That has to be my favourite shot from the ride. For obvious reasons ;)
Monday 27 February 2012
Moaning Works
Movie Maker obviously heard me moaning and realised it had better pull it's socks up. Blogger however won't embed the video (must be something in the circuits tonight) but if you would care to cast a glance over it here: cliquez s'il vous plait that would be much appreciated :)
That has to be my favourite shot from the ride. For obvious reasons ;)
That has to be my favourite shot from the ride. For obvious reasons ;)
A Solid Weekend of Riding
Title says it all really. I figured that as I was missing out on the Clayton Velo Spring Classic (the Northern season opener) I should probably do something a bit different this weekend.
So we (a contingent of the Uni Club) did. 3 days, 171 miles, 9 hours and around 13,000ft of climbing. Good fun, did a couple of jaw-droppingly beautiful sections of Welsh road, ate quite a bit, had a few laughs.
I am trying (and failing) to get Windows Movie Maker to perform it's intended function and collate all the videos/photos from yesterday; but so far all it's managing to do is make me want to throw my laptop through the window. Every single time I try, it crashes. Without fail. It got to 98% complete saving the video before...and crashed. Now it barely gets past the storyboard section. Honestly, sometimes I hate technology with a fierce, unbridled passion. Why is that? These things are designed to make our lives easier and more pleasant surely? And why is it always Microsoft products that do this? Why do you never hear Mac users screaming at their machines? I know. It's a conspiracy. I bet Microsoft have shares in major Pharmaceutical companies that specialise in stress relief drugs. You read it here first.
If I don't post again for a while then you can probably guess what's happened.
So we (a contingent of the Uni Club) did. 3 days, 171 miles, 9 hours and around 13,000ft of climbing. Good fun, did a couple of jaw-droppingly beautiful sections of Welsh road, ate quite a bit, had a few laughs.
I am trying (and failing) to get Windows Movie Maker to perform it's intended function and collate all the videos/photos from yesterday; but so far all it's managing to do is make me want to throw my laptop through the window. Every single time I try, it crashes. Without fail. It got to 98% complete saving the video before...and crashed. Now it barely gets past the storyboard section. Honestly, sometimes I hate technology with a fierce, unbridled passion. Why is that? These things are designed to make our lives easier and more pleasant surely? And why is it always Microsoft products that do this? Why do you never hear Mac users screaming at their machines? I know. It's a conspiracy. I bet Microsoft have shares in major Pharmaceutical companies that specialise in stress relief drugs. You read it here first.
If I don't post again for a while then you can probably guess what's happened.
Saturday 25 February 2012
A Chronological Perspective On The Past Two Days
 |
| Start as we mean to go on eh? |
 |
| Need some atmosphere? We had some to spare on Friday. |
 |
| The 'Happy Valley' today. Stunning. Absolutely stunning. This wasn't the best bit. I just couldn't be bothered stopping later on...:/ |
 |
| Now you see him. |
 |
| Now you don't. |
The following slightly dodgy video (sorry about that, it's still a work in progress getting the camera set up on my bike properly) was taken just moving off after taking the above photo.
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Motivation
This isn't going to be a 'humorous take on...' post, nor is it penned with the intent of providing entertainment. No. Tonight I feel moved to write about something that lies at the very heart of not only sport, but life itself.
Motivation is one of those concepts that is banded around a lot in so many different contexts, 'oh wow he must be motivated to be doing that many hours this time of year!', 'you need to have clear motivation to be successful on this course' etc. It is something that is at the very core of just about everything we do; be it motivation for sporting success, career progression, academic achievement or just getting up in the morning and making your spouse/child a packed lunch.
For many, sporting success is often the simplest to quantify. Once you reach a certain level in any sport, those without the strongest motivation fade away and for those that remain whatever keeps them there and keeps them progressing is often invisible.
It is said that there are two types of motivation: Intrinsic and Extrinsic. Intrinsic is defined by something internal, something personal to you that you can draw on to keep going, often at it's simplest pleasure taken from the task itself. Extrinsic however (as the name would suggest) is characterised by an outside stimulus or a desire to succeed that comes from elsewhere. An intrinsically motivated individual will need no goals or targets to perform at their best whereas someone extrinsically motivated will need an attainable goal to drive for.
Specific to cycling, WiseMan say that Intrinsic motivation has to be your staple diet (if you will, bear with me) throughout the long winter months and harsh interval sessions but that when it comes to competition for an individual to be successful they must be able to switch completely and 'snack' on Extrinsic goals/desires/sadism as this is what truly allows the 'killer' instinct to shine through. How does Mark Cavendish motivate himself through winter? Constantly thinking ahead to what each pedal revolution is preparing for. He won't be thinking specifically how he's going to make that final effort to stay with the lead group in the closing stages of Milan San Remo as he knows that when the time comes all he will need is the will to win, the desire to beat everyone else and be the best-and he knows that will be there regardless of what he does in winter. No, all he has to worry about is whether his body will be in the condition that will allow him to satisfy his desires. To refer back to the food analogy, if your staple diet is the 'snack' Extrinsic motivation then sooner or later it will lose it's effect as you become used to it. That is why if the balance is in favour of Intrinsic motivation, Extrinsic means can be employed as a short term 'super motivator'.
Cycling is a cruel sport in this sense, as anyone competing must come to terms with supposed 'failure' far more often than 'success'. The motivation and desire to succeed must be so firmly rooted that it can be quickly refreshed after missing the vital break or just running out of speed in the final sprint allowing yourself to go through the same motions over and over again until finally everything works out right and success is achieved.
