Settling In!!

So here I am…. Spain!! Let the preparation for the 2011 cycling season begin, since leaving Belgium I have been on quite a bumpy ride in terms of training. An every present pain in my lower calf rendered me unable to put in any long spins, thankfully though with aid of Simon Walsh from the Massage Clinic above Molloys Lifestyle Pharmacies in Bunree Ballina I was able to get back into the swing of things through a number of intensive physical therapy sessions.

I arrived in Spain 2 days ago where I met with my Asfra team mate Justin. We travelled to our Apartment in Torrevieja which is a classy little spot, we are a 100 yards of a nice beach with a promenade littered with restaurants, coffee spots and good old Irish Bars haha!!

So far I have only been exploring the region travelling now more than 30km from the apartment for fear of getting lost. As soon as I manage to get some routes programmed into my garmin I will be able to head out into the wilderness and let the madness begin. With many climbs of lengths in excess of 15km and a wide variety of gradients mean that there will be no shortage of areas for me to work on all aspects of my fitness.

Finally now that I am away from home in Ireland I can begin to focus on cleaning up my diet and steadily keep my weight under control, with a lidl only 200mtrs down the road I will have no excuses. Tommorow I intend on meeting up with a group of local riders who are going to show me some nice routes, a few coffee stops will be in order but I have spent the last hour preparing my snacks so I don’t have to part with a cent when we come to a halt. So make sure you keep an eye on the blog and over the coming weeks as I will once again be making multiple posts.

But until then in the words of Ron Burgundy…. You stay classy!!!

Back to Basics!!

Since my last blog I have been steadily working my way back into full time training. It has not been easy and the weather conditions have done very little to help me out but with the Spanish hills on the horizon I will battle on. I recently helped out my nutritional sponsor Molloy's Lifestyle Pharmacies with there sports extravaganza day in their Bunree store, We provided much needed nutritional information and sports performance knowledge to many individuals, I feel it was a great success and with many more lined up over the coming months keep your eyes peeled on the Molloy's Lifestyle Pharmacies website and facebook page.

Im set to train here in Ireland until the end of November and then head for Spain at the beginning of December, which is what I have made everyone fully aware of in my previous blogs. So far the training here in Ireland has being going pretty good, with tough challenging sessions mid-week and also at the weekends I have had my hands full keeping going. my injury in my calf muscle has began to twinge a little but due to the cold but with the help of Simon from the Massage Clinic above Molloys in Bunree Ballina I have been able to continue on with my training without any complications. So far this winter the weather conditions have been quite good, not at one stage have they prevented me from going our on the road, yes there is rain and yes it is cold, but the fact that there has been no icy morning's and no hurricane winds has allowed me to keep off the dreaded turbo trainer.

Looking at the way the 2011 season is going to unfold I can honestly say Im eager and excited, everyone around me is putting in tremendous work especially the warriors that I train with daily from the Western Edge / Castlebar CC Ras team My brother the Eagle is out as we speak clawing his way to the top of the windy gap in bonniconlon preparing his mind and body for the rigors of the An Post Ras 2011.

At current that is all that I have to report on my progress for this season but keep an eye on the blog for my next post.

Core Power!!!!

Rested, Relaxed, Recovered and Ready to Rock!!

Since coming back from Belgium I have been pretty much relaxing & giving the body a break from the bike. Its been a wise choice as I feel it really has benefitted in both revitalizing my energy levels and motivation levels. I always kept exercising whilst on my break but stayed clear of anything with pedals and chain, instead I went to the gym in my local leisure center waterpoint where I embarked on a light weight and resistance training to keep me from gaining unwanted body fat and also to help develop those muscles which had been neglected during the season such as my lower back and upper body. Care was taken though to ensure that muscle mass and bulk were not gained as I had worked hard during the season to slim down my upper body to a lean level.
Now that my 3 weeks are up I will be steadily getting back into my training, where I will be embarking on a programme which will hopefully increase my fitness to new levels for the 2011 season, but for right now some long steady rides aiming at improving and developing my endurance base is what's on the cards.
Over the next coming weeks both myself and my nutritional sponsor Molloys Lifestyle Pharmacies & Health Food Stores will be working very hard to bring information to the general public on how sports nutrition and sports performance products can make the difference between winning and loosing. Hopefully some talks will be organized were all areas still be addressed such as training tips, diet, lifestyle and motivation.
Also on a good note now that I own a smart phone I will be able to provide more consistent and up to date blog posts, twitter videos and youtube clips focusing on my life as a full time athlete, my training and advice on nutrition.

BUT UNTIL NEXT TIME.... REMEMBER THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR COMPETITION IS HOW FAR YOU ARE WILLING TO PUSH YOURSELF TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS!!!

Its about cycling!!

