Thanks For The Memories

Laurent Fignon, one of France's greatest ever cyclists, died today aged 50.  In June 2009 Fignon revealed he was undergoing chemotherapy having been diagnosed with cancer earlier the same year.  A little over a year later he succumbed to it. 

Fignon was one of the last French grand tour winners, in fact he was a multiple winner and a true champion who although having passed away at a young age has left behind an immense and proud legacy.

Photos: L'Equipe

Palmarès

Giro d'Italia	1989
Tour de France	2 (1983, 1984)
GP des Nations	1989
Milan-San Remo	2 (1988, 1989)
Flèche Wallonne	1986
Critérium des As	1989
Paris-Camembert	1988
Championnat de France	1984
Critérium international	2 (1982, 1990)
Tour de l'Avenir	1988
Tour des Pays-Bas	1989

29th August 2010 - Essex Ride

Phil and I rode out into familiar Essex riding territory on what was a dry but blustery day. We had the wind behind us on a few sections during our 100km trip, at those points we easily soft pedalled along at 35kmh. Unfortunately though the wind blew straight into our faces for much of the time buffeting our bodies as we pushed on heads down.

For around the last 40km of the ride I experienced varying levels of pain in my right shoulder. It sometimes gets really tight and especially uncomfortable when turning my head to the right to look over my shoulder. Think I need to see a physio about it because it isn't going away. In fact I've had the niggle for the best part of two years. It comes and then goes again making it easier for me to do nothing about. A mistake I know.

Whinging aside it was good to get out on a proper ride again. It had been nearly a month since my last long ride, time flies! It's probably going to be another three weeks until my next long ride. The marathon is on 12th September so they'll be no bike, apart from commuting of course, until after the race is over.

Thoughts On Run Training And Quinoa Salad Recipe

Today was a good training day, actually it was an excellent training day.  I completed my final long run prior to the Robin Hood marathon in two weeks.  It wasn't any old long run but my longest run since the Berlin marathon nearly two years ago.  In total I ran for 36km with a couple of short stops to pea and fill up my bidon, 6km short of marathon distance.

If I manage to run the marathon at the training pace of today I'll be able to shave 20 minutes off my PB.  I know I can do it, all I need to do is to remain as calm as possible on the big day.  I tend to get a little nervous before a big event which does me no favours since it only makes my heart beat faster.  I want to try to keep my pulse as slow as possible and the best way to do that is to remain calm.  This is easier said than done so over the next two weeks I'll spend time working on the best strategy to help me relax on race day.

Something else I'll be doing is really dialling in (to borrow a popular phrase) on my nutrition until the day of the marathon.  Don't get me wrong Betty and I always eat well.  What I really mean is I'll stop drinking alcohol and lay off the sugar.  Stopping drinking won't be so hard but reducing my chocolate intake!  You see I'm a chocoholic, it's not that easy to resist having a nibble on my favourite bar.  Also, I'm trying to reduce the amount of pasta and rice I eat.  Although I don't intend to cut them out completely I've decided to replace them on occasion by eating Qunioa.  Surprisingly I'd not tried it until last night when Betty prepared a Quinoa salad with spicy sweet potatoes, peppers and mushrooms.  It was really delicious and packs big nutritional punch into every gram.  Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it:

Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or ricelysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.

I really enjoyed today's run, even though the last 8km were definately character building if you get my drift.  It was the culmination of many months training for five to six days per week, all of which I enjoyed.  There are however many other variables that go into a successful training plan, be it running, cycling or whatever and that includes diet.  I felt like last nights Quinoa really set me up well for today.  Try it for yourself with the recipe below.  It's cheap, super healthy and very tasty.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 2 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1 sweet potato, baked and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Simmer the quinoa in the vegetable broth about 10 to 15 minutes, or until water is gone and Quinoa is light and fluffy when stirred. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Toss together the Quinoa, sweet potato, bell pepper and mushrooms in a large bowl.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and cayenne pepper. Gently toss this dressing with the Quinoa. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Eddy And Bernard

Drawing of Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault by Kein Design.

Detail

Seen here.

Looking Good

Artist John Woo's impression of an AT-AT pilot on a bike wearing clothing from the Moncler Gamme Bleu collection.....and why not?

Beyond The Peloton - Tour de France Part 2

Judging by current developments I'm not sure if we'll be seeing many more of these excellent documentaries in the future.

Fiets van Wim van Est

Seen here.

Here goes with my VERY loose Dutch translation.  In the 1951 Tour de France Wim van Est escaped with a small group on stage 12.  He managed to not only win the stage but also gained 19 minutes on the leader, enough to move him up to first place overall.  In doing this he became the first Dutchman to wear the yellow jersey.

