Confession Time
So, here’s a confession, or rather two. I’ve done some training this week, rather a lot. And I actually feel like a cyclist again, so I’ve shaved my legs.
Last Sunday I went out on a group ride to do some hills and in the end did 70 miles of the Wolds finest hills, starting with Acklam which went on for ever and was tough even in 34x23 and then looped with various climbs to finish up Bishop Wilton and then a blast back to York. An enjoyable ride, but hard climbing. I decided more was needed….
Tuesday did a ride to work in Leeds of 24 miles followed by a long ride home of 28 miles so that was a day of 3hr 15mins. Included a couple of big climbs including the one past Harewood.
Thursday was another ride to work of 24 miles and then 34 on the way home, with a couple of hills thrown in again. On Friday more of the same and a nice big ride on the way home of about 36 miles. I say about, cos I did the commutes on my training bike and the computer battery is dead. Must get a new one.
Saturday and another 53 miles in the Wolds again and just about 17.6mph average. Race bike this time with my polar.
In the end that is roughly 293 miles, but I’m not quite sure with the battery problems. I’ve put it down as a training week though. Just need the rain to keep away next week as I’m not going to get out on the bike at the weekend. I’ll be towing our new(er) caravan out to Austria where it will live from now on.
And, whilst I’m fat, I don’t think I fancy Skinny Colin’s (even skinnier now) method of weight loss though. I’ll just get some more miles in. With a bit of luck, I’ll get another work ride in again tomorrow.
Nathan Evington
28/02/77 - 03/11/07
Monday, 28 April 2008
Sunday, 27 April 2008
Buy 7 get 7 free
Well, I'd love to say I've had a strategically planned break this weekend, but it wasn't planned at all... struck down by a particularly unfriendly stomach bug. If I'd known before I could shift 7lb for free, well... Should be back on the work bike by mid week and up for a big ride next weekend. Of course the worst thing of all is that this is the second time a planned ride with TGMM has had to be abandoned! And after Dez told me that even a reversing russian lada could pip him up the climbs I thought I at least had a chance of getting round without too much of a kicking... We'll have to wait and see now... Ho hum. More from the Northern Frontier next week. SS.
Dez Route
If you click on the larger map of dez'z route, you can see the route. Or click here: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/kml/episode.kml?episodePkValues=5508797
62 miles. Not bad.
62 miles. Not bad.
Alp Duez Profile
There is an exellent website called www.climbbybike.com which gives profiles of all the climbs in the world. The climbs have probably been ridden by geeks who have Garmins or such like on their bikes.
Alpe Duez is at the following link: http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Alpe-dHuez&qryMountainID=5
Average gradient 8.1% and max 10.6%. Easy eh? What's that, it comes towards the end of 130miles of mountains?? I may be in the autobus with all the other Fat Sprinters.
As a warm up, I'll be doing a race up this climb about a week before: http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Egger-Alm&qryMountainID=1275 My best time is just under an hour for this climb. Will hope to do better this year.
As a little extra training on the 18th May I'm doing the Etap Du Dales. 110 miles of the best Yorkshire Dales hills. Short and very steep ones. I was unfit and not feeling particularly well last year and only made half way. Struggled on 34x27 and got a lift back. I hope to do better this year. Check out the route: http://www.etapedudales.co.uk/instructions.htm and the map here: http://www.etapedudales.co.uk/etaperoutesimp.htm
Then on the 8th June I'm doing the White Rose Classic. Another monstrously hilly ride of about 110 miles of steep hills. http://www.whiteroseclassic.co.uk/
Hopefully this should prepare me for the big ride. I'm now begging to get a little training in, in preparations for these rides. It all gives me incentive. Just need to lose a coule of pounds to help. Better make that stones!!!
A confession to follow soon!
Alpe Duez is at the following link: http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Alpe-dHuez&qryMountainID=5
Average gradient 8.1% and max 10.6%. Easy eh? What's that, it comes towards the end of 130miles of mountains?? I may be in the autobus with all the other Fat Sprinters.
