Tuesday 15 August 2017

Championnats du Monde Part I

Dealing with adversity prior to the gran depart for Albi, Midi-Pyrenees






You know that feeling when you've been preparing for something for so long and then all of a sudden it's crept up on you... Yep, that is just how I felt in the final run up to the World Amateur/Masters Championships! Just to keep me on my toes that little bit more I had an altercation with a pot hole the weekend before we were due to leave. Although initially thinking I'd come away unscathed within half an hour it transpired that I'd evidently 'upset something' in my upper back/neck. I struggled to complete the remainder of the ride home, even with Paul pushing me up the hills! I have to confess that my immediate thoughts weren't all that positive and went along the lines of why now, I can't not be at my best for the Championships! However, such negative thinking was not going to make anything better - some rest, ice and an emergency appointment at The Lilleshall Clinic were all much more positive approaches!


Fast forward a few days... I was still struggling and in quite a lot of pain, hadn't been able to ride my bike but had secured an appointment with Gill at Lilleshall. I'm not entirely sure she was aware of the weight of expectation placed on her shoulders as I walked in! Thankfully after much crunching & even more discomfort it looked like any damage was purely musculoskeletal and would hopefully be overcome with continued rest and stretching. I hadn't lost hope yet I just had to keep a positive mindset, be patient and not dwell on the fact that the final week of training had slipped away. All the hard work had been done; I couldn't add to my fitness now but I could easily throw it all away by trying to train whilst injured.


Firstly, thanks to NoPinz for designing a fabulous skinsuit designed specially for the team heading to Albi. I'm particularly proud to say that I've been fortunate enough to receive some support from, GymGearBlack Mamba Gloves and Pro Vision Clothing, as well as the unwavering and constant support from Swinnerton Cycles throughout the year - if it wasn't for their goodwill, patience and expertise, there would have been more than one situation this year where I wouldn't have been able to race. Discharging Di2 batteries, a punctured tub two days before a major race, chain ring swapping... you name it it's never any trouble and thank you doesn't come close. Alan and Jenny Matthews of Fortress Distribution/Black Mamba Gloves & Richard Lambert of GymGear thank you for believing in me enough to sponsor my race kit, it really is much appreciated. Steve, Ben and Jason at ProVision thank you for the fabulous off the bike kit - it turned a few heads!

Kit Sponsors GymGear & BlackMambaGloves

Harry from Revolver Wheels kindly added a special touch to my Asymm Disc and 60 front for the occasion and both have shiny new tubs on (hopefully this will help to prevent any punctures on the day, fingers and toes crossed).

Spot the GBR decals from Harry
Accommodation was booked a while ago; a lovely gite in the Florentin countryside about 10km outside of Albi shared with some friends also travelling from the UK and a Canadian friend who I met at the Championships in Australia last year (who also happens to be defending World Champion)! This was our bolt hole, training hub and place of quiet contemplation for ten days; it was far enough out of the hub of Albi but close enough to easily recce the course and attend the rider briefings etc. You'd think there weren't any supermarkets within a 100 mile radius given the pre-emptive shopping that I'd done, however I think it's important to try and keep as similar a diet as I would back home, until after racing has finished at least. Clair - you did brilliantly in finding this place!
Welcome gifts from Francois at the gite

Having eventually arrived and settled in to the stunning gite in Florentin attention turned to getting our bearings, finding race HQ, the course and all the other important race related tasks.

Circuit D'Albi taken over by the UCI
Permanence was set up in the expo centre at the famous Circuit D'Albi race track, which was a hive of activity three days prior to the Championships starting - testament to not just the size of the event but all the work, by volunteers, which goes on behind the scenes. The TT course was already signed, so this made an initial recon easier, although we were grateful of the GPX file as a key directional sign was missing!


Initial thoughts on the course were positive - it was a reflection of what the UCI have presented at the last two World Championships - a challenging course but with something for everyone. By this I mean it wasn't a straight power course or a climbers paradise! It had technical elements; a short climb, a nice descent with a 90 degree left at the bottom, a tight off-camber right hand bend, some mildly undulating sections and a couple of turns with road furniture. There was plenty to keep your interest with the three technical elements to think through and the climb and associated descent - not paying close attention on these sections could easily prematurely end your race! After my first ride around I was feeling positive. The surface where we were to leave the circuit and join the main road wasn't the best but given this would be the same experience for everyone it would be about picking the best line.


