I slap the bacon out ya mouth, dance upon ya sarnie

[Alistar]

Yeah how do they do it re those gels?

Ouch! Nothing worse than flatting in the rain, hail, sleet and cold and your fingers don't work! Bloody tyre becomes rock hard, then shrinks onto the rim.
That was me in LR 2003. Took me 40mins to change my tyre

[bob_summers]

Wow, where did the week go?! We've had some 'proper' Basque spring weather recently, so I've just tried to get as much done as possible given the conditions, but I find it hard to get much out of wet, windy training (apart from the mental aspect!)

Tues 17/4
Tolosa-Leitza-Basa Kabi
100km 3h44
Wrapped up for the cold and rain, I never do well like this and was a few mins slower everywhere, but did get a PB on the last km and a bit climb from Berastegi.

Weds 18/4
Asteasu loop via Igeldo
65km 2h20
Don't like riding on Weds as very pressed for time, but had an unavoidable meeting on Thurs. Made the best of crappy conditions, but still can't get within 2mins of my Igeldo PB last July. Shouldn't despair, it will fall

Fri 20/4
Zumaia-Azpeitia-Beizama-Tolosa-Alkiza-Zizurkil
115km 4h45
More rain, at times torrential, punctures, a ripped tyre, and a sluggish set of legs. More of an ordeal than it should've been, so after climbing up to Pto Santa Agueda (47mins, Strava reckons it's HC ) rather than go home easy I added two more nasty climbs just to pile on the misery! Climbing Alkiza in the pissing rain after 4h is an acquired taste...

Sun 22/4
Club Run - Zumaia-Itziar-Lastur OnB
110km 4h
Strange one, being a small club we don't have enough to break up into a fast/slow group so we ride to the furthest point as one group, going at the slowest rider's pace, then split up after that. Started out on the front with another couple of faster guys and got a bollocking for going too fast so I sat in for the rest of the way out. The group got split on the climb up to Itziar, cue much complaining and swearing, I tried to pace them back on but it was a case of leading horses to water!
After the stop in Lastur we upped the 'ritmo' and I was working with another lad to keep us in the high 30's along the coast. Had a rare moment of feeling really good so threw in a few attacks on the pinch climbs, then after a short stop to let an Elite road race go through, set about hammering out a good pace on the front at about 165-170bpm, still taking turns with the other lad, then he stopped taking his turn so I did the rest alone until we got back to town with only 4 riders left
Quite pleased to hold that kind of effort for over an hour - would like to have a power meter to play with (tho that could just be depressing!)

[Alistar]

"Proper" meaning freezing torrential rain? At least you're hard enough to get out in it. Maybe that year record is still within your grasp?!
We've had the opposite down here. Best Autumn in ages which makes up for our terrible summer that wasn't! Cool mornings and evenings but gets in high teens for a few hrs in middle of day.

Thats quite impressive for the end of a 4hr ride to still be riding strong like that. Nothing wrong with being told off for being too fast too
Yeah pm's would be cool. At least you know if you're actually improving...or not. Knowing that my power output is obviously pretty limited anyway(whats with 80kg guys smashing me on the hills? ) I wouldn't be expecting much, so have no illusions to really shatter

[bob_summers]

haha cheers Al, I'd love to put it down to being a hard man but it's more to do with not having a choice, can't exactly leave it til later in case it fairs up!

Bah, feeling a bit restless. Nothing on the competition front until June 2nd - seems there was more happening in Spring last year. Have put a kilo and a bit of weight on (can that really be the beer and curry week?!).

Tues 24/4
Tolosa-Leitza-Basa Kabi-Goizueta
3h40
Mixed bag, I set out with the aim of keeping a good pace and concentration but did the first half slow with tired quads from Sunday. Sat on a guy's wheel at a steady 30kmh from Lasarte-Tolosa so a wee bit slower than I would do solo but saving energy for the climb. But didn't have legs for the climb, lost 3m on PB. The last two hours were in torrential rain, mostly descending and I froze. Muscles wouldn't respond on the climbs, so couldn't warm back up.
Weird sensation, hands frozen, could clench a fist (eg gripping bars) but couldn't rotate the wrist with any force, so couldn't change gear or unlock the door at home. Even peeling bananas for the recovery shake was awkward! Took a couple of hours to feel warm again!
Read in the paper today I'd been riding in a "ciclogenesis" storm, whatever that is, don't like it though.
Long term forecast full of more rain but a bit warmer.