As a warm up, I'll be doing a race up this climb about a week before: http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Egger-Alm&qryMountainID=1275 My best time is just under an hour for this climb. Will hope to do better this year.
As a little extra training on the 18th May I'm doing the Etap Du Dales. 110 miles of the best Yorkshire Dales hills. Short and very steep ones. I was unfit and not feeling particularly well last year and only made half way. Struggled on 34x27 and got a lift back. I hope to do better this year. Check out the route: http://www.etapedudales.co.uk/instructions.htm and the map here: http://www.etapedudales.co.uk/etaperoutesimp.htm
Then on the 8th June I'm doing the White Rose Classic. Another monstrously hilly ride of about 110 miles of steep hills. http://www.whiteroseclassic.co.uk/
Hopefully this should prepare me for the big ride. I'm now begging to get a little training in, in preparations for these rides. It all gives me incentive. Just need to lose a coule of pounds to help. Better make that stones!!!
A confession to follow soon!
Greetings from FatSprinter
Hi Folks
Just a quick intro with more updates to follow. A hello from the FatSprinter. Just a little history. I met Dez in my first year of university in about '93 and therefore met Nathan. I have spent many an hour round the Evingtons and was contantly amazed at Nathans good humour and cycling knowledge. We have remained friends ever since. He's passed me many a bottle at races and always provided his humerous insights into cycling and life. I will miss him. I'm very pleased to be doing something with you guys for the Cardiomyopathy Association in his memory, especially so as it is a charity I would like to really support as my brother died too at age 37 of the same thing. I'm sure Nathan and Wayne will be joining us on our adventures.
I'd better get my FatSprinter arse into gear and get some training. done.
Colin (FatSprinter) Sinclair
Just a quick intro with more updates to follow. A hello from the FatSprinter. Just a little history. I met Dez in my first year of university in about '93 and therefore met Nathan. I have spent many an hour round the Evingtons and was contantly amazed at Nathans good humour and cycling knowledge. We have remained friends ever since. He's passed me many a bottle at races and always provided his humerous insights into cycling and life. I will miss him. I'm very pleased to be doing something with you guys for the Cardiomyopathy Association in his memory, especially so as it is a charity I would like to really support as my brother died too at age 37 of the same thing. I'm sure Nathan and Wayne will be joining us on our adventures.
I'd better get my FatSprinter arse into gear and get some training. done.
Colin (FatSprinter) Sinclair
How cool is this?!
First off, look at this link http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/invitation/dashboard.mb?episodePk.pkValue=5508797 (hope you can see it 'cos I can't!). This is the ride I did today. For everybody apart from TG (who is not to know about bicycle related purchases), I have received my GPS/heartrate/cadence/speed/hope it bloody pedals for me gadget. The first major disappointment is that in fact it doesn't actually do the pedalling so you're left to your own devices there. The good news is once you've done that on the first nice weekend of the year in Paris, you can spend hours annoying the wife with comments like - 'Look, that climb is 16% at the top! no wonder it hurt!' and 'There are traffic lights at the bottom of that hill I did 43mph on' (not happy about that one). I was tired today after a long flight yesterday and a busy 2 weeks at work so didn't have much of a spark but it's a good starting point, 63miles at 17.6mph. We have quite a few bank holidays coming up so hopefully I can get out a bit more in the next few weeks. Will take my GPS so you can all see how I do.
Sunday, 20 April 2008
A quick training update...
Well... had a good ride today. 64 miles in absolutely fabulous weather by Aberdeen standards - blue skies, light Easterly breeze, slightly nippy. Today I hit the big hill, Cairn O'Mount. I joined the climb 30 miles into the ride 125m above sea level. It starts with a little 1:6, just a couple of hundred meters or so before settling into a 1.5 miles section of about 1:10. This is just enough to be able to get back up to 7 mph and get the pulse back down to 170 before hitting the grand finale - a nice long 1:7 up to the top at 455 m. My legs and lungs were screaming at the top! Luckily I had the 25 sprocket which got its first outing. Did you know that at 5mph it turns a massive 38 times a minute... For the Hully-Gullies, imagine climbing Spout Hill, then being teleported to the bottom of the High Hunsley 1:10. At the top of this you get teleport back down to the bottom and then when you reach the top your whisked off to North Grimston to hit the 1:7's. That's more or less Cairn O'Mount hit from the South side.
