Etape Training Diary

Well I’m patched up and raring to go.  Since the last blog entry I’ve been stretching like mad and back to see the physio who has given me a clean(ish) bill of health.

I got back on the bike last week and built up slowly through the week riding Mon, Tues, Wed and Thurs culminating in an eventful (blow out and 2 broken spokes) 80 miles on Sunday with very few niggles from my ankle.  This week has been a bit quieter as I’ve felt pretty wiped out by last week and work.  I would have ridden on Wednesday but travelled to Cornwall for a couple of days off.  I rode up to Bodmin Moor and back to Wadebridge on Thursday (2 hrs, 33 miles) and I’m now resting until Sunday when I take part in the third of the three warm up events - The Force Cancer Charity’s ‘Century Cycle Challenge’.  I rode this last year and completed my first 100 mile ride.  We start in Topsham and ride up to Exmoor and back.  The Force Cancer is a fantastic organisation that work locally to Exeter and provide support to cancer sufferers and their families.

This time next week I will be sat in France waiting to ride and I can’t wait.  Feeling fit and keen to get on with it.  Not much else to say really.  Keep your fingers crossed.  Any supportive comments are welcome.  Wish me luck.

Well I’ve got no idea what week it is and I’m not sure if it’s worth continuing to add up the miles beyond 2000!  It’s been an up and down couple of weeks starting with the Tour of Wessex on Sunday 25th May.  Another 100 mile sportive, the 2nd of the 3 warm up events.

A poor start - rain and wind was not helped by a puncture after 4 miles , a second puncture after 35 miles saw the 2 spare tubes used up :( .  Things began to improve from there on with the weather drying up and hot sun by the time we reached the beautiful south coast, passing Lulworth Cove and Corfe Castle before turning north back to Castle Cary.

Total ride time was 7:28, if you take off 1/2 hr for punctures and a further 20 mins as it was actually 105 miles gives a time of 6:40 for 100 miles - not too shabby.  Quite happy with that.

I didn’t get to ride in the week following due to works comitments and one thing and another but knew a long weekend away in Essex would more than make up for it, allowing me 2 long rides, Friday and Sunday.

I hit the road on Friday full of beans.  60 miles in less than 3hrs (all flat though) but I started to feel my achilles after approx 2hrs.

The next day it remained quite tender so I decided to rest.  I had a light spin for an hour on the Tuesday and all seemed OK so I followed that with a typical 50 miles up to Dartmoor and back via Teignmouth.  Not a good idea.  The next day (last Thursday) my ankle felt like 2 elastic bands rubbing over each other as I bent my ankle.

I had an appointment with the physio yesterday.  She has told me that I have a lack of flexibility in my right leg which has caused the problem.  She gave the right leg a massage (which really hurt) followed by some stretching.

I now have a series of stretches to do 3 times a day as well as massaging of the calf muscle.  I will be able to ride for 1-2 hrs on Friday and Sunday and will be re-assessed next Monday.  Fingers crossed.

All in all a bit of  a nightmare and not what I was hoping for as I look to cap off all the training to date.  All things being well I will be able to get a solid 2 weeks of training followed by 1 week tapering before the event on 6th July.

The difficulty will be if I ride this weekend and have any problems.  Keep your fingers crossed!

In the mean time you can always look here

Following the Dartmoor Classic on the Sunday, I had the Monday off followed by a short ride on the Tuesday.  Legs felt very heavy to start with, but after 20 minutes or so, I felt so much better and was flying around the lanes of Thorverton.  21 miles, 1 1/4hrs riding

I managed a 50 mile ride after work on Thursday, which really shows the benefit of the light evenings.  I rode up to Moretonhampstead as I normally do but dropped down to Bovey Tracey, Kingsteignton and home via the nasty hill out of Teignmouth.  Good session. 3 hrs riding.

The weekend was a mixed bag, heavy rain on Saturday followed by a night out, which meant probably not a lot of riding on Sunday.  So I reluctantly threw a leg over the bike and off I set into the rain,  I took the coast road to Torquay and rode on to Paignton.  59miles, 3 3/4hrs.  Should have been a bit longer but really not in the mood.

So I went out for a spin on Sunday as well.  The training plan I’m following suggested riding in a higher gear and pushing hard on the hills for 1 1/2 hrs.  Sounded pretty easy.  It was evil.  Like riding up hill for 1 1/2 hrs.  But I rode down to Dawlish Warren and back to Exeter at an average speed of 21.6mph.  That used to be 15mph before Christmas!

Summary for week 28
9 1/2hrs training, 158 road miles ridden.

Totals at the middle of week 28

1580 3/4 hrs training, 2001 miles ridden.

Well it took 17 weeks to get to the first 1000 miles and another 11 weeks to get to the next 1000 miles.  Will I get to 3000?  I really hope not!

