The Burgess Hill "Rumble" Classic

Yesterday I took part in the 153km Burgess Hill "Rumble" Classic cyclosportive held in South East England. Although the sportive didn't start too far away from London, in Burgess Hill, Betty and I decided to get away for the weekend (today is a public holiday here in the UK) so we camped in the picturesque East Sussex countryside close to the start of the sportive.

Although Saturday had been warm and sunny yesterday turned out to be mixed weather wise with cooler temperatures, sunny spells and occasional drizzle, actually perfect conditions for me since I prefer it to not be too hot when riding long distances.

I started the individually timed sportive just after 8.30am and soon settled into a steady rhythm with around 15 or so riders. As we progressed along the quiet country lanes the group started fragmenting with every hill we came across. Some of us overtook each other a number of times as riders popped out the back of groups only to bridge back up later as the group ahead slowed.

Group dynamics continued in pretty much the same way for the entire route depending on riders strengths. From around kilometre 5o I settled in with a small group of riders that I was to stay with until near the end of the sportive. One of the those riders names is Ian and I have to give him a big thanks for his great support throughout the ride, chapeau to you sir. We spent much of the ride having a good old natter in between bursts of big efforts. It was good to make a friend along the way.

Riders were supported well with 4 feed zones at different points along the route, providing water, sports drinks, bananas, fruit cake and flapjack. I stopped at 2 of the feed zones to re-stock my bottles as well as grabbing a banana. It gave me the opportunity to have a good stretch. It was really surprising how rejuvenated I felt after each of the brief pit stop.

The route turned out to be physically very demanding and very technical too in some sections with many steep ascents, one of which topped the 20% gradient mark. Some of the descents were pretty hairy. Hands on the drops we descended through some dark country lanes enclosed above by trees making it hard to see the uneven and gravelly road surface below. Just the kind of surface I fear descending at high speed.
Luckily I made it to the finish in one piece around 1 minute or so behind the group I had ridden with for the last 2 thirds of the sportive. Men's times were banded into 3 zones, gold - 5 hrs 50 mins or quicker, silver - 6 hrs 40 mins to 5 hrs 50 mins + and bronze - 8 hrs 30 mins to 6 hrs 40 mins +. I finished just outside the gold zone with a time of 5 hrs 53 minutes and 24 seconds. Considering there was nearly 2000 metres of climbing involved I was happy with the time although it was a shame not to make the gold time.

Next up for me is La Ronde Picarde in the Picarde region of Northern France around the Somme area. I'll be taking part in that on Saturday 12th September. At 187km it will be the longest distance I'll have ridden in one day. Definitely a big challenge and a perfect way to bring to an end my 2009 sportive season. Between now and then I intend to get in one more big training ride as well as getting plenty of rest. I'm looking forward to it but for now I'm really glad the Rumble is over and I can catch up on a spot of sofa surfing!

Miguel Indurain

Miguel Indurain, arguably Spain's most successful cyclist with 5 back-to-back Tour de France and 2 Giro d'Italia victories to his name never won his home grand tour, La Vuelta. Big Mig's best placing at La Vuelta came in 1991 when he finished in 2nd place behind the unfortunately named fellow Spaniard, Melcior Mauri Prat.

In the absence of Alberto Contador (Astana) from this years 64th La Vuelta start list Spain will look to Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) and Olympic Road Race Champion Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) as the main threats for overall victory.

Tomorrow sees La Vuelta start in the Netherlands with the first 4 stages being run through Dutch, German and Belgian territory before a rest day transfer takes them into Spain for the remainder of the race.

If you have trouble finding La Vuelta on TV I'm sure the good folks over at Steephill.tv will be able to help out with various online streaming options.

Speaking of Indurain, I'm coming very close to finishing a book about him entitled, Indurain: A Tempered Passion, by Javier Garcia Sanchez. A review of the book will follow shortly.

