Training Summary :: 19th - 23rd March, 2012

Sticking to Brad's training program this week was crucial to ensure the best possible lead up to the UCI World Cycling Tour Qualifier on Sunday. The start list for my age bracket is incredible and stands at 75 at the time of publishing this post (Friday). It was also the week that I got to settle into riding the new S-Works Venge DA which was just as important as keeping to the training plan. If I am not ready for this race now, I never will be but I'm feeling good and I believe that if I give my absolute all, I have a strong chance of making the top 25% of finishers. Oh, and a little bit of luck wouldn't go astray!

Monday was recovery from Sunday's B grade criterium win and the wind was down to almost nothing which allowed me to keep the HR to RE easily enough. Even after a solid weekend of riding and racing, I could feel that there was still enough left in the legs to repeat the efforts but restraint was the order of the day to recover properly from the work that had been done. Signs are looking good for the coming Sunday but the rest of the week would provide a better indicator.

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The usual group training session with Brad on Tuesday morning provided eve more of an indicator as to how I was performing. It took a bit to shake out the lactic from the legs but once I had, I felt the usual strength that allowed me to complete Brad's drills with vigour.

AP was also on fire! We paired up (me with Chris Singleton) for our first lap around Lovekin and May Drive and had Brad and AP immiediately on our wheel (we were third pair to head off) and they reached us before the roundabout at the top. We latched on and managed to catch the pairs ahead of us and we hit Lovekin Drive climb as a group before the fatique from the weekend's work kicked in a bit and I dropped off the back of AP's wheel. He smoked it up there. I couldn't believe how quick he managed to hit the top and go onto the Forrest Drive intersection.

Right on the back of that effort, Brad ran through with us how we should approach the final run for the line in Sunday's race. It was a fantastic exercise that we completed three times, each one being more brutal than the previous but I found I could improve on each effort and managed to smash the last sprint with some help from Simon, one of Brad's old racing compatriots, as he lead out early. The effort was excruciatingly painful but completely satisfying in that it it gave me a good indication of where I am leading up to Sunday.

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I repeated Tuesday's effort another two times on Wednesday with Emma. She was keen to continue the Wednesday training sessions we had been doing so I figured I would give her a few pointers on what we completed the previous day and some of the tactics she might employ on race day.

I had also checked in with Brad on Tuesday night after he invited me to complete a motopacing session on Wednesday morning which I hoped to tag onto when he reached Kings Park (Mounts Bay Rd). While I missed the group, I still managed to get in a strong lap around the UCI course (as did Emma at her pace) and while not at racing pace, I still believe I completed it well enough to be competitve on the day.

Emz cleaned up another good collection of Personal Records and a QOM for the morning's efforts. She will compete well on Sunday. Her confidence will lift during the race and I think she will be a certain contender.

Wednesday was also the day I picked up the new Venge. Nick and Will at Garland Cycleworks had done a fantastic job doing the full build and I enjoyed taking the bike out for a spin up to the Narrows and back to the shop. The wind was up and blowing the usual easterly and as I turned back into it at the Narrows, the bike really sliced through it. It was easy to get into an aero postition on the bike and with a quick adjustment to the saddle height, it felt completely comfortable.

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Thursday morning's Bell Tower group ride would be the first decent test of the Venge and it didn't let me down. The gears shifted under load beautifully as I tested the capabilities of the bike more thoroughly. I completed two half-efforts on the ride including a dash across the Causeway to get warmed up (cool morning) and a short hill-sprint up Preston Point Rd off Canning Hwy being the other test. Even with the efforts being half loaded, I still managed to PB both segments.

The bike performed incredibly well and I felt that there would not be much Nick would have to do to fine-tune my riding position. The hardest effort for the day was maintaining the restraint to not go out and smash the entire ride. The bike just oozes performance and is incredibly comfortable to ride.

I rolled it down to see Nick for the final fitting and as suspected, there just wasn't any need to change anything. There was no unusual numbness and I felt that the riding position was agressive enough. It was the same hand-in-glove fit that I had felt when I tested the Specialized Venge at the "Test the Best" day in December. There was no question then and no question now that this bike was built for me!

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Friday should really have been a day off the bike but I was a big kid with a new toy and couldn't help myself and jumped on the bike for an easy commute to work and back. It meant that the ride would be broken into two (to and from) with significant rest between. It felt great on the new Venge. It's such a pleasure to ride and while the performance difference is noticable compared to the Giant, the riding position is very similar so transitioning back and forth between the two bikes will be quite OK.

A great week of training with the taper into Sunday. I feel I am prepared as I can be, aside from ensuring I have everything I need for the day. All that is left to do now is just get to the start line and give it my all. Many thanks to all who have offered me encouragement and best wishes through the week. It is much appreciated.