On the following day, in an attempt to defend his position, Van Est fell 70 metres into a deep ravine (due to a flat tyre) as he was chasing the leaders on the descent of the Col d'Aubisque.  Amazingly Van Est survived the fall without any serious injuries.  Using a chain of tyres and with the help of spectators and his manager he struggled back up onto the road.  Apparently he wanted to continue but was persuaded to go to hospital.

The image at the top of this post is the remains of Van Est's bike after it had been retrieved from the ravine.

Limited Edition Cinelli Ram2

A set of these limited edition designed handle bars designed by San Francisco artist Mike Giant sure would look good on my De Rosa.

San Francisco artist and cultural legend, gallery star, world famous tatoo artist MIKE GIANT designed a new Ram2 in numbered limited edition with this beautiful artwork commissioned exclusively for Cinelli. Monocoque construction made with T700 high modulus carbon fibre, round drops only, stem angle 85°, fork 1-1/8″. Size c.c. 40/100-40/110-42/110-42/120-42/130-44/130-44/140. Available end of November. Info & orders: welcome [at] aerodinamica.ch.

For further info click here.  I daren't ask the price!

Skins Trial Results

I recently reviewed Skins latest offering of cyclewear the C400 range. In that post I mentioned in order to review the product sent to me by Skins I needed to take part in a trial during the Tour de France fpr which I agreed!  The trial involved a 15km TT, a 120km hilly stage and a 150km flat route.  One trial was completed at a time of my choosing during each week of the Tour.  The only other fixed criteria was that I wear the C400 clothing and that I have a GPS computer on board enabling me to record the trials and email them back to Matt at Skins so he could compile a list of the results.  I did all of this as did three other bloggers who also took part in the trials.

After much anticipation I finally received the results below.  I'm Jason B:

It was all done as a bit of fun really although Im going to big myself up for having completed the TT in the fastest time.  Big ups to other competitors and a special mention goes to my friend Mr Shrimpton who writes the excellent blog Travels With My Mule.  Philip, it was a close call between you and I.

You can also check out the other competitors blogs at the links below.  Thanks again to Skins and don't forget to take a look at my review of their C400 cyclewear range if you haven't already read it.

Austin Tanney http://couchpotatotoironman.blogspot.com

Dirk Bischof http://1000mileschallenge.blogspot.com

Vuelta a España Team List

Seen here.

On Saturday 28th August the third of the three grand tours, the Vuelta a España, starts off in original style near to the Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza with a 14km team time trial through the historic streets of Sevilla in Southern Spain.  I say original style since the first team doesn't set off until 10pm (9pm GMT) and the last team isn't expected to finish until nearly midnight (11pm GMT) making this TTT possibly the latest stage start ever.  It certainly sounds like perfect evening viewing and I for one will be positioned in front of my laptop streaming live coverage courtesy of Eurosport, with a bottle of Cruzcampo or maybe an Estrella Damm in hand.

Below is a list of the teams taking part in this years race along with links to each of their websites:

AG2R LA MONDIALE	ALM		www.ag2r-cyclisme.com
ANDALUCIA - CAJASUR	ACA		www.e-bici.com
ASTANA	AST		www.astana.lu
BBOX BOUYGUES TELECOM	BTL		www.equipebouyguestelecom.fr
CAISSE D'EPARGNE	GCE		www.cyclisme-caisse-epargne.fr
CERVELO TEST TEAM	CTT		www.cervelo.com/en_us
COFIDIS, LE CREDIT EN LIGNE	COF		www.equipe-cofidis.com
EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	EUS		www.fundacioneuskadi.com
FOOTON-SERVETTO	FOT		footon-servetto-fuji.com
FRANÇAISE DES JEUX	FDJ		www.equipecyclistefdj.fr
GARMIN - TRANSITIONS	GRM		www.slipstreamsports.com
LAMPRE-FARNESE VINI	LAM		www.lampre-ngc.com
LIQUIGAS-DOIMO	LIQ		www.teamliquigasdoimo.com
OMEGA PHARMA-LOTTO	OLO		www.omegapharma-lotto.be
QUICK STEP	QST		www.quickstepcycling.eu
RABOBANK	RAB		www.rabosport.nl
SKY PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM	SKY		www.teamsky.com
TEAM HTC - COLUMBIA	THR		www.highroadsports.com
TEAM KATUSHA	KAT		www.katushateam.com
TEAM MILRAM	MRM		www.team-milram.com
TEAM SAXO BANK	SAX		www.team-saxobank.com
XACOBEO GALICIA	XAC		www.xacobeogalicia.org

To see a view of the route map click here or visit the official Vuelta a España website here.