I have had a lot of time this winter to consider the concept of motivation, and indeed question just where mine comes from and whether it is sufficient to back up my desires. I have come to the conclusion that it is important to have an idea, a sensation, an image or all of the previous to call on as active motivation when times get tough. Personally, I take myself back to the final climbs of some of the road races from last year when all fatigue suddenly evaporates as adrenaline and the simple 'I want to win. I am faster than everyone else' takes over, replacing whatever 'Oh I'll just see how I go today' with a sharp focus centered on the finishing line; and I use that as a mould, I tell myself I want to feel like that again, so I do the training. Of course, as mentioned before the 'win' isn't always the outcome (in fact, for me never in that situation!) but I hold on to that sensation, that memory and that belief and use it to rationalise what I am putting myself through. I have also realised that I have a very deep set desire to be the best I can be; and that lies at the heart of everything I do-not influenced by racing seasons, individual events, successes or failures-just always there. This is purely Intrinsic, and will not go away I fear until I satisfy myself that I have reached my Ceiling. Luckily for me, from this I can distil this down into mini-Extrinsic goals such as the ones I have for this season. So long as I perform to my best in everything-exams, races or whatever then I am happy.
I expected to perhaps better define and identify what makes me tick through writing this, but I find that isn't the case-more that I am now more acutely aware of what I am doing and why I am doing it.
I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this topic, and indeed where you get your motivation from/what motivates you.
Thanks for reading.
Motivation is one of those concepts that is banded around a lot in so many different contexts, 'oh wow he must be motivated to be doing that many hours this time of year!', 'you need to have clear motivation to be successful on this course' etc. It is something that is at the very core of just about everything we do; be it motivation for sporting success, career progression, academic achievement or just getting up in the morning and making your spouse/child a packed lunch.
For many, sporting success is often the simplest to quantify. Once you reach a certain level in any sport, those without the strongest motivation fade away and for those that remain whatever keeps them there and keeps them progressing is often invisible.
It is said that there are two types of motivation: Intrinsic and Extrinsic. Intrinsic is defined by something internal, something personal to you that you can draw on to keep going, often at it's simplest pleasure taken from the task itself. Extrinsic however (as the name would suggest) is characterised by an outside stimulus or a desire to succeed that comes from elsewhere. An intrinsically motivated individual will need no goals or targets to perform at their best whereas someone extrinsically motivated will need an attainable goal to drive for.
Specific to cycling, WiseMan say that Intrinsic motivation has to be your staple diet (if you will, bear with me) throughout the long winter months and harsh interval sessions but that when it comes to competition for an individual to be successful they must be able to switch completely and 'snack' on Extrinsic goals/desires/sadism as this is what truly allows the 'killer' instinct to shine through. How does Mark Cavendish motivate himself through winter? Constantly thinking ahead to what each pedal revolution is preparing for. He won't be thinking specifically how he's going to make that final effort to stay with the lead group in the closing stages of Milan San Remo as he knows that when the time comes all he will need is the will to win, the desire to beat everyone else and be the best-and he knows that will be there regardless of what he does in winter. No, all he has to worry about is whether his body will be in the condition that will allow him to satisfy his desires. To refer back to the food analogy, if your staple diet is the 'snack' Extrinsic motivation then sooner or later it will lose it's effect as you become used to it. That is why if the balance is in favour of Intrinsic motivation, Extrinsic means can be employed as a short term 'super motivator'.
Cycling is a cruel sport in this sense, as anyone competing must come to terms with supposed 'failure' far more often than 'success'. The motivation and desire to succeed must be so firmly rooted that it can be quickly refreshed after missing the vital break or just running out of speed in the final sprint allowing yourself to go through the same motions over and over again until finally everything works out right and success is achieved.
I have had a lot of time this winter to consider the concept of motivation, and indeed question just where mine comes from and whether it is sufficient to back up my desires. I have come to the conclusion that it is important to have an idea, a sensation, an image or all of the previous to call on as active motivation when times get tough. Personally, I take myself back to the final climbs of some of the road races from last year when all fatigue suddenly evaporates as adrenaline and the simple 'I want to win. I am faster than everyone else' takes over, replacing whatever 'Oh I'll just see how I go today' with a sharp focus centered on the finishing line; and I use that as a mould, I tell myself I want to feel like that again, so I do the training. Of course, as mentioned before the 'win' isn't always the outcome (in fact, for me never in that situation!) but I hold on to that sensation, that memory and that belief and use it to rationalise what I am putting myself through. I have also realised that I have a very deep set desire to be the best I can be; and that lies at the heart of everything I do-not influenced by racing seasons, individual events, successes or failures-just always there. This is purely Intrinsic, and will not go away I fear until I satisfy myself that I have reached my Ceiling. Luckily for me, from this I can distil this down into mini-Extrinsic goals such as the ones I have for this season. So long as I perform to my best in everything-exams, races or whatever then I am happy.
I expected to perhaps better define and identify what makes me tick through writing this, but I find that isn't the case-more that I am now more acutely aware of what I am doing and why I am doing it.
I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this topic, and indeed where you get your motivation from/what motivates you.
Thanks for reading.
Monday 20 February 2012
Last Time I Checked, Growth Hormone Was Banned.
I came across this earlier today; a well known journalist acknowledges that top Barcelona player takes growth hormone. http://www.irishpeloton.com/2012/02/drugs-in-football-pull-the-other-one/ But no need to worry! It's no big deal right? He doesn't seem to think so.
To make sure you read the article:
'The audio snippet above is akin to a cycling journalist such as Lionel Birnie revealing on a national radio show that he knows for a fact that Mark Cavendish takes EPO, but then move swiftly along to discuss Geraint Thomas’s qualities as a lead-out man.
But this is not cycling. This is football.
So nobody cares.'
As the writer states, the non cycling media is oh so quick to report on doping stories within the sport, which let us not forget is still rather a minority one when compared to many other mainstream sports such as football, yet fails to mention something as serious as a player who has won 'all of the game's major trophies in the past four years' taking drugs that will enhance his performance.