The decent down to Strachan is much longer, made up of long near-flats with short sharp descents. After this was a long flat slog down Deeside into Aberdeen with the wind in my face. The first 30 miles had been over rolling hills with the wind on my back which had been one of the best 30 miles I've ridden all year! Fantastic scenery, great weather, long, fast descents. Cool!
The now ancient bike was in good form today. I've sorted the position out after having a somewhat recumbent position last week. A new pair of top notch racing tyres finish it off perfectly keeping the speed up and comfort down to the min! Nearly new bike sounds are cool as well. I know... this is a sad thing to say...
So...home in 3:55ish, 17mph on the dot. I'm pretty chuffed with this, though a tad concerned that this is only half the Alpine distance and relatively I only did piddling little climbs!
Well, more from the Northern frontier next week. Cheerio. Col.
Well... had a good ride today. 64 miles in absolutely fabulous weather by Aberdeen standards - blue skies, light Easterly breeze, slightly nippy. Today I hit the big hill, Cairn O'Mount. I joined the climb 30 miles into the ride 125m above sea level. It starts with a little 1:6, just a couple of hundred meters or so before settling into a 1.5 miles section of about 1:10. This is just enough to be able to get back up to 7 mph and get the pulse back down to 170 before hitting the grand finale - a nice long 1:7 up to the top at 455 m. My legs and lungs were screaming at the top! Luckily I had the 25 sprocket which got its first outing. Did you know that at 5mph it turns a massive 38 times a minute... For the Hully-Gullies, imagine climbing Spout Hill, then being teleported to the bottom of the High Hunsley 1:10. At the top of this you get teleport back down to the bottom and then when you reach the top your whisked off to North Grimston to hit the 1:7's. That's more or less Cairn O'Mount hit from the South side.
The decent down to Strachan is much longer, made up of long near-flats with short sharp descents. After this was a long flat slog down Deeside into Aberdeen with the wind in my face. The first 30 miles had been over rolling hills with the wind on my back which had been one of the best 30 miles I've ridden all year! Fantastic scenery, great weather, long, fast descents. Cool!
The now ancient bike was in good form today. I've sorted the position out after having a somewhat recumbent position last week. A new pair of top notch racing tyres finish it off perfectly keeping the speed up and comfort down to the min! Nearly new bike sounds are cool as well. I know... this is a sad thing to say...
So...home in 3:55ish, 17mph on the dot. I'm pretty chuffed with this, though a tad concerned that this is only half the Alpine distance and relatively I only did piddling little climbs!
Well, more from the Northern frontier next week. Cheerio. Col.
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Well... I'm delighted to tell you all that I didn't buy a new bike, which didn't get delivered last Friday, so as not to replace the trusty stallion I've been letting gather dust in the garage since my 18th Birthday a mere 15 years ago... I was rubbish on it then... I was marginally better when I last hit the Alps 8 years ago and then I cracked on an 80 miler over two mountains; I'm hoping the 7 pounds that theoretically I won't be carrying is miraculously going to allow me to double the distance and treble the climbing with only half the training!
Anyway, new bike or old bike, the wind blew from the North at the weekend which is the wrong direction... feels like a head wind all day... a nice westerly at least gives a back wind home! This week's route took in the usual hills in the first 35 miles and then had some nasty long drags for the next 20 as I crossed Deeside, before I finally caught a bit of a back wind for the last 20 in to Aberdeen. 75miles in total, 16.5 mph, bed ridden since... Am guessing, but I think I was the only one of us nestled in between snow capped mountains this weekend, so now I know what it's like to see mountains looming on the horizon... So if imagining how painful it'll be counts then I must definately be stealing an edge! I managed not to hit the wall which I did last time I did 70 thanks to a pocket full of GO gels and an extra bottle of supercharged PSP.
