tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77227638414333668942024-03-12T21:36:21.025-07:00la grimpeuseStories, thoughts and general chat from a woman who loves cycling, particularly in the hills and mountains.michellemgregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553512763766451251noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7722763841433366894.post-83285435115299111252011-11-28T11:55:00.001-08:002011-11-28T12:01:36.783-08:00Hell Hath No Fury - possibly the best training video ever<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It is not everyday that you can get excited about turbo training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when I heard that the Sufferfest had released a new training video – Hell Hath No Fury - which featured the UCI Women’s World Cup I was excited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I first started turbo training two years ago when I had signed up for La Marmotte, which is a gruelling French sportive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Key to success is being able to put in miles over winter, and when you live in Northern Europe darkness, snow and ice can make this difficult. So we turn to the dreaded turbo. At first I managed to get in some fairly good session using self-selected tracks and mimicking spin classes. But then I heard about the Sufferfest and downloaded The Fight Club – which simply revolutionises turbo training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based on this I then download a couple more videos to vary my training (Revolver and Downward Spiral). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As a woman, to hear about a new video featuring entirely professional women’s cycling I was intrigued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David had tweeted for female bloggers to get in touch. So I did and was offered a free download in return for unbiased review.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I didn’t appreciate was just how brilliant this new video is and that Sufferfest had taken the concept of training one step further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this workout you are part of the story. You are on the National Sufferlandrian team and you have a four stage professional race in the bid for the UCI World Cup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, and you are not a sprinter so you are going to have to work your butt off to gain time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">There clear instructions on what to expect and how much effort is required for each interval based on perceived effort on a scale of 1 to 10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sounds are also used to alert you to a change in pace….and the dreaded attacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is all interspersed with the trademark taunts and motivational messages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I download the videos onto my iPhone, and using an iPhone mount on my handlebars I listen to the tracks through headphones. This works well for me as I like to be fully absorbed in the music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these features are found in the Sufferfest videos so let’s get back to Hell Hath No Fury.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Right from the start you really feel like you are involved in a stage race as the story is built up. The warm up sets the scene as team Sufferlandria gets warmed up for the first race. Stage 1 ups the anti but nothing too difficult so after a short rest it’s suffer time….and man can those women throw down the gauntlet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was wondering how I would last doing a 20 minute session – not out from fatigue but out of boredom. There is no chance of boredom as you are racing. There are constant changes in pace, attacks, climbs, uphill sprint finishes and the most amazing climb with a great soundtrack. Makes you want to be there for real! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it is tough and you will be begging for it to end….so you can get a 7 minute recovery before the next 20 minute race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stage 3 feels harder again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there is still the team time trial to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 3:30 that will finish you off once and for all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The music really seems to fit the terrain and I felt completely caught up in the excitement and part of being on the National Team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is also a mental visualisation exercise at the end for the cool down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought this was a nice touch and it helps you focus on the reason for your training.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I was already a big fan of the Sufferfest videos. They really take the mental torture out of turbo training and ensure that you get a well structured workout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I was already expecting good things of Hell Hath No Fury. But I was pleasantly surprised at how this workout was even better due to the story line and just how tough it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the icing on the cake is to see women’s professional cycling showcased. 10/10.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Full details can be found on <a href="http://www.thesufferfest.com/video-sufferfests/hell-hath-no-fury/">http://www.thesufferfest.com/video-sufferfests/hell-hath-no-fury/</a></span></div>
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<br /></div>michellemgregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553512763766451251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7722763841433366894.post-5254607493389494782011-10-30T10:27:00.000-07:002011-10-30T10:31:49.872-07:00The flying Kiwi<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Women's 10 TT series trophy - originally the Vale of Leven <br />
