English
At the end of every mountain bike season I always try to have some time off where I can wake up in the mornings not having to worry about what training I’ve got for that day. I suppose mental recovery is just as important as the physical. This year I booked a weeks holiday to Turkey all inclusive as a way to relax before returning home and straight back into the training! Usually I have a longer break, but with me having trouble with my back for most of the season and having forced time off, I’m sure that my legs are fine.
The small break is more a case of finalizing the end of the mountain bike season before the start of the cyclo cross season. Every year I cant resist the action of cyclocross racing, as not only is it good fun racing, but I think it gives me a good indication week to week on how my winters training is progressing and sometimes a race can amplify how the body is feeling at any giving time. Not only this but I train to race, and my head would go if I had to wait from end of September to early March before any kind of race. What can I say….I love competition!
I left for Turkey on the Tuesday after the last bmbs where I lay in the 33′c sun, had few drinks, eat loads of crappy foods, and generally done whatever it is that I cant really abuse when in training! Most mornings I started the day with a run and some lengths in the pool (generally with a hangover from previous nights efforts), but I thought this would leave the cycling muscles have their rest and at the same time keep my lungs ticking over.
I know what your thinking ‘you just said that wake up in the mornings not having to worry about training, and here I am on holidays and training in the mornings’, but really its a case of getting up and doing a run along the seafront and cooling off in the pool as pure pleasure and making the most of the sunny early mornings rather than actual training. I mean what better way to start the day…?
I got back home early hours Wednesday morning the following week, but decided that I’d wait until I’ve had a full nights sleep before starting any riding so on a fresh head I went out on the Thursday for a couple of hours road using the cross bike so that I could get used to the position again ready for my first cross race (Round 1 – National Trophy Series, Abergavenny) on the weekend. On the ride I felt a bit stiff, but overall felt quite fresh and strong, so I was quite optimistic that the fresh legs would help on the weekend. On the Friday I done a slightly longer 3 1/2hr road ride again on the cross bike, but by 2hrs into the ride I “hit the wall” which is where the body has depleted all calories and the tank is on empty.
This was strange for me as at the speed I was riding I would normally be able to ride for anything up to 6hrs and yet I blew at 2! I drank some of my dad’s (who was riding with me at the time) energy drink which was a massive help in getting me home. So for preparation for Sundays race we decided that I should have the Saturday off to re-energize after Fridays ride.
Race Day. It made a nice change getting to have a lie in the day of a race as I’m normally up early to have time to fit in breakfast, but with my race not starting until 2:30pm I could wake up that bit later. After a good warm it I made my way to the start line where I was gridded 12th on the second row, which compared to lasts years first Trophy where I was gridded at the back was a big improvement.
Off the start I managed to get into 3rd or 4th but as the race progressed I was passed by a good few riders and was at the back end of the second group fighting it out for 3rd. Paul Oldham and Jody Crawforth had a gap on the rest of the field and was in a race of their own in front, but towards the last quarter of the race the main bunch racing for 3rd broke up and I ended up being at the back end of the group finishing in 13th. This was a good first race for me as I always seem to have a really hard race with a poor performance on my first race back at cross and even though I felt quite tired for most of the race, there were times where I actually felt quite good. The next race for me will be round 3 of the Welsh Series on the weekend and with a few more races behind me I should be riding a lot more smooth and ready to compete by round 2 of the National Trophy which takes place in Ipswich at the end of the month.
Race Report, Pics, Videos + Results
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/cyclocross/article/cyx20101008–Report–Cyclo-Cross-National-Trophy-Round-1-0