Local Heroine

Well done to our women's 3,000m pursuit team on coming out top at the UCI World Track championships at the Pruszkow velodrome in Poland yesterday. It was especially exciting to see local girl Joanna Rowsell (on the right of the podium) along with Lizzie Armistead and Wendy Houvenhagel get a gold medal.
It's always inspiring to see people that do your local race achieving so much. Well done, Jo - see you at the Crystal Palace circuit!

Primavera Travels - Cote d'Azur (Part 2)

On we pressed up La Grande Corniche, admiring the view of the coast below us. It was great to be above all the action that was happening in Nice and around. You could be part of it, while not having to be in it. There wasn't much traffic on this section of road - just the odd car and a few motorbikers. I imagine this is a bit of a boy racer route at the height of summer.

Just before La Turbie the road levelled off, before suddenly plunging down. We rounded a rapid succession of lovely sweeping bends, which brought us around rocky outcrops. The view down below us changed and we had our first sighting of Monaco, and the very opulent Cap Martin. We still had a lovely coastline to view and lots of vegetation. But this was now interspersed with lots of blue squares - swimming pools. The architecture was also less quaint as the Principality below us consisted of a number of tower blocks. There they stood - tall and mighty in their audacity, above the Mediterranean landscape - an ugly symbol of the wealth of those who live in Monaco.

Once we were level with Monaco we noticed an increase in the amount of traffic, and from here up to Roquebrune Cap Martin we had to be careful on the descents as we crossed junctions and cars slowed up. The increased traffic might have been due to it being rush hour as well. This would definitely be a road that's worth doing on a quiet day, as the descent from La Turbie to Roquebrune is a real joy. The road alternately twists towards and away from the coast - switchback between jagged rocks and smooth sea, with the sun looking over you the whole time.

Once at Roquebrune we were back at sea level, and it was just a short ride to our resting place for the day in Menton.

Primavera Travels - Cote d'Azur (Part 1)

Our trip started last Thursday with our flight from Heathrow into Nice. A French air traffic controllers strike meant that we didn't touch down in France until almost midday - two hours late.

On our arrival, we dropped off our bike bags in left luggage at the airport, and then set up our bikes ready to ride. Two great things about Nice airport - they have a special bike assembly area for people to set up their bikes, complete with a Tacx stand ; the other thing is the cycle path that leads straight out of the airport around the Baie des Anges and onto the Promenade des Anglais. In no time at all you are cycling along the beach.

That's the path we took which led us to Nice old town (Vieux Nice). We had lunch at a brasserie right opposite the flower market. The lady of the house said they were celebrating 30 years of the being in business, and they were offering aperitifs. Sounded a good plan to us, so we started our lunch with a Kir, before setting about carbo-loading.

Around 2.30pm we bade farewell to the staff and were on our way Eastwards. Snapped quick photos of the beautiful bay and the promenade, zoomed past the port, then we began to climb towards the Observatory. I'd seen this road from my table while having lunch earlier. This should have been a hint not to overstuff myself. But the hearty plate of ravioli they'd prepared was delicious and I don't regret scoffing all of it down.
So I had to haul my somewhat heavier frame up and over the town. First we passed the Observatory, then we were onto the Grande Corniche itself. La Grande Corniche - one of the most famous drives - not just because it was where Grace Kelly was killed, but also because that road was used in lots of old films with romantic couples, all looking chic, driving off into the sunset in vintage sports cars through the French riviera.

And here were the two of us waddling up the hill with our panniers in the afternoon sun. We did not look chic. I can't say there was much romance in the air either. It felt more like I was getting heartburn! Fred kept bugging me asking me to speak in French. I was not ready to speak in English, let alone a foreign language!

After the col d'Eze, we got some great views of the sea. There were lots of pine trees, olive groves and citrus trees. The road was so peaceful. There was hardly a soul around - very few cars and even fewer people. It was great to just be able to pedal freely and peacefully while contemplating the spectacular views over the cote d'azur.

Allez, on y va !