Nick Knack Paddy Wack!!! Racing season over done and dusted, but now it’s time to relax, put my feet up and plan for 2011. Belgium provided me with all that I need, my eyes were opened, my legs were shredded, my lungs burnt, hands blistered but most of all I now know what I must ask of myself If I am to achieve my goals.
But I’m home now; I have been out for a few light spins on my local roads, soaked up the constant rain and 13degree temps that only seem to be getting worse. I’m aiming to do only a small bit of cycling for the next week or 2 while my body recovers from the rigors that the seasons racing thrust upon it, at max 2 hrs every 2nd day. I am heading for a fitness test with my coach this weekend so I’m hoping my results will be somewhat good, it will provide a great benchmark for us to work off next year and with me finally acquiring a power meter, the manufacturing of WATTS can begin.
In the next few weeks whilst I am home I will be doing some extra work with my sponsor Molloys Lifestyle Pharmacies and I have a lot of interesting ideas in the wings that will hopefully benefit both sides.
I was out training today with my good friend Bernard Towmey AKA Richie Madano, we clocked around 80km at a steady tempo, went out to Lacken beach in Killala and back. Poor Bernard who is just on his way back from a severe collarbone injury which he sustained during a stage of the FBD Ras this year, when unfortunately was taken down and smashed into the tarmac, it was a massacre and for a man like Bernard to comeback so quickly is awe inspiring. This past weekend I completed a fitness test at my coaches training centre which is based in Dublin check out the web site: http://www.winningsolutions.ie/
Attached you will find a short video of my recent fitness test that took place at the Winning Solutions Training Company based in Dublin Check it out..
But until the next time keep it real!!

The Final Leg!!

Illness behind me and a clear road ahead... The thought runs through my mind 24/7. Struck by the worst stomach problems that I have had for a while I was left seriously lacking on my bike for 2 weeks, with majority of my racing being done in the direction of the loo. But thank god it is all in the past and with me completing a number of tough training sessions the past few week's whilst watching my diet like a hawk, I can honestly say I’m carrying the best form of my life!!

I have been missing on this for the past while, mostly due to the fact that I have been racing every 3rd day. With me set to fly home to Ireland in what is now 8days, I am doing my best to get as much racing in as I possibly can.

Last week I had a run at an interclub in Luxembourg, it was very hilly and a serious challenge, I took the beating of my life but enjoyed it all the same. The following day I raced in a local event called Zwevegem, an event that has been won by such famous riders as Peter Van Petegem and finally today I will be racing in De Pinta, it will be what looks like my second last race of the season so I’m hoping to give it hell and god knows maybe come away with my best result yet.

A new change that I have made in terms of my nutrition is that I have been keeping a food diary the last while, noting all the produce that I have been taking in. The aim of this is to find the areas in my diet that I can correct, it allows me to make small changes slowly and soon they will be having the desired affect that I am seeking. It is a choice that I chose to make after discussing ways to improve my diet with my Nutritional Sponsor, Molloys Lifestyle Pharmacies and Healthfood Stores In Ballina. By working with Molloys over the last few months I can honestly say the results are speaking for themselves. Diet and nutrition are the key in an athlete's progression and I honestly feel that by getting such areas on track I can make massive improvements.

The video that you will find attached to this post is an in-depth look at zym tablets and how beneficial I have found them over the past few months that I have been using them.

Cobbled hills and Pouring rain!!!

(what a bike..... COBRA Flanders!!!)

Since Antwerp I have been spending a large majority of time trying to get my body to recovery from the battering that it took. I did this mainly by Taking short low intensity recovery rides that allowed my body to steadily flush the excessive lactic build up from my legs, 15mins of stretching each evening focusing mainly on my legs steadily worked the tightness and knots out of my muscles increasing recovery, I also used arnica based muscle rubs such as Molloys Lifestyle Pharmacies Joint & Muscle Rub working it into the muscles on a regular basis to help reduce post race inflammation which I find very helpful after hard bouts of racing and training, another way to reduce the inflammation was to take the arnica in Tablet form from the brand Weleda also available in the pharmacy you may be under the influence reading this that I am just trying to flog these products but the fact is studies have shown that all these methods do indeed promote faster recovery and in turn better performance, but its hard to beat an ice cold post race bath which dramatically reduces inflammation and increases circulation. I also own compression socks and tights so wearing these as often as I can increases circulation in my legs and aids the Lymphatic system to remove toxins and lactic acid, the compression also increases the rate at which damaged and worn muscle tissue repairs. In terms of post race diet, I focused mainly in keeping my protein intake high (not overdoing it) adding a boiled egg to my normal breakfast and a tin of tuna to lunch with a small protein shake alongside dinner for a few days after, providing my body with the nutrients needed for recovery. I was also recently supplied a self massaging tool from my sponsor Molloys Lifestyle Pharmacies and Health food stores which is one of the best items I have ever gotten my hands on, It is a rolling pin design with raised foam edges that work deep into the muscle triggering knots and forcing tight muscles to relax, It also has soft handles which can be used to target sore and tender trigger points. I have been using the massager after races and hard training sessions, apply deep therapy and light work when it is needed, I feel it has aided in my post race recovery massively and within the next while I intend to have a detailed video post on the item but with me being in Belgium and the availability of massages being very limited means having a portable device like this is invaluable. Again all of these products and many more are available In Molloys Lifestyle Pharmacies and Health Food stores. It’s important that when one intends to get as much as they can from their sport that they focus on all aspects of development and it is the recovery and nutrition that is often overlooked, and in the words of well known professional cyclist Bobby Jullich “My number 1 asset as a bike racer is my recovery”.
Recently my front cosmic carbone SL wheel gave in on me. when cruising down the road on it the braking surface literally bent out under the pressure of the tire, this was due to wear on the braking surface and the more the surface wore down the weaker it became until eventually the 120psi within the rime exploded out, fortunately I was not injured. Without wheels I had to make my way to the local bike shop were i got my hands on a pair of fulcrum 5's which are running great at the moment but after a few cobble sections and curbs put them through the test we shall soon see
I raced twice over the last weekend, it was meant to be Saturday and Sunday but due to some bad cooking on my behalf I was bed ridden on Saturday but no fear as I managed to pull myself round to race both Sunday and Monday instead.
Sunday’s race was 15km from my home so it was to provide me the perfect opportunity to warm up properly before the event. On the start line I was feeling nervous about what lay ahead, especially with the sickness taking the wind out of my sails 2 days earlier. But as the flag dropped and we rolled out, natural instinct kicked in, battling my way to the head of the bunch I kept out of the wind and positioned myself good, my team mate at this stage was attempting to launch an early break away move but was unsuccessful as the technical course and strong wind did not suit such a move. In each lap there was a challenging hill, short but very steep and what made it worse was that we descended down a narrow lane and then immediately turned onto the climb which killed all momentum and made it even harder for those at the rear. As the laps rocked by the sky began to darken and out of nowhere it rained cats and dogs, Bucket loads spilled onto the streets and the mass amount of surface water made cornering treacherous, splits began to occur in the field and those unable for the relentless pace were left behind, luckily I was upfront and as the paced increased further, nerves of steel and good bike handling skills enabled me to keep up, With 1 final lap to go the front bunch had been whittled to a mere 30 riders and as we rounded the last bend I sprinted hard in the closing metres to attain 18th, one of my best results to date. If you are interested in reading about my Race on the Monday and how I got my best result in Belgium so far, Pick up a Sligo Weekender Newspaper and get my final few weekly updates about my racing in Belgium from my column inside!!

