Working like a Trojan!

Tucking into a big bowl of porridge, contemplating whether I go to the footy on Sat Night (WCE vs Carlton).

Just beautiful training weather. Unless you’re an Avon competitor (or a farmer) , its been pretty good winter training weather of late. Friday was the usual cycle to Deepwater Pt at 5.10am and meet with Sarah and Tanya for the 6.6km run. Young Sarah absolutely ‘popping’ with excitement over a house move closer to her school. She asked me what her run time was. Now, we had stopped around 5 or 6 times so it was never going to be a PB. We are going to ramp up these runs now to push a little harder. The aim is to post a 1hr time for the 12kms so it ain’t going to be easy.

Saturday morning, I was determined to show some!! We had around 8 riders but we had Richard, Guy, Nick, Craig, Robbie and Adrian Yurisich all with good fitness. Along Riverside Drive and we had a similar size group pushing us a long a bit. I managed a long turn for around 2/3 of Mts Bay Rd to UWA. A couple of the other group swept by…..then Richard swept by them for good measure.

On the way back Mts Bay Rd, I again thought I’d push the pace along. Feeling very good and I actually pressed the second half a bit quicker just to keep the effort high. We had our usual roll through (thought we passed Jude….giveaway long red locks) on Shelley foreshore. The final sprint was a late one from Richard. I managed to jump with him but he held a 5m gap and I had to concede that I couldn’t bridge it. I don’t often give the effort away but it was much too strong a finish. Coffee at Kelly’s Café afterwards where Adrian Yurisich’s wife Virginia and son Joseph sidled by with their bikes.

Adrian showing the benefit of some hard cycling and just plain old toughening up. A real credit to him and he’s on the rise.

I had said to a few of the guys that I wanted a Sunday hills ride but I slept through the usual 7am start. At 10am I rolled out along Ranford then right at Roe Hwy for a decent effort at the Welshpool Rd hill. I thought I was up it fairly well but a little way off the 19 to 20kph effort that I may have had if other ‘mountain goats’ had been along for the ride. I found out there was some racing at Pickering Brook but I turned left at Canning Rd and cycle a way toward Kalamunda before turning around to head back.

Your forget how hard that little hill is at the Canning Rd end of Welshpool Rd. As I pondered whether or not to try to break my 88kph record downhill, I remembered that I’d glued on my own tyres (yes I was on the tubulars). That bit of uncertainty kept the descent sensible with the brake pads getting a bit of a cook.

I was well-satisfied with the effort and turned left from Welshpool to Roe Hwy. After about a kilometre, I saw two figures zoom past me and the words ‘Jump on, Christo!’. It was Troy Coulthard with the pistons pumping hard and a guy called Jason hanging on for dear life. I made the effort to latch on and my leisurely ride home vanished.

So no running this weekend. Dee knocked off a 15km run and has now worn the new shoes in a bit. It’s a big thumbs up for these Saucony’s so that’s one piece of the C2S marathon jigsaw in place.

I’ll do a few reps of the Mount St hill over these next few days to get my climbing legs sorted out and woken up. My front Conti Comp has a flat now. I’m thinking I’ll buy a Conti Sprinter to replace it. It will just be the Mavic Ksyrium’s for Pinjarra though. Well done to ‘Koops’ on his 108km training effort on Sunday. All part of the long road to IMWA 2010. I had a chat to Clarky about this the other day. He told me that a time of around 10ms 15min would be enough in the 50 to 54yo age group to get a spot to Hawaii. I then worked out that I had to get a 5hr bike for the 180kms, around 70 to 75min swim and a marathon of under 4hrs….and I have 4years left to build up to this as a 46yo currently. But I reckon I’ll only have on real tilt at Kona so a 4year lead-in is definitely do-able.

Some of you may be following the Tour De France. Hard to know it Contador is running a little scared of Schleck. I was hoping for a Dennis Menchov smashing of the field but Sanchez put paid to that. Something about me gets irritated by the fans running so close alongside cyclists during hard hill climbs.

Good luck to all of you doing the 4hr MTB Enduro this Sunday. I know Clarky, Brendan and perhaps Tim are doing it. I know Todd and Clarky did some C grade racing with Peel not long ago. 3 weeks till the Perth Half Mara. The Run for Gold is on this Sunday for those of you looking for a 5 or 10km run. Congrats to Raf Baugh on a 31m12s third place effort in the State 10km road champs. I remember young Ethan Heywood from my son’s cross country days. He’s a year or two younger than Matt but he’s finished second in these 10km champs to ultimate winner, Roberto Busi.

Postscript - Tues 20 July 2010

I had a hard ride in this morning and flicked past several people. I saw some South Perth Rouleur riders just north of Canning Bridge. I did 3 ascents of Mount St for good measure and wondered how the hell I had managed 10 of these in a row during the peak of my IMWA training. Insane! Well done to Rod McGrath, a workmate who did his first Brookton Hwy hill climb. A hard effort. Good prep for Pinjarra.

We have two teams now in Cyclosportif Pinjarra confirmed. One for A distance, One for B distance. Dee knocking off another big run today on her way to her first marathon. Go the blonde!

It’s amazing the difference a dropped chain makes. Can’t wait for Tourmalet! I want Menchov to blast everyone away.

Reservoir

CHRISTO