Started biking to work last week as an excuse not to have to do any more nasty turbo training. Only 6 miles each way which is not a bad distance for a bit of big ring action! It's tying my thighs in knots - no idea whether it helps or is just doing me in before the weekend...
Well, better get off - need to start circulating the just giving page so we can try and get some pound rolling in for the worthy cause. More news from the Northern front later in the week.
Tatty bye. SS.
Anyway, new bike or old bike, the wind blew from the North at the weekend which is the wrong direction... feels like a head wind all day... a nice westerly at least gives a back wind home! This week's route took in the usual hills in the first 35 miles and then had some nasty long drags for the next 20 as I crossed Deeside, before I finally caught a bit of a back wind for the last 20 in to Aberdeen. 75miles in total, 16.5 mph, bed ridden since... Am guessing, but I think I was the only one of us nestled in between snow capped mountains this weekend, so now I know what it's like to see mountains looming on the horizon... So if imagining how painful it'll be counts then I must definately be stealing an edge! I managed not to hit the wall which I did last time I did 70 thanks to a pocket full of GO gels and an extra bottle of supercharged PSP.
Started biking to work last week as an excuse not to have to do any more nasty turbo training. Only 6 miles each way which is not a bad distance for a bit of big ring action! It's tying my thighs in knots - no idea whether it helps or is just doing me in before the weekend...
Well, better get off - need to start circulating the just giving page so we can try and get some pound rolling in for the worthy cause. More news from the Northern front later in the week.
Tatty bye. SS.
Monday, 14 April 2008
TG rides again ! sort of ?
Good evening all
Thought it was about time I wrote on the Blog ! for those of you don't know me this is a mile stone as i don't do Modern Technology ! this is down to me having little to no understanding or patience with computers or such like ! but thankfully I have the beautiful and very patient Mrs T.G. to help with everything technical which is good for me ! how do people cope without her ?
When my good friend Damian suggested this awsome ride I jumped at the chance, I knew Nathan would have loved taking the micky out of a bunch of ex cyclists and of course his racing hero TG (me who apparently according to Damain raced last season ! but what he didn't say was that yes I raced but on most occasions I could not even keep up with the group and ended most races as a spectator ! although on one occasion I actualy got 3rd which for a man in my condition wasn't too bad ?) Any way back to the ride, I thought these guys haven't rode in 10 years ! me I'm still riding how hard can it be ? and thats where I made a mistake !
How hard can it be ? the answer my friends is very hard if my training or lack of it is anything to go by ! I've kept riding a couple of times a week since the end of last season and have found it hard to do even 15 mph for 40 miles ! but I don't think the huricaine gilbet thats been blowing since christmas has helped !
When Damian came back to England for Nathans birthday we arranged to meet up for a ride, It was really great to get back out on the bike with him as we haven't rode together for about 5 years, it was great to catch up. But what I didn't realise before the ride was that he was doing these intense training sessions with europe's finest cyclists ! Oh and did I pay ? he gave me a right pasting ! oh dear those constant years of racing and training hadn't really paid off at all !
This ride of a mear 130 miles over 5 mountains has started to dawn on me ! and panic has set in ! with me only averaging about 250 miles a month thats right a month not a week ( for those of you not familar with cycle racing ,for a ride of this magnitude you would need to be doing about 200 mile a week ! thats if you are to stand any chance of making it to the finish in one piece !!!!!!)
Turbo Turbo Turbo !!!!!
I apoligise now to the majority of the cycle community I have offended in the past for claiming that Turbo was for those of us that didn't have any friends and were actually social out casts ! I am truely sorry !