Hang on, I don't need French - more like Italian ! Well, we're flying into Nice before crossing into Italy, so what the hell!

I booked the trip a while ago on a whim - It all seemed a long time away back then. But now, here I am on the verge of leaving for San Remo.

Once in Nice we'll roll off the plane on our bikes, and within 5 minutes of cycling out of the airport we'll be pedalling along the seafront path known as the Promenade des Anglais. I'm so looking forward to it. Nice - my favourite French city after Paris.

We won't hang about too long though as we'll take the scenic and hilly route over to Menton via La Grand Corniche - one of my favourite coastal rides.

Then there'll be more climbing on the agenda as we cross the Alpes Maritimes and the Mercatour mountains to get into Liguria, Italy. It should be quite a buzzing atmosphere as there'll be all the fanfare of the Milan - San Remo cycle race.

Hopefully I'll have enough energy to do the cyclosportive mini version of this event.
With Eddie Merckx as the guest of honour and Ivan Basso riding the sportive, this will be quite an occasion. At Italian cyclosportives women often get put in the front grid along with the elites and the VIPs. Hopefully I might get to rub shoulders or even wheels with one of them. Interestingly, Ivan Basso will have already done the pro race the previous day, so I imagine he will use the sportive as a recovery ride. Embarrassingly, his recovery pace will still be quicker than my race pace, so I imagine I won't get to see much of him at all!

Well, whether or not I see Eddie, Ivan or even Lance, I'm sure it'll be an interesting trip - lots of hills, beautiful sights, and the chance to drink good wine and eat tasty ice cream without worrying about calories.

Trip report to follow.

50th Dulwich Primavera - Wally Gimber Road Race

Yesterday my club put on one of the key classic season opener road races, the Wally Gimber Road Race.



As it was the 50th anniversary of this event we wanted to make more of an occasion of it. It seemed like all of the club turned out for this one - either to help at the event or to race in it. Even the sun came out for the occasion and graced us with its presence for the whole day, to our joy!

There was a full field of 80 riders, with many still tapping at the door to get in - especially after the Premier Calendar Bikeline (held on the same weekend) stage race had been abruptly halted.



Nigel, the race organiser, who had put in months of preparation for this was busily running around on the morning making sure that all was in place. Considering all the logistics involved in staging an 80mile race on the open road - full motorbike and car convoy, technical and medical assistance, marshalling, commissairing, timing/judging, photographers and catering - Nigel looked remarkably calm, even when the race ambulance was late arriving, thus leading to a delayed start.

In the car park of the Woodchurch Community Centre there was alot of milling around of the South-East's finest racers, as they made last minute finishing touches to their race preparation, or teams had last minute chit-chats about tac-tics. I was amazed at how many thousand ££s worth of bike was sitting out there in the sun - especially considering that these guys are still classed as amateur racers. Most have day jobs and many do not get sponsored.



Finally the race started at around 12.20 and the convoy hit the lanes of the Tenterden/Appledore area of Kent.

It was a really active contested with an attack which was made right from the gun. The guy was eventually brought back to the peloton. Another attack ensued with a 4-man break staying away for almost a lap. Then another group of 10 managed to bridge to them, which led to more groups of 2s and 3s leaving the main bunch and joining the front groups of riders. As the course took it's toll with a tough climb to scale each lap, riders were shelled out of the front group and were eventually brought back into the main bunch. The peloton was by no means complacent and teams battled on and on to have riders get away and stay away. As one attack succeeded another the main group again became reduced as more riders joined the front group, and by the end of 3hours the race was made up of 2 distinct groups. Had the course been a little longer a single peloton would have formed again, as the second group definitely rode with mission in the closing stages.



The winner, Rob Hurd (Colnago), won by making a breakaway 8km from the end. The remaining contenders in the lead group were then left to battle it out for second place.


Sadly the mad gallop for position led to a rather nasty crash with one rider being taken to hospital. (Fortunately he didn't sustain any serious injuries, though he did need stitches.)

It had been a very active race, with all the drama and suspense associated with a one-day Spring classic.