Next week will be a bit easier due to the Tour of Wessex next Sunday.  Looking forward to it at the moment.  Lets hope it’s not as hilly as Dartmoor.

The first real test - the first of the warm up events.  And what a good test the Dartmoor Classic proved to be.  It was hot and hilly.

After last years torrential rain the weather this year couldn’t have been much more different.  The Ralgex was replaced by Ambre Sloaire and short sleeves were worn rather than rain capes.

After resting for the weekend (Thurs/Fri?Sat) and eating as much pasta as I could manage through the week we were all set for the Sunday.  As usual with these events I felt as if I hadn’t had much sleep.  It seems strange to think that I was worried about the ride - maybe more that there’s a lot of things to think about that keep whirling through your mind, the hot weather didn’t help either.  So when the alarm clock rang at 6am another hour or 2 would have been welcome.

Ian picked me up at 7 and we travelled the short distance to Kingsteignton and got ready to set off.  The bike was carrying 5 energy bars, 5 gels and I had a pocket full of Jelly Babies as a back up.

The route was pretty tough but Ian and I made good progress to the first feed station at Okehampton, after eating wonderful homemade flapjacks and refilling the water bottles we were soon on our way again, skirting down the western edge of Dartmoor and through the 50 mile point at Lydford.  From there on it was like riding a slow motion rollercoaster, continually up and down.  A long line of cyclists suffering in silence, hardly anyone was talking - just trying to grind out the miles and conserve as much energy as possible.

I caught up with Ian at the feed station in Princetown after climbing a beast of a hill.  The rest was welcome and I was glad to sit on the grass for 10 minutes or so.  The next challenge was the climb out of Dartmeet that had many people walking - I even saw a guy having to push 2 bikes and his wife walking behind him.  The pain continued with two mor 1 in 5 hills to be negotiated before a big decent down to Bovey Tracey.  I managed to hang on to the tails of a couple of guys for the last 4 or 5 miles and got back with an official time of 7:08.  I was hoping to be under 7 hrs so slightly disappointed but a bronze medal brought a smile to my face.

All in all not a bad ride considering, I finished no. 170 in a field of 622 riders.  The most important thing was the training and preparation for the Etape.  The organisers stated the total ascent to be 3,368m with the Etape coming in around the 4,000m mark.  I’m not sure we could have found a day much hotter to ‘warm-up’ on.

Totals at the end of week 27

1571 1/4 hrs training, 1843 miles ridden.

I’m loosing track following a weeks holiday!  We spent a week in Boston and Cape Cod - with no cycling, well almost no cycling.  Hence no update until now.

Since then lots of miles under the belt and lots of hills.

A quick summary

Sunday (27th April) Still feeling the effects of the flight the previous day, I cycled up the Exe Valley to Dunster in Somerset mainly flat with 2 decent climbs - 85 miles, approx 5 hrs

Monday - Recovery ride 15 miles, 1 1/2hrs

Tuesday - rest

Wednesday - 30 miles, 2 hrs

Thursday - 42 miles, 2 1/2 hrs

Friday - rest and travelled to N. Cornwall for the Bank Holiday weekend

Saturday - 52 miles, 3 1/2hrs I cycled from Wadebridge across St Breock downs and the clay pits to St Austell and Charlestown, then back via the N. coast road.

Sunday - rest

Monday - 67 miles, 6 hrs, I rode part of the North Cornwall Tor route, from Wadebridge along the northern edge of Bodmin Moor to Canworthy Water, from there out to Crackington Haven and back on the ‘hilly’ coastal road.

Tuesday - rest

Wednesday - 22 miles, 1 1/2hrs Light spin down to Dawlish Warren

Summary
21 3/4hrs training, 315 road miles ridden.

Totals at the middle of week 27

1564 1/4 hrs training, 1743 miles ridden.

Lots of other big news - it’s now less than 2 months to the Etape - about 58 days as I write this!!  I’ve now got my rider number!!  All of a sudden it is beginning to seem very real.  Got some more info from the travel company Custom Getaways, with itineries for the 3 days etc.

This weekend is the Dartmoor Classic, the first of 3 warm up events I have planned.  After riding the 100km ride last year (62 miles) in the most horrendous conditions (monsoon like rain) this year I’m riding the full 100miles.  The forecast is for sunshine (excellent news) but it is certainly going to be very tough.  It obviously won’t have the same long climbs but what it lacks in altitude it will make up for in number of climbs.  The repetitous nature of the short sharp climbs, from the beginning to the end will soon have an impact on weary legs.  Bring it on.

I’ll let you know how I get on.