As I said I haven't been doing the miles I should for this ride ( family commitments of a 1 year old (the big guy ) a little girl due in May and of course mrs TG oh and that little thing of work !) haven't left me much time ! so I have decided to still ride on my days off but to also do turbo twice a week ! This is painful stuff guys as I am doing threshold work ( This pretty much means riding as hard as you can with your pulse at about 170 bpm then going a bit harder ! and then you get to have a really good rest for 15 seconds ! oh and you do it again and again and again until you fall off !) its not pleasant ! but if I'm to keep up with this lot I better get my finger out !
I thinks thats enough for today ! please check in again to see how we're all getting on
Hi Guys !
hope you're getting the miles in ?
TG
Thought it was about time I wrote on the Blog ! for those of you don't know me this is a mile stone as i don't do Modern Technology ! this is down to me having little to no understanding or patience with computers or such like ! but thankfully I have the beautiful and very patient Mrs T.G. to help with everything technical which is good for me ! how do people cope without her ?
When my good friend Damian suggested this awsome ride I jumped at the chance, I knew Nathan would have loved taking the micky out of a bunch of ex cyclists and of course his racing hero TG (me who apparently according to Damain raced last season ! but what he didn't say was that yes I raced but on most occasions I could not even keep up with the group and ended most races as a spectator ! although on one occasion I actualy got 3rd which for a man in my condition wasn't too bad ?) Any way back to the ride, I thought these guys haven't rode in 10 years ! me I'm still riding how hard can it be ? and thats where I made a mistake !
How hard can it be ? the answer my friends is very hard if my training or lack of it is anything to go by ! I've kept riding a couple of times a week since the end of last season and have found it hard to do even 15 mph for 40 miles ! but I don't think the huricaine gilbet thats been blowing since christmas has helped !
When Damian came back to England for Nathans birthday we arranged to meet up for a ride, It was really great to get back out on the bike with him as we haven't rode together for about 5 years, it was great to catch up. But what I didn't realise before the ride was that he was doing these intense training sessions with europe's finest cyclists ! Oh and did I pay ? he gave me a right pasting ! oh dear those constant years of racing and training hadn't really paid off at all !
This ride of a mear 130 miles over 5 mountains has started to dawn on me ! and panic has set in ! with me only averaging about 250 miles a month thats right a month not a week ( for those of you not familar with cycle racing ,for a ride of this magnitude you would need to be doing about 200 mile a week ! thats if you are to stand any chance of making it to the finish in one piece !!!!!!)
Turbo Turbo Turbo !!!!!
I apoligise now to the majority of the cycle community I have offended in the past for claiming that Turbo was for those of us that didn't have any friends and were actually social out casts ! I am truely sorry !
As I said I haven't been doing the miles I should for this ride ( family commitments of a 1 year old (the big guy ) a little girl due in May and of course mrs TG oh and that little thing of work !) haven't left me much time ! so I have decided to still ride on my days off but to also do turbo twice a week ! This is painful stuff guys as I am doing threshold work ( This pretty much means riding as hard as you can with your pulse at about 170 bpm then going a bit harder ! and then you get to have a really good rest for 15 seconds ! oh and you do it again and again and again until you fall off !) its not pleasant ! but if I'm to keep up with this lot I better get my finger out !
I thinks thats enough for today ! please check in again to see how we're all getting on
Hi Guys !
hope you're getting the miles in ?
TG
Saturday, 12 April 2008
Altitude Training
I have an advantage over the other guys. I'm not sure how much of advantage it is but I'm taking it nevertheless. Tomorrow I fly to Johannesburg which is 1753m high (nearly as high as where we'll be staying in Alpe D'Huez) for work. Now, I don't exactly know the benefit of sending emails and attending meetings at altitude but it's got to be better than Paris right? I'll be using the gym as much as I can - I need to - had a wedding back in UK last weekend and picked up a cold so haven't done much for 10 days. Last time in Joburg I was using the bike in the gym (they're awful aren't they?!!) and the effort was so hard I pulled a muscle in my ribs trying to get some oxygen in! I felt much fitter when I came home though, as if I'd moved the redline a few %.