Back on Belgium Soil and Antwerp!!

Since arriving back to Belgium, I have steadily worked myself back into the routine of waking every morning, training or racing and spending the remainder of the day recovering or working on my column in the paper. Back living with my house mates having the same old crack is priceless, having no English channels on our T.V and with the music channels playing Katy Perry and snoop dog a thousand times a day they to offer very little entertainment. But at the end of the day I’m not here for entertainment, I’m here to better my cycling ability and this can only be done by intelligent training, adequate recovery and challenging races one of which I experienced in full last weekend.
Ronde Van Antwerp (Tour of Antwerp) is a 4 day stage race, stage 1 is 140km, stage 2 is 120km, stage 3 is 170km and stage 4 is 188km. The racing was fast and aggressive, I rode well on stage 1 finish in the bunch and managing to avoid the abundance of crashes littering the roads with mangled bikes and bodies, overall the team performed great with all 6 of us finishing in the main peloton.
Stage 2 was a 4 lap race of 120km in total, the many bends and the pouring rain made for treacherous riding and I was to experience this first hand as we raced through a wooded section on slippery cobbles coated in rotting leaves. 2 laps in I came a cropper landing on my arse sustaining no injuries but unfortunately ending up out the back of the peloton, behind the team car I did my best to make contact with the bunch once again, hugging the rear bumper of the car I attained speeds of up to 100km/h but it was all in vain as there was too much ground to make up and as I tried my best to reach the peloton the extreme wind and wet roads succeeded in stopping me. I finished 7 minutes down which was very demoralising but it’s part of racing, you have you good days and your bad days.
Stage 3 was a 170km haul of 4 X 42.5km loops, the pace was frantic and with the large open roads the peloton was exposed to savage winds leaving it strung out in 1 long line as riders fought for cover, my team mate Dan Patten made his way into the break of the day which went from the gun but unfortunately crashed on a sharp bend, he was picked up by the peloton and hung in strong till the finish. Once again the team stood up to the challenge and as the miles ticked by they seemed to have little or no impact on us as we rode strongly at the head of the peloton. We all finished in the main bunch happy with our rides.
Stage 4 was a long haul of 188 km, I was nervous the night before thinking of what await me on the road tomorrow, I had heard rumours of heavy rain and savage winds which would leave the race in ribbons. But I was confident that I had the form needed to complete the race. With the drop of the flag the heat was on from the gun strung out on the long open stretches, riders were breaking down left right and centre as the effects of the last 3 days were taking their toll upon their legs. With each of the passing lap and as those up front turned on the gas even more; I could feel my own legs suffering under the intensity. As splits occurred ahead of me on a cobble section I was left helpless to close them, in the stormy weather and plummeting temperatures I could do no more, my group rolled in to the finish are only to be pulled out a lap early. When I look back on the situation it is easy to say I should have been up the front or I should have tried harder, but at the time you have to accept what happens and hopefully taking something away from it that will benefit you next time. In regards to recovering during the stages, the fact that I had my Kenetica 100% recovery at my disposal and was also using my roller massager on my legs in the evening everything went to plan. check out the video blog below were I give a little more detail on the products.
But now with Antwerp behind me and the end of the season a little over a month away I can focus on finish strong and strive my best to achieve that illusive Belgian result that I so deeply crave.

But right now I'm just back from a training ride with Dan Patten & Arne Opsomer, we went for a nice steady cruise to Ronse which is the town that the pro tour event The Eneco Tour will be starting and finishing at. Whilst there we visited a friend of ours Wouter Mariesse who gave us some cola and then made us buy him coffee. It also gave me a good opportunity to test out my new wheel set Fulcrum 5's, which performed excellent but for the fact that the entire cassette fell off down the road.

