Entering my third week of solid training for the month's program and I was beginning to feel the rigours of the base training build up of the last 4 months. It's been incredibly tough training but the benefits and progress I have made make it all worth it. Brad had put together the perfect base training programs for me over the past months which (at times) have pushed me beyond my limits and improved my cycling well ahead of my expectations. I was prepared to give it my all this week now that I have become accustomed to the pain that cycling can inflict and look forward to resting up next week but I was not prepared for the outcome I encountered...
Monday was set for an RE ride and I stuck to this plan because I knew what was coming for the rest of the week and was not about to overdo it. While the lower HR was perferred, I was still keen to put in a few kilometres so I started the week's training with a ride out to Shelley and back. There was a slight easterly wind so I used the opportunity to practice some aerodynamic riding styles both on the drops and resting the forearms on the bars. This worked out well as even into the wind, the HR remained around the top end of RE and only occasionally peaked into E1.
I completed the day with a commute to work and back. The wind was up so a slightly higher HR was almost unavoidable. Carb loading with pasta and half an hour or so with the massager in the evening and I was ready for whatever Brad and AJ could dish out on Tuesday morning ... or so I thought!
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Tuesday morning delivered the realisation that I could never have prepared enough for the onslaught that was to come. I found out that riding on level ground can be as painful (if not worse) than riding long hills or repeating hill sprints.
I reached the top of Mount St. hill and the majority of the group were already there, as were Brad and AJ. It seems everyone was as keen as I was to be a part of this session. We headed up and out to the back of Fraser's and this time out along May Drive. The pace was quick and I was beginning to realise that this session might hurt a bit more than I first thought.
As we got to the bottom intersection of Forrest and Lovekin, we came to a stop and AJ had us select the small chain ring and either 17 or 19 on the cassette. My immediate thought was that we would be doing Forrest Drive hill sprints and forcing a spin out but I was so wrong. The aim of the first exercise was to sprint in this gear along the bottom end of Lovekin Drive before the road heads up the hill - level ground sprinting. Brad assured us that this would hurt as much as anything else we had previously done up in Kings Park.
Brad was right! The pain was immeasurable as we repeated these sprints around 6 or 7 times before we were able to use a bigger combination or even move to the big chain ring. By the time we were in the big ring, the lactic build up was intense and the pain I experienced in the last few repeats (about 11 or 12) was almost intollerable to the point of nearly throwing up.
But the sprints were not over yet. It was time to ride the Lovekin and May loop with a sprint after the second climb up Lovekin and finish at Forrest Drive. The loop was done with the group rotating the lead until we reached the intersection of Poole, May and Lovekin where Brad and AJ would take the lead up the Lovekin hill before indicating the beginning of the sprint to the top intersection of Forrest Drive. The idea was to teach us about positioning before a bunch sprint and the lesson was excellent although I was really feeling those first level-ground sprints by the time we were given the call to charge.
Of course, we were expected to do this last effort twice! The second time around I found much easier than the first as the legs seemed to rid themselves of the lactic build up from the level group sprints. Climbing Lovekin for the last time, I was in much better condition but realised that I was by no means in the right position in the group and the box-in was inevitable. A classic example of where not to be in the lead up to a sprint as the others streamed around the inside and got well away. Lessons can be learned in the most unexpected of places so questions about sprint position were the order of the day at the end of the group training session and I certainly learnt some interesting tactics.
So as punishment for botching up my position in the final sprint exercise (bit of a cop-out really), I rode back to Lathlain and completed the hill sprint exercises I had done last week. This time around they were excruciating thanks to the work completed in Kings Park but they were completed nonetheless.
The pain was not over yet, however. I really wanted to make the legs pay for my earlier cop-out by having a crack at the Causeway to Narrows segment and take the KOM away from a Sydney-sider and back into the hands of a local. It was always going to be an incredibly tough ask considering Kings Park session and the 30 minute stop-over at home but to my surprise I managed to complete the 4.7km stretch in just 00:06:40 giving me a 41.9 km/h KOM for the full stretch and also a 40.1 km/h KOM for the S. Perth Foreshore Sprint -> The Narrows (Hurlingham St carpark to The Narrows). Two KOMs in one hit - nice. Painful but nice!
