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Finally, the Kindle version of Point North and Pedal is here!

I am now very happy to say that Point North and Pedal is now available for Kindle and can be found at http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00M0FI46A/

It has been an interesting process getting the book onto Amazon especially around the tax side of things. I outsourced the book formatting to make sure that the reading experience was of professional quality. I would have spent hours tinkering with the format trying to follow Amazon’s rules etc. but for the sake of a few quid it would have been time wasted.

If you haven’t got around to purchasing a copy yet, have a look at the preview on Amazon and also have a look at the two excerpts on this website, links below:

http://www.phil-cox.net/point-north-pedal/book-excerpt-1/

http://www.phil-cox.net/point-north-pedal/book-excerpt/

If you buy a paperback, all of the £6 cover price goes to the charity, if you download, approximately £2.38 is generated as a royalty. If you have already read the book, please consider leaving an honest review on Amazon, every click helps!

For now, the novelty is still fresh and I am glued to my Amazon download report!

Happy reading!

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Performance Spin Time Trial – testing for improvement.

The first part of this blog described Performance Spin, a great new class at my gym. TFD http://thefirstdrop.co.uk/ have provided an excellent class to help cyclists/triathletes improve leg strength, power and endurance on the bike. The training is tough but it has paid dividends for those who have attended regularly, we know this from the 20 minute time trial that is performed every 6-8 weeks.

I am a keen to see my gym work pay off; the only real way to gauge improvements in performance is to test. I get disappointed when the test results are not what I was looking for but at least I know that I am not where I want to be. Chugging along in the gym with the same programme doesn’t tell me anything, I try to be scientific about all the work I do to get the most benefit given the limited time I have available to train.

The 20 minute time trial is conducted on a spin bike, I tend to choose the same one to mitigate calibration differences etc. The Keiser 3’s use an electro-magnet to apply resistance so, in theory, the selected gear is practically identical for every session. I can also adjust the saddle and bars to my preferred setting giving me a comfortable position, this ensures I am getting optimum power through the cranks. Bike adjustment is a PHD in itself and not for this post; suffice to say that I have arrived at my settings by trial and error but it seems to work.

The bikes take an SPD shoe, there is a reasonable amount of float in the pedals but they are used by lots of different people. Having said this, my feet sit squarely in the pedal and I am not aware of much lateral movement even when working hard. The combination of being attached to the pedal and the stiff soles of the shoes has an efficiency benefit compared to simply strapping your feet in.

The point of the time trial is to measure average power output (in watts) over the 20 minutes. Pedalling harder generates more watts, pedalling harder for longer improves the average wattage. I aim to keep my wattage at an even level for the duration of the test until the last two minutes where I apply extra gears and get out of the saddle for a ‘sprint finish’. My strategy is to work in gear 16 with a cadence of around 97 revs per minute. The sprint finish sees gear 18 and then gear 20 with an eye on the wattage figure. Getting out of the saddle is less efficient than being seated so I try and ensure that the wattage reading goes up or there is little point.

That is the theory; the reality of the test is a little unpleasant; mental toughness plays a big role in completing it to the plan above. It takes a couple of minutes for my heart rate to increase to around 83% of its max, give or take a few beats this slightly under threshold for me. As the test progresses my heart rate increases to 154 bpm, the sprint at the end sees it somewhere close to 165 BPM. Although warm, my legs take a good 4 minutes to settle into the cadence and feel comfortable. So far so good, the suffering starts around 13 minutes and it’s simply a case of hanging in there from then on.

I find the following helpful when it comes to completing the test:

Reset the bike computer before starting

Don’t dilute your average power output with all the warm up stuff!

 

Avoid clock watching!

I am always disappointed when I look at the time elapsed so I try not to check the time too often When it comes to the last 3 minutes I do need to check to time the sprint right.

 

Music/Podcasts help

I guess this is the ‘disassociation’ thing. I try to concentrate on the lyrics or listen intently to the discussion – this seems to pass the time and take the edge off of the discomfort.