Also my nutritional sponsor James Geraghty of Molloys lifestyle Pharmacies and Healthfood stores and Paul Dunne of Ballina dental practice have also began a blog on there quest to complete and Iron Man in 2011, more details to come but it may be to some of your liking.

Also check out my most recent Video Post.

Suir Valley 3day!!

There has been a small stall in my blog posts, but now that I have personal things more on track its time to start laying out the news. Its been a pretty exciting past few weeks, End of the TDF, Suir Valley 3day, travelling back to Belgium, and Dan Martin winning Tour Of Poland,.
With Contador having sealed his 3rd TDF and shockingly having being pushed to his max and what seems like beyond by the Schleck, made for cycling the likes of which we haven’t seen since the days of Big Jan turning the 53/11 up Alp D’Huez In pursuit of what is now a Fallen hero Lance Armstrong. Nicholas Roche once again put in a sterling performance this year and could have achieved even higher if it weren’t for the terribly timed attacks of his team mate John Gadret. Roche came on bad luck when he punctured in the closing kilometres of a mountain top finish and almost immediately, unaware of Roche’s problems Gadret attacked, sparking responses which in turn left the Irish rider chasing in vain. But for Roche next year is another season and another tour, one in which we can all be rest assured he will perform excellently in.
What was simply 7 days after the tour another top Irish Pro Dan Martin stepped up to take overall victory in the Tour Of Poland, The 7 day stage race containing a mixture of terrains and strong teams were to prove no obstacle to the man who is quoted by many great cycling names as a potential Grand tour winner.
But back to more important matter yes you guessed it….. Me!!! For the many riders out there who claim racing back home in Ireland is a doodle in the park, the displays of racing at the Suir valley 3day would easily put that comment to rest. Arriving to Clonmel on the Friday night in order to avoid the exhausting trip on the sat morning was a very wise choice. I woke Saturday morning fully motivated for what the day had on the cards;
The 115km stage 1 was to be a very tough race, covering a number of category 2 climbs in what was terrible weather would soon sort the thick from the thin. Meeting up with my Irish Team at sign on and getting ready was pretty straight forward. I lined up among the other competitors and racing began pretty quickly, We shot out the Carrick On Suir road at break neck pace covering the initial 15km in a mere 14minutes. Break away attempts were going almost from the gun and adopting my experience of racing like this in Belgium I did my best to respond to those that looked in any way a possible success. Wet roads caused multiple crashes but I raced hard to keep at the front avoiding problems. Unfortunately I missed the Initial break and was left with no choice but to attack the remains of the bunch and make chase on those in the lead. Joined by 5 others we worked ourselves to exhaustion on route to the finish, with 15km to go we managed to make contact with what was the riders who had been shelled from the break away, We continued our work efforts for the remainder of the race narrowing the advantage of the riders still ahead to 35seconds at the end

Stage 2 was a 95km trek with initial attacks from over anxious riders almost immediately being put to sleep as the main contending teams took control establishing a fast and consistent pace. Efforts to escape and gain time would be pointless so I held strong in the Peloton and in the closing Km’s I made multiple attempts to crack those up front, using the many small climbs as spring boards to launch my attacks. As much as I tried I was shut down rapidly by the An Post, Eurocycles, Isle Of Man team and other Strong Irish riders who were well aware of the threat a rider would pose if let go. The stage was to finish in a bunch gallop with the technical and winding streets to the finish line proving fatal for king of mountains Mark Cassidy who came a cropper on the final bend.

Stage 3 was a 1.4km time trial around the streets of Clonmel. Still running joint 7th with 10 others it would be this event that would sort us out. I performed my warm up and made my way to the starting area for my turn to roll down the ramp and attempt to post a rapid time. As the Commissar counted 3, 2, 1… I was away. Hammering hard on the pedals giving all my effort, I lined myself up for the bends and swooped through them gracefully. I gave it 100% of my effort and reaped the results placing me in 8th overall for the stage. I had completed the 1.5km course in 1min 42sec.

Stage 4 was a 100km race, which would be my final chance to attain the race lead if such a thing was possible for anyone, The yellow jersey was now sitting on the back of Andy Roche and backed by an extremely strong 10man Isle Of Man National Team victory seemed certain for him. 1min down on the race leader I was still highly confident that if I could sneak into a break away and press on in the final Km’s I could win. With the Isle of Man Team protecting their rider Andy Roach and his yellow jersey I bided my time allowing others to wear them down with constant attacks. A strong 8 man break escaped the IOM clutches and wasn’t reeled in until 15km to go. At this point I decided to make my move as the fatigued IOM team were shattered from the chase. Attacking with all I had I managed to get one or two breaks moving but were all short lived as the few riders left in the peloton were all under the same thought giving it their best to get away. It wasn’t until 5km to go, just after one of my attempts to escape had been foiled, that 5 riders countered and jumped clear, totally exhausted from all of my efforts all I could do was sit back and watch as they rode off into the distance. Among them was Thomas Martin of the Eurocycles team who managed to gain sufficient advantage over Andy Roche that he walked away with the overall race lead and the Yellow Jersey.

