Well it had to happen eventually

Round 2 of the Midlands xc series did not go according to plan.......

Had a good week training, did some quality road work mid week and had no warning of what was going to happen in the race. Warmed up, the sun came out for my race and I was sporting new kit and go faster white socks. When the gun went off I blasted away up the climb into the arena and took quite a few places. Then into the first bit of single track I got held up and things took a nose dive for me.



I could not get a rhythm and found it really tough, I had bike handling problems which caused me to fall off a few times and by the end of the first lap I was going backwards fast. I came through to start lap 4 and for the first time ever I had to call it a day.

So what went wrong? Well it certainly was not my training because that was going well all week. Chris (rider coaching), was watching and he said he could see I was not right, and put it down to a bug that was going around. I genuinely had nothing in me, and was a bit dazed most of the day. So it is rest time for me, and this is the great advantage of having a coach. Some top riders and people who have cycled a long time can sort themselves, but it is great to have someone who can tell you when to push and also when to rest.

There were also some other issues which contributed to my poor performance which I should admit. Having a 2.25 old racing ralph on the front with 40 psi in to keep it on the rim was probably the reason every root tried to kill me. And swapping pedals to have cleats that I knew needed replacing added to the dismay as I could not stay clipped in on any climb. This is entirely my own fault and I should know better by now, anyway a pair of rocket rons ust are on their way as we speak. A lesson learned I suppose, and at least my legs are not killing me today.

Week 3

Not much to report really. Still got some good training in and if you did not know already; I am using rider coaching to train me. I have round 2 of the midlands series coming up on sunday, so I will do a proper race report. Until then I have pictures of how my wife's car looks with new stickers on (she was so pleased).

Week 2

Cycling is weird, or is it just me? Most people would agree the latter who know me. A funny week, some really good training courtesy of ridercoaching, some good road miles under the belt and topped off with an altercation with a driver who was lacking in moral fiber and viewed his car as a weapon. I have to say when he got out his car to inflict more damage to me and my mate Rob I did think I had bitten off more than I could chew. He looked like a cage fighter.

Anyway I survived and we all have stories of idiots on the road whether biking or otherwise. Things are going well, will talk more in depth about the training but for now all I can say you should consider a coach if you really want to improve.


If you are really interested here is a graph of the elevation on my Matlock ride, nice and easy hill work.

Week 1

Had a pretty good week, good race, sold my old frame and got some decent training done. Not sure what to expect from having someone else planning your riding, but one thing is certain is that it will improve you. My measuring stick is guys who I know are on the plan have definitely got fitter and faster.

So it is up to me I suppose, I have a reasonable starting point, a new faster bike and www.ridercoaching.co.uk looking after my training. In the past it has been easy to look at what might have been (we have all done it) and put reasons for why I am not an elite rider with endless talent. It is simple in my book now, work hard and reap the rewards whatever they might be.

The first reward is complete 12hrs of exposure, in the top ten and then who knows what might happen. I have kept my goal realistic and not stated a podium is on the cards but I will definitely give it a shot.

So there you go; it’s out there for all to see, this is the first of my goals this year. Hopefully I will not make a complete idiot of myself, watch this space I have done on numerous occasions.

We shall find out in April.

………………………………………

Day 1

Ok, so I have a cunning plan……………


It is six weeks until 24 hours of exposure in which I will cheat and only do the 12hr event. There is a reason for my lack effort to pedal for another twelve hours apart from the fact it is insane, it is because I did the same race last year, so basically can I better myself this year?

I did an XC race yesterday, which was the first race of the season, and I have to say that it was definitely a shock to the system. The course was not my cup of tea to be honest; this is because I have never owned a BMX or 4X bike. It was simply a flat out time trial which took 01:42:02 for 5 lap’s and saw me 15mins behind the winner.

Am I happy?

Oh yes, my goal was not to get lapped and be consistent, so a big tick in the boxes for me. So back to plan, the next part of the plan is to have a coach. This is really great because now I have one. What is even better is that when I logged on to see what I am down for today this is what he has put down.

Hello Rob Bradley,
Your Workouts for Monday, February 20
#1:
Type: Day Off

Life just gets better……………………………………..

Midlands Series

Well its that time of year again. My first race of the year is on Sunday and I am pretty exited. I have entered the masters cat so I am not expecting to set the world on fire, this is because there are some really quick guys in the mix.

What I want to achieve though is to give a good account of myself, pedal hard and enjoy the pain. It will be ace to catch up with some mates and be part of what we ride, train and enjoy so much.

See ya there ................................

Exitement

Just a quick glance at my new bike. And some big news to come later about training, until then I will be admiring my new Kinesis creation.