Something's not right there. Rather makes me think; why are there so many knee injuries in football? Extra stresses and strains placed on the joint is what anyone will tell you; and I am sure it is true, but don't forget though, many 80s cycling stars had mysterious knee injuries that people alleged were down to steroid abuse. Ok, maybe I'm seeing tenuous links where there aren't any...and given the recent spate of doping stories my brain is probably just feeling extra paranoid.
The manner in which the journalist brushes aside the issue concerning Xavi does rather remind me of what it sounds like the 90's and early 00's were like for cycling if David Millar's accounts are anything to go by. Presumed acceptance, solidarity within those in the know, Omertà. Are we perhaps set up for a Festina style scandal in the football world? Certain sports do seem to be suspiciously clean compared to others, and you cannot convince me that everyone tempted to cheat to win decides to ride a bicycle.
Feel free to disagree/contradict/dismiss my musing as bo**ocks-this is merely my take on the matter. I will be interested to see how this develops, but am not expectant that anything will come out of it if I'm honest. Money=power, and God knows there's a lot of power in football.
Rest and rePOSE
Rest is as important as training. Anyone will tell you that, but just how much rest you need is obviously specific to you. I found that out last week. I've stepped up my training to 12-15 hours a week recently and rather naively assumed I'd be ok keeping everything else about my routine the same (as in meal sizes, amount of sleep etc). It's not exactly rocket science, but if you increase the stresses your body is placed under you are going to have to increase the amount of time it has to rest and recover proportionally (at least until it gets used to the new load). Sadly I am not a rocket scientist (although when you think about it, the principles of rocket science are about as simple as they get), didn't increase my rest and paid the price. By the end of last week I was dead on my feet, it took going to bed at 9pm on Friday (living the student life to the max!) and sleeping until about 9:30am on Saturday, and then repeating something similar last night to get me back to feeling human.
The interesting thing was I didn't feel like the fatigue was necessarily impacting on my training (although I did end up not doing a session on Thursday-probably a direct result looking back), I was just generally feeling like I needed to curl up and snooze. I find it ironic as over the past few weeks I have been saying to a few people who have asked for advice on training etc just how important rest is! I do think the best way to learn is through experiences such as this, I pay very close attention to how my body feels during training sessions to try and catch signs of over training but now I know I also need to watch how I feel inbetween sessions to make sure I'm recovering enough generally! After all, it's no good going into a race with fresh legs if you're struggling to stay awake...
I think I may have to re-acquaint myself with the tried and tested 'cyclist nap'. I'm not sure how a 'cyclist nap' is different to a normal nap. Maybe we just have a better excuse.
Also, I'm now training with a Powermeter and using the Golden Cheetah analysis software which has a rather nifty Performance Manager feature built in which gives each ride/session a stress score and then plots those scores over time. Should be interesting to see how that develops over the next few weeks...although at the end of the day, I don't need an algorithm to tell me my legs are fooked and need a break!
Anyway. Enough of the serious stuff. Onto another 'Things That Grind My Gears'. Today it's FreeWeightRoomGymPosers.
Every time I go to pilates (don't laugh, try it first) I have to walk past the free weights room in the gym and every time I do it is FULL of the Tank-Topped-Milk-Bottle-Skin-Never-Does-Exercise-Outside-Poser grimacing away while they watch themselves lift weights in the mirror. Purlease. I am a traditionalist you see and believe that exercise is best done outdoors. I am sure gyms are fantastic. And yes, I can see that in order to 'buff up' you probably have to lift weights (why you couldn't just go swimming I don't know, has the same effect if you do it hard enough!). And of course, you are welcome to then wear tight tops to show off the 'fruits' of your 'labours' as having muscles for people to admire is quite obviously the sole reason for you spending all this time and money-nobody will think anything less of you honest; but please go about it in a way that doesn't make me think POSER. Don't swagger around campus feigning fatigue (as I can guarantee that unless you've stepped outside of a gym you don't know what true fatigue is) and taking large swigs from a rather inconspicuous protein shaker as if to say 'Hey look everyone! I just worked out so hard my body needs help recovering! Aren't I Manly!'
And whatever you do, do not walk past me saying loudly to your mate 'Oh man I did 20 minutes cardio in the gym yesterday and it KILLED me.' As I will slap you very hard in the face and tell you to man up and do some real exercise. (this happened today, just minus the face slapping. I did nearly spit coffee all over the offending brute though it shocked me that much. If I'd had a monocle it would undoubtedly have fallen into my cup.)
Fin.
The interesting thing was I didn't feel like the fatigue was necessarily impacting on my training (although I did end up not doing a session on Thursday-probably a direct result looking back), I was just generally feeling like I needed to curl up and snooze. I find it ironic as over the past few weeks I have been saying to a few people who have asked for advice on training etc just how important rest is! I do think the best way to learn is through experiences such as this, I pay very close attention to how my body feels during training sessions to try and catch signs of over training but now I know I also need to watch how I feel inbetween sessions to make sure I'm recovering enough generally! After all, it's no good going into a race with fresh legs if you're struggling to stay awake...
 |
Also, I'm now training with a Powermeter and using the Golden Cheetah analysis software which has a rather nifty Performance Manager feature built in which gives each ride/session a stress score and then plots those scores over time. Should be interesting to see how that develops over the next few weeks...although at the end of the day, I don't need an algorithm to tell me my legs are fooked and need a break!
Anyway. Enough of the serious stuff. Onto another 'Things That Grind My Gears'. Today it's FreeWeightRoomGymPosers.
