Solo Sunday Morning Hills & PR Therapy :: 26th February, 2012

Yep, 'twas Sunday again and it was time to jump back on the bike for some hills and PR therapy! Using AP's monumental effort in the hills yesterday as inspiration to get out there and grap a couple of PRs here and there it was a natural decision to start with Welshpool Rd again and get that big gear, low cadence hill climbing working again.

Garland Group 1 Saturday Ride :: 25th February, 2012

[Red Light Ride]

I always look forward to fronting up for a Group 1 ride with the Garland Crew as the pace is usually high enough to keep the HR up and work you reasonably hard - and of course there is the social aspect! Today's ride, however, was marred by the dreaded red traffic light. It seems we could barely catch a break and caught nearly every red light along the way and this kept the average pace down a bit.

Training Summary :: 20th - 24th February, 2012

With Brad holding a training camp down south, this week's efforts were mostly on my own - no group sessions. AP was also on the camp so there was no combined efforts urging each other on up in the hills or Kings Park. But what a week it was. Some ups and downs to say the least but not just because of the hills...

SPR Sunday Morning Hills Therapy

The guys down at Garland Cycleworks did a great job of rectifying the snapped cable inside the shifter and getting the gears working crisply again. It's just like riding with a new groupset on the bike. It's almost impossible to find the words to describe the feeling of being outside on the bike again! I picked up the bike mid-morning on Saturday so it goes without saying that the hills were my Sunday target for the time I missed up there since Wednesday night.

Training Summary :: 13th - 17th February, 2012

With the thrill of Sunday's win still pumping, it was time to knuckle down and get back to some serious training. This week represented the first week of my fourth month with Brad and I can't believe how far I have come since I started with him. If any of my readers are interested in engaging a cycling coach, Brad's ability to get the best out of you should certainly put him at the top of your list. This week was an absolute cracker and incredibly painful as one would expect.

Post Race Ride :: 12th February, 2012

After such a high pace at this morning's Open Criterium event, I was happy to decline an invitation to join some of the Garland Crew for a quick couple of laps up in Kings Park. It was not until I arrived home that I received a phone call from Kathy asking me to come down and meet her and the kids down at South Beach while they waited to pick up my folks who were spending a couple of hours on the Leeuwin. I was reluctantly convinced to ride down and meet them so I was back on the bike and on my way.

SPR/RCCC Summer Series Criterium #3 - Open C Grade

What a day for cycling! Starting the morning with an incredibly fast paced Open C Grade Criterium at Technology Park, my first race with Team Garland offering fantastic support. Followed this with an additional ride out to South Beach (Fremantle) and back via the Victoria Park leg of the Perth Criteriums - you couldn't ask for a better day on the bike.

Announcing a Team from The Garland Crew

After much discussion and apparent anticipation, myself and a few others have put a team together from the Garland Crew. Our first race will be Sunday, 12th February, 2012 at the last of the SPR/RCCC Summer Criterium Series. We have elected to enter 5 riders into C grade as our initial try out and from there I would like to see the team expand and perhaps enter into B and C grades as well as the possibility of teaming up in Masters racing.

Garland Group 1 Saturday Ride :: 11th February, 2012

With the last of the SPR/RCCC Summer Series Criteriums on tomorrow morning, I was set to ride perhaps a Group 2 or 3 pace but on arrival at the bike shop, John Sonego convinced me that Group 1 would be fine if we just sit in and take the odd turn at the front. I should have known that would never happen with the two of us in the group...

Training Summary :: 6th - 10th February, 2012

After three weeks of solid training concluding with the KHT Classic Criterium last Sunday (5th Feb), this week was a well earned recovery week leading into Sunday's Open Summer Series Criterium at Technology Park. Tuesday would see the most significant effort with a group training session up in Kings Park.

WCMCC Kewdale Criterium - B Grade

I only found out on Saturday night that this morning's event was upgraded to the Keady Humble Tognini Classic with KHT offering additional prize money and a prime lap for each grade. Certainly a very welcome gesture that was appreciated by all who attended the Kewdale Criterium. But, of course, with additional promotion and prize money comes additional numbers in the fields. All grades had impressive starting lists and riders steeled themselves for a tough morning's racing, especially considering the nagging southerly wind.

Training Summary :: 30th Jan - 3rd February, 2012

This week was set to represent the last week of hard training before a recovery week next week so with over 1,965 quality kilometres completed for the month of January and a solid 110km the previous Sunday, a recovery day was probably a great way to get the week started - well at least a recovery ride.

New Bike On The Way!!

After what seemed like an eternity getting myself sorted out, the new bike has finally been ordered. The S-Works Venge DA will certainly look grand in the stable and even better on the road where it counts. Full details on the bike can be found here (for now).