Recently in Training Category

Went out on Tuesday for my first long ride in ages through the Surrey Hills. They form one of the main hubs of activity for cyclists in the South East of England and I've been riding them ever since I was a child.

I think I rode for around 5 hours, missed a couple of hills and turns, but enjoyed the mild spring weather. Rode through Peaslake which is always pretty and pleasant, managed to miss Whitedown Vale and the more challenging side of Leith Hill (well the one I dislike more). Those were accidental but skipping Ranmoor Common was a deliberate choice as I was in need of a cup of coffee and some cake and it was taking longer than expected to get to Box Hill.

Next day I was absolutely ruined. I've never recovered well from long rides and this being the first in a while meant that I felt worse than ever. I don't think I would have made a stage racer.

This weekend is Milan-San Remo which I'm rather looking forward to. I'm not tipping anyone as it's usually the way to jinx them. Then again, looking at the list of injured/ill riders, I don't need much help: Ballan's out with the curse of the rainbow jersey, Cancellara's injured, Schleck too and Freire.

Still first of the men's classics traditionally signals the beginning of the cycling year for me.

I've been trying to get the hang of climbing out of the saddle for the last few weeks. Not that I've ever been any good at climbing but I don't seem to be able to crack finding a nice rhythm.

My main problem is finding a steady cadence and level of effort. Is that the lack of an even gradient or just me not knowing how to pedal up hills properly? I find that I end up spinning up ever faster and then getting out of breath rather than hitting a sweetspot and riding at that pace.

I know that out of the saddle is more demanding on the body and that it's not something you can do all the way up a hill, but it feels like I should be able to do it. Anyone got any advice or technique pointers to help me figure this one out?

I'm staring out the window at what looks like a passably sunny January day here in London and regretting not going out for a ride first thing - I'm on a late shift this week and that's about the only perceivable benefit.

I have weighed myself this morning and I'm still somewhere between 75 and 78kg (12 stone plus). I've still got the last snotty trails of a cold that won't shift. I've not ridden properly since perhaps the week before Christmas and got a little hot and breathless on my commute home last night.

All this is making me feel a bit down about this year as I really want to do more and achieve more this year. I've not got a training plan as such but I know what has worked for me in the past. I might follow the seven-hour training plan that came with The Guardian a few weeks ago.

I looked at the 12-hour plan and discounted it immediately. I like doing things other than cycling, I don't have to sacrifice that much of my week to it. I've got goals but, ever since I completed the Etape in 2007, I ride my bike primarily for enjoyment and secondly for "achievement".

So why am I asking if I need a turbo trainer if I really don't care? Well, it's that old double bind: I'd like to enjoy my riding more and the best way to do that is to be fitter and stronger so it's less stress and strain.

I've been reading about how getting a power meter is the future for improving your training and making it more focused (see February's Procycling - the print version). It's expensive, I'm a hobbyist and you probably are as well. Would you rather spend the money on a trip to the Alps this year or on knowing that you've managed to eek out an extra 5 watts?

OK, that's overly simplistic and a bit cynical, but it's a real world question that it feels like a lot of people don't bother to ask it when eulogising the technology. I'd actually be keen to try the tech and see if it does make a difference before writing it off but ultimately what am I achieving here?

If you're wondering where I'm coming from, it was Jez Hastings on u2needyourheadsfixed

"i have read and read and read loads of training ideas and programmes but they all seem to ignore that most of us are not full time sponsored riders - either attached to a pro team or as a privateer funded by the dhss. fortunately or unfortunately, david harmon and i have business/work/families/ homeschools to run.

turbo training is about as exciting as watching varnish dry, but with more wetness and discomfort. however, being on the outer edge, sometimes one does not have a choice of how to get the hours/ miles in."

So do I get one and admit that the only way I'm going to get the hours in until the weather and motivation improve is on a turbo trainer in the kitchen? This doesn't account for my kitchen being open plan and space limited which obviously count against the idea. Or the paint drying aspect.

*Harumph*

Can't there be a simpler way to get things going?

At last, after weeks of illness and grumbling, I have started my winter training... with two laps of Richmond Park on a freezing Sunday afternoon.

Not for me the pleasures of Southern European warmness and training camps. No, I am a Northern European hardman and, as such, freezing fog and bleak grey skies are what I shall feast on this winter as I try to build up a base level of fitness.

Halfway through my first lap of the Park, having gone up the slope toward Richmond Gate a bit hard, the thought crossed my mind that three weeks isn't awfullly long to get so unfit. It lodged in my mind for the rest of the lap as I struggled to get my heart rate down and not over-exert myself.

I'm really prone to chest infections and I find in the cold weather that I can end up with burning throat and lung sensations very easily. And those are exactly what usually lead to me getting ill in some way.