Every time I go to pilates (don't laugh, try it first) I have to walk past the free weights room in the gym and every time I do it is FULL of the Tank-Topped-Milk-Bottle-Skin-Never-Does-Exercise-Outside-Poser grimacing away while they watch themselves lift weights in the mirror. Purlease. I am a traditionalist you see and believe that exercise is best done outdoors. I am sure gyms are fantastic. And yes, I can see that in order to 'buff up' you probably have to lift weights (why you couldn't just go swimming I don't know, has the same effect if you do it hard enough!). And of course, you are welcome to then wear tight tops to show off the 'fruits' of your 'labours' as having muscles for people to admire is quite obviously the sole reason for you spending all this time and money-nobody will think anything less of you honest; but please go about it in a way that doesn't make me think POSER. Don't swagger around campus feigning fatigue (as I can guarantee that unless you've stepped outside of a gym you don't know what true fatigue is) and taking large swigs from a rather inconspicuous protein shaker as if to say 'Hey look everyone! I just worked out so hard my body needs help recovering! Aren't I Manly!'
And whatever you do, do not walk past me saying loudly to your mate 'Oh man I did 20 minutes cardio in the gym yesterday and it KILLED me.' As I will slap you very hard in the face and tell you to man up and do some real exercise. (this happened today, just minus the face slapping. I did nearly spit coffee all over the offending brute though it shocked me that much. If I'd had a monocle it would undoubtedly have fallen into my cup.)
Fin.
Sunday 12 February 2012
Manly Man Training.
Did 72.21 miles today, average HR of 137 and climbed roughly 6,400ft. Impressed? Snigger. I was in Zone 10 for like 69 seconds, and had I had my power meter in I'm sure I would have set PBs for max power. Yah. Must have been at Threshold for at least 4 hours. We saw someone in the cafe on Zipp 303 tubs. In the mist. And salty wet roads. And I complemented him by asking: 'Is that Carbon?'. I toadally had to stay in zone 2 for the rest of the ride though after seeing all that carbonny (carbon-ney? Carboney?) goodness. KOM'd all applicable Strava segments as well. On my winter bike. With my rack. I'm like, fairly sure I had a slow puncture as well. Only ate half a scone in the cafe, as I figured I'd have to do another 4 hours to warrant the other half. Got to watch the body fat %. I'm going to stop that now. That Ladies and Gentlemen was cycling bullsh*t, and I am henceforth mounting a campaign to remove as much of it as possible from the internet. Except I don't know exactly how...any ideas? Twitter Hashtag? Sandwich boards on street corners? Any volunteers?
I didn't actually ask him if it was Carbon, but there really was a guy on his eye wateringly nice Cervelo with Zipp tubs today at the cafe today. In the mist. And the salty wet roads. As you do! Must have been last year's Zipps; you know-Training Zipps. <Insert withering look here with rolling eyes>
It is interesting to note however (and you probably already noticed), that nearly 6,500ft of ascent in 70 something miles is quite a lot. But then this is Aberyswtyth. You really have to ride here to realise just how goddamm hilly it is. I'll tell you something, after the pain I experienced in that final hour-it had better pay off come the racing! As I remarked to Max (Strava for today) we went through 3 or 4 noticeable layers of pain today:
I didn't actually ask him if it was Carbon, but there really was a guy on his eye wateringly nice Cervelo with Zipp tubs today at the cafe today. In the mist. And the salty wet roads. As you do! Must have been last year's Zipps; you know-Training Zipps. <Insert withering look here with rolling eyes>
It is interesting to note however (and you probably already noticed), that nearly 6,500ft of ascent in 70 something miles is quite a lot. But then this is Aberyswtyth. You really have to ride here to realise just how goddamm hilly it is. I'll tell you something, after the pain I experienced in that final hour-it had better pay off come the racing! As I remarked to Max (Strava for today) we went through 3 or 4 noticeable layers of pain today:
- Standard Pain that comes from chasing a whippet on a Race Bike up a hill.
- Pain that comes from splitting off from the group to do more miles.
- Pain that comes from then doing over double the miles done with the group up more hills.
- Pain that comes from doing a hilly loop that is in itself a standalone mid-week ride with legs that can only be described as f***ed.
So yeah. Not much more to say really. No actually there probably is. I just can't remember. Oh well! Got some nice photos though:
 |
| Quote of the day goes to Max: 'I think that's water' (taken out of context for literary effect.) |
 |
| It was actually frozen solid. |
 |
| Atmospheric much? |
They were all taken at the Pendam Reservoir up in/by/aroud the Nant-yr-Arian forest. One 'eck of a climb up/ descent whichever way you do it. Fast becoming one of my favourite sections of road ever. Seriously.
Reverse Timewarp to my ride yesterday. Got up. Felt like crap. Abandoned my planned route fairly quickly but decided to ride the Ystwyth Cycle Trail back into town. Boy am I glad I did! Simple pleasures and all, but bombing along a deserted cycle trail at 20mph is really quite exhilarating, and reminded me why I shunned tarmac for so many years. Did get a bit hairy when I ended up on a Bridleway for about a mile though. Steep gravelly ascents and descents on a road bike with slick 25mm tyres isn't to be recommended (but was quite fun if I'm honest). I got back home with a big grin on my face, and isn't that why we all started riding bikes in the first place? Who cares if I didn't complete the planned session. I certainly didn't! I challenge all you bicyclists out there, next time you go out do something that will make you smile. Something that will make you think: 'ahh yes. I'd forgotten how much I loved just messing about on a bike'.
 |
| Just realised how high off the ground this looks. Approximately 6 feet and 4 inches to be exact! |
 |
| That is one awesome bike. Carried me over some properly nasty roads these past few months! Thanks to the team boss Mr Bill Nickson for building it up so well! |
 |
| Ystwyth river unless I am mistaken. |
 |
| I've been learning levitation as well as French and German. |
 |
| Sneaky food shot! Made this when I got in. Phhhwwoooarrrr. |
Feels so good to have done a properly draining session after an up and down week health wise. Amazing what a good ride in good company with good banter, good cake, good roads and good refuelling food does for the spirits.
