Move along now....

Time for a move to Wordpress.

if you've been reading, and still feel like reading;

Here

Is where it'll be at from now on.

The Benefits of Cycling for Long Term Health and Fitness.

I got asked to give an addition to the BikeHub.ie website a while back. I faffed and faffed due to being away, and frankly not knowing what to write about. Should i aim it to be more performance oriented as my interests lie, should it be more general, should i just accuse everyone of being fat and needing a bike to get fitter.

I think i managed to find a common ground, drawing from my own experience of being a fat, unhealthy, angry person and what cycling and exercise did for me in many ways. Somehow i think i made it sound not to much of a rant....but well....one has to rant when you see how fat the country is getting and where it is going to take us in the future.

Hopefully Paul won't rip this to shreds and will at least let it be posted like this....

First draft, probably lots of errors, blah blah blah Mike.

~~~

The Benefits of Cycling for Long Term Health and Fitness.

The impact that cycling can have on a persons long term health and wellness are well known within medical and scientific community. Yet among many it is still seen as an activity for the elite few requiring hours of dedication. For many during the 70's and 80's names such as Kelly, Roche and Elliot followed the peak of cycling interest for many households in Ireland. Cycling was a popular sport and for many still the only manner of transport.

Bicycles bought and ridden with so much love now remain rusting in a shed unused, unloved and unridden. We forgot what was amazing about cycling, we left it behind, and moved into the modern transportation age. We left the bike at home and we drove, rode the bus, or DARTed to work. We became apathetic.

Every year more people are diagnosed with conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes (adult onset diabetes), and atherosclerosis. All of these conditions are directly related to living a sedate, inactive, lifestyle and sadly our country is following a similar trend to the United States ten years ago. Current medical guidelines from the ACSM for exercise advocate the following as minimum as targets for exercise, yet how many of us actually reach them:

Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week
Or
Do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week
And
Do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week.

One of the defining moments for me that brought a realisation of the long term health of cycling was while training in the Alps 2 summers ago. Half way thorough a long training cycle, with the Col de la Madaline as the main climb for the day, we'd just reached the summit and were waiting for the rest of the group. A man in his early 60's rode towards us on a touring bike with panniers full of food. We got chatting to him and discovered that every day he rode over the Col, 1993 meters high, every day to a village on the far side, bought his bread, and rode home. On asking 'why?' in confused tones, the reply 'Bien sur, pourquoi pas?' - 'Sure, why not?'

To advocate anyone going from zero to hero and cycling such vertical distances every day from no training would be foolish, and unreasonable. However a little reassessment of what is possible day to day to meet the MINIMUM requirements for exercise would allow for an improvement in your life as you age. With cycling as a non impact sport it is one of the easiest sports to undertake. You have an initial investment for sure, but you are free from gym fee's, free from a singular location to be allowed to exercise, and free to exercise when you want.

• Honestly ask yourself.

  • Do I meet the minimum requirements for exercise?

  • Why do I not make these requirements?

  • What can I do to meet them?

• Look at where you work.

  • Can you shower when you get in?

  • Can you leave clothes in to change into?

  • Can I ride into work?

• Assess the time requirements.

  • Is it faster to ride in, or sit in traffic for an hour?

  • Can I ride with my family or partner?

• Assess the benefits.

  • How much will you save on petrol or public transport?

  • Will you be calmer after riding in, or sitting in traffic staring at the learner driver stalling at every light on the way into work?

  • What opportunities could this open for me?

    ~~~

Gregory May, B. Sc: Greg is a post graduate research student in the Department of Health and Human Performance in Dublin City University and a member of the Applied Sports Performance Research Group. His primary area of research deals with understanding the factors that effect energy expenditure in different activities. As a member of the CLARITY: Centre for Sensor Web Technologies he is able to investigate aspects of real world cycling with novel technologies not previously available to coaches, athletes or scientists outside of a laboratory setting. In addition to a diverse coaching background in cycling, triathlon and other sports he is also a competitive mountain biker and triathlete. Someday he hopes to finish his Ph.D. but cycling keeps getting in the way.

Lanza Training Camp Recap

Ok it's been a while since the camp. Body has sucked up the workload and I'm well back into my 'routine' of training, aka getting it in where i can. No excuses for feeling tired, but I always manage to find them somewhere.

The camp was excellent. I didn't realise that it was going to be of so much of a benefit to train with triathlete again, ride and run hard, and get more swimming in a week than i did in the 3 months prior.

The week took the normal tone of;

Wake up, eat, get changed into kit, do exercise, get changed, eat, get changed, exercise, get changed, shower, eat, sleep.