After a couple of recon rides, on both the road and TT bike, it was time to take advantage of an early opportunity to have my UCI legal set up checked. This is always a nerve-wracking moment, even when I know that 'Percy' is 100% UCI legal and nothing has been altered since he was checked at the Worlds last year...


UCI Commissaires reporting they are happy with my set up (still on training wheels here)
There were plenty of people who were having to make fairly major adjustments. This always comes as a surprise as it is the one thing that you can check many months in advance in preparation. Indeed in our case it is check, check and check again! The relief when the Commissaires both indicated that they were happy was tangible, not only had Percy passed, I had 19mm clearance at the front (mostly to prevent any discrepancy between our measuring and their jig).


Now the focus was on race day...




















Monday 14 August 2017

Breaking records...

... and puncturing tubs at Castle Combe

Between April and August the contest for the best race series has to go to the DB Max/Kinetic one TT series at Castle Combe Circuit in Wiltshire. It has everything you look for in an event - excellent chip timing, friendly organisers which in turn creates a great atmosphere, a beautiful racing surface and this year some largely brilliant weather! Given this was my second year riding the series it was also nice to see the friends I'd made last year, as the series is generally the furthest south I travel to race on a regular basis, it's mostly the only time I see this group of racing friends. 

The 5 race series starts in April and this was to be my first outing of the year. There is always plenty of nerves associated with that first race - how has the winter training really gone, have I forgotten how to pace myself, how much will it hurt...? You get the picture! All of those emotions seem a long time ago now, although as the tempo increases towards the business end of the season the pacing question comes to the forefront once more - to what extent and how early can I actually put the hammer down and hold it?!

Round 1 in April unfortunately became a DNS as this was the start of my Di2 woes. I arrived at the circuit to find that my battery had discharged itself. This threw me into all kinds of disarray given it was totally unexpected (and I like to plan to the nth degree). I went to ride my usual recce laps in the one gear that I had (mid cassette, big ring) which was ok for riding relatively easy but I knew I would be spinning out for much of the downhill/tailwind and grinding on the other sections. The warm up wasn't going to be easy either as I could hardly keep jumping on and off the turbo to alter the resistance accordingly! Thus, regrettably I decided to withdraw and drive home. This turned out to be a fine weather night and my course record (CR) was broken - just to add insult to injury.

Nice little set up by the track
Round 2 fell a few days after Round 2 of the Midlands Women's series (A10/19), where despite trying to shake off the cold that I'd caught in Ayr I'd had what is still my best '10' of the season. Sometimes a couple of races in close succession work well for me and other times they don't! Thankfully this was one of the former occasions and in producing my best 10 minutes of power, I took the win and reclaimed my course record, shaving a substantial 17 seconds off it. 

Powering towards the chicane
Round 3 fell in mid June and followed a few days after my win at the Charlie Grieg Memorial 10TT. It was a beautifully sunny evening and the wind was set to drop so I was hopeful that I might be able to make a further dent in my CR. June is generally a busy month of racing with the Janet Kelly Memorial, ToC, and Charlie Grieg Memorial all within the same three week period. With my focus purely on putting out even power laps it was mission accomplished as I dipped under 23 minutes for the first time on this circuit to take the CR down to 22:53. This was accompanied by a new peak heart rate as well as a 20 minute power pb! I have to admit that I was really pleased with this ride amidst so much racing, where inevitably training suffers.

Fish aren't the only things that come battered - my legs were here!
Round 4 in July came off the back of a three week training block (I was due to race on V718 in Yorkshire the week before but it was cancelled due to roadworks). My mission was a hat trick of CR's as I had designs on a mid 22 by the end of the series. Unfortunately the weather conditions weren't quite as favourable as they had been but more unfortunately there was quite a lot of debris on the track and I managed to puncture the tub on my disc on lap 3. By lap 5 it was pancake flat! I just slipped back over the 23 minute mark, had I not punctured I think it would have been close for another CR! However, I still banked a 10 minute power pb and the win so it was a good workout. Not forgetting the enjoyment factor - there is something about riding as fast as you can around that circuit, it flows really well, even when there is a huge head/cross wind hitting you as you leave the first chicane.

