Long time no see. How's things? I have had a TON of work to do over the past week or so, and through doing my French Presentation on le Tour ce matin I have finished! Well kinda. I still have quite a bit to do for after Easter, but I think that can wait a few days :)
Did my first 10 mile TT of the year tonight with the Ystwyth Club. The course would best be described as 'lumpy' with 300ft or so of climbing. I'm no tester, so don't really know what would constitute a 'fast' course-but I can definitely say that tonight's was not a 'fast' course. It was however, good fun. Made a nice change to be having to fight the terrain and road a bit as opposed to just sitting on a busy A road like back home.
I have, unfortunately, seemingly forgotten how to pace myself over 10 miles though. Probably comes from still being in Hill Climb mode whenever I don my skinsuit. Or not.
So anyway, much fun was had by all. Us students rolled up 'en masse' (there were 3 of us) and intimidated everyone else with our obvious professionalism (Max loudly asked where you were supposed to pin your number on), decimated the field (we placed 3rd, 12th and 13th) and rolled off into the sunset looking cool (by cool, I mean cold. We-or was it just me-had rather underestimated how chilly it could get at 8pm)
I managed a 24:47 at a decent average power (although below what I was aiming for), good enough for 3rd although a long way down on 2nd and 1st. It's always fun doing a new course, and I reckon there's a good 30 seconds to be had just from knowing where the hard bits are, where to push, where to wind it up to finish etc. I definitely could have paced it better as well, I had a few too many big drops in power from just pushing too hard and was nearly sick just before reaching the turn-which was a new experience!
So yeah. There's probably loads more I should talk about/moan about/discuss/bore you with, but to be completely honest my brain is barely functioning properly as it is. So with that, I bid you good night-but rest assured lots more bloggy fun is on the way! (Providing I don't get loads of work/forget again)
Ciao.
Oh no wait, full results here: http://www.ystwythcc.org/news/category/events/club-tt/ :D
Wednesday 28 March 2012
Thursday 15 March 2012
What is Cheating?
I came across an advert for this: http://www.epoboost.com/ in Pro Cycling the other week, advertised as the 'World's first legal, safe and all natural EPO Booster' and it got me thinking.
To begin with, EPO (erythropoietin) is a naturally occurring hormone that stimulates red blood cell production. So if there is more EPO in your bloodstream, more red blood cells will be produced and your aerobic capacity will be increased due to the greater oxygen carrying capacity. Increased aerobic capacity defined in terms of endurance sports=you go faster for longer.
Now, to take a phrase: 'Blood doping is the process of artificially increasing the amount of red blood cells in the body in an attempt to improve athletic performance.' Rice University Source Blood doping is banned in sport for obvious reasons.
So my question is; if this '...legal, safe...EPO Booster' 'stimulates the body's natural production of EPO and in turn improves athletic performance, how does that differ from other already banned ways of getting this improvement artificially such as blood transfusions or synthetic EPO abuse?
Moreover does it still not carry the dangerous side effects of EPO abuse such as an increased Haematocrit level that the body can't handle? We've all heard the stories of juiced up 90's Professional Cyclists having to set alarms for the middle of the night to go on the rollers to stop their heart rates dropping too low: Increased EPO levels-->Increased Red Blood Cell Count-->Increased Haematocrit-->Increased Blood Viscosity-->Risk of blood clots.
Will WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) move to ban this 'EPO Boost'? I'm not sure. How does one classify what cheating is? Artificial improvements? That would explain why substances such as Amphetamines, EPO, Growth Hormone etc are banned. But what about an 'all natural' product? Should it be banned on ethical 'nobody should be given the opportunity to gain an artificial advantage' grounds? That then raises the issue about things like Beetroot Juice for example, as that has been shown in studies to give athletic advantages when taken. But how could you outlaw something like that?
I shall leave you with a link to the WADA Banned List: http://list.wada-ama.org/list/s2-peptide-hormones-growth-factors-and-related-substances/#erythropoietin (EPO) in which it states,
To begin with, EPO (erythropoietin) is a naturally occurring hormone that stimulates red blood cell production. So if there is more EPO in your bloodstream, more red blood cells will be produced and your aerobic capacity will be increased due to the greater oxygen carrying capacity. Increased aerobic capacity defined in terms of endurance sports=you go faster for longer.