A quick update this week as there isn’t a whole lot to tell.  Last week was a bit of a disaster due to the weather and one thing and another.  Circuit training on Monday followed by nothing on Tuesday was meant to have a big interval session on Wednesday but the weather was appaling so I put it off until Thursday and…the weather was appaling, but I still went.  The trainng plan suggested intervals of 10 mins on and 10 mins off.  Obviously not too high an intensity as it had to be sustained for the full 10 minutes.

So I headed for Mamhead, the ‘big’ hill around our way.  It runs from Starcross which is at sea level to a height of 250m, I rode it four times in quick succession.  The biggest problem was keeping warm in the heavy rain.  I would warm up on the way up which took about 10 mins but cool down on the way back dow which took 5 mins!  The reason for the slow decent was the wet roads and wet brake blocks not doing a whole lot to slow me down.  Anyway after 4 climbs I headed for home, by the end my fingers were throbing with the cold.  Total ride time 2 3/4 hrs, approx 30 miles.

Saturday and Sunday were wiped out by the weather and the fact it was my birthday! Yipee.  I got up at 7 both days to go for a ride but as it was heavy rain I was happy to fall back into bed.  My bike suffered during the ride on Thursday, the wet weather really doesn’t do the road bike any good at all.

And a sneak peak for week 24 which will be a rest week apart from the 2 1/2 hr ride last night (Monday) instead of circuit training.  I tried to get a decent ride in as I didn’t get out over the weekend, 35 miles.

Summary of week 23 & 24
6 1/4hrs training, 65 road miles ridden.

Totals at the end of week 24

134 1/2 hrs training, 1428 miles ridden.

Week 22 has been very good.  Circuit training on Monday and mountainbiking (2hrs) on Tuesday gave a familiar feel to the start of the week.  The big difference is with the clocks going forward.  Something I’ve been looking forward to since the end of October (Probably the August Bank Holiday actually which is the end of summer to me).  We still needed lights but not until 8ish.  It was quite strange to be riding my mountain bike in daylight and in the dry.  Nice

Had a rest on Wednesday due to work commitments but managed 2 1/2 hrs on Thursday night.  Great weather as well, could have worn shorts.  Good route (39 miles) with plenty of climbing.

Rested on Friday ready for a big one on Saturday. And it was. 5 hrs and 80 miles. I made a conscious effort to take it a little slower and listen to the heart rate monitor. I think up to now I have just peddled pretty hard all the way round, if there’s a headwind - just keep going. This is all well and good but the heart rate has been shooting up to 165 and above and after 4 hours I’m disapointed that I’m shattered. On Saturday I tried wherever possible to keep the heart rate below 150 and also eat more and earlier in the ride. Instead of getting to an hour or even an hour and a half I started eating after 30 minutes.

Something worked as I managed 5hrs rather than 4. That’s not to say I wasn’t tired but I wasn’t as shattered as I have been previously.

So I went out on Sunday and rode another 2 hour (approx 30 miles) hilly route. Felt pretty tired to start but legs slowly eased into it and by the end I felt fine.

Summary of week 22
11 1/2hrs training, 129 road miles ridden.

Totals at the end of week 22

128 1/4 hrs training, 1363 miles ridden.

Maps aren’t working at the moment and no photos so no extras this week.

Another break between updates but I have found some time to sit down and write a few words.  It would be interesting to know who (if anybody) reads this other than my Mum!  Please leave a comment if you do and let me know if you are training how it is going and if you feel I’m on target or lacking a bit.

As ever life is busy and even busier when trying to get out on the bike.  Another mixed bag heavily disrupted by the weather.

I think week 20 was the run up to Easter weekend which I was looking forward to as a big weekend of riding, I was hoping to get 2 big rides in over the 4 days off work.  Unfortunately the weather had other ideas with big winds and heavy showers.  I finally got out on the Bank Holiday Monday and rode approx 60 hilly miles in approx 4 hours.  I was hoping to do more but as I came back to Exeter it made sense to turn for home rather than go on with no more food or water - I felt shattered.

No other riding until the Thursday when I had a lunchtime ride up to Haldon and back Haldon hill sits at 250m with Exeter at sea level.  The Tourmalet will be 6 times the ascent!  Nice.

I then took the Friday afternoon off and rode to Mortenhampstead on the East side of Dartmoor.  It then proceeded to empty it down, so I did the decent thing and turned for home and rode as fast as I could.  I still got soaked but enjoyed the ride none the less.  Approx dist 50 miles ride time 3 1/2 hrs.

On Sunday we finally had some decent weather.  Blue sky, little wind and warm sun.  A quick spin down to Dawlish Warren and back saw another 22 miles in 1 1/2 hrs.

Times and distances are a little approximate due to lack of computer - Birthday in a few weeks though.

Summary of week 20 & 21

10 hrs training, 147 road miles ridden.

 Totals at the end of week 21

116 3/4 hrs training, 1234 miles ridden.

I feel I’m loosing track a little bit as it has been so long sinec the last update.  I’ll try and keep on top of it a bit better from now on.

