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Showing posts from March, 2012

Ride Stats for March

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Click on Image to Enlarge This month was close to expected on the stats front - down on hours and mileage on January and February, but  up on speed.  As racing starts and training begins to be orientated towards power and speed, rather than base miles, the distance and time of my rides has predictably fallen.  There is also a slight effect that when I am at home, which I have been for two weeks of this month, I tend to ride off road at least twice a week, so the distances I do are less on these rides compared to on-road training. Overall though, I'm happy with how training is going, and the race results seem to be good so far. A bit of a break from racing now until the 11th April, then back at it with a few Portsmouth track races and two road races - can't wait!  Monthly Comparison Chart Click on chart to enlarge

Nutrition: "Recovery" Brownies

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When you finish a long ride or a race sometimes you need a bit of a treat to get the blood sugar levels back up and reward yourself. These brownies definitely satisfy that need, and they also have a few added ingredients that are useful to cyclists. Walnuts and Brazil Nuts: I've mentioned about nuts in previous nutritional blog posts; they are a great source of protein and low-saturate calories to replace those lost during a long-ride. However, walnuts and brazil nuts may have added benefits to cyclists: Whole walnuts contain the rare gamma-tocopherol form of Vitamin E found which provides significant protection from heart problems. Also, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant phyto-nutrients in the nuts have shown decreased risks of certain cancers including prostate cancer.    Brazil nuts are particularly good, because similar to eggs, they are a "complete" source of protein, due to their high selenium content. This means that unlike many other proteins ...

Thruxton Circuit Race - 25th March - Headwinds and High Heart Rates

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Today I travelled up to Thruxton for the second round of the Thruxton Circuit Race. We had a good set of lads heading up for the Wightlink Race Team, and with sunny skies and a good temperature it looked like it was going to be a cracker of a day. Last week I had made the mistake of doing too much too early on in the race. So the plan for today was to sit in the bunch until lap six (of ten) and then give it a go at a break-away, and if that didn't work I would have time to sit back in, recover and prepare myself for the sprint. That is pretty much how the race panned out, from the off my legs weren't feeling great; I don't know why, but it was just one of those days. Unlike last week there weren't many attempts to get off the front in the first six laps, so there wasn't much chasing to do. We couldn't get organised for the break-away in the sixth lap, so we pushed it back to the seventh and towards the end of that lap we gave it a go: As we headed up the sma...

Thruxton Circuit Race - 18th March - 4th Cat Frustration and a Fifth Place Finish

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Photo Courtesy of Neil Andrews Today was my first race of 2012, my first road race ever! It was at Thruxton Motor Racing Circuit - a great venue for a first race; wide, traffic free tarmac with a few chicanes thrown in to challenge the bike handling. Sam and I sped up to the venue from the ferry to make the start at 10:15, with just a few laps of the paddock for a warm-up. Luckily the start was fairly sedate for the first lap around the 2.3 mile circuit. By the start of lap two (out of ten), the pace had ramped up, with an average of 23mph. Attacks started going off the front, but no-one could stay clear. Sam and I tried on lap three to make a break, but once they saw two yellow Wightlink Jerseys off the front, the field was quick to reel us back in. From lap three to lap eight, the race remained much the same; attacks would go, I would chase a few, we would get a little gap, then no-one would work together and the bunch would catch up. On lap eight there was a crash in th...

Weekend Watch: Renshaw's Transition Year

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Weekend Watch: From the Inside Out Trailer

From the Inside Out Trailer from SecondBase Films on Vimeo . Producer Description: "Many past films, riders, and locations have inspired us. Some of those locations are now our backyards, and some of those riders are now our friends. From the Inside Out is our adventure to the places we've always wanted to ride, and our expression of the lines and styles that have influenced us. This is freeride mountain biking. This film is from us – the riders. Written, directed and edited by The Coastal Crew and produced by Anthill Films, From the Inside Out was filmed entirely in British Columbia, the birthplace of freeride, and features some of the sport's best riders, including: Brandon Semenuk, Steve Smith, Thomas Vanderham, Matt Hunter, Graham Agassiz, Mike Hopkins, Kenny Smith & The Coastal Crew. Photography by Nicolas Teichrob"

Weekend Watch: 2012 Belgium Opening Weekend with OPQS Team

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A nice little summary of last weekend's Classics: "The team races Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne in Belgium, where it is based. Copyright Omega Pharma Quick-Step Cycling Team. All Rights Reserved"

Ride Stats for February

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[Click on image to enlarge] Considering February is a short month, even with the extra day, and considering I missed almost a week in the middle as a result of illness, then this months Stats are not bad. If I've learnt one thing this month, it is that Recovery pays: see my blog post on The Importance of Being Idle