Paul came as well, finishing 1st road bike
August seems to have come around far too quickly and marks Round 5, the last of the 2017 series. This is really quite a depressing thought as to me the end of the Castle Combe races is synonymous with the end of Summer! This event also doubled up as the South West Team Championships, which was more for fun than a serious event on the calendar as composite teams were eligible. A few of us 'regulars' entered as a team with Caitlin, Jon, Ben and myself teaming up as 'Rule #5' (see the Velominati Rules). Ben had an absolutely storming ride to take the individual men's win in 19:51, Caitlin won the junior women's category and I broke my CR once again - only for Rachael Elliot (Drag2Zero) to come along and lower it further for the win! Jon, however had a terrible attack of cramp and had to pull up. Sometimes bike racing just doesn't go to plan!

Jon looking happier after R4 where he'd won V40
Despite having to withdraw from Round 1, three wins from rounds 2 - 4 and a strong 2nd place in the final round meant that I had secured the win for the women in the 2017 series and had come so close to being undefeated for a second year running. Rachael has certainly set a target for the CR in 2018!

Focused on the job in hand
Thanks to DB Max, and Rich Lewton Photography for an excellent series and brilliant action shots. 

Friday 11 August 2017

TLI Cycling National Championships... grit & determination

The Chronicles of a Di2 battery cont'd

The trials and tribulations of the randomly discharging Di2 battery had all but been forgotten. I have a spare battery and the battery is now religiously charged the night before a race, not stored on 'Percy' any more and generally treated with much caution and suspicion! This seems to have worked well given there hasn't been any further problems to date... Cue the fact that they might be about to rear their ugly head again at some point soon.


Anyway, the TLI Cycling National TT Championships - a date that has been on my racing calendar since their announcement earlier on in the year and one of my A races. They have a tendency to clash with the RTTC National 25 Championships, which I rode in preference last year. On reflection I did this because I felt that I should! Cycling Time Trials is the TT governing body and their 10, 25 & 50 Nationals are classed as the blue ribbon events - if you want to get noticed you need to be on the podium there! Thus I conformed to the norm and duly rode the National 25 last year (see blog post). I didn't have any team obligations to do this and even though I had a good ride (on a baking hot day with traffic and roundabouts aplenty), I later regretted not doing what I perhaps really wanted to do. Does that make sense?!


The locals!


Thus this year there was no question, a trip to the New Forest was on the cards and I really wanted the opportunity to try and win the National stripes. The start times were early on Sunday morning, so an overnight stay was in order to save getting up at 04:00 and hoping that traffic was clear on the route. We found a lovely B&B right by Race HQ which couldn't have been better. Arriving nice and early on Saturday morning, I was able to have a pre-race spin around the course, identify any hazards, familiarise myself with the best line and gauge my gears (the irony of this will become apparent)! Having satisfied myself with this we had a quiet afternoon, firstly at The Lavender Farm just down the road - the gardens were spectacular, then having a little mooch around Lyndhurst.


Beautiful location for quiet contemplation


After a great night's sleep (which is always a bonus somewhere strange) and a lovely breakfast, it was time to warm up. Vanessa has kindly allowed us to set the turbo up in the garden, so it was lovely and peaceful, away from the hubbub. I like to just get my head down and follow my structured routine without the distraction of everyone else around me, so this was perfect! My legs have been notoriously sore this year and on many occasions haven't felt great in the warm-up at all. I was hesitating to think that they actually felt good, wow, could we actually have nailed the preparation for an A race perfectly...? I didn't dare dwell on this, I was just pleased that they weren't a distraction.


Great warm up setting


I headed off to the start, armed and ready for what I knew was going to be a tough course. The cattle grid shortly after the start was the first obstacle to tick off on my invisible list and then appeared to go as smoothly as it could, or so I thought. I quickly got down to business as I knew that the first little technical section could easily be where the race was won or lost. It rode much better on Percy, at speed than I thought it would and I was through before I'd had time to think about it. Onto the grippy section where it was gently climbing, rolling, climbing a bit more steeply before a nice sweeping downhill around a left hand bend. I carried lots more speed down here than I had envisaged so quickly had to readjust my weight to ensure I stayed on the inside of the white lines! So far so good until click, click, CLICK... No, nothing! Quick, try the other shifter... click, click, more frantic pressing... NOTHING!