Now, to take a phrase: 'Blood doping is the process of artificially increasing the amount of red blood cells in the body in an attempt to improve athletic performance.' Rice University Source Blood doping is banned in sport for obvious reasons.
So my question is; if this '...legal, safe...EPO Booster' 'stimulates the body's natural production of EPO and in turn improves athletic performance, how does that differ from other already banned ways of getting this improvement artificially such as blood transfusions or synthetic EPO abuse?
Moreover does it still not carry the dangerous side effects of EPO abuse such as an increased Haematocrit level that the body can't handle? We've all heard the stories of juiced up 90's Professional Cyclists having to set alarms for the middle of the night to go on the rollers to stop their heart rates dropping too low: Increased EPO levels-->Increased Red Blood Cell Count-->Increased Haematocrit-->Increased Blood Viscosity-->Risk of blood clots.
Will WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) move to ban this 'EPO Boost'? I'm not sure. How does one classify what cheating is? Artificial improvements? That would explain why substances such as Amphetamines, EPO, Growth Hormone etc are banned. But what about an 'all natural' product? Should it be banned on ethical 'nobody should be given the opportunity to gain an artificial advantage' grounds? That then raises the issue about things like Beetroot Juice for example, as that has been shown in studies to give athletic advantages when taken. But how could you outlaw something like that?
I shall leave you with a link to the WADA Banned List: http://list.wada-ama.org/list/s2-peptide-hormones-growth-factors-and-related-substances/#erythropoietin (EPO) in which it states,
'The following substances and their releasing factors are prohibited:
Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents [e.g. erythropoietin (EPO)
...
and other substances with similar chemical structure or similar biological effect(s). '
Does the 'legal, safe' EPO Booster not have similar biological effects? I am no pharmacologist, but I would suggest it does.
Sunday 11 March 2012
On 2 Hour Power Naps.
If you need to get rid of an illness quickly, here is my patented, bona fide, genuine homebrew solution. A two hour powernap. No seriously, I've been ill since Tuesday with some 'orrible snotty make-me-feel-really-tired-and-feavery thing. I got up this morning to go out on the bike ('right, that is it! I have to get out!') Felt like...well let's avoid weird comparisons and just say I felt quite ill shall we. So I went back to bed, went straight back to sleep (even though I had had a strong coffee about an hour previously O_O) woke up two hours (and what felt like a lot more than two hours worth of CRAZY dreams) later feeling positively radiant! If that fits. I probably didn't look radiant though.
So met up with Max and Wojtek for a ride this afternoon, missed the hour or so of GLORIOUS sunshine we were treated to as a Spring Warm Up and recorded some videos along the way:
WARNING: Lots of shaky cam, Wojtek's bum, wind noise, fog and not a lot of actual substance.
Don't let that put you off watching them though ;)
So met up with Max and Wojtek for a ride this afternoon, missed the hour or so of GLORIOUS sunshine we were treated to as a Spring Warm Up and recorded some videos along the way:
Don't let that put you off watching them though ;)
Wednesday 7 March 2012
The Leadout
I hunch over the bars trying to squeeze myself into as aerodynamic a shape as possible. My pilot Wojtek accelerates slightly, perhaps less than 1 mph but a noticeable increase when doing speeds close to 30mph. I glance down at my speedo: '27.4mph' and take a deep breath, shifting up a gear in preparation. The jump is too big and my cadence drops noticeably, but that isn't a problem. I know I'll be pedaling much faster than my normal comfortable cadence soon.
I shift right ever so slightly to peer down the road past Wojtek; clear. I see the slight rise approaching that usually signals the start of the effort. A quick glance at my power meter shows I am doing just below 400W; if I'm lucky I might treble that in the next few seconds.
Wojtek gets out of the saddle and kicks. He was doing around 500W in the run up to this and will probably nearly double that with this effort. I follow him trying to keep as close as possible to his rear wheel (trickier than it sounds); it takes a lot of effort-around 700W-but I know that at this speed if I fall too far behind and start eating wind the effort I will have to put in might well leave me with very little 'kick' left at all. You see, I am not a sprinter in the classic sense-more just someone who can (on his day) ride a bike fairly quickly.