Fallen Angel: The Passion Of Fausto Coppi

Before reading the recent biography by William Fotheringham entitled, Fallen Angel: The Passion Of Fausto Coppi, I didn't know a great deal about the great man. Yes, I knew he had won 2 Tour de France and 5 Giro. Yes I knew he died of malaria at a young age and yes I know he is arguably the best cyclist Italy has ever produced. Beyond that I didn't know much about the legend they call Il Campionissimo (champion of champions).

For those of you who would like to know more about the fascinating life of Fausto Coppi you should really consider reading this book. Fotheringham describes, with objectivity, key periods and moments of Coppi's life from growing up in the little village of Castellania through to his tragic death at the age of 40.

It's clear from both the bibliography and acknowledgements and is obvious from the peppering of first hand accounts throughout that Fotheringham spent alot of time thoroughly researching for this book. The many interviews with the Coppi family and riding contemporaries of Coppi's such as Fiorenzo Magni, Raphael Geminiani, Jean Bobet, Ettore Milano and Nino Defilippis demonstrate the extent to which Fotheringham went to uncover detail that greatly added to the depth of this biography.

What the book did for me was put Coppi's life into context. It was a life that changed so dramatically from a modest, even poor upbringing, as the son of a subsistence farmer in a peasant community. Coppi developed into the greatest cycling talent of the time when war ravaged all of Europe. He made it back to the top of his profession after the war racing on roads still strewn with the debris of fallen buildings and holes made by bombs. It was a racing life unimaginable to that of today.

It was also a time when cycling was at the height of its popularity. Races would draw huge crowds to the road side and the news reels and newspapers of the day would be full of stories about Coppi's victories and his rivalry with Italy's other cycling great Gino Bartali. In short Coppi gave hope to post war Italy. He was glamorous and rich beyond most peoples imagination. He was a winner and his country loved him for it.

Italy in the 1940's and 50's was still a very religious country so the next chapter of Coppi's life took a turn for the worse. Although he still received adulation for his victories on the bike, the tifosi, in fact most of Italy, didn't view Coppi's split from his wife well. Coppi's relationship with Giulia Locatelli, The Lady in White, was a major scandal and everyone had an opinion on it.

The last third of the book focuses on Coppi's turbulent relationship with, The Lady in White and at the same time his steady decline as a rider. The final chapters cover his ill fated trip to Africa where he supposedly caught Malaria. His death followed shortly after his return home. Interviews with contemporaries provide a number of conspiracy theories as to the actual reason and or case of Coppi's death.

One thing is for sure, the legacy of Coppi still lives on. Over 45 years after his death Coppi remains one of the shining stars of cycling.

"Being near Coppi was like being next to Jesus Christ. I don't want to speak ill of Jesus Christ but Fausto was a bit like him: a being outside the norm, a saint in flesh and blood." - Valerio Bonini

Fallen Angel: The Passion Of Fausto Coppi is published by Yellow Jersey Press.

Congratulations Russell Downing

Britain's Russell Downing battles the rain and St.Patrick's Hill in Cork before going on to take overall victory in the Tour of Ireland. Photo: PETER MUHLY/AFP/Getty Images

I'd like to wish Yorkshire lad Russell Downing (CandiTV-Pinarello Racing Team) a belated congratulations on winning this years Tour of Ireland which finished two days back on Sunday 23rd August.

Having finished second in last years Tour of Ireland to one of my favourite riders, Italy's Marco Pinotti (Columbia THC), Downing put up a good fight, without any decent support from team mates, to take what is the biggest win of his career.

Downing appears to be improving with age. Personally I think he should be snapped up by a ProTour team as I'm sure he could do very well as a classics and short Tour specialist. Team Sky should take note.

It's A Special Place

I look forward to the day I can again cycle up the Giant of Provence, Mont Ventoux.



Thanks to tomsimpson65.wordpress.com.

