The Blwch a.k.a.The Bitch

Last year, the Dragon Ride was my goal for the season. This year, it was a preparation ride to my goal. I like many others at the start line, were using it in preparation for a Continental ride. Some for La Marmotte, others for E'Tape du Tour. Me, I was riding for Maratona dles Dolomites.

This year I stayed with my cousin Karen, husband Nic and their kids Thomas and Daniel. Nic was doing the ride also. We had ridden close to identical times in 2008, but this year Nic's training had been severely hampered. Finishing his studies had restricted his time on the bike, as had a nasty mountain bike accident. As a consequence we decided to ride the Medio rather than Grand Fondo course.

It was an early start Sunday. We wanted to avoid the traffic associated with 3000 riders, so alarms were set for 05:00. After a breakfast of Weetabix we hit the road before 06:00. We did avoid the traffic. In fact we were the 25th car in the car park, and had an hour to kill prior to the official start.

It was at this time I realised I didn't have my timing chip. After a few choice swear words I composed myself. I had my race number so would be able to ride, I just wouldn't be able to record an official time.

We took our time getting to the start line, but still ended up in the fourth group to be released on to the road. Soon we were climbing a couple typical British climbs - short and sharp hills. With these out of the way, we started up Blwch (4.7km at 6%) and Rhigos (6.3km at 4.5%). I enjoyed these climbs immensely and felt strong.

At the bottom Rhigos the Medio Fondo participants turned left and the participants of the Grand Fondo turned right. I turned left and found myself alone. In the distance I could see two riders, so I decided to chase them down. Soon after making contact with these two, we found ourselves in a group of 5 and started doing rolling turns. This was good, but I soon realised I was behind a rider who had no idea on how to do such turns. Evey time he came to the front he would accelerate, requiring me to match his acceleration to keep his wheel. After a number turns, the accelerations started to take their toll and I needed tosit at the back of the group.

In good time we reached the base of Cimla (2.7km at 4.4%), which quickly broke up the group up. Though I was second to the top and to the drink station, the rest resumed their rides quicker, and I was once again by myself. I was comfortable with dispite the second climb of Blwch (7km at 4.6%) approaching.

This climb was really a bitch. The whole way up, I was exposed to the sun and it was intense. However the real issue was the fact it was still. I had my jersey fully unzipped in an attempt to get some air over my skin. I am not sure how successful this was, but it felt very professional.

It was a hard slog. The whole way up Blwch, I was fighting off cramp and I was by myself. When the two London Dynamo girls wizzed past me, I let them go. It was hot but I realised I had an empty bottle and was close to the bottom of my second. I was drinking lots very quickly, or had stuffed up at the drink station. In reflection, I think it was the later.

Either way, I reached the top. I had struggled against the cramp but otherwise I felt good. I crossed the crest and immediately put my foot down. On the flats following the steep descent, I caught the London Dynamo girls and wizzed past them in much the same way they had earlier. Soon I caught one of the group of 5. We recognised each other, I asked him how he felt and it seemed he was in a similar state to me.

Though we both claimed our legs were done, there were occasions we were cruising along in excess of 40km/hr. There were two little climbs on the way back, but once over the second we put ours heads down and raced to the finish as best we could. We crossed the line together, collected our goodie bags together, then said good-bye - implicitly saying thanks for the company - and went our separate ways.

I finished the 130km course in 5hr 01min. As I did not have my timing chip, my time is not official. However my time would have placed 63rd out of the approximately 850 riders of the shorter course, a result I am extremely pleased with. Bring on the Maratona ...

Link to Blog entry for 2008 : Slaying the Dragon

Cyclotour du Léman mk II

For the second year in a row I made the trip to Lausanne to participate in the Cyclotour du Léman - a lap of Lake Geneva. Last year it was my second sportive, my first on the continent and I was very much still learning the ropes. For a variety of reasons it didn't go very well - I punctured, found I was carrying the wrong tubes, ventured off the course and then bonked. While happy to have participated, I returned to London disappointed with my result. This year I aimed to set the record straight.

Same flight out, same hotel - beyond these items, this year's trip couldn't have been more different to last year. By hiring a car we were able to register and collect our race number and jersey Saturday afternoon rather than Sunday morning. With a better understanding of the layout of Lausanne, we were able to get a better meal Saturday evening. Beyond these things, I was better prepared - it was my 5th sportive for the year and I had done many more miles and hills this year in my training.