Somewhat monotonous, but at the same time easy to focus on what needed to be done, do it, enjoy it, eat, and recover. Nothing else. It was nice to unplug, back off and just get on with it.

Was a pretty heavy week training load wise. Over 28 hours in total in the 7 days on the island. Broke down as the follows:

1. Cycling: 17.5 hours
2. Running: 3 hours
3. Swimming: 7 hours

Within each of these we had some key sessions, and i had a session or two of my own that i treated key within the bike session. Highlights for the week were definitely the IM ride on the bike route ride, the triathlon that turned into an aquathon due to the wind(I HATE aquathons), and the hill rep session with Nick on the last day.

Overall we got huge volume in and some huge intensity on some days, i pussied out of a few sessions, namly the half marathon in the storm (well done Pauline) and TBH i think it was worth the trip. Already planning next years return to the song of my dreams:

ACSM 2011

Just got word i have an oral presentation at ACSM in Denver this summer:

Abstract Submitted:

An Analysis of the Impact of Acute Sleep Deprivation on Repeat Cycling Time Trial Performance

Author Block Gregory C. May, Paula A. Fitzpatrick, Sarah Jane Cullen, Lauren Kelly, Anna O'Hagan, Giles D. Warrington, FACSM. Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland.

Email: gregory.c.may@gmail.com

Abstract:

Ultra-endurance cycling events, such as the Race Around Ireland (RAI), involve performing periods of intermittent high intensity cycling for extended durations. The ability to maintain a consistently high mean power output whilst in a sleep deprived state is a critical factor in optimising performance. Purpose: To evaluate the effects of acute sleep deprivation, over 24 hours, on a repeat cycling time trial performance. Methods: Six trained male cyclists (mean ± SD: age 33 ± 4 years; height 1.82 ± 0.03 m; mass 79.3 ± 8 kg) were tested on 3 occasions; each testing bout was separated by 7 days, within a 21 day period. During the first test, subjects performed a maximal incremental test on an electromagnetically braked cycle ergometer. Following a standardised recovery period, each subject then completed a baseline 20 minute self-paced maximal performance test (MPT). The subjects subsequently returned on two further occasions to perform two 24 hour trials. During the course of each 24 hour trial the subjects performed a total of 4 MPT's at set time points in either a sleep deprived (SDep) and or sleep normal (SNorm) state using a randomised crossover design. The MPT’s were undertaken at 0 (T1); 8 (T2); 17 (T3); and 24 hours (T4). During the SDep trial subjects accrued no sleep, while during the SNorm trial they were allocated an 8 hour sleep period between T2 and T3. Results: SNorm resulted in a mean sleep duration of 365 ± 38 minutes. No significant differences were found across baseline trials for each of the 3 tests or for the mean cumulative distance covered over the 4 MPT’s (T1-T4) for SDep compared to SNorm. Further analysis of the data revealed a significant decrease in the total distance covered during the MPT at T3 when compared with T2 (13331m ± 1139m vs. 13867m ± 1234m, p<0.05)>

This work is supported by Science Foundation Ireland under grant 07/CE/I1147

Must work on my ranting voice....

Week in Lanza

Back to the real world with a massive CRASH.

Had a great week training in Lanzarote with the Manchester Triathlon Club. Clocked up some amazing hours between bike, run and, swim.

Have to catch up on real world work before i can stick up stats. But to say i've put a block in is an understatement.

28hours in 6 days....oh yes

Irish Cyclocross National Championships

So long 2010, roll on 2011. national championships were yesterday, and a major focus for me all season.

Not the greatest turnout with the defending champion not turning up for reasons known to some of us, an injury for others. Got a nice gridding spot on the 3rd row on the outside and the UCI commissar refused to let anyone slot into missing spaces so the grid was safe for the first few corners.

Tough course with most of the corners either sheet ice, mud over ice, or leaves over ice. All in all a very fast course, but one that could drop you at any stage. Frist lap saw me on the ground for a brief period not loosing any places though was a benefit, getting gapped to the first 10 was not.

Hard for the first lap, hard for the second lap, see where the gaps were, then ride from there. Ended in a bunch with a lad i knew from many races this season, and another roadie who was incapable of staying upright. 4th lap and i just had to go ride away as i'd nearly been in two crashes because of him so power on and ride off.

Yesterday was all about riding solid, staying on the bike, getting in as third rider for the club, getting the team prize. Nothing else. That was all that mattered to me. Ride smart, ride strong, don't get a mechanical.

55mins later we crossed the finish line. Team prize secured, personal goal of top 15 finish attained (14th overall, 12th senior). Season over. Standing on a podium is something ive not done in a few years, and man it felt good.

Also beards make you faster. FACT.