Belvoir Castle Loop

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I headed out yesterday morning from my parents house in Nottingham on a final training ride before next Sundays 150km Burgess Hill Classic. It was a beautiful sunny morning with a slight freshness in the air, perfect conditions for a bike ride. Every time I visit my parents I take my bike with me since it's much easier to get into the countryside compared with riding out of London. I'm never disappointed when I go out on my bike in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire and I always discover new routes and places. Yesterdays route proved to be my favourite one yet taking in some beautiful villages and country lanes. Because I headed out fairly early, 8am, I had many of the country roads to myself which makes such a nice change from riding in and around London where vehicle traffic always plays a major factor. The halfway mark of this ride took me past the grand and majestic Belvoir Castle. The Castle build on a hill in the stunning vale of Belvoir overlooks a vast swathe of the East Midlands and made a dramatic land mark along the way.

Next time I take my bike up to my parents I'm going to develop the route by adding on some extra sections to make it longer. If you live in the Nottingham area and are looking for a ride that takes between 2 hours 30 minutes and 3 hours I can highly recommend this one.

Dario Pegoretti

I first came across Dario Pegoretti frames a couple of years back when I saw some examples of his work at a bike shop close to where I live called Mosquito Bikes. The first thing that struck me about his frames was the crazy paint jobs. Some were really very different to anything I'd seen before, think Jackson Pollock meets graffiti style art circa 1982 and you get an idea about the abstract nature of the paint jobs on some of his frames.

As I got to find out more about Pegoretti I found out he had previously designed and built frames that were ridden by the likes of Miguel Indurian, Marco Pantani and Stephen Roche to name but a few of his previous star clients.

Although diagnosed with Lymphoma back in 2007, Pegoretti continues to build some of the worlds finest steel and aluminium frames. One of the first things I would do if I came into some extra cash would be to get myself fitted for one of his steel beauties.

Filmed at his workshop in Caldonazzo, outside the town of Trento, in North East Italy, the video below features Pegoretti being asked about the romantic part of being a frame builder in Italy. The video was created by Camilla Candida Donzella. It's in Italian with subtitles.

28.6 from camilla candida donzella on Vimeo.

Quote For The Day

"As long as I breathe, I attack." - Bernard Hinault

Lance Armstrong Ironman

3.86km swim, 180.25km bike, 42.19km run, one after the other. Can't wait to see Mr Armstrong try that!

Sharing Water

Gina Bartali (left) shares his water with Fausto Coppi at the 1952 Tour de France

I've just finished a fascinating book on the life of Fausto Coppi, written by William Fotheringham, entitled Fallen Angel: The Passion of Fausto Coppi, for which a full review will follow shortly.

One story in the book, I must admit, I hadn't previously attached much significance to was a moment during the 1952 Tour de France. Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi were two of the biggest, if not the biggest, cycling stars of the time. The 1952 Tour de France brought the two bitter rivals together along with Fiorenzo Magni, the third man, as part of the all powerful Italian team.

During a tough stage up the Col d'Izoard a most famous example of sportsmanship took place. It was a moment seen taking place thousands of times amongst cyclists. However, this moment was different than the rest. Bartali is captured on photograph sharing his water bottle with Coppi. Even though the two of them were on the same team the rivalry and distrust that normally pervaded their relationship disappeared for that moment with Bartali becoming the ultimate team mate to Coppi.

For an Italy that was still recovering from the divisions and ravagers of World War II the symbolism was obvious. If Bartali and Coppi could unite then why not Italy itself?

It must have been hard for Bartali to make the right decision, a team decision. It demostrated Bartali's humility, he was a true team player. It also demonstrated the greatness of Alfredo Binda, not only had he been a cycling great but showed himself to be a great team manager, able to bring together individuals, Bartali and Coppi, to race as one, even if it was only for the briefest of times.

However that togetherness wasn't to last. Shortly after the Tour had finished, with Coppi as overall victor, Bartali said, "It was me who offered the bottle, he (Coppi) never gave me anything." The rivalry was back on!

George Hincapie Interview

Bolt Of Lightning

Vittoria Corsa Evo Cx

A few weeks back I treated myself to a tire upgrade. My previous Vittoria Rubino Pro tyres had started showing alot of wear with many cut marks over areas of both front and rear tyres.