Today I managed 50 miles in the Bois de Boulogne (a park to the west of Paris) at an ave. of 21.7mph. That's fast but I am cheating a bit. Every Sat and Sun the Park is closed to traffic around the horse racing track (where they have the Prix de l'Arc de Triompe) and it's full of cyclists. Some go round the 2.2 mile circuit at 10mph and some go round at 30mph with every speed in between too. You can always find a group riding at the speed you want to and it's great fun, especially for an ex racer like me. When I first turned up I managed an hour in the 15mph group but it's great motivation to try and follow a quicker group, you can really measure your improvements. Obviously not great training for the Alps so I don't do it too often now but it's nice to have it there if you haven't got much time or fancy a burn up. FatSprinter loved it a month ago when at the end of a 62mile ride we went and did another 10miles in the park doing through and off ;-) it's additive he said. True.
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Blog or Turbo? No contest really...
Well... The fact that I signed up to this ride whilst sober says it all really doesn't it!
As of January when I dusted the orad bike off it had been 3 years since I last had my road bike out... the tyres are splitting, the gears don't line up and the brakes aren't what they once were, but worst of all the saddle seemed to have turned to concrete. I first got out on the road again mid-Jan. After a pitiful 23 mile slog I found myself no longer able to sit and barely able to pedal anyway! 107 miles shy of the target (and without a hill in sight) it was clear that there was much work to be done. So, out with the TV, in with the turbo...
Now, 3 months later, I've cracked the half distance with a couple of 70 milers and have added 5mph to my average since January. So it's only right isn't it that I should treat myself to some new wheels (which just happen to be attached to a new bike... Yes - it does have a seat pin; no - the pin isn't 2 foot long! So a new nickname should definately be on the cards - suggestions on a post-blog! First ride on new wheels this weekend so watch out for news of hurricanes in Aberdeenshire this weekend!
Cheers for now. Col.
As of January when I dusted the orad bike off it had been 3 years since I last had my road bike out... the tyres are splitting, the gears don't line up and the brakes aren't what they once were, but worst of all the saddle seemed to have turned to concrete. I first got out on the road again mid-Jan. After a pitiful 23 mile slog I found myself no longer able to sit and barely able to pedal anyway! 107 miles shy of the target (and without a hill in sight) it was clear that there was much work to be done. So, out with the TV, in with the turbo...
Now, 3 months later, I've cracked the half distance with a couple of 70 milers and have added 5mph to my average since January. So it's only right isn't it that I should treat myself to some new wheels (which just happen to be attached to a new bike... Yes - it does have a seat pin; no - the pin isn't 2 foot long! So a new nickname should definately be on the cards - suggestions on a post-blog! First ride on new wheels this weekend so watch out for news of hurricanes in Aberdeenshire this weekend!
Cheers for now. Col.
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
Welcome! Please keep coming back!
Hi
I'm Nathan's brother and you're reading this because we all got a little drunk the night before the funeral..... As we've said already, Nathan loved cycling (I think in his mind he was much better than we were) and so when we wanted to do something special to honour him we knew it had to be on a bike. At that time (November 2007), Mike TG had just raced most of the year, Colin Big Boy AKA Fatsprinter had raced at the end of the year, Colin Seatpin (we need a better nickname don't we?!!) was recovering from the Great North Run, Doug Crasher was smoking and didn't realise he still owned a bike and I was living in Paris and the only bikes I had ridden all year were those ones you can hire now in Paris, let's say 2hours max, all year. So I suggested a ride which everyone agreed to but then as the beers kept coming it sort of escalated out of control and now we're riding a stage of the Tour!! Of course TG was egging us on because he thought it'd be easy and Doug was still amazed he owned a bike and was keen to use it - why not after 10 years of neglect - the 2 Colins jumped at the chance the next day and so there we have it............. I'm riding the Alps with my 4 new brothers and they've got to try and keep up ;-). Come back and we'll keep you posted on how we got this far and how we go from here! Oh, and please sponsor us by clicking on the 'widget'
Welcome to our "blog"
Hello everyone, hope that you are well and that those legs are bearing up with all the training! Why not share your latest training news with the rest of us.........
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