Big thanks to the guys from BikeHub in Howth for pitting for me, Dave and Paul. Bikehub sorted me with a bike for this seasons racing at a great price and have fixed it a few times after ive ruined it. Real help when it comes to not having to think about my kit.

Twas The Night Before Cross Nats

Twas The Night Before Cross Nats,

Not a rider was stirring, except in one house;

The skinsuit was hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that cold weather soon would be there;

The tubs were nestled all snug on their rims,

While visions of mud rut danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my lid,

Had just settled down for a long summers kip,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen rain

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature rider, and 9 massive gears,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Slick.

More rapid than Sven his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Seymour! now, Ryan! now, McCall and Campbell!

On, Convil ! on Newman! on, McDonald and Ahern!

To the top of the steps! to the top of the hill!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As wet muds that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the bike full of carbon, and St. Slick too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and posing of each little hoof.*

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Slick came with a bound.

He was dressed all in lycra , from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with blood dirt and muck;

A bundle of tubs he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were so gaunt, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the stubble on his chin was as cool as the snow;

The stump of a Torq bar he held tight in his teeth,

And the smell it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was skinny and ripper , a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the kit bags ; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his bike, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"No Sherlock, no Ferguson, we're in for a fight!"


*you try find something that rhymes with hoof....good luck tomorrow all

Specialised Crux Review

First off i have to give a HUGE thanks to the guys at BikeHub in Howth. They have been a huge help to me this year after i smashed up my bike a few times this season. Paul sorted me with some great racing kit bike wise this year and i cannot recommend the shop enough. They keep buying me coffee and lunch too...

Earlier in the season I realised it was getting to double bike time. I've managed to race 3 seasons on only one bike, but was starting to get to the point where i was crashing out enough to warrant having a spare. That and some of the other kids are at it now as well ;)

Spent weeks searching the net, as you do, and pretty much decided on the Crux. Fills all the blanks about weight, fit, and colour. It was also a pretty damn close match for my UJC which I've ridden the past 2 seasons on.

Changes from stock were pretty simple; Ultegra rear mech, and a set of Frogleg canti's. (Didn't get on with the Avid brakes, and getting carbon pads for less than 45 Euro was near impossible). The Zipps and tubs were my own...more on tyre choices for the year later.

Pro's:

• Internal cables on a cross bike. What more can i say. Makes it easier to shoulder, keeps the gunk out, and makes the bike look much much better.
• Fork, its so stiff. No flex, no straying off line. Stick it where you want and it goes there. Braver than me.
• Chainstay clearance is much much MUCH better for my heals than the last two bikes ive had. Probably not going to need to constantly apply helitape.
• Looks like a carbon frame :) The amount of people who have done a double take when they realise its not..priceless.

Con's:

• When i was looking at the bike the first time i noticed the open end to the tubing on the downtube. OK..water does not tend to go to much upwards into the tube..but...when you are washing the bike and water gets into the tube it can flow down towards the headtube, where it then flows into the toptube...and wont come out. Pain in the ass.
• Fork break brace thingy. Pretty much makes it impossible to carry with your arm across the headtube...as i do. So either i learn to carry under the downtube or i deal with the bruises on my forearms for the near future.
• Brakes, the stock Avid brakes are terrible. No modulation, but lots of power...so kinda ok..but impossible to get carbon brake pads for in Ireland. So pointless. Swapped them out for Froglegs.

Would I advise someone to buy one? Yes. Would i buy one as a second bike for next season? Yes.

Christmas & BikePure GP 2

Being over in Bradford for the National Trophy meant i missed the first instalment of this race. Based on how i rode that weekend it probably would have gone pear-shaped anyway so no issue.

The week before was the happy festive eating period and a time of busyness getting things done before the college closed. But the snow of the weeks leading into it left me with more time than usual as most parties were cancelled, people couldn't get about, and in general the country slowed down. Honeslty it was the nicest lead into Christmas i can remember.

Training was minimal on the bike as it was pretty hairy most days, the turbo got some use, but i got out for a few longer rides on the MTB with lads from Team WORC. All in all a bit less intensity, but a good bit of a base prep to ward off the beer and cheer that was going to follow.

Pauline finally managed to get over to Ireland after taking 4 trains, a bus, ferry, and a bus so i could drive her home over the mental roads. Honestly it was great to just get away from Dublin for the whole of Christmas. I'm not one for it, or the historical BS that has come with it in my life and it was a fresh blast of air akin to all this Vit D that I've been taking when dealing with issues.

After braving the frozen lake and roads we had to head home to Dublin to catch yet another ferry to the UK. On the way it was decided that i was racing as the roads were clear and everyone was going to be there. Awesome elite field with pretty much the entire club turning up. So at least the racing was going to be fast.