[Alistar]

Ciclogenesis...start of a cyclone perhaps? Hmmm...No, no idea what that is, but like you agree it sounds bad!

Yeah the windchill factor is quite big especially if have a few big hills to go down. Yeah know how that feels. Especially if also drained from the ride itself. Those last 20k's can feel like an age! So good to get home if you can unlock the front door that is

Hey, just read this about when not to get a SRM's which I think you'll like. From a NZ pro that is trying to recover from a smashed leg:

This morning I was up bright and early and into it. Again I banged out 15min on the trainer with the right leg leading and the left leg hitching and again my left leg was left a trembling mess.

Later this afternoon I got one up on yesterday by doing a second session for the day. This time I managed 20 minutes. I thought that for interest sake I would put the SRM on. What a mistake that was; I managed a whopping big 24 watts average for the 20 min. How demoralising. Any positivity or hope I was feeling about coming back was immediately quashed - especially when I thought back to when Contador visited me in hospital just after my operation and he had done a test up a climb that day and had averaged 450watts for more than 30min.

[Mr. Cleetus]

haha, yeah... In my experience, a pm is "good news" about .05% of the time! the rest of the time knowing how bad you truly are is painful! ...but worth it

[bob_summers]

that's Julian Dean isn't it, Al? Wonder why Alberto was visiting him in hospital?
I think, for me, PMs are a bit of a moot point, unless the far-east copycat companies start knocking them out cheap! Like Bryton are doing with GPSs.

Thurs 28/4
Tolosa-Leitz-Basa Kabi-Goizueta
100km 3h33

Shock horror, didn't get wet! Warm and windy. First 45m of flat into a HW knocked me out a bit, slow to the high point, slow everywhere. Apart from the last third, I was passed by a trade team guy doing some motorpacing. I jumped on his wheel and sat there at 45kmh until they turned off at Hernani. Wasn't a free ride, bloody hard work to hang on with the moto rider throwing in some surges. Surprised how close they ride to the scooter, his front tyre was almost rubbing on the mudflap!

Fri 29/4
Ordizia-Larraitz-Altzo-Hernani
95km 3h24

Woke up in some pain, have had a cricked neck for a couple of days (I blame getting stuck in that storm...) and it was worse this morning. Took some kind of strong Spanish ibuprofen-alike, not being a pill-popper it worked pretty well so I went out for an easy run. Who'd have thought drugs and cycling go together so well set PBs on Larraitz and Altzo (would be Strava KOMs if it weren't for a pesky pro...) and a KOM on Oriamendi! Probably more likely to be due to the strong TW out, delivering me to the bottom of Larraitz pretty fresh. No rain again

[Alistar]

Must have put you onto the good stuff. Do they still sell ephredrine based ibu stuff over there? Banned here due to meth/homebake problem...Anyway nice work with the pbs

Yeah. Was wondering the same thing about Conta and JD. But I suppose he's been a pro for so long(15seasons or something? 7tdf's) he knows quite a few of the lads.

[bob_summers]

don't actually know what the pills were , I got them for my root canal but didn't take any. They did the trick though!
I've been in the wars a bit last few days, and the smallest things... I've got a corn on my little toe, bothers me most when putting shoes on, not so much when riding but if I hit bumps, it rattles off the inside of my shoe and it's frigging sore! Going to see the foot doctor this week as there are a few other things niggling me, stiff tendons around the ankle, and the hotfoot will come back in summer.

Sun 29/4
Club Run, Lago de Senpere (+ Sara-Bera-Lesaka-Agiña-Aritxulegi etc solo)
116km

More fun with the club, they just get slower! We really need two groups. Anyway I took off alone after the halfway point, to do some bigger hills. Still a bit sluggish... On the biggest climb, though (Agiña) I had completely zoned out on auto pilot when a couple of lads came past me, I was about to let them go but hung on for the last 4km before the summit. Ouch. I was soon on my HRmax but determined to hang on the wheel. One of the guys sat up about a km from the top, and I would have gone the same way I think if the climb was a few hundred meters longer, but we went over the top together. I couldn't speak, so gave the guy a thumbs up and got an angry glare back before descending into to the next valley ready to puke! Luckily they descended back the same way, otherwise we'd have done the same up the next climb and I didn't have it in me!

