Monday ( 7 Days to go )

We are into the final countdown to the Etape now, only 1 week to go.

I swing between serene calm and blind panic. You come to a point where you know there is nothing more you can do to your body to get you throughthe task ahead: the time for training has passed. This is the time for making the best of what you have and making sure you arrive at the start rested and ready.

  ...all good in theory !

Work dragged on today. Can’t claim to have done anything useful all day. Still feeling a dodgy from the weekend. 

Having been slimming down a bit over the last 6 months ( 90+kg to below 80 kg) I am permanently hungry. This week I am now relishing allowing myself to eat-for-England.

Intended to go out and check the bike over. Adjust the saddle height and generally calm down. Not to be,  as I came into the kitchen all kitted up to go out Jo announced that she was off to a School Association meeting, so going out was not an option. Not what I needed in my fragile mental state. Went upstairs to put the boys to bed and sulk instead.

I did manage to drag my self out to the garage for a spin on the turbo, but not really helping.

Time on bike : 30min

Sunday ( 8 days to go )

Another trip down to the in-law’s house for a bit of gardening and wallpapering. Feeling rubbish by the time we came home. Maybe this is the bodies reaction to the lack of exercise. Had a fitfull few minutes sleep in the car and then struggled to sleep when I got to bed.

Also didn't really eat much. Not good prep.

Time on bike : Zero

Saturday ( 9 days to go )

Intended to go out for a leisurely long ride, but woke up feeling really rubbish. The prospect of 4 hours in the saddle with a dodgy stomach was not appealing, so I fumbled around the house feeling sorry for myself. Managed to get some of the dull practical things done instead : haircut, buy energy gels, start assembling things to take. Also got a new pair of mitts as the old ones are a real mess (falling apart with no padding left and big holes in the backing).

Also had a trial fitting of the bike in the car. Didn’t want to stick it on the roof-rack, in the hope that we can run a bit quicker on the way down.  I know that the TT bike fits in the boot ok if it is lying down, but that takes up all the space. I had hoped that the road bike would fit in standing up (obviously without wheels) and leave enough space for general family baggage. Looks OK. Removed the wheels and saddle and it fits snugly across the back of the boot ( BMW 5 series estate ).

While the seat post was off I impulsively decided to swap the saddle with the one on the TT bike (Selle Italia Turbomatic Gel Flow Team Edition). The totally contradicts the “make sure you have testing all the kit before-hand – never race on anything new” rule. The saddle is probably the worst things to change, but I know this one is much nicer just from  turbo sessions. Need to make sure I get it set at the right height on the day.

Time on the bike : zero

It's just a logistical problem....

I think I'm all sorted for the trip to the Etape.  Forget the riding-the-bike bit, just getting there and back will be a nightmare.

Having the family there has mixed blessings. It will be nice to have them around, and, hopefully, we can enjoy some of the weekend together. From a logistical point of view, it will be helpful to have Jo dump me at the start and scrape me up off the tarmac at the finish.  If I was going on my own this would be difficult, and I would end up with the shuttle bus, or a tour operator. If I was going on my own I would have liked to have gone down for a few day before and after to enjoy the mountains, ride a bit more, have a bit of a break, but as the boys are still in school term time, we have to get back pretty quickly. Getting down and back with everybody is a big trek and will subject the boys to 4 days in the car, with very little opportunity to play or enjoy themselves.

So, the plan is :

Friday :
Burbage to Folkstone  3 hours
Eurotunnel 35min
Calais to Beaune 6 hours.
( just south of Dijon )

Friday night hotel in Beaune ( Kyriad )

Saturday
Beaune to Modane 4 hours
Visit the Etape village, get number etc.
Modane to Lanslebourg Mont Cenis, 30 min

Apartment 2 nights ( Les Valmonts )

Sunday
Rest, play, swim in pool. Watch F1. Eat.

Monday
Ride the 20k downhill to the etape start at 6:30 am
Ride over a couple of mountains !?!
Ride down from the finish.
Meet Jo and the boys in Bourg d'Oisans ( just below Alpe d'Huez )
Drive up to Beaune.

Tuesday
As before, but in reverse:
Beaune, Calais, Eurotunnel, home.