Sub 5minute lap was on the cards, plan was to hammer it, see what happens, but not fall over for a change. Was happy with the outcome of the race, even though the field was small, 9th, muddy, tired. What more could you ask for TBH. had some good racing with Andy and Philip until I dropped the bike and lost a place to Andy. Starts are still weak though. going to have to get the aggression I had in Lurgan back. Think that fall did more to me than hurt my elbow.

It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.

> what is a grue?
The grue is a sinister, lurking presence in the dark places of the earth. Its favorite diet is adventurers, but its insatiable appetite is tempered by its fear of light. No grue has ever been seen by the light of day, and few have survived its fearsome jaws to tell the tale

Night time is upon us. We wake up in the dark. We go to bed in the dark. In between i live in a basement.

Running at night, riding at night, training at night. If it wasn't so damn quiet it'd be depressing.

On my own running on my local trails with nothing to entertain me. Turn my brain off. Listen to my breathing and foot falls. Just run.

There are some benefits to winter.

Bradford National Series

Taken from Heidi Swifts blog:

As bike racers we sometimes confuse approval of our successes for love. I remember the first time I got anywhere near the front of a race – the way people reacted differently as I came around course. More intense. More earnest. More approving. It felt good. I wanted to feel that way all the time.

It can get confusing. You have to sort that shit out and remember that you

are not your results. You are a human being who happens to pedal – amazing at so many other things, important for so many other reasons.

Bike racing can fuck you up, man. Don’t let it.

Stay in control. It’s ok, you’re ok.

Bradford was to host a round of the British National Trophy in Peel Park. Hoping to get some faster races in before Nationals this year, and to take a chance to race my first elite race outside Ireland i aranged to meet Alan Dorrington and steal his food and accommodation for a few days prior to the race. A quick ferry over, training session in the ice with Dave Haygarth and a trip to the Chirstmas markets in Manchester with Pauline sorted the first few days. Saturday was spent preparing bikes, getting all the little bits done and just waiting to race.

Sunday morning up early and inserting food into me, bikes into car, and extracting the contents of my bowls. Normal pre race roulette at the moment of if a toilet is close enough at any point in time. A quick drive out to Bradford saw us arrive with plenty of time to pre-ride the course before Alans race in the Vet's group.

Initial feelings on the course were: Hard, iced up, and rideable...even the off camber wall of death was doable. Then it happened. It started to warm up, the ground thawed and then they let 3 races go before us. It was never going to be a pretty race, but at the same time it was never going to be an easy race.

After the break we got a chance to re ride the course again. My previous tire choice went out the window, Fango's off, Rhinos and Mud's to try. Then it happened having ridden 'the descent' in warm up i was confident of both line options. But i wanted to try them both in the mud. I tried the left line and dropped the bike. Ok...not the end of the world go again...dropped it again....broke my shifter....felt like an idiot...the beginning of the end.

Lined up, last min on the line pee and waited to get gridded. Middle slot 4th row. Not ideal, but not the back either. Commissars checking wheels, brakes and all the bits they like too do. No issues with the wheels i was running which was nice. 1 minute to go call. Check HRM, check brain, check gear. 30 seconds. Hooter and rolling, working to clip in as fast as possible.

OK start, coming into the first corner where i wanted to be, take a few places in the first section, and get into the line-out going into the first fast descent and manage to get away with it by running hard and fast. Go as hard as i can for the first lap until the off camber mud traverse section, opt to run this on the first lap and see how it goes on the way. Approach the run up and realise just how many people have crowded around to watch the race. Very different than home. Cross the line and bypass the pit on the first lap. Bike still ok at this time. Hit the descent running and get a 'good option lad' from a local Yorkshireman as i pass 3 guys trying to ride the drop. Hill running experience paying off there again.

Then the wheels came off. I started dropping wheels, thinking about changing bikes to a bike that I'd borrowed from Alan. Thinking about THAT run-up again, THAT descent, and all the other things that cause you to ride like a dog on tiles. HR dropped, breathing increased, RPE went up, a shitstorm hit my body and i could not cope. I'd love to say that i kept it together, i'd love to say that i clawed it back from the brink and chased down the places i lost, i'd love to say that i fought on and was able to overcome my daemons.

No.

I failed on all accounts to deal with my brain and put it in its place. I went backwards, worse than i think i have ever done. Last place, lapped on the 4th lap, looked at by the commissar and given the option to bail. Hit the pits, jumped out of the plane and didn't pull the cord. Race over. Disappointment, apologies to Alan and Pauline who did an amazing job pitting for me, clean bikes when i needed them, no complaints from them at any stage.

