Tim leads the pack at a local race in the UK

I am a 45 year old expat South African living in the UK with my lovely wife and 3 sport crazy boys. I am passionate about  bike racing and although the change from living in Cape Town (South Africa) has been tough I have learnt to adapt to the new weather (I still prefer the sun to the cool grey clouds) the plus side of racing on the continent as opposed to racing in South Africa is the variety and sheer number of races one can choose from once the season starts in March. The racing scene is very  stimulating and super exciting.

Here is some background into how I go about preparing for the summer season of racing and time trailing. I compete in both road and time trail disciplines and if I wanted to I could literally race every day of the week from March through to September.

There are local club TT’s on Monday and Wednesday evenings, Open time trail events on Saturday and Sunday, Circuit racing on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and road racing on Saturdays and Sundays.

Fortunately for me being a veteran cyclist  has its benefits as well because I can race in either British Cycling events or the League of Veteran Cyclist events ( LVRC).

So far my year has been good … it’s taken me 5 years to truly adapt to the grey, wet, cold and pretty uninspiring weather that is served up in Jan and Feb.

I don’t train through Oct, Nov and pretty much just do core work in the gym with lots of weights.
Then come Dec I start doing spinning in the club – hour sessions just mucking around and also turbo training in the evenings on my Elite Realaxiom trainer – just riding no real intervals at all.
We normally go on holiday end Dec for 2weeks and I take my bike with me and do long slow rides 3 to 4 hours. This year we had 10 beautiful weather days in Mauritius to awaken my body from the winter slump.This seems to set me up for the year, these long rides are good for me and my endurance benefits immensely.

In January and February pretty much all of my riding is done on the turbo trainer – I am the world champion of turbo training! I love it for some reason and do 3 hour sessions on those grey cold sundays.I use a SRM powerneter and so know all the time what I am doing (no junk miles)
There is a very good book that I highly recommend called racing and training with a power meter by Hunter Allen – it will help you understand training zones and this is very important because you get to know when to do endurance and when to do aerobic, anaerobic work etc. So early Jan /feb most of my work is endurance zone and I know what HR and power level that is and just stick to it.

The final dash for the line

I use a 20 minute interval on my turbo to test myself and to gauge my progress it works like this:
- early season (Jan) I do my first test and this is usually very painful and difficult – but you need to go as hard as you can without blowing for 15 to 20 minutes – I normally get to 15 then stop!
Record your power and heart rate and how you felt etc. I simply write it down in a little moleskin notebook.
- 3 weeks later I try another and this time I normally get to 20 minutes – with a better power profile and HR and this is good because it means I’m progressing.
- I then tend to do it every 2 to 3 weeks through Feb march and April and always am able to go harder with a lower heart rate than before.

It’s good for the head because it shows progress and is also the same length as a 10TT so it builds confidence – but you can’t do it too often.

The other intervals that I use are:
1 minute
I’ll do these March/ April and now during the racing season because they are anaerobic and good to sharpen up on.
1min on flat out in big chain 95/100 rpms and 2 min off in same gear but just reduce cadence to about 60/70rpm
Do about 10 of them they are hard but it’s only for a minute so take the pain.

2 minutes
These are even harder because they go past that 1min mark that you know you can do – they need to be done almost the same as the 1min ones pacing is very important otherwise you’ll blow at 1min 20 seconds.
do 6 of these with 2/ 3min rest in between

5 minutes
These are the staple – they are very good and teach you to hold pace they also push your threshold up.
do 4/ 5 with 3min rest between each
Push hard they are threshold to just above threshold intervals.

I also mix things up sometimes and do pyramids:
So 1min, 2min, 3min and 5min, 5min, 3min, 2min, 1min – that’s a total of 22 mins at threshold and above.

THE WEEKLY PROGRAM:
I do my hard sessions early in the week. During the season I just use the racing as intervals.
Tuesday – I can do a bowl circuit race (A race down near my office at 7pm in the evening) which is a very hard session a great substitute for intervals
Wednesday – Can be a TT which is the best training.
Thursday – Easy
Friday – Endurance – I like to do two rides, one in am on turbo and then an evening two hour ride.
Saturday – Race or 3 hour ride
Sunday – Race or a three to four hour ride

That’s it nothing special but it works for me.
Recovery is very important of course and I take extra protein daily. I try to get 8 hours sleep that’s the big one really – if I miss my sleep then I’m useless. I don’t eat too many junk carbs and eat lots of fish and veg. I don’t eat red meat or chicken.

WINDTUNNEL TESTING:

And finally I am always tinkering with my time trail position because if you get the aerodynamics right you can shave big time

Windtunnel testing helps me fine tune my positioning

off. Bottom line is head position and if you can get your head tucked in and low with tail of your helmet touching you’re flat back then that’s the perfect position – the air flows down your back without any turbulence. If your helmet tail sits high off your back you get turbulence and that is what slows you down.

Its a trade off between radical position and what is optimum for your power output – because some positions may be very aero but they are just not sustainable for your body and you can’t put the power down.