My first thought was that the battery must have discharged. Unlikely but not impossible given its history. Clearly there wasn't anything I could do about this so it was head down and pedal hard time! Unfortunately I was in the big ride in my 11 sprocket, my biggest gear, so no easy pedalling here. I tried to harness my frustration and disappointment into pedalling hard whilst intermittently pressing the buttons in the hope that my gears would start working again just as quickly as they had stopped! Encircling the roundabout to head back towards the start the realisation that the descent I had just tried to capitalise on needed to be climbed, this wasn't going to be easy. I decided to get off before the road went up to see if I had a loose connection - any time lost doing this would be gained three fold if I could make my gears work! To my surprise the battery had completely disappeared and the mount was loose on the frame. Clearly I was in for a tough final 7 miles of the course and the sooner I got this underway the sooner it would be over.


One of the many quotes at The Lavender Farm that resonated


It was like a race of attrition in terms of cadence, 50, 40, 30... somehow I just had to keep the pedals turning. I was on the base bars, out of the saddle doing my best to keep moving. I caught the rider in front but knew as soon as the road went up again he'd come past. I had half an eye on my power meter knowing that with the shear effort to turn the pedals I was emptying my legs and not so much my lungs. I passed the start and knew that I had to give the following downhill section everything I had before the left hand turn and return section into a block headwind. Again my cadence was down in the 50's and after the second left hand turn 40's. I was battling into a headwind on uneven tarmac, wrestling with the base bars to try and keep any respectable motion going. As if this wasn't taxing enough the short, steep hill just before the finish was looming, not just literally but also like a big black cloud in my head as I realised I wouldn't make it up in the only gear I had. The road kicked up half a mile before the hill and I knew I was slowing already. The only thing for it was to keep the pedals turning for as long as I possibly could and then get off and run... Yes, seriously, it was this or give up right there on the side of the road! I don't quit so running it was. I think the spectators must have thought I was mad, after all with a full range of gears it would have been no trouble at all! No time to dwell on their opinions though, I had a race to salvage!


Getting back on as fast as I could and desperately trying to get moving again I dug for one final effort, 500m to the finish line. Almost as soon as I had crossed it the adrenaline disappeared and the realisation that of all the days for this to happen it would be my A race. The day I had worked so hard for, tapered for, even felt ready for and it had all gone, just like that in what I can only assume was the vibration of the cattle grids. The disappointment was palpable, I'd let myself down, Paul down and most of all I'd wasted all that form that I'd worked so hard to build. However, I had finished and in so doing had given it my absolute best, I'd dug deep and deeper again.


I could therefore not contain my surprise to see that I had actually, somehow, done enough to still secure the Ladies Championship. Wow, nightmare to fairy tale in 5 minutes.


Fairy tale ending
Thank you Glenn and your merry band of helpers for organising a great event, you even managed to secure the sunshine in between a couple of very showery days!







Sunday 6 August 2017

National Emergency Services Championships

The battle between the blue lights for the TT stripes!

Every year there is a National Championships for those working within the Emergency Services (either current career or retired) over 10 and 25 miles as well as a road race. Both are pretty hotly contested as it is often the same faces you see battling it out for Police, Fire or Ambulance as it is at the RTTC Championships in their club colours.


This year it was a long trip north to Ponteland after the relatively locally hosted Championships by Leicestershire FRS in 2016. Given the event fell amongst a busy period of racing I opted just to ride the 10TT as I had been racing down at Castle Combe on the Wednesday evening, just three days earlier (the 10TT is held on the Saturday afternoon and the 25TT on Sunday morning). Yes, it was a long way to go to ride 10 miles but it was important to me to represent the Fire Service as often we are under represented compared to our Police colleagues. I'm also keeping my eye on my main season goals this year, which are the TLI Cycling National TT and the World Amateur TT - both in August. Thus I stuck with the plan despite later thinking that I should have stayed and ridden the 25 on Sunday - whilst hindsight is a wonderful thing I know that it would have come back to bite me having already learned the lesson that too many races in a short period of time doesn't work well for me!


Ponteland appeared to be a really pretty little town with a couple of nice looking pubs, plenty of flowers and a decent sized leisure centre (with a lovely cricket field) which was our race HQ. The course was certainly rolling; one of those where it was difficult to find a rhythm and the surface wasn't the best but I've certainly ridden far worse this year! There were very few females in the field, which was a shame, so we were dotted throughout the men's field - this always makes attempting to catch your minute man interesting, if nigh on impossible! Having said that I had a junior in front of me, as the event also doubled up as a GS Metro Open 10, and I did manage the catch and the overtake by mile 3. However, I was also caught by my minute man by mile 4!