Experiences like this need to be learnt from. Nationals are 4 weeks away. I have to look at what i want to do there and see if it is possible. I have to work on my technical skills again. I need to sort my brain out so i can claw it back when it goes into spiral mode.

Ulster Cyclocross Championships

Friday through Saturday and the snow started to fall. Not only were we being given small craft warnings (bikes are small crafts aren't they?) but the temperature was due to plummet. Safe in the knowledge that the Irish road system would fail with even the slightest hint of snow i opened a beer late on Saturday night and settled into a night of relaxing before a race that i assumed would be cancelled. However not to be outdone i did ease off after the second beer, pack the kit bags, set the alarm for 8am, and get to bed by 11:30pm. Just in case.

8am alarm call and I've been away for an hour anyway. Body is adjusted to winter time now and tries to get as much sunlight as it can in the morning. Open the curtains to find 10cm of snow in the back garden and the car under the same in the front. Wander to the loo and send people some texts. Mostly no commital answers until one back from Andy saying 'Robin is on his way up, slowly'. Bugger..... if he is going there is a reason. Text Robin to hear that its slow but he's not hit the M1 yet. Living only 10mins from the main road to the north has its benefits...and if it was clear...even vaugly... Text back at 9:10am 'M1 clear, slow going, get move on'

9:15am, car packed, two bikes, 3 wheelsets, kit, water, ski pants and jacket. 9:17am rolling/sliding to the M1. 10:00am hit the M1 after witnessing some terrible drivers trying to drive at 60kph on sheet ice. One lane open on the main motorway, 40kph until Balbriggan when it opens out fully and can get up to 80. Once past Drogheda there is no snow, frost yes, but its like a different world. Dublin got hit bad for a change but the North was fine. very very weird. Rest of the way to Rostrevor as fast as the limits allow sitting in the car park for the race at 11:15am. Perfect.

Kilbroney park in Rostervor is one of those CX venues that I love and hate. A DNF there last year saw me fall from a top 10 place to a pile of vomiting hell for a week or two.Met up with Robin, Evan, Dave and Andy after sign on and a quick lap of two. The course is great but you need to be fit, very fit. Freezing conditions had left the course like a road race. The MTB races before did nothing to cut the ground up and it was perfect for us. Gridded on the second row had me in a good position for the first section but the first two corners were going to sort it out quick enough. Sure enough after the gun Glen Kinning dropped it in the second corner and a bunch of 12 us managed to get away.

the first lap had us all together until a fracture saw Robin and Matt Adier get away. Shortly afer that another move saw me in a group of 4 hanging off the back of an 8 behind the lads. Matt wrecked his derauiler and that was that for the day. Scrapping would ensue among these groups. Andy Newman from WORC worked his way up and past me and replaced Dave O'Neil (WORC) in the pain train. Glen made his way back up to help his team mate and we played cat and mouse for the next 6 laps. With the course running hard and fast average speed for the race was 21.3kph. Second last lap and i binned it trying to attack out of the group i was in. Glen was smart enough and attacked the second he got past my flailing corpse and i had to work as hard as i could to get back to him. At the exact point again on the last lap where i caught him Glen attacked again. Couldn't get onto his wheel, totally spent but had to defend from the two guys on my wheel. Luckily into the last section of single track i could pull back, ease off and recover. The final climb would be where the attacks came from and i needed to go with them. James McMaster from Curran Racing attacked on the last hill and i went with him before he got to my hip. With an on coming bush in his way he backed off and i went again. Jack from East Antrim CC managed to get past James and that was the end of that.

Video, Photos, and results from the day. 10th place overall, a good attack from Glen left me dead for 9th place. Great move and recovery from the crash on the first lap. Happy with the result overall, happy with how i rode, just not 100% smart on some sections. Good feelings before the National Trophy race in Bradford on the 12th of December.

CX racing

Few races in the last few weeks and a few other things:

Sickness:

Week off the bike bar a single day MTBing in COrk with Enda. On some killer antibiotics to try and kill whatever has been getting me down. Appears to have worked. At the same time i concentrated on some work and got myself in a better position in coaching and work circles so double plus good.

New bike:

It happened, i have been crashing way way to much and a double bike opportunity came about. Will post later about it but HUGE thanks to Paul at the Bike Hub in Howth for sorting me out.