Not being eligible to take part in this meant that my part in the event was as a helper.
In fact, I was duly assigned the role of co-driver in the one of the race cars. Seeing the race unfold from a following car gives a very exciting inside view. However, it's not all just about sitting there watching pretty coloured lycra on pert bums! There's alot of multi-tasking and thinking ahead involved. With my club-mate Rob, who was driving, we had to protect the main peloton. That meant alerting oncoming vehicles and other users of the approaching race, while taking instructions over the radio from the commissaire and the motor bikers, recording numbers of riders who made attacks.

The trick to this, especially in this race which was quite lively, was in being able to judge when to pull into the side and allow a breakaway group to move past us. Many riders attempted to breakaway - some more successful than others. In the car you need to be able to judge via the rear view mirror whether or not each break would come to anything. At the same time you need to stay far away enough to not let the riders take assistance from the car, but not get too close to another group that is in front of us. Overtaking a group of racers on a country lane again needed forethought. For part of the race we lost the signal on the radios so in the absence of instructions we had to make the judgement calls ourselves.

On top of all that were also the significant changes of pace - crawling pace on the hills, and during the occasional lull in activity, followed by a screechingly fast pace as the riders hurtled down the mini descents at around 40 miles per hour.

At the end of 80 miles and a little over 3 hours we were rather tired - Rob's left arm must have been knackered after all the signalling he'd had to give to drivers to slow down, the whole time! I enjoyed being in the car and seeing the race from a different angle. What I like the most was playing on the CB radios - it was like being a kid again!

Anyway, well done to the winner, Rob Hurd, who I understand had been on the verge of giving up racing altogether, not long ago.
Huge thanks to the event organiser and our Chairman, Nigel Wood for co-ordinating such a great day out for competitors and helpers alike.
Roll on Wally Gimber 2010!


Rob Hurd victory photo (above) by Belinda Sinclair

This week's training

Monday - Rest and Massage


Tuesday - Stretching
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Wednesday














Thursday










Friday














Saturday - Start tapering !




Sunday - Back on the bike !

Track is Back - Great News!

It's that time of year when I know the spring road season is well and truly here because I don't need to get up on a Sunday morning to travel to a muddy field somewhere. Also you see more and more road riders coming out of hibernation as they cram in the extra miles, hill reps or other training in time for that all important road race in the Surrey or Kent lanes next week!

The other reason I know we are out of the winter racing season is because Herne Hill is open for track cycling again. Yes, it's back on my cycling menu, as well as the menus of at least a hundred other local cyclists - as I noted while riding around the crowded velodrome yesterday.

It's great to see so many people out riding at Herne Hill, and even more impressive how the coaches at Velo Club de Londres (VCL) manage so many riders at such busy times.

Why am I so glad Herne Hill is open?

Well, for me, track cycling is a very good element in my cycle training. It forms that link between the steady tempo ride and the training pace chain gang. I am comfortable enough to do 3 or 4 hours of steady riding. I am not quite back on the fast chain gang stuff though. The various mini races that we do on the track on Saturday mornings will be a great help in training to ride at high pace, for a sustained amount of time in a group.

Herne Hill track is also a great place to meet up with all the local club riders. Yes, I know it's training, but it's still good for the psyche to have a good old chin wag and press the flesh while you're up there (preferably not while sprinting for the line).

Furthermore I don't need to worry too much about how my bike is. Track bikes are low mainenance compared with cyclo cross bikes and road bikes. No gears, deraillers or brakes to think about. I just take a train or ride over there on my old hack, unclip my track bike from its peg and, Bobs your Uncle, I'm ready to ride on the track - it's simple. I like it like that.

I am also looking forward to the traditional Good Friday International meeting that'll be held at Herne Hill next month. It's always an actioned packed day out, with the chance to watch Elite and club riders compete on the same stage. All of London's cycling fraternity turn out in force to spectate and it's a great chance to catch up with cycling friends, old and new, over a beer.

So yes, I'm glad that Herne Hill is open again.