I sense that he's tiring, understandable considering the work he's done over the past 30 seconds or so and accelerate towards his rear wheel, easing round him as I pick up speed. The 'sprint' lasts 15 seconds and I max out at 35mph before lunging for the imaginary finish line. My HR suddenly jumps up by 10bpm as the lactic acid makes itself known and my legs become incapable of pushing more than 15mph, I slow to an almost stop and look behind. Either I just rode very fast, or My Pilot pushed himself to his limit-the gap is big.
We stop and have a chat. That effort was significantly easier for me than previous ones, and required less than 1000W for my final kick. That was the fastest speed we achieved that day and interestingly, one of my lowest power peaks for the session. More speed, less power. A good combination, who would say no? We agree that while him kicking out of the saddle took a bit out of my legs before sprinting, the resulting speed increase before I made my effort was worth it. Another note made in the mental book.
As I said, I am not a sprinter. I have a fast finish at times and won a race from a bunch sprint last year-but I put that down more to sneaky positioning and timing than raw power. So you may wonder, why practice leadouts? Surely they are the reserve of the sprinting elite? Wise man say: work on your weaknesses and your strengths will take care of themselves. I agree, plus it's fun; and who doesn't like going fast?
More appropriately in being the last man and sprinter for a few sessions, I know exactly what worked and what didn't, I know what sort of efforts helped, and what sort of efforts hurt. Our sprinter, Tom, won his first race of the season on Sunday. From a bunch sprint. By about 3 bike lengths. I couldn't help much in the finale thanks to a suicidal lone break earlier in the race, but through practicing these I believe I will be able to play a part in future success. Bike racing, even at an amateur level is not just about Number One.
I shift right ever so slightly to peer down the road past Wojtek; clear. I see the slight rise approaching that usually signals the start of the effort. A quick glance at my power meter shows I am doing just below 400W; if I'm lucky I might treble that in the next few seconds.
Wojtek gets out of the saddle and kicks. He was doing around 500W in the run up to this and will probably nearly double that with this effort. I follow him trying to keep as close as possible to his rear wheel (trickier than it sounds); it takes a lot of effort-around 700W-but I know that at this speed if I fall too far behind and start eating wind the effort I will have to put in might well leave me with very little 'kick' left at all. You see, I am not a sprinter in the classic sense-more just someone who can (on his day) ride a bike fairly quickly.
I sense that he's tiring, understandable considering the work he's done over the past 30 seconds or so and accelerate towards his rear wheel, easing round him as I pick up speed. The 'sprint' lasts 15 seconds and I max out at 35mph before lunging for the imaginary finish line. My HR suddenly jumps up by 10bpm as the lactic acid makes itself known and my legs become incapable of pushing more than 15mph, I slow to an almost stop and look behind. Either I just rode very fast, or My Pilot pushed himself to his limit-the gap is big.
We stop and have a chat. That effort was significantly easier for me than previous ones, and required less than 1000W for my final kick. That was the fastest speed we achieved that day and interestingly, one of my lowest power peaks for the session. More speed, less power. A good combination, who would say no? We agree that while him kicking out of the saddle took a bit out of my legs before sprinting, the resulting speed increase before I made my effort was worth it. Another note made in the mental book.
As I said, I am not a sprinter. I have a fast finish at times and won a race from a bunch sprint last year-but I put that down more to sneaky positioning and timing than raw power. So you may wonder, why practice leadouts? Surely they are the reserve of the sprinting elite? Wise man say: work on your weaknesses and your strengths will take care of themselves. I agree, plus it's fun; and who doesn't like going fast?
More appropriately in being the last man and sprinter for a few sessions, I know exactly what worked and what didn't, I know what sort of efforts helped, and what sort of efforts hurt. Our sprinter, Tom, won his first race of the season on Sunday. From a bunch sprint. By about 3 bike lengths. I couldn't help much in the finale thanks to a suicidal lone break earlier in the race, but through practicing these I believe I will be able to play a part in future success. Bike racing, even at an amateur level is not just about Number One.
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