 

Ensure proper hydration and fuelling before the test

Even if I tried to drink I would probably be sick or not be able to get enough air in. The last thing I need to worry about is fiddling with a bottle when I am knackered. Nutrition does play a big part and is a subject in its own right…another blog I think!

 

Keep good pedalling form

More difficult to do as you become tired but it does help with the power output. The drills we have covered over the weeks help with this.

 

Put yourself under a little mental pressure

As I get towards the end of the test, I remind myself that the work done so far will be wasted unless more effort goes into the final minutes.

The last 5 minutes are hateful. Legs feel very fatigued and want to give up, getting air in becomes a priority leading to shallow gasping instead of deep breaths and nausea begins to creep in. This is where timing of the sprint becomes key. I have reached the point of vomiting in classes before but have simply stopped pedalling to avoid making a mess; clearly this would have a bad effect on your average wattage during this test so ‘know your problem, you keep it all in’ as somebody once wrote. When the clock does stop, I stop pedalling immediately to get an accurate wattage reading, once I have this I will continue to spin out for a good 5 minutes to get my pulse down to normal levels.

With luck, the average power should have increased from the last test. This has a downside in that work above the 100% mark in Performance Spin now becomes harder…happy days!

Further reading…..

If you liked this blog please take a moment to check out my book describing the solo Land’s End to John O’Groats ride in 2012, all profit from sales to www.criduchat.org.uk

Please click the cover image for the Kindle version or click here to order a paperback copy. Thank you!

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Indoor training has never been so good….

A couple of months ago I was asked by my local gym about trialling a new kind of spin class specifically for improving cycling performance. The idea sounded interesting, I had a look at some drills that the magazines advocate to see what we might be in for and fed back in a positive way. The outcome was that 8 of us turned up on a wet Tuesday evening to try a sample session.

Spin is great if you want to get really sweaty and improve lung fitness; it’s a class I enjoy because it is bike related so I feel I am getting benefit from the exercise. The new class focused more on extended intervals and pedalling drills. Up to this point, I had always been a pedal masher and so had not appreciated the finer points of pushing a pedal around in a circle. My left leg is definitely weaker so I tend to load this pedal a little more in an effort to drag it up to the right side standard.

We started to look at the individual elements of a pedal stroke and practised them until my quads were complaining vociferously. The two biggest points for me were around ‘scraping’ the foot backwards at the bottom of the pedal stroke and imagining that I was throwing my knees over the handlebars. When you combine these elements you can see the wattage improve for the same given effort. We also practised pulling up from the bottom of the pedal stroke to deload the opposite pedal, this avoids working against yourself and sapping vital energy.

Thoroughly warm now, we embarked on a simulated group ride where individuals would ‘take the front’ by increasing their power output (in watts) to a certain % of their approximate average power output over a 20 minute time trial. This was a little artificial because we hadn’t done the 20 minute test at this point, it was more proof of principle.

The class split into 2 teams of 4, the leader for a 1 minute period would be working at 120% of his/her 20 minute average power with the 2nd person at 100%, 3rd person at 90% and fourth at 80% (the rest bit haha). Roles would then swap so the 2nd person would become the lead and the former leader would drop to the number 4 spot to ‘rest’. When all riders had worked in each slot (4 minutes), the set would be repeated a further 2 times with no breaks in between.

All in all a very enjoyable session and tough to boot. The main idea seems to be to get people working above their thresh hold pace for longer than they normally would; working in a team environment is definitely a good motivator and serves to help manage the inevitable pain. Leg strength is also developed with a lower cadence and higher gears, a little different to spin.

Next blog post, the sufferfest that is the 20 minute time trial – establishing an average power output to use in training.

Further reading…..

If you liked this blog please take a moment to check out my book describing the solo Land’s End to John O’Groats ride in 2012, all profit from sales to www.criduchat.org.uk

Please click the cover image for the Kindle version or click here to order a paperback copy. Thank you!