Lucky I bumped into Freysen who was going round the other way and we did a second lap at a steadier pace having a nice chat and passing the time rather than grimly trying to get round as quickly as possible so that we could go home.

You might have noticed the blog's look has changed a bit, which has taken longer than planned, mostly because I'm a cack-handed geek who doesn't do geek. Still not quite finished tidying up after myself either - need a new banner.

It's a difficult time if you are looking for gifts for your cycling-obsessed, loved one. Thankfully, the subject is covered in some detail (and a jolly good job they do too) by the Two Johns podcast. A little American-centric but neatly divided into price points, it's a great little listen:

The Two Johns Podcast - Christmas buying guide

This all helps to cover for the fact that I've yet to get any training done. I've managed to catch two or three of the many colds going round London in a row wiping out the last fortnight to three weeks.

I've managed not to balloon up the scales and I'm still holding tight to the 75kg mark which is a good place to be. Previous years I've done cyclocross or taken it easy for most of November and December so I'm not panicking as yet about my fitness, just concentrating on getting healthy again.

Even if you start in January you've got a good few months before you have to seriously think about your racing. I don't usually get into the road racing stuff until late February when you start to get beginners' races in the calendar and the Winter Series start drawing to a close.

I had planned to get some winter series action in before Christmas but after all this illness, I don't feel much like wearing myself out chasing wheels in the freezing cold. Especially as I'm currently looking forward to my snowboarding holiday in Banff over Christmas and will get killed if I break/injure myself before then. It's just tempting fate to go racing isn't it?

I'm really struggling with my recovery after rides at the moment. As in feeling borderline unwell, like I'm coming down with a cold/virus within hours of getting home.

Anyone got any tips to help improve this situation? I seem to remember that iron plays a role in the rate and level of recovery but, being the sort of person who can't be doing with taking supplements of any sort, I'm not much of one for solutions that can't be incorporated into my everyday life.

We all know from various doping cases that testosterone does as well and it's pretty easy to get stuff in over-the-counter products. I'm pretty sure that if I could be bothered I could read up on the list of things I can't take but it's Sunday night and I can't be arsed.

Incidentally, I went out for my first Saturday morning training ride in months this weekend. I put myself in the back group for reasons of fitness, which seemed to be me and Steve (who I've ridden with before) plus quite a few of the increasing number of women now riding with the club. We kept a good pace and I felt reasonable after the four laps which somehow saw us whittled down to all of three out of eight who started in our bunch.

I think I might have been slightly dehydrated as I was starting to cramp a bit towards the end. It was definitely milder that I had thought it would be when I left the house but I think I'm a bit out of shape *surprised face*

Certainly, riding at a slightly less intense pace highlighted a few things that have gone lacking since the beginning of September: a top end, a middle engine and a lower end of recovery. At least that leaves room for improvement.

My form on the bike was OK, even if I was riding my cyclocross bike which is a bit short at the front now for me, unless I've failed to set it up properly for me rather than my girlfriend. I've been trying to work on holding my shape while climbing and I liked the feeling of being able to dance a bit more on the pedals than I used to.

So I guess it's that time of year when I'll have to apply myself and keep chipping away at building up for the next year's challenges which are simple:

• Get out of 4th Cat racing
• Win a race
• Complete the Etape in a decent time

I could use this opportunity to get on one about numpty drivers in Richmond Park (which park of "no parking outside of the car parks" and the solid white line denoting no overtaking on Broomfield Hill are too hard to understand?) but it would be much akin to the colour remake of Psycho.

Instead I'm just going to sling up a link to my muxtape (it's an online mixtape) featuring some of the tracks I like listening to when I'm out on the bike enjoying three laps of the park. Yes there may be a tendency towards mid-90s British indie but it's what I grew up on and what used to be on my walkman when I headed off on my BMX for an adventure around Surrey. The rest of it is all stuff that makes the time go by not much quicker but more enjoyably.

Check out my muxtape

According to the computer I was averaging around 26km/h today without pushing myself too much which I'm fairly happy with as it includes the slightly more leisurely ride there and back which pulls my average down.

It was great to see a few young kids out on the road with attentive parents watching as they gingerly rode round what must be a pretty daunting ride for a young kid given the traffic and terrain.

And while I was tootling around the park my girlfriend was enjoying the Italian national champs on telly over there. Jealous, much?

Due to the frustrating nature of my shifts I couldn't race this Tuesday, nor are there any weekend races to be had nearby this weekend or last. Which means I've been limited to a bit of training to keep my fitness up.

