Training Camps

It might be early August, but my mind is turning towards a winter training camp.

I blame work. I had to book a flight for a business trip last week and for some reason thought I'd better check flight prices for Mallorca in February... let's just say they were attractively priced.

Lets be clear right now about what constitutes a training camp. My definition is going away with a bunch of mates who happen to ride bikes. And you all want to ride as much as possible.

This works because we all want to take advantage of completely free, clear days to ride our bikes without having to worry about anything else - chores, work, commitments, responsibility. Its the closest you can get to living the life of a Pro. Most of us will never get any closer and that's just fine.

The riding is as intense or easy as you want to make it, but recovery sessions may include more Dutch beer and Lamumbas than a marginal gain would normally allow.

Last February in Mallorca it wasn't hot but it was 10 degrees warmer than home, the roads were great, it was cheap and because the winter economy of the island depends on cyclists, the drivers were courteous to a level no British rider is normally exposed to. 

A lot of hotels also have superb facilities for cyclists. We saw some snow, but it was where it belonged - on the tops of mountains and not on the roads (well maybe a little at the side of the road). We saw plenty of sunshine.

Oh, and there's scenery - did I mention that Mallorca is a beautiful island - particularly in the mountains. You couldn't ask for much more without building a justified reputation for being greedy.

The one thing I would change from the last trip? I won't expect to be in peak form for at least a couple of weeks afterwards... as a desperate Northern European who has escaped from the worst road conditions of the year at home, you want to make the most of it. And so you should... just expect to be knackered for a while on your return.

You can get a flavour of this year's trip with Velo Schils Interbike here 

2012 - A Year in Numbers

Some cyclists love numbers. Numbers can define what we do and how we’ve done it.

We all seem to throw numbers around -  in many cases without even having to define the unit of measurement.

For example, I could ride a 10 or a 25, aspire to do a 12 and manage a short 1:04 and a lot of like-minded people would know exactly what I was talking about.

I like the numbers and although I don’t ride for their sake, they help me understand what I have done – where I’ve done well, where I am lacking and where I can improve – and they help me plan for the following year – most of my 2013 targets have a numerical quality. Either a bigger or smaller number. You know which is which.

So in review, the top line. For me;

2012 = 5549

While...

2011 = 4155

And...

2010 = 3187

That’s progression and it makes me happy.

2012 was my 2^nd season of time trialling and I managed to knock 2.12 off my 10, 6.58 off my 25 and 7.34 off my 50. In 2013, I will be targeting a 100 and a 12 and hoping for another 1.00 off my 10, 3.00 off my 25 and 6.00 off my 50.

Looking at my Garmin Connect, it will tell me that the 5549 for 2012 encompassed 309hrs on the bike at 16.5mph. With an average HR of 136bpm, I climbed 27,000m and burned 258,000Cal. This included 37 races, 4 Reliability rides and 235 other training and leisure rides. I also used the bike as part of my commute to work 64 times.

Financially I made £35 in prize money, and spent a classified amount on entry fees, kit and consumables. In this game, the numbers don't always add up.

Winter Training Tips

I did this for my club newsletter and thought thought why not share?

Winter Training? First tip is to do some. Training that is. And by ‘training’ I really just mean riding.

Its the easiest thing in the world for a lot of people to just stop for the winter – they just hibernate – but by God you’ll feel it when that first ‘Liability Ride’ of the early season comes round so its nothing more than common sense to keep riding and keep those legs going round in circles.

If racing is your thing, Cyclocross is brilliant – its fun, its friendly and its as competitive as you want it to be. You don’t have to have the latest CX bike -  a mountain bike or hybrid (with CX tyres) will do the job. The Eastern League has regular races through  the winter – each one a workout in its own right, but each also provides a little training focus – just enough to encourage you to go out when the weather is at its worst.

If you time trial, road race or enjoy doing nice long distance Spring rides you can’t just rely on ‘Cross to keep you in shape – you need to continue some base mileage work. ‘Cross keeps you sharp but it involves short efforts with very little mileage. This is where clubruns and other social riding comes into its own – the Sunday rides from Costas at Tollgate are brilliant for this – good mileage, great company and really well run by Dean, Chris and the guys.

When its really grim, that’s when the turbo in the shed comes into its own. I wish I had the perseverance to use the turbo all year round because the training benefits are obvious after just a couple of sessions, but I hate going nowhere and it really is my last port of call.

The fact is that unless the roads are covered in snow or black ice, you can ride – just add a bit more caution. And the right kit.

As cyclists, we love talking about kit, but it is especially important in the winter. If you have mudguards, winter tyres, lights and suitable clothing you will be a lot happier venturing out on a few laps of the Wadley in inclement conditions. Wear summer kit and you’ll be miserable. Full fingered gloves, tights, good socks, overshoes, a good jacket and (for me) a warm covering for the ears will see you right through to the faint warmth of Spring.

Personally, I like riding a single speed or fixed gear bike all year round but it comes into its own at this time of year. I really don’t mind riding in awful weather conditions, but the thing that gets to me in the winter is the constant bike cleaning. I just don’t feel so bad sticking the fixie straight in the shed after a wet/muddy ride and getting a hot bath without having to worry about cleaning and re-lubing a drivetrain after every ride. This helps me get out in the firstplace.

How intensive your winter training is depends on your aims for next season – train for what you want to do – be specific and don’t waste time on training fads that may not necessarily help you in your goals for next year.

Oh, and finally – coming back to kit… the other major ‘training’ gain you can make over the winter is to sell most of your possessions on ebay and reinvest the funds in some shiny carbon bits and bobs that can be assembled over the winter to build the ultimate racing machine for the following season. I can neither confirm nor deny the rumours that a secret weapon is being developed in my shed for the 2013 TT season. If it is, I just hope I have the legs to go with it.