That's Better

So, it turns out I'm not as ludicrously unfit as I thought was - I don't think. I've been back on the bike a few days now, and my cruising speed goes up by a mile or two a day, and I've stopped feeling out of breath.

Hopefully, it was just that I'd not been on the bike for a couple of weeks, and I did, somewhere deep down, have some basic fitness to draw on. I'm now doing an average 17-18mph on my commute, and that's on my fully loaded hybrid. I figure that when I get my new road bike, and don't have panniers/racks etc on it, then that should add at least another couple of mph to that. Here's hoping.

On the bike front, I caved yesterday, and ordered a Felt F55 from Wiggle. It's a little bit more than I'd originally wanted to spend, but I was seduced by the £500 discount (which is because it's a 2008 model). It seems like its got a good mix of carbon and aluminium, and all the components are pretty high quality for the money. I also figured that I'll probably only get one go at the Etape, so there's not much point in skimping.

Can't wait to actually get out on it now. Lots of family are coming over from India tomorrow for my sis's wedding, so I'll be pretty tied up..but am going to do my best to keep my fitness up. May be a few early morning gym sessions I think.

Green Shoots

Haven't done much over the last couple of days, because I've been busy with various other stuff, but did manage to meet up with an advisor at the gym to talk over a training program.

On top of my regular yoga and normal cross training workout, she's suggesting I go to at least one of their Keiser Cycling classes. She's also going to put together a plan focussed on improving my endurance and recovery, but wanted to speak to the cycling specialist at the gym before giving me something to go away with. That's fine, as I won't be doing much over the next couple of weeks because of my sister's wedding.

However, in the small amount of cycling I did manage to do, I definitely felt a lot looser and like I was developing a bit more power. I've also lost a couple of pounds already, which is great. I think my target weight should be somewhere between ten and ten and a half stone, so that's a bit more than a stone that I've got to lose over the next four or five months. Written down, that sounds like a depressingly large amount - but I'm reasonably confident. I basically eat pretty healthily, so hopefully the extra exercise will do the trick.

On that subject, I've just signed up for the Hampshire Hilly Hundred - although I'm going to do the shorter 78 mile version of that as an early season "warm-up" and also the Dragon Ride. There's also a sportive based around Princes Risborough in late April, which might also be a good gauge of where I am fitness-wise, so I think I'll probably do that too.

Shock and Thaw

After finishing my blog entry yesterday, I discovered that my new Tanita Innerscan Scales had arrived. I haven't really weighed myself for ages, because for a long time I managed to comfortably maintain a weight of ten and a half stone. I knew I'd acquired a little bit of excess baggage lately, but I wasn't really prepared for how much. It turns out I now tip the scales at 12 stone. It turns out that I will have to watch what I'm eating after all.

I'm comforting myself that all the other indicators - BMI, body fat etc., were in the "healthy" range, but it means I AM going to have to be careful about what I eat after all. I probably need to lose about a stone to get down to a good fighting weight.

I'll do all my weight measurements etc. properly and under "controlled" conditions when I get a bit more time. You're supposed to not do the measurements too soon after eating or exercise, but also not too soon after waking, so at the moment, I'm not sure when exactly is an appropriate time!

That was the "shock". The "thaw" was the marked improvement in the weather over the last couple of days, which meant my lungs and legs felt a lot looser on the commute to work today. I shouldn't be aiming at getting instant results I suppose, but I was glad that I was turning bigger gears and achieving faster speeds (17-18mph average) today. Hopefully that improvement will continue as I put more work in.

I actually woke up feeling very tired and headachey, and it would have been very simple just to take the easy option and jump in the car, but I toughed it out and got on my bike, and felt much better for it. I haven't really got the luxury of missing out on any possible training time over the next five months.

I was doing a bit more research on Heart Rate Monitors today. At first glance, the addition of a GPS to a heart rate/cadence monitor seemed a bit excessive, but the more I look at the Garmin Edge 705, the more I'm tempted. As well as helping me to plan routes to the Surrey Hills say, or out towards Windsor, which would be along unfamiliar roads - it would also help me accurately measure and track loads of useful training data. There are lots of glowing reviews about and I think it would really fit my needs. Definitely one for the possibles list that one.