Core Stability

I've mentioned the benefits of core strengthening briefly in a previous post.  Since then I've been training my core, albeit not quite as frequently as I should, using the plank and side planks exercises.  The most noticable benefit I've seen from doing this has been in my cycling, where previously I would start to suffer with lower back pain part way through a long ride (this was after my bike fit so wasn't related to being wrongly positioned on the bike) today I no longer have this problem.  It must have been solved in some part, at least, due to strengthening my core through the plank exercises I was doing and continue to do.

Since these exercises have had such a positive effect I've decided to step up my core strength training by introducing a couple of other exercises I hadn't previously tried.  Below are four short video clips (taken from Outsideonline) showing clear examples of these exercises including the plank and side planks.  These in no way represent a complete view on methods of core training since both Yoga and Pilates as well as other techniques will also work.  However, these clips will certainly set you on the right path if core work is an area you haven't looked into before or that you want to get back into doing.  Before taking a look at them though have a read of Wikipedia's definition of core stability followed by the key reasons why having a strong core matters.

Definition

Core stability relates to the bodily region bounded by the abdominal wall, the pelvis, the lower back and the diaphragm and its ability to stabilise the body during movement. The main muscles involved include the transversus abdominus, the internal and external obliques, the quadratus lumborum and the diaphragm. The diaphragm is the main muscle of breathing in the human and so breathing is important in providing the necessary core stability for moving and lifting. It is the action of these muscles contracting together upon the incompressible contents of the abdominal cavity (ie the internal organs or viscera) that provides support to the spine and pelvis during movement.

Core Stability Benfits

Efficient Movement  - Core stability training is all about how to make your body move more efficiently. This is one of the main benefits of core stability training. Efficient body movements automatically eliminate the chance of injuries.  This alone is a great reason to do core stability exercises.  Keep reading and I will let you know about five more.

Less Energy Needed - Core stability training allows you to perform everyday activities with less energy. Since your body moves efficiently, you will need to spend less energy performing tasks which will allow you to feel more refreshed and energetic to do the things you enjoy.

Improves Balance - Increase in core strength will have an improvement in the balance of your body.  Performing core stability exercises will increase your body’s awareness of your trunk and lower back.  This greater control of your trunk will decrease the risks of falls which is a major cause of injuries.

Strengthens the Muscles Around the Hip - Another benefit of performing core stability exercises is it helps to strengthen and stabilize the muscles around the hip.  Many of the more advance core stability training exercises help activate the muscles that provide stability and strength to other joints like the hip.  Having greater strength and endurance of these hip stabilizers muscles decreases any stress on your hips and pelvis, leading to decrease pain in the hips and pelvis.

Assists Decreasing Knee Injury - In case you have a leg injury, an improvement in core stability training will improve the control of your trunk and decrease collapsing in of the knee.  Decreasing this collapsing in of the knee, decrease the risk of knee injuries, especially in females.

Makes Day to Day Tasks Easier - Improving core strength helps to make day to day tasks easier.  The core muscles are activated with any arm or leg movement. When the core muscles have greater strength and endurances this helps in performing everyday activities with less effort.

The Plank

Side Planks

The Superman

Leg Raises

Fans

All the photos featured in this post were taken by a young man from Belgium called Kristof Van Accom who definately has a big future in photography.  Kristof spent three weeks following this years Tour de France and these images are a small selection taken from his photo report of that trip.

Day 8 - Station les Rousses

Day 11 - Col de la Madeleine

 Day 14 - Marie-Paule and John along the road near Mende

 Day 17 - Port de Bales

To see more of Kristof's photos click here.

Recovery

Whether your a cyclist or a runner quick recovery from long training sessions is crucial if training sessions that follow shortly after aren't to be compromised.

I spend alot of time cycling and running although running is currently my priority as I build up to the Robin Hood marathon in just a few weeks time.

At the moment I'm running six days per week including a three hour + run once per week.  Below is a list of recovery methods I use to help me reduce muscle soreness as quickly as possible after my long run.  I would suggest all of these methods can also be applied to post long ride recovery or in fact any post endurance activity:

Stretch.  Although I don't stretch pre-run I do try to stretch after every run with particular attention at the end of the long run.  I'll spend around 10 minutes stretching after my long run.  The internet has a wealth of information regarding the best types of stretches depending on the sport.

Drink plenty of water.  As well as drinking during a long workout it's also important to drink plenty of water after too in order to help rehydration.  It is also thought drinking plenty of water can help to flush lactic acid build up in muscles.