The travelling is going to be a killer. The boys are pretty good in the car, and don't usually make a fuss, but I'm guessing this is going to push them to the limit.

Hinckley Challenge Weekend

Feeling a little calmer now. Probably just resigned to the fact that there is nothing I can do about my level of fitness now. Just have to go with what I've got.

I've managed a couple of turbo sessions since the last post, with some pleasing numbers (managing to keep 320watts for 10 minute intervals), so that is good.

Also went out for an evening blast and did 40 miles in 2hours 20min. Again, feeling good.

Last weekend was the annual "Challenge Weekend" : a 10 mile tt on Saturday afternoon and a 25 mile tt on Sunday morning.  Good results for me : 25min 18sec for the 10.  Just 8 seconds off my PB, and a Class win ( with a cash prize of £10 :o)   and finishing 28th overall. Happy with that !

The 25 time was also a PB : 1hr 5min 41sec, 29th overall. Only 4 seconds behind Rich Gamble, my 2-up partner. So again, very happy with the result.

This weeks Tuesday 10, was another quick one. A new PB by 1 second ( 25:09 ). 

So, to state the obvious, a bit of training and you go faster!
Let's just hope this is enough to get me up to Alpe d'Huez.

3 Weeks to go... and no training.

Once again there has been a total lack of riding over the last couple of weeks. Not Good.

The Hinckley 25 on 12th June went well. A really windy day, but I finished with a time of 1hr 7min 2sec. Pretty close to my 2-Up team time trial last month, and faster than most of my closest rivals. All very good.

On the down side, I have failed to get my long ride in again this weekend. Family stuff has got in the way, specifically get the houses on the market. 18th and 19th June was going to be my big mileage weekend, but instead I spent the weekend clearing the garden at the in-law's old house. No riding at all.

Also haven't ridden the regular Tuesday TT for a couple of weeks. Last week Josh broke his arm, so I was looking after Fin while Jo took Josh off to A&E. Really annoying as conditions were perfect for a good time. (Obviously upset the the little chap has hurt himself)  This week I was down to marshal, so, again, didn't ride. Did think about doing my pushing-off duty and then riding at the end, but got messed about by some Cock who was also supposed to be marshaling. Ended up with him riding and other picking up the slack. Not happy.

So I'm not into the last 3 weeks before the Etape, and my training has disappeared. Not happy, but some things in life out-rank riding my bike.

JFDI #2

If I keep going like this I'm going to be in trouble.

Training has been a bit hit and miss again this week. Some good intervals in the turbo on Thursday and Friday, followed by a fun weekend away in Oxford. Good to see Matt & Niki and the boys again, and good to relax with a beer or two, but not good from a training point of view.

The main down side is that there was no long ride again this weekend. My good intentions of another turbo session when I got home on Sunday soon faded and we tried to get an early night. Monday was a gray day and I just couldn't summon the enthusiasm for training. A slightly randon 30 minutes on the turbo, followed by a couple of hours battling with the internal cable routing on my TT bike handlebars instead.

Tuesday Night 10 round #10 this week was an interesting night. The new base bar on the time trial bike had moved the position of the aero bars - just a little closer together. I'm not exactly Martin Johnson, but I think I've got quite wide shoulders and chest. The new position was a bit uncomfortable, and also made steering a bit difficult.

Wind was really blustery, from the side. No real help in either direction, but did bouncy me sideways a couple  of times. Once, at about 9.5 miles, the quickest part of the course for me, I lurched onto the wrong side of the road. It scared the **** out of me, but no harm done.

Per formance was good. Didn't feel smooth, and was fighting the bike a bit, but came out on top. time : 25:11 just 1 sec of my PB from a couple of weeks ago. Quite a few people struggled, and many were significantly slower - so a net gain then !?!

The rest of the week again lacked motivation and energy. No more training at all. This weekend is also filling up. Saturday we will be off to see my brother-in-law to discus house stuff and the evening is the MIRA 65th celebration party. Sunday is the HCRC 25 mile TT championship.  Weather is looking wet and windy. Don't think quick times are on the cards.

So, again, no long ride this weekend.
31 days to go.
Just want it to be over now.