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Wantage Stands Up to Cancer

On the back of a wet April and following a bizarre rib injury involving a skip, I turned out for the first charity sportive of my season, this time accompanied by my 9 year old daughter, Harriet. She was determined to ride the 10km without issue and in the hope that she would see some of her friends too. I had attempted to explain that we needed to prepare for the ride during the previous day but this had fallen on deaf ears. The task of prepping two bikes fell to me; and then I had a last minute change of heart and decided to take my mountain bike given the bridal paths we were due to ride.

Sunday, 27th April was ‘Stand up to Cancer’ day in Wantage. An event organised by the redoubtable Ray Collins and staffed by many willing volunteers. The ride formed a part of this action packed day, in addition to cyclists, there were 5k runners and a group of Konga-thoners (a bit like Zumba but Konga). The square was packed and it was a good chance to catch up with people I don’t usually see locally.

My fellow challenge riders from the Isle of Wight ride (2013) were there too.  I sported my ‘Big Isle Be Back’ (BIBB) challenge jersey for our ride; a jersey that I am proud to wear and I know that Phil and Mark feel the same, we definitely earned the right over 24 hours and 243 miles. If you are in anyways curious as to what a ride of this length does to mere humans, please have a look at my 3 part blog here:

http://www.phil-cox.net/the-big-isle-be-back-challenge-wantage-to-lymington-103-miles/

http://www.phil-cox.net/the-big-isle-be-back-challenge-isle-of-wight-loop/

http://www.phil-cox.net/the-big-isle-be-back-challenge-lymington-to-wantage/

We also caught up with the foreign BIBB team member, Brian (German blood, lives on the Isle of Wight). He had made the trip with two of his colleagues from the Anthony Nolan Trust and had set up their stall next to the information tent. You can read more about Brian’s amazing story here:

http://www.phil-cox.net/973/

We arrived in the square around 9am, Harriet disappeared to find mum who happened to be manning the information tent with Sarah, Phil’s partner. I was left with two bikes and a ruck sack trying to make my way through the crowd to the start point. Harriet appeared in time for the line-up, we chose a spot half way down the field and waited for the off. A couple of her school friends joined us along with their parents and we all set off together.

Two things immediately occurred to me as we crossed the line: Harriet has never ridden in a group before (or peloton as us amateur athletes like to call it in conversations at the pub ;o)) and I had a ridiculous amount of kit for a 10km ride. It became clear that riding in a group wasn’t going to be an issue for any of the kids, they simple talked amongst themselves remaining oblivious to the outside world. In fairness, they didn’t stuff their brakes on at inappropriate times that often so all went smoothly for the first couple of miles out of the town.

The weather was kind with some sun; things were progressing nicely until Harriet asked what ‘that hissing sound’ was. Being a little hearing impaired in my left ear, I couldn’t discern anything but hoped that some poor sod wasn’t going to have a puncture. Approximately 300 metres later my front tyre was looking quite poorly.

Harriet and her friends sailed on with the other beleaguered parents as I turned my bike upside down and struggled to get the inner tube out.  Since getting my posh road bike, I have paid little attention to my mountain bike, it needs a good clean and de-grease plus the front brake bleeding. My road bike, of course, shines and you could eat your dinner off the drivetrain. To add insult to injury I forgot to use the foam sleeve on the CO2 cartridge and burned my fingers; cycling is about enjoyment apparently.

With the tyre done, though a little under inflated, I now had a good opportunity to flex my lungs and catch up. There was a nice incline followed by some downhill stuff, I managed to catch up with the group in Ardington. After a few bridle path sections to Wantage, there was a short stretch along Ormond Road to negotiate along with a few other cyclists and motorist intent of getting somewhere quickly. Once we had turned into Church Street things were slightly more relaxed. A warm welcome awaited us in the town square, the kids had done really well as the route was by no means flat.

The rest of the day was spent supporting the event and finally, lending a hand to clear the square once things were finished. The community really comes together on occasions like this, it’s great to see.  Once again, a cracking effort by Ray and his team, roll on the carnival in June!

Further reading…..

If you liked this blog please take a moment to check out my book describing the solo Land’s End to John O’Groats ride in 2012, all profit from sales to www.criduchat.org.uk

Please click the cover image for the Kindle version or click here to order a paperback copy. Thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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