Last year I aimed to finish, this year I had specific times in mind. Though I set myself the goal of 5hr back in September, I realised several weeks ago this was probably a little too ambitious and revised this to 5hr 30min. Even to achieve my revised time I knew I would need to ride within a group, so at the start line I eyed two strong riders to my left and made sure I immediately took their wheel when released. (See the two in black gillets in these photos.)

For the next hour I rode within the group. In this time we had covered nearly 40km of the distance. Our passage through the various round-abouts, intersections and towns had been aided by our accompanying motorbike. Normal road rules didn't need to be followed - thanks to our motorbike we didn't need to give way or stop for anyone. Or nearly anyone. After the town of Villeneuve, our passage came to a halt at a railway crossing. It was very Paris-Roubaix - ok without the cobbles.

I had hoped to continue with this group, but the stop didn't agree with me. Once the train passed, I found it very difficult to resume. My legs had cooled during this time and suddenly my saddle wasn't very comfortable. It took several minutes for me to get back up to speed, and during this time the rest of my group had sped down the road. That said, the stop brought together several other groups, so I continued with new companions.

Soon after the first drink-station we were in France. In time a group reformed, and we were once again accompanied by a motorbike. Bret, then Meillerie, Lugrin, Blonay, Maxilly-Petite-Rive, Evian-les-Bains - we kept a good pace through France. 60km after 1hr 39min. 80km after 2hr 15min. 100km after 2hr 51min.

In Geneva, I missed my second "break" of the day. I am a conservative rider in traffic, and as we passed through the city at low speed I once again lost my group. Crossing Pont du Mont Blanc and turning back for Lausanne I soon realised how costly this was. The wind was straight into my face and I was by myself.

Consequently my pace slowed. Where I had been consistently lapping 5km inside 9min, even 8min prior to Geneva, suddenly I was lapping outside 9min. I started to panic. To this point I was on track to achieve my goal time, but suddenly it seemed I would miss it. The mental games had started.

At my lowest point, I realised I had been carrying half a dozen riders. They had been happily sitting in behind me, allowing me to do all the work. Straight away I swung off the front, and without any words we started to work together - each taking turns. This continued all the way to Lausanne.

Whereas I had struggled back to Lausanne last year, I felt strong to the finish this year. Crossing the finish line I punched the air. Despite being outside my original goal time, I was absolutely delighted with my time - 5hr 13min.

Garmin Connect : Cyclotour du Léman

My time was the 412th fastest on the day. The fastest riders completed the course nearly an hour faster - a group of 8 recorded the time 4hr 14min (42.4km/hr), and nearly 300 riders recorded a sub 5hr time (36km/hr).

Countdown to Lac Leman

Next Sunday I am riding the Cyclotour du Leman, a 180km sprint around Lake Geneva.  I participated last year but encountered several issues including punctures, replacement tubes with insufficient valve length, venturing off the course, and bonking.  Needless to say I didn't post the fastest time, 7hr 47min to be exact.  A time I was disappointed with at the time, and one I hope to put right this year.  I had targeted 5hr (36km/hr), but I think that is too optimistic so have reset my goal time as 5hr 30min (32.7km/hr).

Follow my progress on twitter.

Link to Blog entry for 2008 : tête de la course - not quite.

King of the Downs - Followup

Turns out I wasn't alone to quit at the half way mark.  In the post of the official times for the event (Evans Cycles Ride It!: Rider Times), the organisers announced that 500 people who had enrolled for the full distance did the half distance instead.  Only 200 people went on to complete the full distance - hats off to them.

My official time was confirmed as 3hr 35min, which was in the top quartile of results.  Not bad given that I did stray from the course and added about 9km to the 53mile route.  For example, taking 10min from time would have placed me approximately 100 positions higher.

King of the Downs

An early start this morning for the King of the Downs this morning.  05:00 alarm followed by 05:53 train trip to Gatwick Airport.  I wasn't alone, there would have been 30 or so other riders with their bikes.  So many that the train guard deemed it unsafe and ordered all of us off the train.  Not a great start to the day.  Anyway we got there in the end, thanks to the Gatwick Express agreeing to give us a ride.