No summary this week. Don't really feel like it :D
No summary this week. Don't really feel like it :D
Friday 10 February 2012
The Gorilla Hunts Small Marsupials
 |
| Imagine there's a small furry mammal in the road there, and the title might make more sense. |
Of course people will already be saying 'Oh Cav's sure to win the Olympic RR title with the form he's in. Oh he's sure to win a Septuplet of Tour stages blahblahblahblahblah'. But the simple thing is, and this applies to anyone who rides a bike regularly, everyone has peaks and troughs in fitness. You have good days and you have bad days. The big difference between us and the Pros is that they know their bodies well enough that they can train and prepare in such a way that nine times out of ten they will be going as well as they can on specific days for specific events. But that doesn't mean they don't have off days. It's easy to forget sometimes, one bad day in the mountains in the Tour de France can write off a GC contender, while a good day combined with the right stage/terrain can produce some inspiring performances. Think back to Andy Schleck's epic solo Galibier stage win in last year's tour. That is the sort of thing that will be written about in the future.
You probably already know all this, and are thinking 'Well? What else have you got for me?' and the simple answer is that I came up with the post title first and then had to invent a post to go with it. Sorry about that.
Thursday 9 February 2012
I am...
I am Daniel Oss. My jaw gets stuck like this whenever I sprint.
I am Mark Cavendish. Sprinting is easy. Look, I'm not even out of breath.
Things That Grind My Gears Part 2: Manners and MegaBallaches
Manners are a completely non-cycling related thing that's really getting under my skin at the moment. Simple consideration for your fellow human beings is not a difficult or complex concept. The worst thing about being at Uni here is that people seem to forget their manners. I'll be walking down the hill or something, on the pavement, and be faced with a group of say 3 lads coming the other way. Now, back where I come from (and where most people come from as well I'd wager) the polite thing to do when in the bigger group is to move out of the way slightly (yield for the smaller group if you will) and allow them to walk past on their part of the pavement. But no. Here everyone seems intent on making me sidestep into the road while they walk however-many-abrest in their groups. Sometimes knocking into me if I dare to try and stay out of the stream of traffic. It really pisses me off. And I mean really. I *detest* bad manners. They cost nothing, and can create lasting impressions for the right or wrong reasons.
I also get the impression that the locals think we're all similar manner-less cabbage heads and treat us as such. Just this afternoon, I was in the queue to pay in the Co-Op heard a terse 'scuse me' and barely had time to move my feet before they were nearly run over by a woman furiously pushing some poor old lady in a wheelchair through the queue. What was wrong with a pleasant 'Hello, sorry do you mind if I squeeze through?' or a 'Sorry to bother you, can I just get through?' oh sure, she might have been having a bad day, might just have lost her cat or something but since when where manners the first casualties? I should stress that I am generalising massively, and I am talking about the minority in both cases (although it is happening more and more). But then again, whenever my Mum and Dad have spent time in town whilst visiting they have remarked on more than one occasion how everyone seems to push past on the pavements and not really take others into consideration.
So next time you see me, please don't let the door slam in my face or not say thank you when I hold it open for you-or don't say thank you when I let you (in your car) go through some traffic lights before me (on my bike). Because otherwise you might find yourself the unwitting star of a subsequent blog post :D
So I've rambled on about manners and bullsh*t. Now time for something else everyone can relate to: internet speeds and heating. Quite contentious here at Aberystwyth Uni.
When we started in September the heating was regular as clockwork, getting a warm shower or enough hot water to wash up was never a problem. Since it's got colder however that's not the case. Why? Search me. Maybe everyone does their washing up more now. Logical conclusion to be drawn am I right? ;) I mean, c'mon...what do you want when you come in from a few hours in the cold and wet on the bike? A warm shower. What do I seem to get most of the time? A lukewarm one at best.
And onto internet speeds. Again, I was pleasantly surprised at the start of term at how reliably quick the connection was here, perfectly acceptable for watching videos/Skyping/TROLOLOLing at lolcats.com and all that-but again something has changed. Over the last few weeks it's got baaaaad. Yesterday it took me about half an hour to watch a 15 minute video. Rage much? It got so bad last week I tried to do a speed test on speedtest.net (imaginative) and would you believe it it couldn't even load the page! Such wonderful, painful irony.
Now just to end on a more reader-engaging note:
And to sum up the past two waffle-ridden posts:
Moaning can be quite therapeutic no?
Things That Grind My Gears Part 1: Two Wheeled Nonsense
I'm not one to moan normally, doesn't achieve much (as I learned when I was younger) but I felt a need to get a couple of things off my chest. Not necessarily cycling related, but I need to keep this blog thing fresh right?
-Why's that?
-Cos, well, errr, you remember that ride we did approximately 67 days ago where I accelerated out of that junction faster than you? Yeah that.
-Yeah but I completed the cafe loop 6 seconds faster than you.
-But I was on my winter bike and you were on your summer bike.
-Yeah but my summer bike is heavier than your winter bike.
-LOL yeah that's true :D my bike's awesome.
-STFU...why do you keep going on about it?
-You brought it up!
-Let's see who brings what up next cafe run shall we, after all it's the legs that do the talking!
-Speaking of which, I did accelerate out of that junction faster than you.
-Yeah but I did the cafe loop 6 seconds faster...
You get the idea. Some may call it banter, and I suppose it could be interpreted as such but when you read the same things over and over and over and over (ad infinitum) it does get slightly...what's the word I'm looking for? Answers on an e-postcard.