Super Cross Cup - Rnd 4: Tymon

Much much muddier than last time. Felt ok going in. Rode hard as i could as i was gridded pretty badly. Got into top 15 after the first lap then pushed up to outside the top 10. Crashed out following Andy Newman into the off camber on lap 3. Buggered up the bike, so hit the pits for the other bike. But eneded up in 30th. 20 places in 30seconds on the deck. CX has become compeditive now... Pushed as hard as i could but the ribs were killing me. Managed a 26th place but honestly spent the last 3 laps just riding and restraining myself for Sunday. Beers on Sat night were good though :)

Ulster CX - Belfast, Ormeau Park:

After crashing on Sat i wasn't sure how id race today, decided to call it on the morning of the race. Woke up, hurt, but not enough not to go up. Freezing cold day. Horrible course (only cause i felt intimidated by 90% of it) and i was close to not racing. MTFU after i watched Pauline ride well (to 3rd, well done that girl). Course raced well, can't deny that, it just was on the border of what i can ride. All my time was made up on the lower CX section where i could go 100%. One crash resulted in 5 places lots, of which i caught back up 3 to finish 9th. Rode the UJC and switched to the new bike when i realised i needed tubs that were attached. First race this year i am actually happy with my result.

Lisburn Cyclocross, Ulster CX Rnd3

Ok, for the first time this season a positive race report. First off to the race orginiers...what a course. Chapeau. You stepped up and it was excellent, fast, flowing, slow where it needed to be, painfull everywhere.

Have been sick for weeks with some sort of viral thing, cant get rid of it, been to docs, have stuff to go on as of tomorrow. Turned up to the Lisburn of the Ulster CX league just to ride, not to race.

Surprised that i got gridded as i'd missed the last round, but always a nice feeling to get called up, sat on the third row. Sitting in a bunch of guys i know but am used to being ahead of was a bit odd, but so be it.

Easy fast start saw a quick stretch of fireroad into a 100m section of grass. This had got boards on, which are a stong point of mine, but they were removed at the last minute and we ended up riding a quagmire. All i can say is thank you tubs and 30PSI. Short fast sections of gravel which rode like mini Belgian sand pits lead to a quick tarmac/carpet climb up to the return section.

Fast rolling descents with some tight off camber corners meant that you were trusting your tires to grip at huge speeds sometimes. Underlying rocks were there to punish those running clinchers, but it turned out that rear mechs were the food of the day. 9 mechs...9 ...were counted as being off bikes by the end of the race. Mud, gravel and speed do not combine well. Personally no chain suck. WD-40 the bike the day before, it works.

Had a few great laps racing Jason Henry until i managed to drop him. Then got dropped by my own team mate and spent 5 laps racing on my own (out of 9). Slowly made my way up from 16th on the grid and first lap, to 11th overall. Two places due to mechanicals, the rest...they just were not willing to suffer.

Positives: No mechanicals, no crashes, never even a single sketchy moment
Negatives: I could go harder, i can push the corners.

Injury Free?

It's been a while since ive been injured. Quite a while and it's been great to be honest. Getting told i'd managed to incur a stress fracture and a trapped nerve was a pain in the nuts to put it mildly. Coming at the same time as rolling 2 tubs at one race, crashing 4 times hard in a week, and then puncturing a tub in the next race...well i was in a bad place.

The last week has been recovery, mental and physical.

Went to the physio last night and got the all clear to run again. Not for long, 15mins, and not fast or hard. Somehow i've managed to keep my weight in check with no running. Sitting below 81kg at the moment and i can be happy with 3 months until nationals.

Tonight i will run for the first time in 6 weeks. It will be slow. I may even put some music on. It will be slow, and my feet will get soaked in the grass. But i cannot explain how much i am looking forward to it.

6min/km here i come.

Weekend away, roads and more roads

Long weekend was on the cards. I've somehow managed to miss the other Bankholidays this summer by forgetting they were about to happen. Not this time, a plan needed to be hatched.

Was working on Friday night at the St Pats vs Bray Wanderers game (it was terrible) so couldn't get away super early. Plan was to head off to Cavan early on Saturday morning, but i didn't get home until 12:30pm as someone did not want to do the business, and i got to bed sometime after 1am as i'd not eaten dinner. Slept through and woke up at 10:30am....fail. I was supposed to be on the road at 10am. OOps. 1pm rolling out of the house with 100km to head to get to Virginia. Must get to Pumpkin Festival!

Mostly the ride was flat with some small kickers along the way. Section out of Kells nearly bored me to death, thankfully music kept me alive. Nearly died twice within 10m of entering Virginia, but 3hrs 45mins later and a good ride was in the bank. Changed, coffee'd, and then dinner with Paulines folks.

Plan for the rest of the weekend was vague. Hotel booked in Achill Island for the Sunday night, get there at some point, get home. Sin e. Drove to Enniskillen that evening and I managed not to kill anyone and watched a good film. I'd no clothes with me so dressed in Mikes clothing for the weekend. Baggy and woollen mostly!