Clarion CC's Ladies Championship trophy from 1950.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Last weekend I was very excited to see the All Blacks lift the Web Ellis Trophy, but I was equally excited to lift the West Lothian Clarion Women’s time trial champion trophy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">It all began last winter when a few of the girls from West Lothian Clarion were discussing plans for the coming year. We got onto the topic of our clubs’ weekly time trial series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of us were particularly interested in time trailing but we got into the “I’ll do it if you will” kind of agreement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure if anyone else even remembers that discussion but I decided to uphold my end of the bargain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">The first week I, erm, needed to get my haircut, which I could of course only do a Thursday night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t find a suitable excuse for the next week so spent Thursday carbo loading and getting myself just a little bit nervous about pitting myself against the clock over 10 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Short and fast is not really my forte.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Riding along flat, not particularly scenic roads is most definitely not my forte.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My love of cycling is hilly, scenic back country roads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I took in these types of roads to ride to the start of the TT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course when I turned up I was surprised to see that a lot of people had driven to the start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh dear, I thought, this does look serious. No matter, I paid my £1 entry fee and got my race number from the back of the organisers car.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Next came the pre-ride phaff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because I had ridden over I had the full works on my bike<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- drink bottle, pump, saddle bag with tools and inner tubes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I starting fussing about to do with all this until someone pointed out that it is only a club TT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok, stop fussing woman and just get on with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Rolling up to the start I was pretty nervous. As most first timers are, I was mostly nervous about posting up a ridiculously slow time. My goal was to get under 30 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So all I had to do was average 20 miles per hour for 30 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How hard could that be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1 minute to go the person in front has gone and I roll up to the line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>30 seconds do go I clip in while the pusher off holds on to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>20 seconds getting butterflies thinking I’m not going to fall off, I’m not going to fall off (this comes from the ridiculous fear of falling off when the pusher off lets go).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>10 seconds, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5,4,3,2,1 – GOl!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m out like a racehorse out of the gate riding as fast as I can, watching the speed on my computer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m doing around 20 to 22 mph and feeling strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hardly notice the traffic around me and just focus on keeping as smooth as possible and watching out for obstacles. I try to get as aerodynamic as possible but it difficult to hold this position on the drops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>10 minutes in and someone goes flying past me – my minute man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>13 minutes and I’m at the turn. Wow! I’m going to get under 30 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can do this in 26 minutes. Wrong!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the pain starts as the course rises up over a motorway bridge and the road drags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want to change down to my middle cog and my legs are screaming as I fight the incline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From here it is really hard and I fight the urge to ease off. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sportive experience is telling me to slow down as I am used to pacing myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am also paying the price for going off too fast at the start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As this stage I am yelling to myself to dig deep and keep pushing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">The road continues to drag and another rider passes me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely it’s got to end soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get to a junction and finally the road seems to flatten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see a high visibility jacket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The finish!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OMG and I’m under 30 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OH NO! !!! It’s just a man trimming hedges and not the finish line at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where’s the finish????<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another few hundred metres and there’s the sight for sore eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel sick and completely spent and roll back to the layby to compose myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">We stand around and have a chat waiting for everyone to finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The officials walk back from the finish to read out the results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am first woman and my time is read out as 29:57.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t believe it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I crawl home back over the Bathgate hills, realising why people drive to the start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so spent that I have nothing left to get home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I finally slump in the door, the first thing I do is to tweet my time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then the next morning I find out that my time was actually 30:57.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So that means only one thing – I have unfinished business and start obsessing about how I can better my time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Over the course of the summer my times gradually improve and I finally get under the 30 minutes on week 8.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My goal over the summer also changed to trying to win the women’s series, which I did. It was not an easy ride either as I had some strong competition so I had to ride as many nights as I could, as fast as I could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of those nights were pretty grim too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed the series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only is it strangely enjoyable pushing yourself over 10 miles, there is a great camaraderie amongst the riders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I can’t think of a better way to spend a Thursday night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Full results can be found here;</span></div>