Looking back many people shined that weekend, Tigerneach Murphy my team mate managed 2nd in the Mountains competition, I myself managed 11th overal and my brother Ciaran whom was under the view when starting the event that he would be hammered came in 37th, a great ride all round.

Return to IRL

(above is a pic of me racing "im in the red kit")

The journey was long and draining but I finally made it back to Ireland. With the Suir Valley 3day literally around the corner, I can happily say all my prep is near completion. The final hard blocks of training and racing in Belgium broke me to my last and with some quality rest my body is back fighting fit and ready to rumble.

I took my Colnago C50 out for a small spin of the legs last night after my long bus journey from Dub, it was nice and enjoyable and I can honestly say Ireland's weather has only gotten worse since I left. Over the coming 3 days before the race kicks off on Saturday I intend on getting plenty of sleep and rest with a few light leg spins thrown in between to keep me loose. I also intend on meeting with my Nutritional sponsor "Molloy's Lifestyle Pharmacies And Health Food Stores" for some talks on how we can take our experimenting with new sports products to the next level and in turn relay the info back to the public. I am also in deep need of a quality massage as I don't get that many in Belgium and 3 days before the event will give the masseur plenty of time to work hard on me and allow my legs to come round for Saturday and no better man to rub me down that Simon from the massage clinic in Bunree, Ballina.

I am intending on keeping the video blogs going over the next few weeks and have number post number 2 on sports nutrition attached to this Blog post. I am intending on setting up a E-mail address where I can be contacted direct by those who may have any questions on my posts.

It was good to see all the local faces when I returned, my brother Ciaran who is training hard and putting in some quality miles in prep for the up and coming national B catagory champs, Also Bernard Twomey who after his bad crash during the Fbd Ras was off the bike for almost 2 months recovering with broken bones, but now is back on the road dishing out pain.
looking at the course for the Suir valley it is 3days long, consisting of 4 stages. Stage 1 is on Saturday and is a 120km road race. Stage 2 is on Sunday and also is a 120km road race. Stage 3 is on Saturday evening and is a short 2.5km TT around Clonmel town centre. Stage 4 is on Monday and is a final 120km road race, so all in all it will be a tough challenge. this year it has one of the strongest and most diverse fields it has ever had, with riders from France, Belgium, Isle of Man, UK and home riders competing for the spoils. Updates will most probably be available on both of the following sites:

Irish cycling: www.irishcycling.com
Suir Valley Off site: http://www.suirvalley3day.com/

As the days roll by!!

"Check out my 1st of many video's to come on Cycling nutritional and performance products"

Living in a town where ones only outlet is to cycle to the local shop and laugh at how ridiculously expensive the food is goes to show how boring Lierde is. But I am not here for entertainment, TRAINING, TRAINING, TRAINING, RACING, RACING, RACING, RACING AND EATING is all that's on my agenda. My time here is passing by pretty quick, most days I follow my usual routing of breakfast train or race and back in the evening where I work on my blog, chat on facebook, or just relax in the evening sun. Whats a shocker to the system is that Belgium is like one of the warmest countries I’ve been in for a long time. It was 36 degrees Celsius yesterday and since we have no air con or fans it got pretty warm in the house, I ended up going for a cold bath to try and cool myself down but the cold water from the tap was luke warm.


Most of the races I'm riding at the moment are kermesse events; I haven't had anything major since oomlop het niewsbland. But the kermesse's aren’t easy, usually up to 50km from home you have to ride there complete the 120km race, try your best to get a prize and earn some money for food and then battle your way into what always seems to be a block head wind on the way home. I am feeling pretty strong these days, managing to get a few top 20's even with the races being day after day and with all the mileage to get there. I'm taking care though to make sure the adequate rest is in there since I'm not super human, if I over do it I will be in a body bag for weeks to come.


Did some interesting training rides using my Garmin edge 500, I'm really impressed with it as a training tool, managed to find a website were I can pre plan my rides and set up a virtual partner whom I have to keep ahead of. This is great since I only know a small portion of the roads here in Flanders and being able to pre plan rides allows me to set in place routes that involve climbs, cobbles, flat roads for tempo work and rolling countryside.


In terms of my diet and body weight, I can honestly say I'm steadily losing the lard and leaning out, focusing on getting a high carbo breakfast prior to training and making sure I stay fuelled on the bike is giving me the energy to train and race hard. After events I make it my number 1 goal to get in the Kinetica recovery shake, which is magical stuff, in that narrow glycogen window the body is craving carbs to replace what has been lost and when taking on this drink you get the carbs and a small dash of protein to kick of muscle recovery. I have also changed what I'm taking on the bike; the bottles of sweet tasting carbo drink are killing me in the heat so I’ve turned to 1 bottle with a dissolved caffeinated zym and one of water. To make up for the loss of calories that I was getting from the carbo fuel, I’m simply just taking in an extra gel or bar instead. Up until recently I had been very influenced that High-5 products were the route to go, they offered reasonably priced, energy food and drink which was not overloaded with caffeine or stimulants and I found during hard bouts of exercise or racing my cramping was minimal whilst using them which was my major reason of my choice. Last Month my nutritional Sponsor Molloys Lifestyle and Healthstore provided me with some of Maximuscles new Viper products, at first I was highly dubious of the high caffeine content and felt in the warm conditions it could lead to dehydration and cramping, but I was ensured that I would see an improvement in performance and an increase in time till exhaustion by using them. In order to test them out I would need a race that would 100% fatigue me and push me to the max and during which I would use the products to keep myself going. I choose the next interclub event that I was scheduled to ride; it was a 170km race across cobbles and up savage steep climbs which would make it perfect. on the day I was fully rested and had consumed my normal breakfast, the race as expected was very hard and when the times came for me to feed I consumed my Viper extreme bars and viper Boost gels, I am happy to say that I rode well and didn't at any stage feel any drops in energy or feeling of hunger knock, I mostly noticed the kick that I got from the gels, possibly due to the caffeine content in them. It was a very warm day and another thing that surprised me was the lack of Cramping that I sustained during the race. Each gel has magnesium and electrolytes which increase hydration levels and replace salts and minerals lost through sweating.