Back to Commuting

Not loads to report today - I was working, so just had the cycle to and from Sky to negotiate fitness wise. It's only 5 miles or so, but I pushed myself pretty hard both ways. Tried to keep my cruising speed high and did ok with that.

What I did notice, which was quite reassuring, is that my speed doesn't drop by a huge factor when I'm going uphill. My minimum speed was around 10mph, and that was with a pretty heavy load in my pannier bag.

I was checking out a few more of the sportives that I might try...I think I've come up with a list of four or five that start in May, and then build up towards the end of June. Things like the Hampshire Hilly Hundred, the Chiltern Hundred and one at Highclere too.

Will also need to crack on with ordering a bike. I'm still veering towards the Specialized Allez Sport, but I had a quick look at the Focus Variado Expert, which is available from Wiggle. It's a little bit more expensive, but seems to have good components and all the reviews I've read seem to suggest it's a really good bike for the money. Will have to decide over the weekend I think.

Training Truths

I'd meant to go to a Pilates class at the gym, but for some reason I'd thought it was at 5 instead of 4 - so missed it. That wasn't a problem, because I'd planned to do a bit of cardio work afterwards anyway, so I just went up to the gym, and added a few weights and core work to what I'd been planning to do anyway.

I did ten minutes on one of the exercise bikes at an average power output of 185 watts (effort levels 8/9), but by the end of this I was suffering somewhat and my heart rate was above 170, which sets off alarms on the machine (!). What the whole experience brought home to me was that I have the strength in my legs (I'm leg-pressing 190kg - the highest weight available - fairly comfortably), because they weren't really tired, but my aerobic fitness isn't anywhere near where it needs to be. I'm going to be climbing Mont Ventoux (assuming I get that far) for more than an hour, so I'm going to need to be able to cope with prolonged periods of high effort.

I don't feel too downhearted though - I've got 5 months of training to get to the required level, and hopefully the fitness will come as long as I continue putting the work in.

I emailed the Twickenham Cycling Club yesterday to enquire about joining, because I think that'll be a good way to get used to cycling in groups etc., and they seem to do fairly regular long rides. I'm going to need to do plenty of those and doing them on my own might get a bit tedious.

On their website they had a list of Sportive rides, which are exactly the kind of thing I'll need to do to get in shape - the Etape being regarded as the ultimate Sportive ride. I like the fact that they seem to emphasise that Sportives aren't competetive - they're just challenges to be completed, a bit like doing a marathon. I've already got in mind a few that I might want to do -for instance the Dragon Ride which takes place around Bridgend, which is where my sister's boyfriend is from, so would be a nice weekend away for the whole family.

Having said that the Etape is a bit like doing a marathon and isn't competetive, there are a few crucial differences. Very few marathons are held on mountains for starters, but crucially, there is a functional time limit on the Etape. This is enforced by the dreaded "broom wagon". Riders who fail to keep up a minimum pace are hoovered up by the wagon, and forced to drop out of the event.

On my regular bike, a Specialized Sirrus Comp,  my current "cruising speed" is around 15 mph. I've got a rack and stuff on this bike, so obviously its a bit heavier than a proper road bike would be, but I'm clearly going to have to get this up a bit if I'm going to avoid ending up on the broom wagon. I read an interesting article in today's Sunday Times which amongst other things suggested that the exertion used in cycling as compared to cycling can be figured out by dividing by a factor of 4. Eg. If you're cycling at 16mph, that's the same in energy terms as walking at 4mph. The problem being that 4mph is just that - walking -  and I need to be "running". Hopefully that increase in speed will come with greater aerobic fitness...but today has very much been about getting a handle on how much work I need to do.

Fit for Purpose?

I'm writing today's entry at midday, because I'm feeling very virtuous for having already done a fair bit of exercise this morning.