Not feeling particularly aero!
As seems to be a common occurrence since I started racing, my main competition was Liz Powell who rides for Mike Vaughn Cycles but on this occasion was riding for the Police. Liz has been National Emergency Services Champion for the past two years and was clear favourite to successfully defend this title for a third year running. Despite giving it everything I'd got the best I had on the day was good enough for silver, some 20 seconds adrift of Liz. However, I was some 2 minutes clear of Lisa representing Essex Police in bronze medal position.


Lovely glass trophy - Runner up 10TT
I do think that I am a rider that benefits from course familiarity. Riding a course in preparation for a race isn't always possible but you do get a better fell for it than just by driving around it. I would certainly take a different approach to this particular course if presented with the opportunity of racing on it again. Having said that weather conditions and traffic often alter your approach and race plan at the last minute so much to my disappoint it's not always possible to plan to the nth degree!


Our trip north also presented the opportunity to finally meet Harry Walker aka the man behind my wheels 'Mr. Revolver'! Harry lives locally and kindly came along to support. There will be more about Harry coming up in a future post so stay tuned...


Harry of Revolver Wheels

Friday 4 August 2017

A flexible approach to training...

...Rucksack intervals at dawn!

Balancing full-time work with serious training is a little like a constant lesson in juggling different balls - each one is important in its own way, some you can take risks with whilst others are more fragile and need to be treated with greater respect. For the majority of us the competing priority of work will always win; ultimately that's what pays the bills! I've historically been a 'lazy exerciser' a term I came across earlier this year describing those of us who will think nothing of going out for a four hour training ride but won't ride 15 minutes to work. Does that ring any bells with anyone?! Moving further away from work has opened up, in my mind, the option of riding to work and it feeling worthwhile. The most straightforward route is approximately 48km and a variety of extended routes can make it anything up to 65km each way, so worth the effort! Being a morning person and appreciating the quiet roads and wildlife that is often still abundant at dawn its a great way to start the day, even if that isn't my initial reaction at the annoying sound that turns out to be the 04:45 alarm! Yes, I can confirm that there are two 4 o'clocks in one day!!



Sunrise - just one of the benefits of getting up so early!
I started out by including an easy fasted ride to work once a week just to spin the legs and wake up the metabolism; encouraging fat burning efficiency has to be a good thing, right? It's a good thing until you realise that whilst you might be accustomed to a fasted 60 minutes, going a little further is a bit of a shock to the system! Thankfully we have a very accommodating chef at work and I have been rescued with a prompt bowl of porridge on several occasions. In fact I think Steve is an emergency service within an emergency service!


On the mornings where I had a structured, quality session to do I had been getting up equally early, having something light to eat, to fuel the session, and then running around like a mad hatter trying not to be late for work. It eventually dawned on me that given I much prefer to do these structured sessions on the road than the turbo that perhaps I could trial using my commute in a more constructive way. Having taken some extra work clothes and supplies in ahead of my experiment, I was left with a smaller rucksack - quality power sessions are hard enough without any assistance from unwieldy luggage! It was great! I was travelling faster so arrived at work quicker and with the satisfaction that I've done my hard session for the day and with the bonus of not having been caught in any traffic. Unfortunately I am not office based everyday and frequently need my car but I can clearly see the financial benefits of being able to actively commute even some of a journey on a regular basis would soon add up. Equally arriving at my desk as awake and ready to attack the day as humanly possible is also a bonus.



The way home has sometimes been an excuse for a sneaky refuel at The Artisan!
The benefits are equal at the end of the day as well, it's been a really nice way to unwind and leave any stresses of the day behind. On a few occasions I've not been convinced about my ability to actually make it home without pedaling squares but I think that's been mostly in my head - a hard session and a sedentary day are a great recipe for DOMS! I have often stopped off at 'The Artisan' in Eccleshall which has been a great excuse to refuel for a longer ride home and an opportunity to catch up with owners and friends David & Wendy briefly. Being social is often one of the balls that gets overlooked (friends and family often have to work around my racing schedule) so the importance of doing this when the opportunity arises is appreciated.