[Mr. Cleetus]

Nice work! Sounds like an excellent session. hmm, maybe its a good thing you or WADA do not know what was in those pills....

[bob_summers]

It's been an odd week. Feeling like I'm going backwards, comparing times to this time last year and I'm seemingly slower this year

Tues 1/5
Tolosa-Betelu-Uitzi-Goizueta
120km 4h18
Felt really tired going out the door.. perked up a bit but never really felt good. At least the rain's stopped!
Slow on the big climbs.

THur 3/5
Tolosa-Leitza-Basa Kabi
100km 3h40
Completely unremarkable. Strong south wind cooked me in the first hour, slow up to Basa Kabi. Caught some club guys in the last hour and rode back slow with them.

Fri 4/5
"DV Ziklotur" route
112km 4h04
A bit of a 'recon' for an upcoming event organised by the local paper. I did it last in 2010 getting round in 3h45, so I don't think 20m slower is too bad for a solo run, it was windy again today. Decided to hit the climbs hard, and recover on the flat. Started well, PBs on the first two short climbs (Zudugarai 1.5km and Meaga 3km), then got battered by the headwind for 20km of undulating flat/false flat. I was pretty stuffed for the biggest climb (Urraki 9km) before it started. Pushed, but legs sore and unresponsive. Gave up mentally, and tried to recover for the last hill (Alkiza 4km) knowing it was all downhill and TW from the top of Urraki. But nothing left for Alkiza either. Mixed bag of a ride... indications look OK for the actual event, I'll just try to beat my '10 time, but long term I'm slightly concerned...

[bob_summers]

Sun 6/5
Aia loop via "Muro", Igeldo x2
2h

A "recovery" ride today, although it was recovery from a beery night out (it was my birthday, I'm allowed ) so nothing too strenuous. Although I took a diversion up "the wall" of Aia, max gradient over 30%. Got to the top without climbing off and pushing, so not a disaster. Then hit Igeldo hard on the way back, and bagged myself a PB. Hopefully not a waste of a day.

In other news I've picked up a corn on my little toe. It's effing sore, luckily I've got an old pair of cycling shoes which are a bit big, and they seem to aggravate it the least.

[Alistar]

Happy Birthday for Saturday Bob!

Ha! 30% gradients, pb attempts?! Think my idea of a recovery ride and yours is just a little bit different!

Yeah hard to know what to do when you feel a bit slow and generally "off". Seems like although you felt a bit heavy last week, the speed and strength is there as shown by your pb, just perhaps you were a bit fatigued to tap into it.
However that Ziklotur route looked like a tough ride, especially when attacking the climbs. Considering you weren't firing the last couple of 100k+ training rides its no wonder you couldn't quite get going on those last 3 tough climbs.

An easy b'day week on the cards?

[bob_summers]

Cheers Al! Let's see what happens, I'm trying not to let it get me too worked up. I've put on a bit of weight too, exactly the opposite to what I was trying to do! It's only a couple of kg, should be easy to get rid of.

Tues 8/5
Goizueta OnB
70km 2h20
Seriously wet morning, didn't fancy the usual 100km in the rain so waited an hour for the rain to ease off - it didn't! At least it was warm... Felt tired.

Thur 10/5
Leitza-Basa Kabi-Goizueta
100km 3h30
Strong south wind, blew in 32º weather but completely wore me out in the first hour. Arrived at Basa Kabi about 5m off normal pace. Second half too twisty to really take advantage of the strong TW. Recovered enough to have a good crack on the climb to Arano, then pushed hard on the last 20km but too hot for me to get much out of it.

[Mr. Cleetus]

Mr. Bob,

You've obviously got pretty solid fitness and foundation, etc. Have you thought about mixing it up a bit and adding some shorter sessions with some intensity in them and seeing what that does for you?

Mr. C