I did an hour and a half of yoga (after cycling to the gym of course), and then did a 15 minute session on one of the exercise bikes. That's obviously not very long, but there was a purpose to it.

From some of the reading I've been doing, it seems like the best measure of fitness is your Heart Rate (HR) at a particular level of power output. For example - at a constant power output of 150W, my heart rate might be 150 at the beginning of my training programme - but by the end, when outputting 150W, my heart rate might only be 120 or something (I don't really know what a good mark to aim at is, so I just picked that last figure out of the air). I want to try and track this measure throughout my training so I thought I'd give it a go today.

I did a 3 minute warm-up at 75W, then did 5 min at 100W, 5min at 150W and a 2-3 minute warm-down at about 80W.

The way I increased my power output was by increasing the resistance on the bike. It turned out that I was putting out 100W at effort level 5 and 150W at effort level 7.

The results were:

100W - HR 139

150W - HR 163

Just for interest - but I think your "recovery" also gives a different indication of fitness - after 2 minutes of warmdown:

80W - HR 139

I don't really know, but I'm pretty sure those are not very good figures. I know I'm not even at my own normal level of fitness at the moment, so I'm doing my best to get back there.

Also, I know that the monitors on the machines at the gym aren't particularly accurate, so I'm looking at getting a proper Heart Rate Monitor. At the moment, the Polar CS300 is my favourite. I like the fact that you can wear it as a "watch" in the gym, or mount it on a bike, and it seems to have all the features I need.

It will be interesting to see how my fitness improves over the next few months anyway. I think this 15 minute test will be a good one to do after I've done one of my normal yoga or pilates classes, when I'm already loose, but not fatigued in a cardio-vascular sense.

I want to continue doing the yoga and pilates classes as much as possible, because I think the stretching and flexibility will be good for my cycling, and the core strength work will also provide a good base for getting the power out through my legs. At the moment I'm also going to a ski-fit class on Thursdays, which is surprisingly hard work but also concentrates on the core and lower body, so I think that'll also compliment my cycling work.

I'm fairly clear in my mind that I'm not really bothered about getting a good time in the etape, I just want to finish. However, I also know that with challenges like this, there's no real substitute for getting "miles in your legs", so I'm going to do my best to start piling those on as early as possible.

First Steps

I've just got back from a doctor's appointment in East Sheen. I cycled there. It's not particularly far - after getting a bit lost I ended up doing 12 and a half miles or so - but it was symbolic really. Symbolic that I'm taking this seriously.

It was hideously cold and pretty dark, and normally I would have driven, but I just felt it was important that I cycled there to put down a bit of a marker for myself and get into the swing of "training" as quickly as possible. I think it's fairly obvious that for the next 5 months or so, I'll have to commit to not driving anywhere, unless it's completely unavoidable. All my local travel will be by bike. I just hope it warms up a bit. Soon.

It was actually my second doctor's appointment of the day, cos I had to go and see my GP to get a letter saying that I was fit enough to start the training. There was a small panic when the doctor took my blood pressure, because the first reading was a bit high...but she figured it was just because we were chatting, and I was leaning forward with my legs crossed. For about 20 seconds I was wondering if my Etape adventure would be over before it had even started, but thankfully she had another go and everything was completely normal.

I've also made an appointment at the gym for next week, to put together a training programme to focus on my cycling. I'm going to go to a few Spinning classes to try and add a bit of variety, while still doing some bike-based activity. Realistically, my proper training won't start until after the 28th - because that's when my sister gets married - but until then I'll be doing as much as possible to prepare the groundwork.

One nice bonus to preparing for the etape is that I can start eating as much as I like, without worrying about putting on weight. I guess I'll have to make sure I'm eating the right stuff though - that's my next bit of research I think.

Bike Porn

So today I got the news that I'd kinda been hoping for, but also kinda dreading. I've been "lucky" enough to get on Sky's team for the Etape du Tour 2009, which takes place on July 20th.

For those of you that don't know, it's basically a ride over one of the actual stages of the Tour de France, which is open to moderately hardy and spectacularly foolish amateurs.