The start was Evans Cycles HQ - registration was in the Merckx room, which I thought was pretty cool.  After fiddling with the extremely short cable-ties to fix my race number for what seemed an eternity, I was on the road and very soon I was alone.   I felt really good, and was ready for the challenge that lay ahead:

• 110 miles (approximately 180km);
• 9,000 vertical feet (approximately 3,500m);
• Leith Hill, Pitch Hill, Combe Bottom, Ranmore Common, Box Hill, Tulley's Farm, Weir Wood, The Wall, Yorks Hill and Titsey.

However something didn't seem right.  I was literally by myself.  I wasn't catching riders and I wasn't being caught.  A quick look at my Garmin and I realised why, I was heading south when I should have been riding west.  I was literally miles off course.

I did make it back onto the course outside Ewhurst but by this stage I had missed the first hill - Leith Hill and added quite a number of miles to the already lengthy distance.  It was at the point the condition changed significantly.  While climbing Pitch Hill the first drops of rain started to fall.  This made the climb even harder, as my rear-wheel struggled for grip as I got out of the saddle, and the descent on a narrow country lane rather precarious.

The light rain gradually got heavier and heavier.  Eventually I was soaked through.  I didn't have my rain jacket, overshoes or my winter gloves.  Simply put I was not equipped for a long ride in the rain, and consequently got very cold very quickly.  My toes and fingers went numb.  At this point I decided my ride would finish when we passed back past Evans Cycles HQ.

I enjoyed my climb of Box Hill - which according to Cycling Weekly is Surrey's answer to Alpe d'Huez, with its two switchbacks and average 5% gradient - but not so much the slog back to the finish.  It was disappointing to bail out at the half-way mark, as I had been really keen to see how my legs would cope with the distance and climbs but I know I made the right decision.  Getting sick wouldn't be good for anyone.

Progress to date

Back in September (The year ahead and ... one more goal) I set myself some goals for the 12 months ahead.  The half way mark has just passed so I thought I would be appropriate to check progress to date.  The good news is that I am largely on track.

Goal	Progress
Complete one of the big three sportives - Maratona dles Dolomites, La Marmotte, E'Tape du Tour	On track: Entry to Maratona dles Dolomites has been accepted and training is going well.  That said, the prospect of 4500 vertical metres is daunting. Related Posts : Maratona here I come
Complete a UCI Golden Bike sportive	Done: Completed the Ronde van Vlaanderen earlier this month.  Having riden the Gruyère Cycling Tour last year, I have participated in two of the seven events. Related Posts : Flanders and 2009 Ronde van Vlaanderen
Climb three "legend" Tour de France mountains - one must be Col du Tourmalet	On track: week holiday to Pyrenees in July is booked.  I am now considering which other climbs I would like to do
Complete Lac Leman in under 5 hours	No progress: entry is confirmed
Attain a Silver standard time	No progress: None of the events I have done this year have had time standards, however I would like to think my effort at the SWRC Early Spring Cyclosportive in early March would have met any such criteria. Related Posts : Lance and me, The Surrey Rumble,  2009 SWRC Early Spring Cyclosportive  and Flanders
Cycle 5000km in the next 12 months	On track: After 30 weeks I have ridden 2900km.
Complete the Richmond Park 3-lap Challenge under 60 minutes	No progress: Best effort remains approximately 65 minutes and I am not sure how I am going to find 5 minutes (approx 8%). Related Posts : Laps of Richmond Park

Flanders

The Tour of Flanders, Ronde van Vlaanderen in Flemish, is one of the so-called monuments of the European professional calendar (Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Giro di Lombardia are the others).  It is famous for its cobbled climbs, such as Molenberg, Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg, Koppenberg and Muur-Kapelmuur, and for the past month I have been thinking of nothing else for I had entered the associated Ronde van Vlaanderen voor Wielertoeristen - the tour for cycle tourists.

I had never ridden on cobbles, let alone steep cobbled hills.  Initially this didn't phase me, but the more I researched the more nervous I got.  I knew the climbs were difficult, but finding out virtually the entire peleton walked up Koppenberg in 2006 did plant seeds of doubt.  So on Saturday when I lined up at the start I really had no idea of what the 140km and 16 "helling" would be like.

This is a big, big event, and in 2009 it was even bigger.  According to cyclingnews.com some 19,000 people (700 from Britain) entered one of the six different options for road and mountain biking this year, a record number.