In keeping with the Italian heritage of my Wilier Izoard I decided to go for a pair of Vittoria tyres again although this time I went for the best clincher tyre Vittoria has to offer, the Corsa Evo Cx. Vittoria claim this tyre to have reduced surface deflection and rolling resistance giving similar performance to their Corsa Evo Cx tubular. Having never ridden tubulars I wouldn't be able to comment on this. However, having used the tyres on a number of long rides over the past few weeks, in both wet and dry conditions, I can say with certainty that they are the best tyres I've ever had the pleasure of using. Not only have I not experienced any punctures but they really grip the road well giving me extra confidence in the wet, on the descent and in the corners.

At around £75 for the pair, they aren't the cheapest tyres in the world but if your looking for top quality all rounder clincher tyre then I would suggest looking no further than these beauties. Not only do they work well but they look great on my Fulcrum Racing 3's too. Bellissimo!

Chafing

Over the past few weeks I've steadily increased my bike and run training. At the moment, in addition to my daily cycle commute I'm putting in a long ride about every 1 or 2 weeks of usually 100km +. This is to help keep me in some kind of reasonable shape for the remaining 2 sportives that are looming on the horizon. More details on these will follow nearer the time.

As for my running I've ramped it up a fair bit from around 36/37km per week to around 54/55km per week. Not massive distance but done over 3 runs per week pans out at around a 1.5 hour run each time.

The cumulative effect of all this has led to a bought of chafing on my upper inside right leg. Chafing usually occurs due to a combination of sweet and rubbing creating varying degrees of bleeding open wound. It's been a while, maybe over a year, since my last experience of chafing resulting in a reoccurring bloody nipple problem. The main reason why I've got it on the inside of my leg, in addition to the increased training, is because I've been frequently wearing a fairly ruff pair of thickish cotton shorts. That really hasn't helped the situation and was a mistake. I won't be wearing them again for running.

There are a few things that can be done to cure as well as prevent chafing. I've listed them below:

1) Wear clean clothes. Wearing clothing that already has sweat in may increase the chances of chafing.

2) Don't wear loose clothing, especially cotton. You may disagree but I find loose clothing rubs more. Wearing loose cotton on a very long run is trouble, trust me on that.

3) Do wear lycra/dri-fit/technical clothing. Always try to wear clothing specifically designed for a particular sport. In terms of running, I find Skins half tights to be super comfortable. You can use for training as well as recovery. I ran the a marathon in them and can safely say it wasn't them that caused me pain that day!

4) Do lubricate. This is great for prevention and cure. Slap on the lube in all the problem areas, nipples, groin and underarm. I use Vaseline petroleum jelly, but sport specific lubes such as Body Glide may be even better, I haven't tried it though so can't be sure.

5) An extra protection for nipples is to put plasters over them although guys if you have a hairy chest then maybe this isn't a good move. Stick to number 4.

6) If possible take a few days off training. Obviously this is the last resort for those who already have chafing. If your training schedule does allow for a few days break then this will help the wound to heal properly.

That's all I can think of. Post a comment if you can think of any other good solutions I've missed.

Quote For The Day

"(Cycling) It never gets easier, you just go faster." -Greg Lemond

More Steepness

Seen here.

Other steepness...

Olympic Cycling Posters

The cycling posters shown below are all part of a permanent exhibition on the internet of original Olympic posters called The Olymperials. The website exhibits all Olympic posters dating back to the very first Olympic games in 1896 through to the latest available posters for the London Olympics in 2012.

Mexico 1968

Munich 1972

Montreal 1976

Moscow 1980

Los Angeles 1984

Seoul 1988

Bicycle Dreams

The Race Across America , or RAAM, is an ultra marathon bicycle race that has been run since 1982. The race travels from west coast to east coast with a typical distance of around 4800km. It is certainly one of the toughest, if not the toughest (the Tour de France is around 3700km and lasts 3 weeks), endurance cycling race in the world. Participants typically take between 8 to 9 days to complete the race, sometimes cycling continuously for periods of 22 hours per day or more. The winner is the person who completes the course in the shortest time, including rest periods. Most riders will survive on very short periods of sleep in order to finish the race as quickly as possible. Because the race is so physically and mentally demanding the drop out rate is as high as 50% for solo participants.