Drink coconut water.  Coconut water contains all the electrolytes and minerials needed to restore the levels after a big effort.  It's 100% natural and damn tasty too.

Eat soon after session is finished.  Don't wait too long to eat after a long session.  It's important to take in both carbs to help replace glycogen levels and protein to help repair muscle damage.  For example, a glass of milk and a tuna sandwich would make an excellent post training snack prior to eating a proper meal since both the milk and tuna contain protein while the bread contains much needed carbs.  There are of course a plethora of sports specific recovery snacks on the market to fullfil this requirement.  One that I'm currently trialling is Mulebar for which a review of their products will follow in the coming weeks.

Take an ice bath.  I took my second ice bath ever yesterday and after the intial shock of the cold water it turned out to be quite invigorating.  To prepare the ice bath I simply filled my bath tub with cold water to waist height and at the same time poured an entire bag of ice into the water.  I then got into the tub and after a few gasps relaxed myself and sat there for 10 minutes.  Their is differing opinion as to the correct amount of time that should be spent in the water but 10 minutes is enough for me.  Numbnuts springs to mind!  Seriously though I felt great after and today my legs don't feel too bad considering.

Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.  Eat plenty of fruit and even more vegetables and try to vary them rather than sticking to the same things all the time.  An easy way to do this is to look at the colours of the fruit and vegetables and get a good mix.  Below is a rough guide to colours and the different nutrients and minerals they provide.  Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables will help dramatically with your bodies recovery as well as aiding general good health. For further information on the differing benefits of coloured fruit and vegetables click this link.

Get an early night.  Researchers speculate that deep sleep helps improve athletic performance because this is the time when growth hormone is released.  Growth hormone stimulates muscle growth and repair, bone building, fat burning and helps athletes recover.

Mercian Cycles

Have you reminded yourself on the beauty of Mercian frames recently? I checked out their website earlier and have come to the decision that if at some point during my life I'm able to afford a Mercian custom built frame and forks then I'm definately having one!

Most if not all the frames on offer are either available off the peg or tailor made using various forms of the finest steel tubing Reynolds have to offer.

But what I really love about their range is that they can spec out a retro style Mercian with Shimano Di2. Wouldn't that combo be a near perfect riding experience? Mind you Campag Super Record is cheaper, ah decsions!

My favourite frame is the high strength and light weight 953 All Stainless Steel and I'd have it sprayed in Leaf Green Pearl like the King.  Decison made!  Here's a little taster from their current range...

King of Mercian

Professional

Vincitore

953 Stainless Steel

Their from Alvaston in Derby too virtually next door to my home town of Nottingham.  Give em a proper look here.

Positive Energy

Breakfast Of Champions

Have you ever taken a look at Ted King's excellent blog, iamtedking.missingsaddle.com?  If not take a look but before you do let me tell you he's not only a great bike rider but also a good writer too and like me food is one of his favourite subjects.  Unlike Mr King I may not have reflected my love of food much on my blog before but trust me I'll happily while away the hours talking about it as would my wife.  When we have the time we do like to russle up nice food too with Asian cooking, particularly Thai, Malaysian and Indian being current favourites.  Between you, me and the lamppost  I cooked a good old fashioned German pork schnitzel a couple of weeks back which my wife told me tasted better than her mums!  What a complement but please don't tell her mum!

Getting back to Ted King I was looking at his blog yesterday and noticed he's put his own recipe on there for what looks to be a perfect pre-ride breakfast, an oatmeal and muesli pancake.  I say looks to be perfect since I have to admit I have yet to try it but hey if it's good enough for a pro like Ted King then surely it will more than surfice for a lesser minion like me.  I will give it a go before this Saturday mornings long ride though.

Here's Ted's recipe:

1/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup muesli
1/2 cup hot(ish) water
1/2 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
2 eggs
1 gallon or so maple syrup. Fake syrup simply won’t do.
… + whatever else you deem fit for flavor. I recommend any of the following: cinnamon, blueberries, bananas, crushed nuts, or chocolate chips if you’re feeling saucy.

Put oats, muesli, salt and hot water in a bowl and let it sit for just a minute. Most of the water will soak into the oats and that’s a good thing. Next add baking soda and eggs, plus anything additional you’re hankering for. This morning, for example, feeling a bit spicy, I went with cinnamon.

Oil or butter your pan. It’s fairly important that you use a small pan of the 6-8″ variety. The batter is rather liquidy, so it will spread out across the entire area of the pan’s bottom. A massive 12″ pan will probably just cause a headache and maybe a small mess.