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<a href="http://westlothianclarion.blogspot.com/2011/08/michelle-and-brian-are-club-10-tt.html">http://westlothianclarion.blogspot.com/2011/08/michelle-and-brian-are-club-10-tt.html</a></div>michellemgregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553512763766451251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7722763841433366894.post-28119382912532385522011-10-08T06:45:00.000-07:002011-10-08T06:53:25.828-07:00Classic Cols of the Pyrenees<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pa_JdXgP1doWKrGO9nFPrVt2UGqEwSf5pjR2ttl7Q3mFVWLrIq0TqSRrbsXATeTag0n35RmeuP501BNyu8KgGW8YTfEVpFzvZkoJThFsoFH5MwJHZYhFa9lP_v6_sO3MOnGG8aWQVFI/s1600/IMG_0523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pa_JdXgP1doWKrGO9nFPrVt2UGqEwSf5pjR2ttl7Q3mFVWLrIq0TqSRrbsXATeTag0n35RmeuP501BNyu8KgGW8YTfEVpFzvZkoJThFsoFH5MwJHZYhFa9lP_v6_sO3MOnGG8aWQVFI/s320/IMG_0523.JPG" width="295" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Col du Tourmalet, Hautacam, Col du Peyresourde, Col d'Aspin are all mythical cols used by le Tour de France and these are just some of the cols we hoped to ride in the next week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two years ago I booked on the Classic Cols of the Tour de France run by Marmot tours, in conjunction with Exodus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was back to repeat the trip with my husband, Mark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Life’s too short to repeat a holiday right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well the beauty of this trip is that everyday you have optional routes to ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is the “basic route” which is around 60 km with 1,500 metres of ascent per day. On some days there is a green route, which gives a slightly easier option or the blue route that involves an additional “bonus” col. But the real challenge lies in the red route or The Classic Cols Challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This involves riding up to 3,600 metres of ascent a day and you get a free jersey to commemorate this epic achievement. Before we get too carried away I was on holiday so was deciding my route every day depending on what I felt like doing. My aim was to ride a slightly different route to the one I did two years previous when I took the easiest options.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Monday morning found us waking up to blue skies and perfect cycling temperatures, which would stay with us for the entire week. The night before we had studied the route maps to decide what to ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This usually involved me reading out the gradients to Mark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not sure what the neighbours thought of me reading out 5%, 6%, 6% oooh 2%, 3%, ouch 9%, 10%...you get the idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that this really meant anything out on the road as the gradients are an average over 1km.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So 8% could be a mix of 2% and 15%!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over breakfast there is the inevitable conversation amongst 20 people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what route are you riding today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then comes the inevitable change of plans as people feel the peer pressure of doing that additional col.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">So after a lycra clad breakfeast, a bit of pre-ride phaffing it is out on the road to put those legs and route maps to the test.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to confess that some mornings I woke up thinking I really couldn’t face another col but as soon as I start pedalling I know I want to ride all day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple of hours later and a fair bit of suffering I would find myself at the top of the col to the welcome sight of the Marmot Tours van and the friendly face of James.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually I was one of the last out on the road so it was always great to catch some other people here to discuss who was doing what and what lunch plans were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it was my favourite part - a 20 minute descent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think anyone can ride up a col and we all suffer the same, albeit at different paces, but the key to enjoying this type of riding is learning to love descending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep your hands on the brakes the whole way down and it is a miserable experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real way to do it is to learn to let go on the straights, easy on the brakes coming into hairpin corners, take a good line and let go coming out of the corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is better than any rollercoaster ride I’ve ever known.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Of course on the descents you feel like a million dollars, and the pain of the climb is forgotten, so I usually opt to get the second col done before a late lunch. And of course the second col is always harder than the first but is easier than struggling up on full stomach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After cresting the second col it is time for another buzzing descent and then find somewhere for lunch. This usually involves an omelette, French fries, coffee and a friendly French waiter topping up your biddon with fresh water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then after an hour or so relaxing it is time for the ride to the hotel for that night, hopefully with some of the team that you have had lunch with. Time for a bit of group riding and team navigation to find the hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Late afternoon brings the recovery session before dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a compulsory beer or two, a recovery drink, shower and nap. Not necessarily in that order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beer is most essential as is a shower. Unless you are like one of our trip mates who claimed to not need a shower because he had “already had a shower that morning”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bags not sitting next to you at dinner then!