Then there's the whole, dropping not so subtle hints at how many manly hours of Manly Man Training you're doing. Before anyone says anything, I may do exactly that on occasion (although I don't call it Manly Man Training). but usually if it's something I'm quite proud of-such as 5 hours in the rain or something. But then again, I try my best not to ram it down everyone's throats like 'HEY. HEY YOU. LOOK AT ME, I JUST DID THIS MUCH TRAINING. AREN'T I AWESOME. BOW DOWN AND ACKNOWLEDGE MY AWESOMENESS.' No. I will put up a summary of my week on here most Sundays but that's more because I intend this blog to be a sort of scrapbook for the coming season, allowing people to look back through and see how I prepared for whatever I achieve in the coming months.
Going back to the Manly Man Training point, another type of exchange I've observed is something similar to:
-Hey, how are the squats coming?
-Oh good thanks man. Did 60 reps with 150kg on the bar last night. And then the same again this morning. Y'know, not much.
-Oh cool. I was thinking of doing that, but won't it like, wreck your legs for your daily evening sprints session on the turbo?
-Nahhh man it's cool! It's like a warm up innit!
-Oh yeah, I mean...hell yeah. By the way I tried going 80 reps last week and felt a bit tight in the morning so you might not want to try that...
-Oh no it's fine. I'm in layer 3 of my weight pyramid at the moment so I'll be fine with 80 by tomorrow. You know, you should try a training plan like mine. It really works.
-Hmmm I dunno...I prefer the more 'specific' programmes. Less gym work more bike time y'know.
-You mean like spin classes?
-Oh yeah, done like 6 of them this week.
-I don't find them that helpful really, I mean...the instructor never takes me past zone 2!
-Oh tell me about it! I actually had to put clothing back on last week they were just *so* slow.
Ok that might be a slight exaggeration but you know what I mean. Here's a thought, if testosterone was removed from this universe do you think any of the above would occur? The conclusion I have arrived at is that in order to avoid exchanges like this, partial or complete self-removal from social networking is required. After all, if someone you're riding with starts spouting sh*t you can just drop them. Simples.
And another thing, opinions. As Lord Eastwood himself once said: 'Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one' One hell of a quote. Speaking of quotes:
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. Opinions. Opinions are fine, you're welcome to them...but pleasepleasepleaseplease do some background reading before you express ones on contentious subjects. Specific example being the recent CAS* ruling against Alberto Contador; loads of opinions flew around the interwebs as soon as people read the headlines...but I just wish they would have paid attention to the wording of the CAS report (ok, not all 4000 or so pages of it...) before using it as justification or 'proof' for their opinions. Which is in no way to be interpreted as me being in favour of Contador or what he has/hasn't done-it's obvious that at the very least he has been exceptionally negligent-at great cost to himself. Whether he actively sought to cheat or not is a different question, and not one the CAS report categorically makes a judgment on:
The Panel concluded that both the meat contamination scenario and the blood transfusion scenario were, in theory, possible explanations for the adverse analytical findings, but were however equally unlikely. In the Panel’s opinion on the basis of the evidence adduced, the presence of clenbuterol was more likely caused by the ingestion of a contaminated food supplement.
So that's worth bearing in mind. The CAS decision merely upholds the UCI/WADA* appeal against the Spanish Federation not suspending Contador for his doping violation; and does not prove/disprove whether there was deliberate intent behind the adverse analytical finding. At the end of the day, he had a banned substance in his body-albeit in a stupendously small amount-and under the rules that=sanction. Those are the WADA rules, and they have been upheld. That is perhaps the biggest positive outcome in my opinion, anti-doping integrity has been upheld.
Feel free to continue branding him a 'doping cheat' if that is your opinion and what you wish, just don't suddenly claim it's been proven. Ta. And always reference your opinions. Student Pro tip right there :D
Stay tuned for part 2!
N.B: Any similarities to anyone living or dead, or acts past present or future in this post are unintentional. Or are they?
*CAS: Court of Arbitration for Sport
UCI: Union Cycliste Internationale
WADA: World Anti Doping Agency.
- Bullsh*t. Unfortunately I have found that social networking increases one's exposure to bullsh*t by an approximate power of 100000000. General bullsh*t is everywhere and doesn't normally register with me, but cycling bullsh*t is another matter entirely. I am talking about the whole:
-Why's that?
-Cos, well, errr, you remember that ride we did approximately 67 days ago where I accelerated out of that junction faster than you? Yeah that.
-Yeah but I completed the cafe loop 6 seconds faster than you.
-But I was on my winter bike and you were on your summer bike.
-Yeah but my summer bike is heavier than your winter bike.
-LOL yeah that's true :D my bike's awesome.
-STFU...why do you keep going on about it?
-You brought it up!
-Let's see who brings what up next cafe run shall we, after all it's the legs that do the talking!
-Speaking of which, I did accelerate out of that junction faster than you.
-Yeah but I did the cafe loop 6 seconds faster...
You get the idea. Some may call it banter, and I suppose it could be interpreted as such but when you read the same things over and over and over and over (ad infinitum) it does get slightly...what's the word I'm looking for? Answers on an e-postcard.
Then there's the whole, dropping not so subtle hints at how many manly hours of Manly Man Training you're doing. Before anyone says anything, I may do exactly that on occasion (although I don't call it Manly Man Training). but usually if it's something I'm quite proud of-such as 5 hours in the rain or something. But then again, I try my best not to ram it down everyone's throats like 'HEY. HEY YOU. LOOK AT ME, I JUST DID THIS MUCH TRAINING. AREN'T I AWESOME. BOW DOWN AND ACKNOWLEDGE MY AWESOMENESS.' No. I will put up a summary of my week on here most Sundays but that's more because I intend this blog to be a sort of scrapbook for the coming season, allowing people to look back through and see how I prepared for whatever I achieve in the coming months.
Going back to the Manly Man Training point, another type of exchange I've observed is something similar to:
-Hey, how are the squats coming?
-Oh good thanks man. Did 60 reps with 150kg on the bar last night. And then the same again this morning. Y'know, not much.
-Oh cool. I was thinking of doing that, but won't it like, wreck your legs for your daily evening sprints session on the turbo?