There you go,

chat soon
Tim

Trevor training for a 100 miler in South Africa

Participating in a long-distance MTB race can be a challenging yet thrilling way to test your skills, stamina and endurance.

Long-distance bike training combines intensive workouts as well as days for recovery. Following a nutritious diet plan throughout the training process will help to boost your energy and riding stamina. Sticking to a plan set up around a really good goal is critical in the success of your plan!

Perform one to two long-distance rides during each week of your training process and keep pedalling at a pace that you feel you could maintain throughout the 100-mile race. Ideally you want to ride your mountain bike twice-weekly to ensure you are comfortable for the big race days ahead.

Increase your distance to 100 miles if you can easily complete 100 to 120 km rides. Rest one to two weeks between each of your 100-mile rides as this will allow for maximum recovery too and then also does not “damage’ your sleep patterns too much Perform two intensive rides for each week of the training process. Ride on steep hills or difficult terrain to increase your heart rate for a cardiovascular workout. This you can easily see on my training programme if you check out the colour coded area’s…orange and red are those higher intensity sessions. With the guys that I train with, those are made very hard so I get maximum benefit from those.

Rest or do recovery rides with low intensity 24 – 48 hours after each of your intensive rides. Perform a recovery ride that consists of riding your mountain bike or road bike as slowly as possible. Remain off your bike for at least one full day during each week of your training as this gives the head some space too get “back in shape’ . Don’t be scared to do some stretching as this helps to remain supple and flexible.

Remain hydrated and well fed throughout your weeks of training. Have a large breakfast each day of your training. Eat foods that have a high content of carbohydrates (for energy) and protein (for muscle strength and recovery), such as rice and cheese. Drink water or sports drinks (I use Power Bar) that contain as many natural ingredients as possible. Ride with gels and/or bars as you never know when you will need them!

Eat small amounts of food at constant intervals throughout your steady or intensive rides. An idea is to break open a bar and keep bite size pieces on the ready for the moment you need it and also so you don’t have to try and do that while the guys are riding harder and concentration levels need to be sharp. Try and maintain a consistent diet throughout the weeks leading up to your race and this is dependant on how long the build up is, but don’t go changing anything in the last month prior to any big event. Drink or eat a post-ride protein shake or supplement for muscle recovery within the first 15-30 minutes after you have finished all your rides where intensity has been higher, as this aids recovery and keeps your body and mind strong.

The Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour is an annual cycle race hosted in Cape Town, South Africa, usually  109 km long. It is the first event outside Europe to be  included in the International Cycling Union’s Golden  Bike Series.[1]

The race is one of South Africa’s three ‘largest sporting events’ in the world. With as many as 31 000 cyclists taking part, it is the world’s largest individually timed cycle race. The other two are the world’s largest ultramarathon event, the Comrades Marathon, as well as the world’s largest open water swim, the Midmar Mile.

The Argus forms the last leg of the Giro del Capo, a multi-stage race for professional and leading registered riders.[2]

It is traditionally staged on the second Sunday of March and has enjoyed well known competitors such as Miguel Indurain, Jan Ulrich and Lance Armstrong.

Beautiful Bariloche at night

Hi Javier, how are things going in Bariloche.
We look forward to working with you.

Serfas RX Gloves for Men and Women

Veni Karthaginem, et circumstrepebat me undique sartago flagitiosorum amorum. nondum amabam, et amare amabam, et secretiore indigentia oderam me minus indigentem. quaerebam quid amarem, amans amare, et oderam securitatem et viam sine muscipulis, quoniam fames mihi erat intus ab interiore cibo, te ipso, deus meus, et ea fame non esuriebam, sed eram sine desiderio alimentorum incorruptibilium, non quia planus eis eram, sed quo insanior, fastidiosior. et ideo non bene valebat anima mea, et ulcerosa proiciebat se foras, miserabiliter scalpi avida contactu sensibilium. sed si non haberent animam, non utique amarentur. amare et amari dulce mihi erat, magis si et amantis corpore fruerer. Venam igitur amicitiae coinquinabam sordibus concupiscentiae, candoremque eius obnubilabam de tartaro libidinis, et tamen foedus atque inhonestus, elegans et urbanus esse gestiebam abundanti vanitate. rui etiam in amorem, quo cupiebam capi. deus meus, misericordia mea, quanto felle mihi suavitatem illam et quam bonus aspersisti, quia et amatus sum, et perveni ad vinculum fruendi et conligabar laetus aerumnosis nexibus, ut caederer virgis ferreis ardentibus zeli et suspicionum et timorum et irarum atque rixarum.

George eyes this Ducati for his next TT

George has decided to ride a Ducati for his next TT.
No training required.

indigentem. quaerebam quid amarem, amans amare, et oderam securitatem et viam sine muscipulis, quoniam fames mihi erat intus ab interiore cibo, te ipso, deus meus, et ea fame

George, Bill and Eileen California 2010

George with his new Swift bike after Bill Mac Pherson assembled it.
Eileen shows us what her  Ducati sounds like. The neighbors cheer in delight at the sound of that distinctive Ducati symphony. The sound is unique thanks to the 90° L-Twin engine configuration, intake ‘howl’ and exhaust system design.