Woke up the next morning to some awesome frost and ice. Inversion on the lake and perfect skys. Drive to Achill was going to be great! Coffee stops and a few other stops on the way and we got to the island in time to enjoy the great weather in a picnic at the Sound. Met a few friends then went for a drive on the island for a few hours to see bits we'd never seen. No surf so not much else to do. Dinner and a few beers that evening before bed, then another long drive back to Dublin. Popped into cinema to see The Social Network (its rather good) then bed.

In total i think i've doubled or tripled the entire amount of time i have ever driven a car in this one weekend. Simple as TBH...

Supercross Rnd 2: Tymon Park IMBRC

Tymon Park was where i popped my cyclocross cherry all those years ago. I'd done a race or two on a mountain bike but had never raced proper on a CX bike. I managed to scrounge together a beater of a bike in the form of an old Flanders CX frame. It was heavy, i was heavy, and the course was a nationals that went down in history for being over within 20m when a crash occurred into the first section of singletrack. Suffice to say i got my ass handed to me and finished +3 laps. It was a birth by fire for me.

4 years on and allot has changed. Gone are the singletrack sections, gone is the crazy start, and gone is the mud and tears of being a fat bloke carting a 12kg bike about the course. 3 years later and this is a course i love returning to and this year it was perfection. 3m wide the whole way round, UCI standard for 99%, and fast as you could make it.

Race was going to be stacked from the start, all the big names were out and looked like a great race with was in store. Personally i was feeling ok. Had just recovered from a chest cold, but after being struck with a case of the 'stop training Greg' in the form of a trapped ulnar nerve and a stress fracture in my leg i pretty much should have just hung up the wheels. However being gridded always has a bit more behind it and its great to get called up to a race. Makes you feel like you've achieved something...or such.

Either way i opted to race, for good or bad i don't know. First few laps were ok, then it all went wrong. The course was a top end course, you needed raw V02 power and mine was still covered in phlegm and it made its way up on more than one occasion. 4 laps in and i started to realise i was going to be lucky to get through this in the top 20 let alone 30. Recovery mode and just ride to maintain places. 3 laps later and it wasn't getting better. Keith from Sundrive passed me noting that i looked like shit and should pull over. In a nice way. But Karma had other ideas and i punctured my front tub. Right before the techy off camber bits. Cock.

Ran a bit, realised this was bad for my leg, then just finished the lap and pulled in. Pissed off, but then i found out that 15 people suffered the same. Me thinks that people in the UK will be getting muchos money from Irish riders looking for new tubs!

Supercross Rnd 1: Swords CC

The Stevens Supercross Cup. Alwyas good racing. Always a deep field at the front end. Always hard. Always fast. Always excellent. This year we are back in Leinster for the 4 round series. Back and bigger than ever. With 34-40 people turning up at training and this the first race in the South all year it was going to be a big one. 50 people presigned. 15 more signed on at the startline. This was going to be epic.

The course designed by Dave O'Neil was a definite Dave course. Fast corners, fast straights, no uber tech, but forced running that paid well for cross riders, and corners that you could only just maintain grip at high speed on. A crew from Team-WORC arrived to help set the course and clean as much of the grass and cans off as we could.

Starting grid was stacked in the front two rows. Robin, Giller, Dave O, Evan, Gormo, Aiden, Peter, Myles, Niall...i knew everyone on the front two rows by name and new this was going to be a very fast start. Some random roadies tried to slot in at the front and were promptly run through when the whitle went. 10 laps flat out. Bring it on.

Straight line it from the gun into the first corner, 3 wide with Stu on the right and Niall on the left, pull away from Niall but he's all over me on the next corner. Avoid the corner we all assumed would cause a crash and hit the speed dip to bypass the river. Up onto the dirt corner like a supermoto course and Niall is trying to undertake, quick flick into his line and he's forced to go high, i go low and make the run up before him.

Massive attack out of the run up and try to gap him Latch onto Stu and Noel from WORC and we work like hounds to gap the group. Hit the ride up fast and have got 5-10m's on the Rocky Mtn boys. Down the straight, first time over the boards (385mm of UCI goodness). Down the grassy edge of the GAA pitch and into the funnel to the 'drop'.

Ride the drop and realise this is a great spot to attack. Pull ahead of Stu and Noel as they are suffering a bit and spot Myles in his Bikepure kit ahead. Target sighted. Attack. Cross the finish line and 200m later I'm on the back of the group with Myles, Colm and Sean. Sit in for half a lap until I decide to make my presence known. Track riding taught me to control from the front like a good kirin rider so i move past them on the boards and get to the front. Also allows for blocking if its needed.