I currently using the training plans produced in Cycling Plus as a guid to what I should be doing each day which helps give a bit of structure and guidance to the riding.  The clocks have finally gone forward and it feels as if there is more time in the day to get in the saddle.  Lets hope the mileage keeps going up.

Finally I find some time to sit down and think about what I’ve been up to cycling wise for the last couple of weeks.  Unfortunatly, as is usual the response is ‘not enough’

Week 18 was a bit of a wash out with real bad weather.  I missed circuit training after being caught at work.  Rode on the Tuesday night, taking the mountain bike out around Woodbury for 1 1/2 hrs.  Wed/Thurs were missed and followed by a weekend away for a wedding near Birmingham.

 Summary of week 18

1 1/2 hrs training, 0 road miles ridden.

Week 19 started off similar to week 18, I did make it to circuit training (now shortened to 3/4hr )but missed the regular Tuesday - I can’t even remember why.  By the time I’d not done anything on Wednesday I was feeling ‘itchy’ on the Thursday night and dragged out my old friend the turbo trainer.  I thought I’d seen the back of that one but no.  I didn’t really fancy it but knew it was important.  What better than a set of 6 intervals, 3 mins ’on’, 3 mins ‘off’.  I was thankful to get off after feeling like I was about to be sick on the final interval.

Friday was a rest day (like I needed it after not doing much).

Saturday saw some more sustained effort.  Due to the continual heavy rain I rode the mountain bike to Woodbury and rode a big loop and home again.  Approx 2 3/4 hrs.  The bike was fithy when I left Woodbury but nearly clean by the time I got home.  I had to jet wash myself before I was let into the house though - everthing was saturated and covered in mud/sand.

Apparently, the common was laid down on Triassic pebblebeds that are thought to come from an area of desert that extended over the English Channel to France.  As such a lot of the riding is through areas of sand.  This sand is slowly eating bits of my bike - especially brake pads.  I had to change another pair on Sunday, that’s the second lot since Christmas!

The rain stopped mid day on Sunday and allowed me to get a quick ride on the road bike, first time in over 2 weeks.  It was absolutely glorious, it just seems to glide compared to the mountain bike.  I headed up the nearest, biggest hill (Haldon) for a 1 3/4hr loop and home again.

Summary of week 19

6 hrs training, 26 road miles ridden.

 Totals at the end of week 19

106 3/4 hrs training, 1087 miles ridden

Week 17 has been a mixed bag.  The usual circuit training on Monday night.  Unfortunately it was packed with far too many people.  I’m not sure why it should have been busy last week, maybe every one is thinking about the summer and the beach.

Tuesday was ’exciting’ - I joined the Exeter Wheelers chain gang on what can only be described as a ‘tear up’ down to Dawlish and back.  Meeting at 6:30pm and setting off just after we rode at a ‘lively’ pace, covering approx 20 miles in under an hour!  I don’t mind admitting I was struggling on the way back.  I kept myself out of trouble and sat at the back for a lot of the time but did have a couple of goes on the front.  Luckily on the way back we all got caught up behind a bus in Starcross.  This gave me 30 seconds to catch my breath before we all set off again.  I didn’t get dropped and I wasn’t the last one back so a result in my book.  A big change from riding higher mileage at slower speeds and good to mix up the training.

Due to one thing and another there was no further riding until the weekend, as such, I thought I’d better make the effort to put in a few miles.  I’ve come up with a hilly route that circles Exeter so that I’m never much more than about 20 miles away from home, which seems better than cycling off and getting in trouble 50 miles away.  It was horrible, head winds for 3/4 of the ride - 3 times I got blown to a near stand still.  I had to slow right down on a few decents because of the vicious side wind and not having time to react to avoid the hedge!  I was out for a total of 5 1/2 hours and rode 73 miles.

bickleigh, Cred, Longdown, Kennford, Dawlish, Whimple

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

The full route would have seen me continue from Whimple, down towards Budleigh and back to Exeter.  I was quite pleased with the 73 miles considering the headwind and the number of hills covered.  When I got back my face, jersey and helmet were all covered in salt from the dried sweat!  I ate a whole Soreen cake, 3/4 of a big bag of jelly babies, 2 big bottles of carbohydrate drink and 2 bananas - and I was starving!

The photo at the top of the page was taken on the way to Dawlish!  There was plenty of debris on the roads the whole way round.  Next time out I’ll go for the whole route which should be up around the 100 mark.

Big milestone - I passed the 1000 mile mark for the training to date.  Woo hoo.  I wonder how long it will take to get to 2000?  Hopefully not 17 weeks.

Summary of week 17

7 1/2 hrs training, 93 miles ridden.

Totals at the end of week 17

99 1/4 hrs training, 1065 miles ridden