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Dinner is typical French affair. Three courses, maybe a cheese course, carafes of wine should you choose and endless supplies of baguette. This is topped up by the not so typical endless supply of pasta, which had been prearranged by James for ravenous, carbo loading cyclists. This then results in a quite bloated feeling as you hit the sack feeling quite satisfied, having read out the gradients for the next day, ready to repeat the experience again. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than bore you with a description of everyday I have decided to highlight my top 10 moments. Admittedly this ideas is stolen from Chris Evan’s as I was reading his autobiography whilst on holiday. So here goes;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Top 10 moments</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 480;"><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 32.4pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">10</span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 393.7pt;" valign="top" width="525"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Being cheered up the Tourmalet by onlookers.</span></b></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 32.4pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">9</span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 393.7pt;" valign="top" width="525"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Restaurant Baluchon</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Bonne cuisine on our rest day.</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 32.4pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">8</span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 393.7pt;" valign="top" width="525"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Ricky’s bucket</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">While we all had small day bags for our essentials to go in the support vehicle, Ricky, another Kiwi on the trip had a bucket for his kit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was bought initially to put ice in to treat a swollen ankle, but was amusing all the same.</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 32.4pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">7</span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 393.7pt;" valign="top" width="525"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Café stop after Col de Port</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">I stopped at a café before doing the Col de Saraillé to get a caffeine fix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the locals, who spoke better English than my French, said to my ride buddy Adrian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It is a tough climb the Col de Port” and then to me, “but even tougher for a woman”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The look on his face was priceless when I let it drop that I have ridden Galibier.</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 32.4pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">6</span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 393.7pt;" valign="top" width="525"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Col D’Aspin</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Cruising up Col D’Aspin, which is a truly beautiful climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I passed a few guys struggling up, and their mates at the top thought it was tough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming after out rest day, and now being acclimatised to the heat, we found it facile. Oh, and the best was the cows at the top with massive horns who took great delight in blocking the roads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily I got through okay but I think it was too much for some to face on the last few metres of ascent.</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 32.4pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">5</span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 393.7pt;" valign="top" width="525"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Joe & Jenny doing a double Tourmalet</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Jenny hated riding hills previous to this trip but somehow got talked into booking onto the classic cols trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the last day Jenny and Joe decided to ride back up the Tourmalet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only thing is they couldn’t get their classic photo at the top as the big statue had been put away.</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 32.4pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">4</span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 393.7pt;" valign="top" width="525"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Coralie completing the Classic Cols Challenge</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Coralie has only been cycling since May last year and managed to complete the Classic Cols Challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chapeau Coralie!</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 32.4pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">3</span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 393.7pt;" valign="top" width="525"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">The “Joe Tow”</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Riding the last 20km into St Giron in a tight group of four, led by Joe doing 25mph.</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 32.4pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">2</span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 393.7pt;" valign="top" width="525"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Descending off the Col de Menté</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Brilliant switch backs that throw you out of the corners, similar to berms on a mountain bike track.</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 32.4pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">1</span></b></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 5.4pt; padding-right: 5.4pt; padding-top: 0cm; width: 393.7pt;" valign="top" width="525"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Riding the Tourmalet and the Hautacam on the same day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Halfway up the Tourmalet I decided I would also ride the Hautacam. While they looked to have similar gradients on paper, the Hautacam was a lot harder. The climb was scrappy as you would get 2% or even downhill sections followed by a brutal 10% section for 3 kms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stopped for a rest at 5km to go and text Mark to tell him where I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was at the top and had been speaking to an old French couple how were amazed at what we had ridden that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They stopped their car when they saw me riding up to shout “Bon Courage! Bon Courage!