3rd lap and I'm getting pissed off with the guy from Tiernans on my wheel. I made an attempt to bridge to the next group and you are wheel sucking. Shouted 'Either work, or i will drop your sorry ass'. He didn't so i went harder. Myles was smarter than that and half a lap later he is all over me again. Ease off. This guy can ride and we still have 6 laps to go.

And so it went until lap 8. I'd attack, drop Myles, he'd work his balls off to get back onto me and drag the Tiernans rider up to us. Colm had punctured somewhere around lap 7 so was gone, and Sean was off the back and suffering....i hoped. Start of lap 9 and i had to go. As i was winding up to go the lad from Tiernans goes. Let him go, hop on his wheel and get ready to spring board after the run up. This has to be hard as i can no sticking around to see if they chase.

Big right hander. Fast. To fast for my confort. Tub goes off the rim. Rim catches. I highside and end up on the ground, the same place i rolled in warmup. Curse as Myles and co ride past. Throw a massive Millar time and then cop on. Roll the tub back on. Get running kid. Run the section to the corners as Stu comes back to me. Tell him to ride on as i cant corner. Eventually get to the pit, change the front wheel and start again. This is going to be hard. I'd gone from 10th to 21st in a matter of seconds. Chase as hard as i can, corner way to ragged, hold it, get a place. Get another one at the boards and bridge to Asa and another lad.

Holding on as Asa leads into the drop. I know he is going to attack, and he does, just manage to get to his wheel again. 100m to go and a series of 90' corners and a big 180' corner. Skills need to work. Think of it as a match sprint. Hold my line behind Asa sitting on his wheel. Final corner, he jumps the Newry rider, 50m to go and I'm already in the drops while Asa is still on the tops. Leverage will win. Drafting till 30m and i have to go. Out of the saddle. Full gas, head down, death or glory.

17th place. Two rolled tubs. Less points than i needed, but a good performance let down by a mechanical. Myles finished 10th. In my position. Tomorrow will be different.

Thanks to Waggers for the photos.

Lurgan Race File

Bit late i know but may as well stick up race file from the weekend in Lurgan last week.

Looking through the file I was probably a little too hyped at the start line. HR was very very high and that probbably didn't help with trying to chase back onto the bunch after I crashed.

Lap times (bar first one) were pretty consistant, but you can see my HR dropping the whole way through. Just wasn't pushing near the end as i had nothing to chase for. Need to sort out the head for the race tomorrow. No matter where i am, treat it as a race, treat every place as if it was first place.

Last lap was a bit off due to 2 chain drops, hopefully new chain retainer arrives today. CRC be kind to me!

Ulster Cyclocross League Round 1: Lurgan Park

Edited since posted:

First race of the year. Always nervous, always apprehensive, always a big start to a long season. THe course was big, the course was long, the course was more akin to a mountain bike race than a cyclocross course.

I was not impressed at first.

Lurgan has held some fantastic races in the past. This year its to be the national championships so they are aiming to step up to a race that needs to be run well or they will receive abuse. The location is excellent, huge area of land with a tennis pavillion at the start, food, playgrounds and a massive amount of mixed parkland to work with. But suffice to say the water jump raised its head again....arrghghg. I don't mind it, it just takes one twat to cream him/her self on it and they are screwed.

The warm up was odd. With a 12-13 minute lap (told you it was long) only 3 laps were done in warm up. very little time to learn the course and by the 3rd racing lap i had maybe got it sorted in my head. Not a good sign!

The MTB support race ripped up the ground less than expected and to top it off Pauline got 3rd place. Well done that girl...now to get her a cross bike. Lining up on the start line you could tell that it was going to be a hard start. All the fast boys up the front and not very much space.

Race kicked off and 50m in Matt Aider bumps me on the left and then he's on the ground. 3 other riders went down on the fast tarmac start, but this happens every now and again. Fair dues to the guy he chased back on and won the race! But...100m down the road a bunch of 7 of us had got away. At the first turn a rider went down taking myself and another rider with him. Straight to ground in a heap. Picked up bike and ran to notice chain was off. 6th -last in a split second. Myself and Rob from WORC started to chase back, but at that point it was race over.

First lap saw me get back up to 16th position but i'd spent any energy i'd have used for later in the race. Havent had to go so hard for so long in a while, good to know i can do it, but not the time to use it. A stupid mistake on the last lap saw me drop from 12th - 16th as i missed a gear change and hopped my chain again. Suffice to say i was angry crossing the line. Course ran better in racing than warmup, bike and rider are ok if a little bruised, but not the best start.

But hey, thats racing.

Youtube video*

*I am thinking of changing my name to Theo Bos....

Photos to come later:

http://picasaweb.google.com/paulineg/LurganCX2010#