I'm very intrigued to understand more about what motivates the people taking part in such an immensly challenging race since it's certainly not making money. Recently released on DVD, Bicycle Dreams is a new documentary movie which uncovers the workings of the race as well as gaining unprecedented access to the cyclists and their teams as they race day and night across Amercia.

Although I've only seen the trailer for this movie so far, it has certainly wet the appetite. Visit the Bicycle Dreams website for further information and check out the trailer below. Crazy!

Today We Rode

Betty and I went out for a little ride today in Epping Forest. It was the first time I've been back on my bike since having surgery on my hand last week. Although we only rode for 1 hour it was nice to get out into the countryside and do some climbing and descending through the country lanes. The only thing is we made the big mistake of driving into the Epping Forest where we started the ride. I say mistake because it took us 2 hours to get home in the car once we had finished riding. The journey would usually take a fraction of the time but road works turned our trip home into an epic mission that involved a detour through many parts of North London. Not ideal when the sun is shining and you have better things to be doing.

Oh well, we're home now after having eaten some tasty Ghanaian curry from Broadway Market washed down with a beer each. It will be back on the bikes again soon to head over to a friends place for dinner and more beers. Yum!

P.S I can definitely recommend the new Oakley Jawbone. They're so lightweight and comfortable, you can hardly feel them. Mine have polarized lenses and as usual Oakley do not disappoint. In terms of clarity and anti glare they really are the dogs bo**ocks. They are also hydrophobic which means the lenses are coated to prevent water streaks. I have cycled through 2 hours of rain in them and can confirm the hydrophobic qualities are not mere marketing spiel. The switchlock technology is really very cool too. This technology enables you to unclip the nose pad, drop the lower jaw frame, remove the lense and replace it with a different one. Not sure what the hell I'm talking about? Check out the Oakley site here. Big George reckons they are the baddest and I would have to agree.

Quote For The Day

"To prepare for a race there is nothing better than a good pheasant, some champagne and a woman." - Jacques Anquetil

Photo Booth Fun

After Saturdays long ride Sunday saw Betty and I head over to Brick Lane to see the Rankin photographic exhibition called Rankin Live. Inside the exhibition was a photo booth and these are the silly photos of Betty and I taken in the booth. It was loads of fun and definitely worth a visit if your into seeing great photographs and you're in the London area.

Out Of Action

Me with a bandaged hand and what appears to be a little curl sticking out from the side of my head.

I had minor surgery today over at Hommerton Hospital near me in East London. It was a very short procedure to remove an unsightly cyst from the side of my right hand. I was first to be seen this morning at around 8.30am and was able to go home, accompanied by Betty, at around 1pm. To be honest I should have had it done ages ago as it was getting on my nerves a bit.

The down side to the surgery is that I'm supposed to keep my hand bandaged until 19th August, so pretty much 2 weeks. Also I had to have a general anaesthetic for the surgery so feeling a bit tired and groggy although I'm hoping it will wear off within the tiredness will wear off in the next day or two.

For sure there won't be any cycling or running for me until at least Saturday, maybe Sunday. I'll have a lighter bandage applied over the next few days so I can definitely get back on the bike by Monday.

On the upside I'm going to work from home for the next two days so can get some rest which is handy (no pun intended).

Vive Le Tour

I recently came across a 1962 documentary about the Tour de France entitled Vive Le Tour, directed and written by the late Louis Malle. Narrated by Jean Bobet the film provides a fascinating incite, in colour, into the Tour de France as it was in the early Sixties and at only 19 minutes long it's certainly easy viewing.

Below is the film in it's entirety, albeit in 2 parts. Language is in French with English subtitles.

On Board GPS

Until Santa arrives with a Garmin Edge 305 this is how my on board GPS looks.

Inspiration

Need some inspiration before you go for a ride? Check out the beautifully made, behind the scenes, video documentaries courtesy of Cervélo TestTeam over at Bartape.net. I'm going to watch some more now before heading out this morning.