The pain was not over yet, however. I really wanted to make the legs pay for my earlier cop-out by having a crack at the Causeway to Narrows segment and take the KOM away from a Sydney-sider and back into the hands of a local. It was always going to be an incredibly tough ask considering Kings Park session and the 30 minute stop-over at home but to my surprise I managed to complete the 4.7km stretch in just 00:06:40 giving me a 41.9 km/h KOM for the full stretch and also a 40.1 km/h KOM for the S. Perth Foreshore Sprint -> The Narrows (Hurlingham St carpark to The Narrows). Two KOMs in one hit - nice. Painful but nice!
Bring on Wednesday!
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Emma Gillard asked if she could join me for a training session so what better place to go than back to Kings Park? With Tuesday's efforts fresh in the memory and the requirement from Brad to complete 6x30 second hill sprints up Forrest Drive, it was the obvious thing to do and would prove to be a good test for Emma to get into the feel of pushing her limits.
We met at the G.E. Hwy pedestrian overpass and rode up to the base of Mount Street where we would perform the climb as quickly as possible before heading into Kings Park proper for some strength building and sprinting exercises. We completed the climb up Mount Street at our individual pace and Emma completed it well. I advised her that repeats of that are quite beneficial but I'm not sure she wanted to hear that after she had just completed the climb but she was keen to try on her own at another time.
We picked up the pace and rode out around May Drive and back around onto Lovekin Drive where I explained the next exercise which would be the one and a half laps of Lovekin and May. I allowed Emma to ride on the front, not because I could sit in the draft (Emma's too slight to offer much) but more to get her working and to see how she performed so that I could set a pace for her when we repeated it at the end of the session.
Emma hadn't done this type of training before and I advised her to complete it in her own gear selections and riding manner so that when we repeated, I could advise her on how I normally complete it and make any adjustments necessary to ride it efficiently and to push her limits a little more. I monitored her speed and effort and noted it for the next time. It was apparent that she was strong enough to complete it faster and more efficiently by pushing the larger gears and getting her HR up a bit more.
We completed the lap and a half and I "encouraged" her to complete the last 100m with a bit more effort through an out-of-saddle ride to the Forrest Drive intersection. I could see it pushed her limit a bit so it was good to see where she could get to without overdoing it.
Back to the bottom of Forrest Drive and we set ourselves for the 30 second hill sprints up Cardiac Hill. I needed to complete 6 of these and let Emma know that she should try for 3 and see how she feels after that. We set our gear selections and completed the first one. Emma mentioned that she had never done hill sprints before so I suggested she complete them at a level she would be OK with. She stayed with me for the first 3 and decided she could do one more while I completed my 6. Again, her fourth one pushed her limits but it was impressive that she completed them.
From the bottom of Forrest Drive we completed a climb up to the DNA tower and on to Lovekin again where we started the repeat of the first lap and a half but this time we would only do the 1 climb up Lovekin Drive to ensure she was OK to complete the effort. I rode on the front this time around to try and set a pace for her that would stretch her a little more based on the pace she did earlier.
This time around I encouraged her to continue working down May Drive hill to ensure she kept the tempo up and continued to work around the bottom of the circuit. I then let Emma come through to the front or along side so that the last climb up Lovekin Drive would have her use whatever she had left in her legs. I could see that it was really pushing her and I "helped" her up the climb which seemed to spur her on. She pushed the big chain ring the entire way and finished the effort with a fantastic sprint to the Forrest Drive intersection and I could see from her expression that it was a painful finish but one that she completed very well.
I hope that Emma was able to get an idea of what she would need to try and do over the next three weeks. I'm by no means a cycling coach but to see how Emma responded to the morning's effort was impressive. She's a strong cyclist and will certainly give the likes of Ali Dyson and Shannon Arnott something to think about and I look forward to seeing how she goes.
--
Thursday morning brought the somewhat expected crash back to earth! I had anticipated that the last three weeks of solid training would push my limits as Brad had stepped me up a level in preparation for the UCI World Cycling Tour Qualifier in Kings Park. I was pretty happy to have at least pulled off a couple of PRs along the Causeway and Riverside Drive as I made my way down to the Bell Tower to meet the rest of the riders.
I must have hit the stop button on the Garmin while adjusting my lights before we left the Bell Tower which was a shame because we really set a good pace along Mounts Bay Road and into Nedlands where I found that it was not recording the ride. It was up the small hill on The Avenue that I felt the first signs of hitting the wall as I struggled to keep on the wheel ahead of me. This is a climb I usually power up but not today. I decided to take it easy along the river and out to Christchurch Grammer and by the end of it I seemed to be able to roll quite easily but this was probably due to the wind being to my back.