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That made my day - as did making it to the top of the Hautacam.</span></div></td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Cols Ridden</span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Col du Chioula (1431m)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Co du Port (1250m)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Col de </span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: FR;">Saraillé</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"> (942m)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Col de Porte D’Aspet (1069m)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Col de Ment</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: FR;">é</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"> (1349m)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Col du Peyresourde (1569m)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Col d'Aspin (1489m)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Col du Tourmalet (2115m)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Hautacam (1535m)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">My personal distanced for the trip:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>400km, 8,700 metres of ascent.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">6 people completed the Classic Cols Challenge, an eye watering 600km with 15,460m of ascent.</span></b><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Everyone finished the route and no one spent a single moment in the support van. </span></b></span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Trip Details</span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.marmot-tours.co.uk/Road-Cycling-Holidays/pyrenean-classic-cols.html">http://www.marmot-tours.co.uk/Road-Cycling-Holidays/pyrenean-classic-cols.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFc87wNBElclZu19AEsARl1HQp886TzbM4n3Ugi4zGSadxKbPGz8HgXRR4lMh46XOR9GRBuUKqb45QFGdxy7iIeiF3k9WpI1HtbWLu3hjvetE4r_xIKqs2NDgNwE8Jb77IPvTLZCZMOY/s1600/IMG_0522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFc87wNBElclZu19AEsARl1HQp886TzbM4n3Ugi4zGSadxKbPGz8HgXRR4lMh46XOR9GRBuUKqb45QFGdxy7iIeiF3k9WpI1HtbWLu3hjvetE4r_xIKqs2NDgNwE8Jb77IPvTLZCZMOY/s320/IMG_0522.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><strong>Highly recommended trip. I wasn't the only person repeating this trip so that says a lot about how good it is.</strong></span>michellemgregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553512763766451251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7722763841433366894.post-72311779829135660742011-08-27T08:57:00.000-07:002011-08-27T08:57:30.058-07:00Ken Laidlaw Sportive 2011<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Two years ago I rode my first century, the Ken Laidlaw Sportive, in torrential rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On paper it should have been a miserable experience as I also rode on my own and hadn’t done enough training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was the best ever event I had ridden, due to the stunning route on quiet roads and the great organisation and camaraderie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So in 2011 I promised myself I would ride it again, hopefully in better conditions and as a stronger rider. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">My other half had somehow talked himself into entering as well so we were both up at 6am for the drive down to Hawick for the 9am mass start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both of us hadn’t done enough training so we discussed that we would opt for the 52 mile route if we weren’t feeling strong by the first feed stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two years ago the lack of training was because I had entered on the spur of the moment, this time it was down to work commitments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, no time to dwell on that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived at the start and I spotted a few of my club mates from the West Lothian Clarion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have only been a member of the club for 2 years so it was great to be in a small posse of gold & white jerseys at the start.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">9am and we were off in a peleton of 500 cyclists riding through Hawick town centre on closed roads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon we left the urbun confines and into the approach of the first climb, where I lost contact with my club mates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter, there were so many friendly people riding to chat so you just end up riding with anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then someone called my name and I turned my head to see a former work colleague. It was a pleasant surprise to see Alan, who used to be a short distance commuter, wanting to do more miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Alan & I caught up on news on the first climb before he dropped back to ride with his brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We soon reached Roberton where there were lots of bystanders cheering us on like the Tour of Britain was riding though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kids were banging pots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was such a brilliant atmosphere, which took away the pain of the first three climbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were even supporters on top of the Swire, which has featured as a killer climb in Cycling Weekly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Somehow I lost contact with my group on the descent so had to work hard in the Yarrow Valley in the head wind to catch a group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took my turn at the front but found the pace a bit slow so I left them behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I spotted a clarion jersey up ahead so wound the pace up again to catch John Hanlin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started up the next climb together and worked with four others up the gradual Berrybush climb into that persistent head wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked behind and saw about 30 hangers on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried the flick of the shoulder to get more to share the work. Then I got half wheeled out of the group so I decided it was time to get clear of the group and went over the top on my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course I got caught on the descent and John & I rode into the first feed station together.