This year, the stage begins in Montelimar (where the Nougat comes from) and ends at the summit of Mont Ventoux. 

Ever since I first heard about the Etape, I've wistfully dreamt of one day attempting it, without ever thinking it might really happen. However, this year, as part of Sky's tie-up with the GB cycling team, they've decided to send a team, and that's where we came in.

I would have wanted to do the Etape any year, but the fact that this year's stage finishes on Mont Ventoux is really a dream come true - one that I'm really hoping doesn't become a nightmare. 

The "Giant of Provence" holds a very special place in the history of the Tour de France - which I've been mildly obsessed by, ever since watching Stephen Roche win it in 1987. Britain's Tom Simpson died on the mountain in 1967, and there's a granite memorial that marks the spot where he fell. If that wasn't enough to put off the faint-hearted, 7-time Tour Winner Lance Armstrong describes it as his least favourite climb.

I've always been fascinated by the stories which surround Mont Ventoux, and a couple of years ago - whilst staying with my friend Manny, who lives near Avignon - I took the opportunity to make a visit.

Thankfully, I can't remember too much of it, but I do recall thinking that it was pretty hard to get up it in a car - I couldn't really believe that anyone could do it on a bike....well, now I'm going to try to find out if it really is possible.

This blog was inspired by Rich's Etape Du Tour. While I was waiting to find out if I'd got on the team, I discovered his really well written, informative and interesting blog and decided that if I did get to do the Etape I'd have a go at doing something similar.

One of the things I liked about it was all the gadgets he used to monitor his training - those of you who know me will also know that I love a gadget - any gadget. So today, I've spent a lot of time checking out what gadgets might suit me, as well as eyeing up a few road bikes - that's the Bike Porn of the title.

I popped into Moore's cycles in Twickenham and Ben - the very helpful assistant there - immediately recommend the Specialized Allez Sport. I've just noticed that by coincidence, that this is exactly the bike that Rich did the Etape on, so it looks like it might be a decent choice. Ben let me have a ride round the car park on the Sport, and also on the model below. There are obvious cost implications, but the Sport definitely felt smoother and lighter, and if I could notice the weight difference over 50 yards, I think that would make a huge difference over 100+ miles.

I also had a quick look in BikeHut, but true to its Halfords lineage, the staff were less than helpful. They did have some nice looking Boardman bikes, but at the moment I feel like I'd be likely to get a better initial setup and ongoing care from a "proper" bike shop. More on this over the next couple of weeks I'm sure. I love the "process" of buying something, the research and trying out and imagining what it would be like to own the "thing". As I said to Ben at Moore's...."I love a brochure, me".

Now to the tricky bit....training. I'm a pretty regular gym-goer, and do Yoga and Pilates and play badminton as well as the normal cardio stuff. However, I've let the cardio stuff slip over the last month or so, so have been easing my way back into it this week and feeling very unfit.

I got back on my bike for the first time in a couple of weeks too, and remembered how much I love it...but also realised that if I get a bit achy cycling back from Twickenham, then that doesn't bode well....I'm sure the fitness will come anyway. I've resolved to do something training-related every day from now on and when I've got all my gadgets, I'll post some facts and figures on how it's all going.

Something that will hopefully keep me on track through the dark times is that I'm planning to do the Etape for charity (assuming that fits in with Sky's plans). Specifically, for Childline - where I'm training to become a volunteer telephone counsellor. It wasn't until I I signed up with them that I realised that because of a lack of resources, many children who call Childline don't actually get to speak to someone. After merging with the NSPCC, they're now embarking on a programme aimed at answering every call, and so hopefully I can raise some money to help towards that goal.

Like I say, all that was just by way of introduction really. Over the next few months, I'll do my best to keep this blog updated and hopefully make it a bit more interesting, with pictures and videos and stuff. This is my first attempt at doing something like this (the blog AND the ride!), so if you have any thoughts, tips or suggestions then do let me know.

Thanks for reading,

Shirish