The wind was across us as we made our way down through Cottesloe and into Fremantle and again I was feeling quite OK but we were soon to be turning into the easterly wind and the true test would start. The climb up the initial hill on Preston Point Road gave me the next sign that it was going to be tough to make it home - even though we were reasonably protected from the wind. As we rounded the bend and rode through the roundabout, I was off the back again and trying hard to hang on with the wind blowing straight into us.
I sat in for most of the way through to Burke Drive and it seemed that the wind was now beginning to get to everyone else as the pace didn't seem to rise to the usual 40km/h it might normally get to which was welcome and allowed me a little respite before anyone wound up for the sprint. About half way along, the group split and I was keen not to get left by the front group so pushed a bit to bridge the small gap that was forming before it was too late. I was keen to give it one last hard dig on my favourite sprint before I concentrated on getting home.
As we came up to the main bend that turns south for the final 600m sprint, I was sitting in at third wheel and then second. Scotty eventually came through on his Venge and I was keen to latch on to see what sort of pace he could give it on that bike - especially into the wind. At about 200m to go, I felt I had it in me to see if I could challenge Scotty for the line and punched it. OMG!! The pain was excruciating and my eyes watered as I winced against the torture that the legs were enduring but continued to push it and completed the sprint ahead of the group - just.
The sprint was not fast at an average pace of only 42 km/h over the 600m but it was probably the most painful I have experienced. That would definitely be the last hard effort I would do until Sunday's race. It was now apparent that this would likely be my last ride until Saturday morning's group ride which I expect to only sit in on for a short while.
The ride home was incredibly painful as I followed Dennis up the Freeway PSP and along South Perth Foreshore. Dennis was setting a pretty good pace and I'm sure he did not know I was trying to keep his wheel. He opened up a bit of a gap a couple of times leading up to the Narrows and around to Mends Street. From there, it was a slow roll home and even the climb up Streatley Rd hill was one of the toughest climbs I have done - all 20m of it.
--
So having pushed my body well beyond its limits in true Jens Voigt style, there was no possible way that I would be on the bike on Friday. The last three weeks were certainly punishing but I am positive that after my rest week, the workload will have its payoffs and I will be ready and raring to go into the next month's program. This will be the crucial one that leads me into the UCI World Cycling Tour event and I look forward to it more than anything I have done.
I do expect to race this coming Sunday (4th February) so it will be interesting whether my recovery from this week will be complete in time as I am very keen to push beyond my limits again and go for the win by pushing the other B grade riders to their limits and seeing if they too are able to go beyond them.
Emma Gillard asked if she could join me for a training session so what better place to go than back to Kings Park? With Tuesday's efforts fresh in the memory and the requirement from Brad to complete 6x30 second hill sprints up Forrest Drive, it was the obvious thing to do and would prove to be a good test for Emma to get into the feel of pushing her limits.
We met at the G.E. Hwy pedestrian overpass and rode up to the base of Mount Street where we would perform the climb as quickly as possible before heading into Kings Park proper for some strength building and sprinting exercises. We completed the climb up Mount Street at our individual pace and Emma completed it well. I advised her that repeats of that are quite beneficial but I'm not sure she wanted to hear that after she had just completed the climb but she was keen to try on her own at another time.
We picked up the pace and rode out around May Drive and back around onto Lovekin Drive where I explained the next exercise which would be the one and a half laps of Lovekin and May. I allowed Emma to ride on the front, not because I could sit in the draft (Emma's too slight to offer much) but more to get her working and to see how she performed so that I could set a pace for her when we repeated it at the end of the session.
Emma hadn't done this type of training before and I advised her to complete it in her own gear selections and riding manner so that when we repeated, I could advise her on how I normally complete it and make any adjustments necessary to ride it efficiently and to push her limits a little more. I monitored her speed and effort and noted it for the next time. It was apparent that she was strong enough to complete it faster and more efficiently by pushing the larger gears and getting her HR up a bit more.
We completed the lap and a half and I "encouraged" her to complete the last 100m with a bit more effort through an out-of-saddle ride to the Forrest Drive intersection. I could see it pushed her limit a bit so it was good to see where she could get to without overdoing it.
Back to the bottom of Forrest Drive and we set ourselves for the 30 second hill sprints up Cardiac Hill. I needed to complete 6 of these and let Emma know that she should try for 3 and see how she feels after that. We set our gear selections and completed the first one. Emma mentioned that she had never done hill sprints before so I suggested she complete them at a level she would be OK with. She stayed with me for the first 3 and decided she could do one more while I completed my 6. Again, her fourth one pushed her limits but it was impressive that she completed them.