-Nahhh man it's cool! It's like a warm up innit!
-Oh yeah, I mean...hell yeah. By the way I tried going 80 reps last week and felt a bit tight in the morning so you might not want to try that...
-Oh no it's fine. I'm in layer 3 of my weight pyramid at the moment so I'll be fine with 80 by tomorrow. You know, you should try a training plan like mine. It really works.
-Hmmm I dunno...I prefer the more 'specific' programmes. Less gym work more bike time y'know.
-You mean like spin classes?
-Oh yeah, done like 6 of them this week.
-I don't find them that helpful really, I mean...the instructor never takes me past zone 2!
-Oh tell me about it! I actually had to put clothing back on last week they were just *so* slow.
Ok that might be a slight exaggeration but you know what I mean. Here's a thought, if testosterone was removed from this universe do you think any of the above would occur? The conclusion I have arrived at is that in order to avoid exchanges like this, partial or complete self-removal from social networking is required. After all, if someone you're riding with starts spouting sh*t you can just drop them. Simples.
And another thing, opinions. As Lord Eastwood himself once said: 'Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one' One hell of a quote. Speaking of quotes:
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. Opinions. Opinions are fine, you're welcome to them...but pleasepleasepleaseplease do some background reading before you express ones on contentious subjects. Specific example being the recent CAS* ruling against Alberto Contador; loads of opinions flew around the interwebs as soon as people read the headlines...but I just wish they would have paid attention to the wording of the CAS report (ok, not all 4000 or so pages of it...) before using it as justification or 'proof' for their opinions. Which is in no way to be interpreted as me being in favour of Contador or what he has/hasn't done-it's obvious that at the very least he has been exceptionally negligent-at great cost to himself. Whether he actively sought to cheat or not is a different question, and not one the CAS report categorically makes a judgment on:
The Panel concluded that both the meat contamination scenario and the blood transfusion scenario were, in theory, possible explanations for the adverse analytical findings, but were however equally unlikely. In the Panel’s opinion on the basis of the evidence adduced, the presence of clenbuterol was more likely caused by the ingestion of a contaminated food supplement.
(http://inrng.com/2012/02/contador-cas-verdict/) [very good for further reading around this subject]
So that's worth bearing in mind. The CAS decision merely upholds the UCI/WADA* appeal against the Spanish Federation not suspending Contador for his doping violation; and does not prove/disprove whether there was deliberate intent behind the adverse analytical finding. At the end of the day, he had a banned substance in his body-albeit in a stupendously small amount-and under the rules that=sanction. Those are the WADA rules, and they have been upheld. That is perhaps the biggest positive outcome in my opinion, anti-doping integrity has been upheld.
Feel free to continue branding him a 'doping cheat' if that is your opinion and what you wish, just don't suddenly claim it's been proven. Ta. And always reference your opinions. Student Pro tip right there :D
Stay tuned for part 2!
N.B: Any similarities to anyone living or dead, or acts past present or future in this post are unintentional. Or are they?
*CAS: Court of Arbitration for Sport
UCI: Union Cycliste Internationale
WADA: World Anti Doping Agency.
Sunday 5 February 2012
On Clothing (again?) and being a Tourist.
It's been very cold recently. Just in case you hadn't noticed. I was lucky enough to have a new pair of winter longs dropped off by my Mum and Dad when they came to visit last weekend, and I can say I have been ultra appreciative these past 7 days or so. They're Giordana Body Clone ones, so rather posh (although no way near as posh as Assos...just saying ;D) They've got a double layer of Super Roubaix fabric on the knee and upper part of the thigh, and let me just say, that is heavenly in the cold and wet. The major thing that's been bothering me whenever it's got really cold or cold/wet is cold knees and thighs...cold knees always make me instinctively go for smaller gears than necessary and cold penetrating your thighs just makes the whole act of riding a bit grim. So I am rather happy to report after having worn them in very cold and wet conditions that my legs stay toasty warm! In fact, wearing them has made me realise just how inadequate other clothing choices have been this past week...moving on to today.
It was forecast to be about 6 degrees by 12:00 today, light winds, not so low overnight temperatures-in short a world away from what the rest of the country was expected to suffer. I dressed accordingly, knowing from past experience that 6 degrees is the point where I can't wear full winter gear without seriously overheating. Long story short, it was a mistake. It was really quite cold. Down to about 2/3 degrees by the time I met the club and it didn't really climb much higher for most of the ride. I attempted to rectify my slight faux pas by riding on the front, which it must be said was successful in that it kept my core warm, but did sod all for my fingers, toes and ears. I don't like cold digits, I'm a bit particular about that. I'll tough it out if there's not other option; but I spent the first 30 miles berating myself for not at least putting my liner gloves on. Ho hum. You win some, you lose some toes. Or something. I suppose I was due for some karma after being smugly warm last week in my new thermals while Max frozzled his way along. next to me.
Costa Del Aberdovey was our ultimate destination once again today. Not much more to say other than we got there, had a little fun doing some through and off coming back through Borth, I added a couple of loops in to make the 5 hours I wanted and the shower was lukewarm at best.
One thing that did make me smile today was somebody remarking that the worst part about me dropping them on the hills (I was practicing my attacks y'see) was not that he couldn't keep up-more that all he could see was a pannier rack disappearing up the road. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the reasons I put it on. Well, not a big one-it is very useful for tying stuff to. (what do you mean what stuff? Well, how about waterproof? Roadkill? Impulse side-of-the-road purchases? Exactly.) but I do quite like how it lulls people into a false sense of security. 'Oh he's got a pannier rack. Obviously a Tourist. Probably slow.' :D
Hopefully might have the race Steed with me next week. Seriously cannot wait. Especially as it's coming with a little surprise this time. Not for me, as I already know-but I still see it as a surprise! Maybe a pic will help explain:
Where's the summary we have come to love and look forward to I hear you cry! To be honest, not much to summarise really.