Here is a cycling training Article that i picked up on Peak Performance:

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/strength-training-and-leg-exercises-for-cyclists

My prep for the Suir Valley 3day is going as planned and im hoping that if progress continues on a positive note then I will be in for a chance of a good result. Looking back on the season and my past blog posts I have seen a lot of room for improvement in both performance and story telling so stay tuned to "The Chronicles Of The Cobra"

Elite Het Volk

"In case your wondering that isnt me, Its the winner of Elite Het Volk from Beveren 2000 U23 Quick Step Team"

Upon arriving back in Belgium after the National Champ’s one would have thought I could have steadily gotten into some racing again with some cremmese's (circuit races around towns, usually 15+ laps of an 8km loop) but I was in for a shock. I was in the country for 1 day and I was contacted by the team manager who informed that he wanted me to race Omloop Het Nieuwsblad AkA Het Volk.... to pass up on such an opportunity would be madness, but I was soon to find out it was accepting the challenge which was to be the mad part.
The prep for Het Volk was vitally important, after arriving back on Wednesday and the race being on Saturday I had 3 days to prepare. After having a quality chat with my coach Scott Mc Donald from Winning Solutions Training Company, we set in place what I would need to do in order to have myself ready such as nutrition, training, equipment prep and tactics and over the following 3 days I made sure everything was in place. Saturday came pretty quick and with so did a change in the weather, on Friday evening it had been mid 30's and sunshine but on Saturday morning the dark gloomy clouds were hanging on the horizon slowly advancing on Zottegem which was the town from where the race would depart.

As usual the team travelled to the race as a group, the riders all getting into the old death trap of a mini bus that we have nicknamed the ‘funbus’ and the backup crew driving the van that houses all our bikes equipment and etc, and the manager driving the estate follow car. We made it to Zottegem in good time, and already there were a lot of teams there getting ready and signing on. Once my bike had been prepared for me, I gave it a final check over to make sure all was set, made my way to sign on and began my warm up. At this stage the nerves were seriously kicking in as Quick step, Lotto, and other top Belgian teams rolled by me, among which was the An Post crew sporting their new national champion Matt Brammier.
I heard the Comm blowing the whistle to alert all riders to assemble for the start, so looping on the road I made my way there. I positioned myself up beside my team mates and almost instantly we rolled out. Neutralised for a mere half Km with the drop of the flag it took off like a gun.

I had to battle super hard to keep what position I had in the bunch, the tempo was insane with speeds almost constantly in excess of 50kmh. with the array of street furniture scattered all over, and the daunting racket of bikes smashing into obstacles was almost constant. Lying in the rear section of the bunch was far from the safest place to be so making a massive effort I battled my way to the front, with handlebars clashing off each other and other cyclists leaning on me in an attempt to unnerve me, I had to use all my bike control skills to advance forward.

After 20km the race was set to turn up a narrow road and climb the Volkemberg, a steep 1km climb which is followed by an extremely rough cobble section of 2km. This made having a good position upon turning the bend vital, which after all my smashing, handlebar crashing and battling for position, I had achieved. The pace up the climb was insane with a large split taking place as the riders in the bunch hit the cobble section; I dug in deep and used all my power to haul my bike over the cobbles. The lashing rain and greasy stones was bringing riders to the floor left, right and centre, but I managed to keep up in the front bunch and avoid disaster. Next we descended into Oudenarrde at speeds in excess of 90kmh, the large open main road making it possible. With wet roads and large looping bends all I could do was lean in and hope that my tyres had what takes to carry me out the other side. After Oudenarrde we once again turned up a narrow Back road only to be faced with the Eckenburg which was a 1.5km cobbled climb, which was covered in mud which tractors had dragged from the fields over the morning. This made riding central on the cobbles impossible with a few trying only to find their bikes sliding right from beneath them as their tyres span in attempt to gain grip.
This forced the main bulk of the bunch to make their way upward in the gravel and mud filled gutter which ran along the side. With the stronger riders up front still forcing the massive pace onwards, more splits were becoming evident in the strung bunch as the steep gradient and rough conditions were becoming too much for many of the riders. All I could do was hold my position as I suffered heavily and hope that the riders in front of me were able to do the same.