Starting in Ninove, the route took us north-west towards Zottegem on flat roads.  Here the group I found myself in rode at a steady 30km/hr pace, I tucked in behind a rider on a BMC Team Machine.  This changed when a semi-pro team came through complete with support car.  Ego got the better of me, and I chased and hung on until we hit the first section of cobbles - 1200m, a short right and left on asphalt,  another 2400m of cobbles.  It was carnage.  The road was littered with bottles, pumps, sunnies - anything that wasn't fixed sufficiently.  I had expected vibrations, but nothing like this.  I could feel my calf muscles moving freely sideways.  My arms shook violently.  I was immediately sore, and we hadn't even reached the first helling - Molenberg.  The semi-pro team I had been following disappeared down the road, they hadn't accelerated, I had simpled slowed suddenly.

At the start of 2008, I had the good fortune to hear Stuart O'Grady speak about his success at Paris-Roubaix.  He talked about "floating" over the cobbles and that speed actually helped rather than hindered.  His words came back to me immediately, but I could do nothing in response as I clung to the top of my bars.  I was sinking.

The eventual return of asphalt was greeted by all with relief.  Now I was very scared.  If the flats felt like that, what would the hills be like?  Soon a banner over the road announced Molenberg - 463m at 7% maxing at 14.3%.  I quickly got myself into the small ring and concentrated on keeping a high cadence.  The road ahead was packed, and it was case of dodging others rather than maintaining a rhythm on the narrow stretch.  At the top a smile came to my face - that was why I was here ... that was awesome.

Another 3000m stretch of flat cobbles (they hurt), then Wolvenberg.  A bigger and steeper climb than Molenberg, but not cobbled, it seemed easy in comparison.  Outside Oundaarde was the first drinks station.  It was nothing like anything I had experienced on previous sportives - it was a warehouse, a cross-dock one.  In one door, out another.  In between I collected the most fabulous collection of energy foods - liege waffles, and gingerbread.

Back on the road, everyone was preparing for what lay ahead.  Though we were a third of the distance in, 14 of the 16 helling remained.  The next three were legendary.  First Oude Kwaremont on a street named after the race, Ronde van Vlaanderenstraat.  I got to the top without any issues (or real effort).  Then it was Paterberg - 360m at 12.9% (20.3% max).   The really steep section is two-thirds of the way up, and it was here I had to uncleat after the rider in front of me stopped and I had nowhere to go.  I walked the remaining 100 or so metres.  I was disappointed as I really felt I would have made it to the top.  Within 3km came Koppenberg.  The banner outlined the stats - 600m at 11.6% (22% max).   Ahead the lane was filled with riders.  As we started the climb I tried to maintain distance from the rider ahead, but soon found myself in a similar situation to that on Paterberg.  This time the rider ahead fell sideways, taking down 3-4 others.  With nowhere to go, again I needed to uncleat.  I now understood why the pros race to be on the front when they hit these hills.

In quick succession came hellings 6-14 and 5500m of flat cobbled sections.  After which was the Muur.  I had been dreaming about this climb ever since I had entered, and it was here Amanda had come to watch.  Amanda has never seen me ride, and I really wanted to put on a good show.  On helling #14 Eikenmolen I could feel cramp coming on.  In desperation I drank everything I had, but I wasn't sure I had enough time for the extra fluids to take effect.  Then a moment of marketing brilliance, 7km from the Muur was a Red Bull drinks station - to give you wings for the Muur.  I drank my can and rode slowly, saving my legs for what lay ahead.  Officially Muur-Kapelmuur is 475m at 9.3% (19.8% max), but this doesn't take into account the 400m of (uphill) cobbles that precedes it.  I rode it just as I had hoped, here I did float, and as I reached the top I heard "Aliiii" ... there was Amanda.  (Red Bull does give you wings.)  I was overcome with emotion and have to admit, I did shed a tear.  After a quick hug and kiss, I hit the road knowing only Bosberg was left and from there it was all downhill.

In the end I finished with a time of 6hr20min.  I hadn't set myself time goals, I simply wanted to experience the cobbles.  The course had taken its toll ... each of my hands were blistered - on each of my palms and thumbs.

Bike route 147581 - powered by Bikemap 

Sunday it was the pros turn.  We headed to Oudenaarde.  Here watched both the womens and mens peleton pass, before walking to nearby Koppenberg.  It was an amazing experience - a must for all cycling fans.  I will watch this weekends Paris-Roubaix in awe.