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">My beady eyes were searching out a red Ribble amongst the melee of bikes outside the village hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes! I had caught up with Mark at the feed station so walked in with a grinning face to spot him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both of us were having a great ride, and the weather was fair, so there was no way we were going to cut the ride short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s very hard to leave the feed stops on the Ken Laidlaw sportive as it is more like being in a café, but even better - a café filled entirely with cyclists. I chatted to so many people that it was 20 minutes gone by before I could get myself sorted for the next section, where John & I joined forces with more clarionistas Davy & Gordon for the rest of the route. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We worked together and chatted for the next section to Langholm, so it was more like being on a club run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was dreading the next climb as I knew it was a biggy and was steep at the bottom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About three miles before “That Climb” Davy punctured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within 30 seconds a support vehicle pulled up with spare tubes, then another, and then a motorbike with a track pump appeared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Puncture repaired, we were off, only to puncture again.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Nicely rested after the second puncture we were soon faced with That Climb!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After four big climbs in the legs and a head wind it was tough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone seemed to be in their on little world of pain. Alan caught me so we rode up together to what we thought was the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there was more to come as there was a dip and then more ascent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Davy, Gordon & John were waiting for me at the first false summit –what a sight for sore eyes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We mingled in with the club from Dalmeny, a neighbouring town, whose shirts said “No Hill No Cake”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great motto and after that hill we deserved cake. The next feed stop didn’t disappoint and there was definitely cake to be had and much more, including endless cups of tea.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">By this stage we were tired but thought we had cracked the ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mmm,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>maybe not with 3 big climbs left….the ride almost cracked me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to resort to the emergency caffeine gel for the second to last climb as I was feeling the pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then there was Bonchester hill, the last gruelling climb to get over before the charge for home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it went on, and on, and on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you’ve got three grown men asking if this is the last climb then you know it’s been a tough day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still we dug in got to the top and then it was only five miles of descent and a straight run home…until we punctured again with three miles to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again there was fantastic support from the roving supporters. Puncture “fixed” we were off to the finish of what has got to be the best sportive in the UK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Challenging route, quiet roads and brilliantly supported.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The icing on the cake is it is such a friendly event from the organisers and volunteers to the riders to the supporters on the road side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply fantastic!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><em>105 miles, 2,500 metres of ascent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rolling time of 7 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elapsed time of 8 hours 40 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div>michellemgregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553512763766451251noreply@blogger.com1Bathgate, West Lothian EH48, UK55.9023941 -3.641767299999969555.893964600000004 -3.6756912999999694 55.9108236 -3.6078432999999697tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7722763841433366894.post-10857796488694420002011-03-23T11:31:00.000-07:002011-03-24T00:55:32.994-07:00Lake Feminine APR 20 March 2011<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Driving up the M9, a rainbow appears from the murky Scottish Day as I listen to hyper pumping tunes on Radio 1 on the way to Balfron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Balfron is the HQ for the Lake Feminine APR, a women’s only handicapped road race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I have lost count of how many sportives, triathlons, half marathons and 10ks I have completed, this is the first cycling road race I have ever entered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why, as I near the age of 40, am I putting myself through this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well a few reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly, I want support the drive to develop women’s cycling in Scotland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Secondly, I am hoping to lead by example to encourage other novices to enter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lastly, plain curiosity, to find out how I compare and what it is like.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It’s about 7 degs C with a constant fine drizzle keeping everything damp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At registration I try to ignore that fact the most of the competitors look 10 years younger than me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s the normal last minute phaff over what to wear before I meet up with Debbie for the 4 mile ride to the start. It's a nice warm up but y<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">ou sense the pre-race nerves as groups of riders go flying past in silence. </span>I didn’t want to rush to get to the start only to get cold again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Debbie & I just stick to our own steady pace and time our arrival to perfection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Debbie is my club mate and fellow committee member from the West Lothian Clarion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is Debbie’s first event ever – not even a sportive or 10k to her name. This is a fantastically brave move, especially with the race being in March, straight out of another fairly harsh winter.