When we finally touched tarmac again I glanced up the road only to see groups of riders scattered all over up to 1km into the distance. There were about 20riders with me, 1 of whom was Matt Brammier and another An Post rider. They were putting large turns in at the front in attempt to regain contact with those ahead. It was at this stage I was really suffering with heavy cross winds bearing down on us and no sign of it letting up.
My morale was taking a serious blow. I was really struggling to hold the wheel in front of me and my legs were loaded with lactic and begging me to stop, but I couldn’t give in. Pressing on hard and taking serious chances I lodged myself up the inside of the rider in front in attempt to get a small quantity of cover. I was riding on a piece of tarmac half a foot wide at 50kmh and if the rider in front moved in on me at all I would go right into the gutter and most certainly come down, but I had to take the risk if I was to make it through and it paid off.
As we suddenly entered a wooded section the winds died, and with it the pace. It happened so quick I don’t really know what caused it, but the large peloton of riders in front of me seemed to lock the brakes. Maybe it was due to fatigue and slow reaction times but all I could feel was my bike sliding helplessly toward them. At this stage I had both feet unclipped from the pedals and cleats dug into the ground in a final attempt to come to a halt, and just as I expected to go clean up the ass of the guy I front I was struck from the side by riders in the same situation.
Forced onto the grass verge I found a soft landing. I slowly found my way to my feet immediately noticing my new Specialized Muira sunglasses had fallen off my face, I quickly glance around but in the rush of team mechanics running with wheels they were no where to be found... someone had obviously swiped them in the commotion. I wasted no time remounting my bike and joining the other riders as we chased back on through the cavalcade (the cavalcade is the string of team cars that follow a bike race, they provide riders cover and aid as they have problems during the event)

Riding mere millimetres from the rear bumper of my team car I was fearless as we made massive ground on the bunch ahead. That was until I witnessed a rider 2 cars in front, who doing the same thing went clear through the back windscreen as his team car hit the brakes to avoid an obstacle and with his bike being unable to slow in time he went straight in. The scene obviously shocked me, as I was unable to bring myself close behind my team car any more.
The weather was now insane with it raining cats and dogs and winds blowing me recklessly over and back across the road. It was Vital I made it back to the pelaton immediately as looming in the distance was nothing other than the Muur of Gerrardsbergen, the decisive climb upon which the Tour of Flanders has been decided upon over the years, with gradients in excess of 20% and it lasting almost 1.5km. If I was not in the bunch starting the ascent my race was over. I had 2 cars to go and then I would be in the bunch but as the road steadily rose and the cadence of my pedals reduced I could feel I was fighting a losing battle… as I could offer no more, on the steepest part I came to a near halt as the shock from the crash, savage climbs, howling cross winds and horrific weather had stripped me to my bare minimum. GAME OVER!!!

I made my way to the finish totally drained, got in my Kinetica recovery shake which is all my stomach could handle and was dropped home.
Looking back on the race I am still happy enough with my performance, I gave it my all and that is what is most important, I didn’t give in when the opportunity arose, it wasn’t until my body gave in on me that I was forced to admit defeat.
With more cremmese races to come over the next few days it would be back into the strict regime of recovery and racing once again. So Stay tuned for more Blog posts over the coming days.

National Champs.

Sorry about the lack of posting since the nationals, I’ve been up to my eyes in travelling, training, racing and sleeping. Things have been pretty mental the last few weeks, but finally I have some time to sit down relax and update all you readers on my mayhem upon my bike.
In my last post I spoke of a few races that I had done out here in Belgium, and I can honestly say my form is steadily improving. After the last 160km inter-club I travelled back to Ireland were I began my prep for my National Champs in Sligo town. The journey back home was rough, train after train, sleeping in Charleroi airport and then that daunting train from Heuston to Ballina. But I made it back, greeted by familiar faces I quickly relaxed into home life once again.
The following day I did a light spin and literally slept the rest of the time as I did my best to get my body back online. That Friday I paid a visit to the Tour de Tourlough which is a local Team time trial, were we literally ride ourselves into the ground for an hour and a half, but I used it as a light leg opener making sure that I only rolled through and didn’t tire myself for Sunday. With Saturday consisting of a light spin and with all preparation in place it was soon to be show time.
The day of the National Championships came and like any athlete, nerves were already kicking in. I overcame this by sticking to my well rehearsed plan which would take me from waking up, to the starting line. I began this with a race breakfast of double portions and keeping hydrated. Arriving at the race early is essential for me, in order to get my race face on and eye up the competition.
I quickly signed on, geared up, completed my warm up and made my way to the start area. I was surrounded by many well known names such as last year's Champion Nicholas Roach, David O'Loughlin and the An Post Team, local Sligo man Desire Foley and last but not least my brother Ciaran "the EAGLE" Clarke.

BANG! The 160Km race was underway. The pace was frantic, riders jostling for position and attacks from all angles made for a challenging start. I battled hard to maintain my position and keep an eye on the race favourites. There was little sign of the big hitters on the first lap and only upon ascending Tully Hill did they show their cards. A massive attack from Roach and other favourites left the field decimated. My legs were suffering and negative thoughts crept through my mind as my race plan fell apart. Down but never out, I quickly gathered my composure, escaping the clutches of the main field in a chase group.
Lap by lap we worked hard to limit our losses to the group of riders in the lead. As the miles ticked by and as the heat, wind and climbs took their toll on my fellow escapees I laid in place my plan of attack for the closing miles. With 5Km to go, I launched an attack, throwing all my eggs into one basket. I raced up Tully Hill and in the Donegal Road with other riders in hot pursuit. I maintained the gap and crossed the line in 14th position. Biggest surprise of the entire nationals is that Matt Brammier put in an excellent ride to take the win ahead of Roach, with Dan Martin taking 3rd and Sam Bennet taking the U23 prize. It was a big improvement on last year... but back to Belgium with omloop het nieuwsblad waiting for me and a blast of cremmese races which will hopefully bring my form on more.
Till next time stay real.

