English
Well, time flies when you are having fun! I’m at the end of my 3 week training block in Nice and looking forward to going home tomorrow. The weather here has been hot hot hot which has meant early mornings to get out on the bike or out running. I made the mistake a few days ago of thinking I could take the heat at 11:30 and ended up diving into the water fully dressed post run in order to cool off. I have had 2 friends staying with me, both who like to sleep in so it has worked pretty well with me getting back from training at the same time they are getting up. It’s always a great feeling to get the training done and then have the day on the beach guilt free!
Yesterday I did Col Eze, dropped down to Cap d’Ail and then up to La Tubie. Not too difficult but certainly beautiful. I feel like I am riding well at the moment and with so many cyclists in the area it is easy enough to pick targets and push myself. I am a little worried about my swim because I have been swimming solo so it is hard to know how I am going, and swimming isn’t my strong point. I will be back in the Hampstead lido tomorrow for my coached session so will see how I fare against the regulars there!
I have really enjoyed riding my Focus Cayo Expert and being here has really allowed me to get to know the bike and get a good feel for it. Before coming out to Nice I only had a couple of hundred km’s on it. Many, many more now and most importantly I can descend on it! I am off to Austria at the end of August for a week of tough cycling with Bike Plus Tours including covering some of the well known passes. These include Bielerhöhe pass, Kühtai pass, Jaufenpass, Timmelsjoch climb as well as the famous Grossglockner road. It’s going to be tough but I am really looking forward to it.
For the past 2 weeks I have been testing out Power Balance. I have to admit I was extremely skeptical but I have noticed a difference to my balance when riding (more hands free tricks!!) and also when swimming in that I can rotate a lot further. It claims an increase in strength and flexibility however I haven’t really noticed that. I had a friend (also a skeptic) test it out and she too noticed a difference to her balance. We did the testing together as recommended on the demo video and did see results. I have seen a few riders here in Nice wearing them and have been asked about it a couple of times so they seem to be well known and used here. I would recommend it, however I do thinks the results will be different for each person.
So back to London tomorrow to get ready for the Dextro Olympic distance triathlon in Hyde Park on Sunday. Good luck if you are racing!
Happy training.
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