First race is in 4 weeks :O
EDIT:
Oh yeah, I also got all nostalgic yesterday when me and Max started planning/discussing how to tackle the BUCS events this year. BUCS HC you are mine son. Just, maybe minus the cheesy music.
It was forecast to be about 6 degrees by 12:00 today, light winds, not so low overnight temperatures-in short a world away from what the rest of the country was expected to suffer. I dressed accordingly, knowing from past experience that 6 degrees is the point where I can't wear full winter gear without seriously overheating. Long story short, it was a mistake. It was really quite cold. Down to about 2/3 degrees by the time I met the club and it didn't really climb much higher for most of the ride. I attempted to rectify my slight faux pas by riding on the front, which it must be said was successful in that it kept my core warm, but did sod all for my fingers, toes and ears. I don't like cold digits, I'm a bit particular about that. I'll tough it out if there's not other option; but I spent the first 30 miles berating myself for not at least putting my liner gloves on. Ho hum. You win some, you lose some toes. Or something. I suppose I was due for some karma after being smugly warm last week in my new thermals while Max frozzled his way along. next to me.
Costa Del Aberdovey was our ultimate destination once again today. Not much more to say other than we got there, had a little fun doing some through and off coming back through Borth, I added a couple of loops in to make the 5 hours I wanted and the shower was lukewarm at best.
One thing that did make me smile today was somebody remarking that the worst part about me dropping them on the hills (I was practicing my attacks y'see) was not that he couldn't keep up-more that all he could see was a pannier rack disappearing up the road. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the reasons I put it on. Well, not a big one-it is very useful for tying stuff to. (what do you mean what stuff? Well, how about waterproof? Roadkill? Impulse side-of-the-road purchases? Exactly.) but I do quite like how it lulls people into a false sense of security. 'Oh he's got a pannier rack. Obviously a Tourist. Probably slow.' :D
Hopefully might have the race Steed with me next week. Seriously cannot wait. Especially as it's coming with a little surprise this time. Not for me, as I already know-but I still see it as a surprise! Maybe a pic will help explain:
 |
| It's coming avec Crud Roadracers, hence the black tape on forks and seat stays. And yes that is a Powertap. |
Where's the summary we have come to love and look forward to I hear you cry! To be honest, not much to summarise really.
- It took me 13.8 hours on the bike to do 134 miles. No, I'm not that slow, over half the bike time this week was on the turbo! What fun!
- Digits lost: At one point I thought most! Although actually none.
- Treehouse Brownies consumed: 3. (The Treehouse is probably the best place in the world, and certainly Aberystwyth, to get a brownie, or a Jacket Potato, or salad, or those little Curry Pasty things they do, or Wholefood-y things. I could go on.)
- Pointless Summary lists compiled: 2. I deleted the other as it really was utterly pointless.
I'm fairly sure there was a lot more of interest I was going to talk about; but I have this habit of being out on the bike and thinking: 'Oh wow! That would make an excellent blogpost!'. And then promptly forgetting it by the time I've showered, eaten, washed up, washed all my kit blah blah blah.
On an unrelated note (unrelated to the above) I was reading about Cancellara's E3 Prijs Harelbeke victory from last year again and was reminded about just how jaw droppingly crushing he was that day, so just in case you'd forgotten/not seen it/don't know who or what the fook I'm on about-here is a video that might explain. That man is one hell of a bike rider.
First race is in 4 weeks :O
EDIT:
Oh yeah, I also got all nostalgic yesterday when me and Max started planning/discussing how to tackle the BUCS events this year. BUCS HC you are mine son. Just, maybe minus the cheesy music.
Wednesday 1 February 2012
Everyone Loves Winter!
Tangibly continuing a theme from my last post I suppose (to the extent that the title is similar)...the difference today being I'm actually going to way lyrically about how good the weather was! It was very very cold and very very clear and sunny. The perfect winter day if you ask me. I do not like the wet, dull, grey, cold days-I am much more a fan of crisp, refreshing, invigorating sunny winter weather and today delivered just that! I did my Bontgoch-Tal y Bont-Borth loop to get a few easy hours in and got rather lost in the scenery (so to speak). A fresh, ruler straight, snow line on the hills further inland from maybe 900/1000ft up observed from nearly 800 ft really did warrant a pause...
 |
| Little bit of art for you Sir? |
 |
| I am slightly in love with Bontgoch, if you ever get a chance to walk/ride/drive through on a nice day you will see why. |
On a completely unrelated topic I am currently in the process of removing a massive oil stain left on my carpet after my in-room turbo session yesterday. (D'oh!) That'll teach me not to put anything under the turbo...I'm using white spirit (sparingly), so if I randomly post nonsensical nonsense or just never post again it's because I've either got high off the fumes...or the Uni Accomodation staff have found it and I'm in the Kühler. Gulp. ;D
In other news, I got two posters through the post yesterday. One of Mercx en jaune (bien sur) and the other of The Classic Anquetil-Poulidor Puy de Dôme duel. The latter is one of those shots I can look at for hours...a great example of what happens when suffering meets an iron Will. You can really get an impression for the fierce rivalry that existed between the two:
 |
| I love old cycilng photos like this. Black and White adds such an atmosphere. |
Brush up on votre Francais! http://www.ina.fr/sciences-et-techniques/medecine-sante/video/I00007448/duel-poulidor-anquetil-au-puy-de-dome.fr.html
 |
| Speaking of Black and White! |
 |
| Oooo depth of field. |
 |
| Last photo for today, view towards Machynlleth (over the hill...kinda) |
Hope you enjoyed today's pictorial edition. I just wish I'd had a proper camera with me to at least go some way to capturing some of the sheer visual feast presented to me!
Ciao.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)