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">At start, a layby on the roadside, we are arranged into our groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are four groups, arranged by ability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Group 1 has a 4 minute head start on Group 2, who has a two minute start on Group 3, who in turn leave 2 minutes before the last group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>39 women are entered in total.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">As novices, Debbie & I are in group 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a discussion in our group how we will arrange ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decide on the classic chain gang in an anticlockwise direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means we ride two abreast, with the outside riders moving up faster and pulling over to the left in front of the first rider.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next rider following behind and does the same, while at the back the last rider pulls out in behind the last rider on the right so we all move in a circular motion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will give us a faster speed as each rider only has a short amount of hard slog and then will recover in the group once back on the inside.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">However, this plan doesn’t eventuate as the group falls to bits right from the off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some riders just take off too fast (or are we too slow?) and others are a long way behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Debbie and I work hard to try to catch the front riders to form a group as the others are not catching us from behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stuck in no-mans land, we experiment with taking turns at the lead and soon begin to ride really well as a two woman team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Group 2 goes past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We try to catch their back wheels but inadvertently caught the tail-enders who had fallen off the back so miss catching the main group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we hit the first roundabout and we realise we can’t catch them we just keep working out our pace as a team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few minutes latre and riders from Group 3 come through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, just before the first climb, along comes the train that is Group 4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stick with Group 4 for a bit on the first climb but as we crest the hill we lose them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The middle section is just the two of us for quite a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My demons start to come out and I have to confess to feeling a bit down at being passed by so many girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I concentrate on my riding, banishing those pesky demons, until we catch up with another rider and form a team of three.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We yell to a girl who is abandoning to come with us but she doesn’t look best pleased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We get a really good chain gang working and get a good speed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few miles on we see another rider in the distance but can’t catch her on the flat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally we catch her and then three becomes four.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We work together on the next section which has a few ups and downs and a long drag uphill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At times the group falls to bits, as we each have our strengths and weakness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we all show signs of tiredness at different sections. But we try to bring it back together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really start to enjoy the race now as it is this team working that I love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Debbie is flying now and has managed to pull ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You GO GIRL! is what I am thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally I’d be a bit jealous but somehow you are quite please when it is your team mate getting ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But after a couple of miles Debbie takes the wrong turn and, due to the time lost, is back with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this stage I am feeling knackered and realise I need some fuel. I eat what is left of my energy bar and a few minutes later start to get some strength back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After what seems an endless piece of A road we <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>hit a roundabout and are directed to Balfron. I can sense the charge for the finish line now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hit the bottom of a climb so I take my gel and the last of my drink, and start to push harder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look down on my frame and see my Livestrong sticker “I ride for Ellen Orr (Mum)”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thinking of my Mum’s battle with cancer I dig deeper for Mum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last turn I sense the end is near.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take advantage of the turn to drop my group but am soon bought back into the fold. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Down to three and then it’s just me & Debbie again. We ride together until the last climb when I give it all I’ve got to the finish line.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Back at HQ it’s time for tea and cake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is great chat amongst the girls, even with our comical mud splattered faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A quick clean up and then it’s time for prizegiving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A £250 prize pool is allocated out to the first 6 places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a great buzz at the turnout and talk of the next event.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Debbie & I completed the 31 mile ride in a time of 1:48.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Out of the 39 entered 32 finished. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We placed 26<sup>th</sup> & 27<sup>th</sup> but I am pleased because I have a ridden the fastest I have ever ridden, have worked well as a team and we finished!