racin' and trainin'

I'm starting to get excited about cross season (only 4 months away!) and consequently have been getting fidgity about racing again. I got an entry through for the Ed Nocturne support race the other day which has fired me up to get a racing schedule sorted. Here's what i'm plotting:

24/05 - Super 6 Crit, Dumfries (3/4 cat)
30/05 - Edinburgh Nocturne Crit (4 cat)
10/06 - Eastern Promise RR (1-4 cat)
27/06 - Lothian Flyer RR (4 cat, fab wee hilly race near Peebles, throughly recommended!)
4-5/07 - Singletrack weekender (not entered yet but sounds fun, any other VCMers going??)
11/07 - 10 at Kirroughtree (pairs with Stevo hopefully)
16/08 - Super 6 Crit, Hawick (3/4 cat, if it's on..)
23/08 - Super 6 Crit, Irvine (3/4 cat)
5/09 - Super 6 RR, Lowthers (4 cat)
20/09 - Nat Trophy CX 1, Exeter (maybe..)
04/10 - Scottish Cyclocross Series Rd1

The crits are ace at simulating the efforts in a cross race and well 10 @ KT is just one of the funnest bike races i've ever done.

In addition to a bit of racing here's what an average week of training might look like in the build up to the cross season:

Weights (x2) squats and core stuff
Intervals (x2) raise power, fitness, efficiency etc
Cross drills (x1) guaranteed heckling from local youths down the park, but fun!
Endurance ride (x1 or 2) mtb, cross or road, shortish - 1.5 to 3hrs done v.steady.

Add in some weeks of heavier blocks of intervals (maybe 2 or 3 before cross season starts) and it all starts to look a little dull I know, but is quite effective and doesn't take up too much time when there's other stuff going on..

What's anyone else got planned??

Winter training & racing.

It seems to be absolutely freezing in East Anglia and we’re only just into November- winter has arrived and caught me by surprise. Still need to sort out my winter kit and some decent lights for some night time road miles. I haven't raced my bike since the 3 peaks and to be honest I've been a bit unsure what to do race wise- keep going this season and do some cross or start preparing for xc racing next year? Winter training is a tricky one- do you follow the traditional approach of 'getting the miles in' or the more modern idea of 'quality over quantity'? Any views? The last few weeks I've mainly been enjoying a few spins on the road and the odd beer or two.

Last week I got all the motivation I needed to get some focus back- the dates were published for next years British Mountain Bike Series. The first race is in early April giving me 5 months to get in shape and ready to beast it. For me bike training is all about being focused and getting in a routine. In fact I find a routine is important for everything- take vitamin pills, if I get in the habit of taking them every morning then it’s no problem but once I forget a couple of mornings in a row that’s it, I stop for weeks. (Still not sure if they do anything but everyone in our office has the cold and I’m doing everything to avoid the inevitable) Having decided on some goals for next year I have a clear purpose and a good reason to drag my ass out of bed at 5.30am when it’s wet and cold! As for the winter training I think I’ll concentrate on getting ready for next year but the ‘cross is too much fun not to have a wee shot so I’ll do a few races and we’ll see how it goes. Got some particularly naughty Tufo Prestige tubs earlier in the week so once they’re glued on the ‘cross bike will be ready to roll- should be fun.

Good luck to everyone racing at Peebles this weekend. Wish I could have made my home race!

training

is something I never really thought about, it was always a case of ride my bike when I wanted as hard as I wanted, not rocket science not brain surgery, just ride. but recently I have started approaching riding and many other aspects of my day to day with a tad more care and conviction. it started when Andy-W (trailfettler) sent me a copy of his training schedule, to say I was somewhat horrified would be a mild understatement, this guy was squeezing in workouts wherever he could but not in a grinding himself into a lactic burnout kinda way, it was thought through and each session with a purpose. could I incorporate aspects of a regime like this into my life? well it appears I can, definitely not in the same league as the young gun but with a little planning and a big helping of commitment I am finding myself hauling myself out of the comfort zone and into a whole new world of pain. just where this will lead to remains to be seen and I will also admit that the recent bout of fine weather has been largely helping me make the choice but I am finding myself looking for windows of opportunity to work at fitness, no bad thing I am hoping, come cross season we will of course see wether it has all been in vain.

the team now stands 12 strong and gathering a bit of momentum and following, largely due to the kit and some sterling performances into the bargain, already mutterings about how we will do it next year are abound and good, VCM - here to stay ,well maybe if we get a multimillionaire investor to bank roll the whole shebang! on the subject of bank rolling a few people have been asking about t-shirts, big Jez is looking into some ethically sourced cotton, so watch this space.