The hot water won’t totally suffice in cooking the oat mixture, so you’ll want to continue to cook the oats/muesli on the relatively low heat. So whereas normal pancakes are cooked on a piping hot griddle, I recommend medium-low. Pour batter into the pan and wait 5 minutes or more. The pancake will become fairly tall and that’s a good sign that things are cooking and life is good. Pat yourself on the back and pour another cup of coffee. Then using a pliable spatula, try to get under the pancake to make sure nothing is sticking to the pan and to ensure the pancake will happily flip. I recommend getting an audience, taking a step back from the stove, and flipping the pancake dramatically. Practice is key so maybe you should make a dozen pancakes this morning. Cook the other side for 5 minutes or so and then saturate the pancake in enough syrup that should typically be reserved for a family of five.

Skins C400 Cyclewear Review

I few weeks back Matt from Skins kindly sent me some Skins C400 cycling kit on the condition I wear the kit while taking part in a some trials along with other participants from around the world, which I happily agreed to.  The trials included a 15km TT on a flat route, a 120km hilly stage and a 150km flat route. They were completed one per week during the three weeks of the Tour de France. It was all meant as a bit of fun really but with a competitive edge since the results of the participants will be published so everyone will have wanted to fair well. I haven't yet seen how well I did but as soon as I do get to see the results I'll let you know.

Below is a review on each of the three items of Skins clothing I wore during the trials including bib shorts, short sleeve jersey and mesh tank (baselayer).  Before reading them here is what Skins say about their C400 range:

The C400 range is a layering system that features everything you would expect from high-end cycle wear, plus the performance boost of Skins BioAcceleration technology.

Skins C400 compression wear has been developed to enhance your potential naturally.  Dynamic gradient compression delivers the right pressure in the right places, to accelerate your blood flow and get more oxygen to your active muscles.  Increased circulation helps reduce lactic acid build-up so you can ride harder for longer.

C400 Compression bib shorts £149.98

During the past couple of years I've been using Skins compression half tights for running and find them extremely comfortable so my expectations were very high for their compression bib shorts.  They are very comfortable to wear, the fit is excellent and the chamois does a great job of keeping the undercarriage as protected and comfy as possible even on the very longest of rides, and I've tested them out up to a distance of 180km.  In terms of quality the build, design and stitching looks to be of a very high standard.  Having said that with a retail price of £149.98 I feel that the overall value of the garment is slightly compromised, especially when looking at a competitor such as Assos who produce the T FI.Mille_S5 bib short which retails for roughly the same price but who's quality and materials used are of an even higher standard.  If Skin's could retail their bib short for £20/30 less then we'd be looking at a product which truly provides the highest value for money. 8/10

C400 Short Sleeve Compression Jersey £89.98

I've worn this jersey in all summer weather conditions including heavy rain and high temperatures and I never experienced a jersey as comfortable as this, and I include both Assos and Rapha in that comparison.  The fabric feels super soft and hugs the body perfectly reducing drag to the absolute minimum.  The added bonus this jersey has over many of it's rivals is that it has a 50+ UV protection rating, surely enough to protect against the most fierce of summers particularly in the Northern hemisphere.  In fact I only have one gripe and that's the rear pocket design.  Skins have tried to reinvent the wheel with their two pocket, one on top of the other formation.  Why oh why did they feel the need to do this when the traditional three rear pockets works so much better?  Skins cheaper Short sleeve (non-compression) jersey features three rear pockets plus the all important rear zipper pocket so why not the compression jersey?  On longer rides it's a major challenge fitting bits and pieces into just two pockets that sit on top of each other.  If it's a cost issue then Skins should consider adding the three rear pockets plus zipper pocket and increasing the price from £89.98 to £100, the cost would still provide excellent value for money.  Apart from the rear pocket design it's a great jersey.  7/10

C400 Mesh Tank £39.99

Out of the three garments this was my favourite piece of kit.  The mesh tank is meant to be worn under the bibs and jersey and works well in all climates providing extra warmth in cooler conditions as well as keeper the body dryer, due to it's wicking design, in warmer temperatures.  I absolutely loved the fit, super snug and comfy and the high quality is exactly what you'd expect from Skins.  OK, so it's not cheap at £39.99 but if you want the best then you have to pay the price.  I for one will be buying more of these.  Exceptional!  9.5/10

Behind The Scenes With Bbox Bouygues Telecom

All the images below were taken by Bernard Papon of L'Equipe during this years Tour de France and feature a behind the scenes look at riders from France's Bbox Bouygues Telecom pro cycling team.  To see more click here.

Thomas Voeckler

Thomas Voeckler

Pierrick Fedrigo

Yukiya Arashiro

Cyril Gautier