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d recommend the Lake Feminine APR to anyone who wants to experience racing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a wide range of abilities. If you want to avoid riding on your own get along to your local club now and start finding a race buddy or two.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div>michellemgregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553512763766451251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7722763841433366894.post-77238948168213422362010-10-23T08:53:00.000-07:002010-10-23T08:53:29.343-07:00Kingscavil Hill Climb 2010<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so an era ended last Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time last year I entered the West Lothian Clarion Hill Climb competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really entered on a last minute whim, because a) I wanted to give support to the local cycling club who had the nous to close off a road for an event and b) because I fancy myself as a bit of a hill climber.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To put things into perspective, I love climbing hills, I can outride a lot of men and women up a long climb but I have never been good at short bursts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At school I was always last or second to last in sprints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact I was always last or second to last in most athletic events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t get me wrong, I was a half decent cross country runner, tennis player and could out walk most people on a long day’s hike, I am just not a born sprinter.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So imagine my delight when I won the women’s prize</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This really was a novelty to me. Most events I enter I look for my result by immediately going to last place and working my way back up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was the only woman entered but that didn’t really matter to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was the women’s champion for a year and, as it was the inaugural event, I was also the women’s record holder too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then I joined West Lothian Clarion and have taken on the role of Treasurer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With some of the other girls in the club I have also been involved in promoting women’s cycling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another mad cap idea was to offer up a bottle of champagne and write an invitation out to the local clubs. This went out with combined email to the cycling clubs in the region. It must have worked because we had 11 women entered, including two youth riders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10:17 on Sunday 17 October I rolled up to the start line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clipped in, gears at the ready, I am held in place by the pusher offer and the countdown begins. 10, 9, 8, 7 (nerves start now) 6, 5, 4, 3! (realise I am still holding on to the brakes – such a novice!) 2! 1! GO! Steve lets go as I sprint to the start of the climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gradient steadily increases while I click the gears down and drop into the granny ring for the first steep section. When I hit the bottom I am already breathing hard and can feel the lactic acid building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>S*@t I think, I haven’t left enough to get up this bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to come off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Banishing the demons I put all my effort into getting up this bit as I know the gradient eases over the brow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sight goes blurry and my calf muscles are screaming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People are shouting my name so I have to keep hammering away – partly because their cheers give me a boost, partly because I don’t have anonymity like last year, and partly because I am wearing team colours this year and can’t let the side down.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The gradient eases so I try to get my breathing a bit under control, as the next steep section is coming up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see Mark and hear him shouting at me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allez! Allez!.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get out of the saddle, too painful, can’t breath – I WANT TO GET OFF!!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back down on to the seat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know this is the crux and I have to give it all I have got.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Digging deeper I get back out and change up a gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My legs and lungs are screaming – NO MORE!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I change up another gear and focus on getting up the last steep bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally over the brow I change back into the middle cog and push as hard as I can to the finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hear the piper, can see the chequered flag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few more seconds of pain and I know it will be over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At last the finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unclip, see grass, collapse, can’t breathe, can’t get up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I have given my best, but I also know that I was almost caught at the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so my reign as Women’s champion is over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had succeeded in attracting a good field into the women’s competition. So much so I bought about my own downfall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not even a podium finish this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>7<sup>th</sup> fastest woman but I did knock off 10 seconds off last year’s time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another 10 seconds and I would have equalled third place, 5 seconds quicker and I could have got fourth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I guess that consigns me obsessing about knocking seconds off my time next year. </span></div><br />
<a name='more'></a><em>The Kingscavil Hill Climb is promoted annually by West Lothian Clarion. Details can be found here </em><a href="http://westlothianclarion.blogspot.com/2010/10/kingscavil-hill-climb-results.html"><em>http://westlothianclarion.blogspot.com/2010/10/kingscavil-hill-climb-results.html</em></a>michellemgregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553512763766451251noreply@blogger.com0