Balancing structure with free-rides opens your eyes to the surrounding countryside

I'm sure I'm not alone in finding it difficult to keep the respective priorities in balance. One of the things I hear most frequently at work is 'I don't have time (for exercise)'. A statement which is all too often proffered as an excuse for a regime being more miss than hit. I find turning this around and replying 'so exercise isn't important to you...' a useful catalyst for focusing the mind on what actually is important. Although I might be extremely disciplined in terms of fitting structured training into not just my day but my week, this is often at the expense of other vital ingredients, namely sleep. It goes without saying that in order to sustain such an early start to the day it needs to be accompanied by an equally early night. Waking up earlier and earlier without replenishing those hours is something I'm still working on - ideas on the back of a post card would be gratefully received! Equally it's not easy to strike a balance with all the other demands on leisure time - a rest day is a day off the bike but it is still likely to include mowing the lawn, working on the house, digging the garden etc. Our garden is a work in progress and attempting to create some structure to what will eventually become flower beds is great for mental relaxation but my hamstrings are not so enthused!

















Tuesday 1 August 2017

The Ovo Energy Women's Tour is in town!

When you're based in the cycling mecca that is Staffordshire and near Stoke on Trent in particular it is easy to get complacent where pro cycling is concerned. We definitely seem to host our fair share of both high profile and high octane racing; having hosted a round of the Tour Series for a number of years and have had either or both The Women's Tour and The Tour of Britain pass through every year in the four years I've been here.



This year saw Stage 2 start and finish in Stoke, which was a real bonus. To add to this already exciting stage I was fortunate to be spending it in the car with Bo Handberg Madsen, DS of the Danish Team VeloCONCEPT Women and Brian Hogild, Mechanic. I love being able to get in the thick of the action, living and breathing the race moves with the team! That may sound a daft thing to say given the convoy is often some way back from the race but with the benefit of race radio, constant updates and communication between the riders and the DS it is actually pretty exciting. Stage 2 was perhaps set to be even more interesting following the unbelievable victory from a 50km solo attack by Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma of WM3 Pro Cycling, who by all accounts had even surprised herself! Not only did she win the stage but also took the accolade of having created the first breakaway to stay away in the history of The Women's Tour. Unsurprisingly she had created a lot of media attention, although having had a string of excellent results throughout the Spring (plenty of strong 2nd and 3rd places), she was clearly coming into The Tour in very good form. With a teammate of the calibre of Marianne Vos no doubt she had been well prepared on what to expect.

Kasia Niewiadoma giving her account on her solo victory
The VeloCONCEPT women were somewhat depleted following crashes the day before, which had put out Doris Schweizer and Camilla Mollebro Pedersen with concussion, leaving Shani Bloch-Davidov, Christina Siggaard (who was 6th on GC) and Sara Penton to fight for team honours. Clearly she'd rather have been racing but it was lovely to chat to Doris about life on the team, her year to date, achievements and aspirations. Thanks for taking the time to answer my daft questions Doris!


The VeloCONCEPT mobile, race car 1
In comparison to the previous day Stage 2 was a pretty calm race. I deserted Herman who was in the second car going to the feed station about one third of the way in to the stage and was swept up by Bo in the race car. Bo quickly filled me in on what had been happening; a few attacks but nothing major! As with all good DS's Bo was excellent at communicating with the team over the radio - encouraging, motivating, passing on information, telling them when to push on and when to ease up and let others do the work. It really is a lesson in multi-tasking; not only do you need the skills of a rally driver, the co-ordination of a co-driver but also the capacity to provide insightful information on the radio as well as awareness of the riders and other race vehicles around you! I was exhausted just listening.
Bo multi-tasking - to the peloton for drinks
Stage 2 included some pretty grippy climbs, heading from Rocester to Cheadle, out to Ipstones (QoM 1) and up Gunn Hill (QoM 2) the climbing was relentless. The latter climbs served to really split the peloton apart with riders really struggling and many falling back into the race convoy. By Gunn Hill there were three groups on the road, we had riders in the second and third groups but with the first group having a sizeable lead at this stage in the day the instructions were not to drive the pace but to sit in and ride a high cadence to prepare for the following day.

Regular training roads for us
Stage 3 had some fairly significant climbs as well so the importance of conserving energy going into the middle day was at the forefront of the recovery strategy. The stage was won by Amy Pieters with Hannah Barnes in 2nd. Top placing for TVW was Sara in 39th; a great ride by all accounts considering the climbing.
Our riders were in groups 2 & 3 on the road, so we were hanging back


Another year and another Women's Tour stage come and gone. Many thanks to Bo and all the team at VeloCONCEPT women for making me feel so welcome and giving me an insight into their racing lives; it was much appreciated.


Sara & Christina (R) - new shoes definitely got christened!

















It's time... to face the demons After a bit of a hiatus in having anything much to write (that might be of vague interest to anyone), ou...