From the bottom of Forrest Drive we completed a climb up to the DNA tower and on to Lovekin again where we started the repeat of the first lap and a half but this time we would only do the 1 climb up Lovekin Drive to ensure she was OK to complete the effort. I rode on the front this time around to try and set a pace for her that would stretch her a little more based on the pace she did earlier.
This time around I encouraged her to continue working down May Drive hill to ensure she kept the tempo up and continued to work around the bottom of the circuit. I then let Emma come through to the front or along side so that the last climb up Lovekin Drive would have her use whatever she had left in her legs. I could see that it was really pushing her and I "helped" her up the climb which seemed to spur her on. She pushed the big chain ring the entire way and finished the effort with a fantastic sprint to the Forrest Drive intersection and I could see from her expression that it was a painful finish but one that she completed very well.
I hope that Emma was able to get an idea of what she would need to try and do over the next three weeks. I'm by no means a cycling coach but to see how Emma responded to the morning's effort was impressive. She's a strong cyclist and will certainly give the likes of Ali Dyson and Shannon Arnott something to think about and I look forward to seeing how she goes.
--
Thursday morning brought the somewhat expected crash back to earth! I had anticipated that the last three weeks of solid training would push my limits as Brad had stepped me up a level in preparation for the UCI World Cycling Tour Qualifier in Kings Park. I was pretty happy to have at least pulled off a couple of PRs along the Causeway and Riverside Drive as I made my way down to the Bell Tower to meet the rest of the riders.
I must have hit the stop button on the Garmin while adjusting my lights before we left the Bell Tower which was a shame because we really set a good pace along Mounts Bay Road and into Nedlands where I found that it was not recording the ride. It was up the small hill on The Avenue that I felt the first signs of hitting the wall as I struggled to keep on the wheel ahead of me. This is a climb I usually power up but not today. I decided to take it easy along the river and out to Christchurch Grammer and by the end of it I seemed to be able to roll quite easily but this was probably due to the wind being to my back.
The wind was across us as we made our way down through Cottesloe and into Fremantle and again I was feeling quite OK but we were soon to be turning into the easterly wind and the true test would start. The climb up the initial hill on Preston Point Road gave me the next sign that it was going to be tough to make it home - even though we were reasonably protected from the wind. As we rounded the bend and rode through the roundabout, I was off the back again and trying hard to hang on with the wind blowing straight into us.
I sat in for most of the way through to Burke Drive and it seemed that the wind was now beginning to get to everyone else as the pace didn't seem to rise to the usual 40km/h it might normally get to which was welcome and allowed me a little respite before anyone wound up for the sprint. About half way along, the group split and I was keen not to get left by the front group so pushed a bit to bridge the small gap that was forming before it was too late. I was keen to give it one last hard dig on my favourite sprint before I concentrated on getting home.
As we came up to the main bend that turns south for the final 600m sprint, I was sitting in at third wheel and then second. Scotty eventually came through on his Venge and I was keen to latch on to see what sort of pace he could give it on that bike - especially into the wind. At about 200m to go, I felt I had it in me to see if I could challenge Scotty for the line and punched it. OMG!! The pain was excruciating and my eyes watered as I winced against the torture that the legs were enduring but continued to push it and completed the sprint ahead of the group - just.
The sprint was not fast at an average pace of only 42 km/h over the 600m but it was probably the most painful I have experienced. That would definitely be the last hard effort I would do until Sunday's race. It was now apparent that this would likely be my last ride until Saturday morning's group ride which I expect to only sit in on for a short while.
The ride home was incredibly painful as I followed Dennis up the Freeway PSP and along South Perth Foreshore. Dennis was setting a pretty good pace and I'm sure he did not know I was trying to keep his wheel. He opened up a bit of a gap a couple of times leading up to the Narrows and around to Mends Street. From there, it was a slow roll home and even the climb up Streatley Rd hill was one of the toughest climbs I have done - all 20m of it.
--
So having pushed my body well beyond its limits in true Jens Voigt style, there was no possible way that I would be on the bike on Friday. The last three weeks were certainly punishing but I am positive that after my rest week, the workload will have its payoffs and I will be ready and raring to go into the next month's program. This will be the crucial one that leads me into the UCI World Cycling Tour event and I look forward to it more than anything I have done.
I do expect to race this coming Sunday (4th February) so it will be interesting whether my recovery from this week will be complete in time as I am very keen to push beyond my limits again and go for the win by pushing the other B grade riders to their limits and seeing if they too are able to go beyond them.
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