I'm going to have another go and get that gold medal I missed by 15 minutes in 2008.
As I'm using this new medium I won't have to keep writing now but can add stuff as I go.
Next installment: The Etape plan and training so far.