A Saturday in Aigle.


This was the image from last nights training session that Felix kindly took and by looking at it you get the point!!

Back to today though which started way to early for me.  On track at 8 so I had my breakfast at 6.45am which at this point in a training camp is pretty horrible.  Before I headed to the track I had to pack up my stuff and move to another hotel and at 7am at this time of year in Switzerland it's pitch black out and just it feels wrong dragging your bags around at that time.  That done it was the usual spin to the track and when I got there it was the usual shuffle to get ready to go on track.  Today was slightly different though as I was on the rollers first which normally means the track time is going to be some sort of timed effort!!  As expected it I was up for a standing 3k which hurts fresh legs never mind tired legs but like I said in a previous blog i'm starting to get used to pursuiting.  With the roller routine out of the way it was business time and yet again the sight of the start gate always throws the heartrate up a few beats.  Although I dread this type of effort it is really good to get them done.  If you get your head in the right place it can be a good dress rehersal for race day, which is what I was trying to do.  In the start gate again with the count down bleeps getting the nerves jingling all of a sudden I was off! I'll avoid telling you the time as its none to impressive but let me tell you it hurt like hell.  At the point of near collapsing I was told I was up in 15mins for another 3k effort! Yes, another one but instead of standing it was a rolling effort.  With the next 3k being as painful as the first it was time to get washed up and head up for an early lunch which I inhaled.  After that it was back to the hotel to chill out for awhile.

The rest of the day was not that exciting with just another easy road spin and back for dinner on the cards.  By the time dinner came around even the cycle to and from the track was hard work and lets just say i'm looking forward to a few easy days next week.

Enjoy your weekend!




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Just to be clear!
I felt the need to say something because I feel like the “hard done by” theme is being put out there when it comes to myself.
I am really happy! All the stuff you have been reading is true, not a word of a lie but people are jumping on the - lack of, shoulda, woulda coulda stuff. I loved racing bikes. When I got shit at racing bikes, I stopped! I still love the thought of racing but getting paid for it was becoming hard to do.
I do feel that things need to change to help young athletes become champions. It’s not cycling that is the problem, it’s not the sports council’s problem, it’s not the sponsors fault, it’s ours! All these organizations meet demand to a degree, there are exceptions though! The sports that get the help in Ireland are the highest supported sports when it comes to bums on seats.
There was a Class 1 UCI race held in Ireland last year. It was a track race, I was in it and it was held at Sundrive Velodrome. It was ran perfectly, everything was catere…
Read more

It just feels right…..

Image
Well, I never actually thought this day would come. All through my cycling career I’ve seen teammates old and new “retire.”Something that I initially thought could be the worst thing ever to happen to me. As I sit here here now typing this it just feels right. Don’t get me wrong though, this decision I have not taken lightly.
Something has just happened to me over the last 1-2 years and I can’t really pin point it. Okay, I’ve had a few crashes that have left metal inside me but I came back from them. I mean, I won a European medal 6 months after breaking my hip! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that its a mental thing. However, its not that simple. I really miss racing, even now when I’ve barely stopped. It just feels like a natural end though. For the last year I’ve been racing and under performing across the board. Frustration has been setting in all year and I’m sick of just turning up to bike races. I set my own bar by winning 7 medals in a row. World Championshi…
Read more

Steel is a very real option!

Image
My marginal gain. 
As soon as I moved my focus back to Irish duty and to the track again my main aim was to look at everything that could make me a better bike rider. One of the first things I looked at was the very thing I train on, everyday! My track racing bike and the road training bike were very different animals so I thought why not have them set up exactly the same. Problem is that my Felt TK1 is pretty unique, it's setup for the optimal performance on track and there isn't a road bike out there with the same geometry.
This is where Brendan Whelan and the Bicycle design centre comes in. I know Brendan from racing on the Irish cycling scene and I've seen some of the work he has done on other custom bikes. Since I started cycling I've been on a limited budget, cheap or free! Things pretty much still run in that trend and I'm really grateful for Brendan's help. 
I approached him with an idea of getting a road frame with a similar geometry to my track bike.…
Read more