I hate training rides. I find it mentally boring and get annoyed at how much time it consumes. So I've taken to doing 30 to 60 minute rides in and around Central London to liven it up and give me the bonus of fast moving traffic (where available) to keep me on my toes. Mostly this consists of riding from Acton over to Islington to my girlfriend's place. On a good day it's 35 minutes, on a bad one more like 50. This consists of a couple of uphill lumps and plenty of fast flat and false flats.

The first lump is up Holland Park Avenue, which is nothing to write about in your guide to the great climbs of Europe but it's long enough to charge up hard when the lights are in your favour. Call it a long interval if you will. On a good day I can crest the top breathing hard but with my legs still not quite at their limit, on an average one I run out of puff just as I can see the end in sight.

From there's it's fast, fast, fast from Notting Hill through to Kings Cross via Marylebone Road and Euston Road. I like to treat this stretch as a bit of a burn up and a mini time trial and confidence builder for riding in among fast-moving traffic and in close proximity to things.

Then there's the one I can't crack: Pentonville Road. So far I've tried going steady, I've tried hammering it, I've tried going slow. None of them gets me to the top without tying up. Consistently I get as far as the lights at Rodney Street before the burning sensation kicks in and I start to tie up. Halfway to the lights at Amwell/Penton Street the lights start to dim and I'm struggling. By the time I reach the lights I'm clinging on and just trying to roll over the top.

Is it just the case that I'm never going to get over there without hurting like hell? I wish it wasn't but things haven't improved in the last month, so I'm starting to lose faith that they will. Man, I wish I could climb, or at least ride hills with the belief and ability to get over them ratehr than fade halfway up.

Since reading January's Procycling magazine, which was guest edited by Greg Lemond, I have become fascinated by the argument in favour of training less. Less purely in terms of time spent out on the bike but more in terms of the intensity required.

So more intervals and few slow slogs around the countryside. According to Lemond's methodology those long rides just result in the sort of chemical build up that inhibits proper improvement and which leads to depressive episodes. Obviously I should be quoting properly here but it's a Sunday evening, I've been working all weekend and I've no idea where I put my copy of the mag.

As a training method it suits me fine as I've never really enjoyed the Sunday rides with the battle to not be last up the hill and the having to write down the whole of the day for recovering, napping and cleaning after the ride. I've always enjoyed going out for an hour or two at most and blasting round in spurts of effort, in effect ad hoc intervals. Perhaps if I'm more disciplined about it I might show some improvement, perhaps I might even get a turbo trainer (Tacx Flow I think).

Next weekend I'm looking forward to a double-header of racing: Saturday's 4th Cat circuit race down at Hillingdon, my first of the year; and Sunday's final cyclocross race of the season at Hainault Forest Country Park. I may be a little tired and sore by Monday but I do enjoy my racing.

I got my new 2008 licence through the post this week so I am intent on making best use of it and getting it upgraded to a 3rd Cat one before the Spring Classics come round. that gives me about 2 months to either get in a break or to nail a couple of finishes in the bunch sprint.

Best start training seriously again then and getting down to a race weight. I'm currently hovering around 75kg, which is a good place to be starting from, certainly better than the 79kg or so I started at last year.

Day off today so once the rain cleared I went out for a well-established ritual training ride in Richmond Park: the three lapper. I've not been on the bike much recently so felt like I needed to get out and clear myself out a bit ahead of this weekend's racing as well as attempt to put some effort into keeping my weight down.

I'm currently tipping in at just over 75kg but with the hard bit of winter coming up I need to keep it in check. I've also not ridden properly in a fortnight, bar a few hour-long rides across town so my fitness is coming off a bit. At my last 'cross race I felt good and strong and now I feel like that hard-won fitness is fading.

The three laps work out at around 33km and when I add in the distance there and back it works out around 50km in total, which is a good ride for a man with a couple of hours on his hands. I aim to get the three laps done in a touch over an hour usually, although I'm sure I should be able to do them in under the hour if I really push it. Today it was more a case of just riding and blowing away the cobwebs than setting a time.

I've discovered that I get in an increasingly poor mood the less time I get to spend on my bike. Perhaps it's a form of replacement therapy and gives me the same sensations that I used to get from drinking. I love the feeling of just getting out there and being able to push everything else out of my mind as I turn the pedals.

Unfortunately today it was rather difficult to clear my mind as my chain kept skipping in the middle of the cassette and I dropped the chain off the front a couple of times as well. It might be because I put my training wheels and 25mm tyres on the 'cross bike rather than taking my race bike out. Or because I haven't cleaned the 'cross bike properly since the last time I rode it so the chain is a bit sticky.

By the end of the third lap I was just starting to settle into something approaching a groove but I was running out of patience with the chain skip. Plus my slightly lumpy riding was causing even the deer to look at me with bafflement in their eyes. Frankly when you get to that stage of riding, you should call it a day. So I did.