Belgium Update!!

Since my last post on racing in Belgium, I had taken part in 2 kermesse races (small races 100-120km usually 20 laps of a circuit) and 1 Interclub race 16 laps of a 10km loop. In the Kermesse's my results were slowly improving with me managing to get 21st in 1 event, I was still sticking to my game plan of ignoring the initial breaks and as the miles ticked by and the oppositions legs weakened I would then make my move in an attempt to get a result.

Next on the cards was the Interclub, these races are the largest and toughest events that our team takes part in, with the exemption of a few Professional races that we attain wild cars to. The Interclub took place in Geluwe a small town 70km from were I live in Lierde, that morning my soigneur collected from the house and brought me to meet up with the rest of the team in Oudennarde and from there we travelled in our bus to the start of the event. Upon arriving the team had already set up camp and had our bikes prept, numbers on and ready to roll, we sat in our sun loungers under the camper van's canopy, pinned on our race numbers, filled our pockets with race food, put on our kit, got our pre race rub and chatted tactics among ourselves in preparation for the race ahead.

After my warm up I got to start line and lodged myself in near the front, at the drop of the flag the race was off, riders immediately rushed up by me and forced me to drop back, my bike handling is not yet up to the level of the Belgians making it hard for me to fight for position. each of the coming laps would be highly challenging as they were composed of a fast technical section through the town from were we rode out into the exposed countryside (Belgium unlike Ireland has dyke's not ditch's diving fields and at road sides providing little if no protection from swirling crosswinds) where cross winds hammered the peleton till it was stretched out into 1 long single file line, it was from here we made our way to what would be the deciding section of the race as each lap we were faced with a 1km cobbled climb.

As with all Belgian races the break escaped almost immediately, one of our team Dan Patten worked hard to make his way into it but unfortunately came a cropper on a sharp bend ending his race as he plummeted into the tarmac deeply wounding his arm. I held strong in the bunch saving energy at every opportunity, when we hit the cobbled climb I chose an easy gear got a high cadence going and dug in deep to keep up. with each passing lap, more and more people were getting drooped and left behind as the frantic pace in an attempt to close down the break was taking its toll, with 6 laps to go the bunch split and a large group of 20 riders rode off the front, unfortunately i was unable to make the split and was left behind. 1 of my team mates Chris Jory made it across and in doing so battled hard to achieve an excellent 3rd place.

For the remaining 6 laps I decided to try and escape the clutches of the bunch, upon hitting the climb i pressed on taking 10 riders with me we worked hard for the remaining laps and as we hit the 1km to go sign the sprint was on, with 35 riders already having finished ahead the pace was far from relaxed as we sprinted up the finishing straight were I took 39th overall.

After the Race I was Packed up and shipped off to the Train were I had to embark on my trip home to Ireland for my National Champs. Of which I will write about in my next blog.

Thanks for reading!!

Molloys Nutritional Products.

Before departing to Belgium I had been spending a lot of time working with James Geraghty from Molloy's Pharmacies. We had been looking at a number of areas in my athletic make up such as Nutrition and Lifestyle. It was during this phase that James kindly enquired would I be interested in being sponsored by Molloy's Pharmacy. Such opportunities as this rarely show face, so I accepted knowing only good things could come from the arrangement. James has supplied me with a number of up and coming nutritional products from the stock which is available in Molloys Pharmacy. Since I will be racing and training full time in Belgium my body will be stressed to its maximum and consistently fatigued. This should provide a perfect testing ground for the products to see do they provide my body with necessary nutritional benefits that are needed to rest, recover, and progress in my athletic field. At the current time the product that I am using are listed below. I will give a quick review of how I feel these products have affected me to date, and if you keep an eye on my posts from here on out you will see how I am using them before, during and after sporting events.




Products:





1. Body Glide Anti-Chafe: Very similar to Vaseline except it possesses anti-bacterial properties, rubbed on under areas it provides a friction free non chafe layer which prevents saddle sores and promotes cycling comfort



















2. Kinetica 100% Recovery, Post-Training Recovery Supplement: Most beneficial product I have used vital part of my weight management programme, quick and easy after race and hard training gives body the vital nutrients it needs to recover fast without the bother of preparing large meals and the fear of overeating.










3. Kinetica Whey Protein: This product is a high quality protein which I generally use to keep my protein levels topped up when recovering from tough events like hard training or races, A scoop of this product into either water or milk (I actually find it tastes quite nice in water and also keeps calorie intake down) and it will provide your body with a sufficient blend of essential amino acids, proteins and fluid from the milk or water. It is here that I usually add a tablespoon of Udo's Oil in order to make it easier to take and also the addition of the oil has been proven to keep the body focused on the metabolism of fat after exercise.

4. Udo's Essential Oil: I was introduced to this product by Molloys Pharmacy recently and since using it I feel my immune system has picked up ridding me of all those annoying colds and coughs that I always was faced with. it also provides my body with the essential fatty acid's, and omega's that I would usually deprive it of when focusing on maintaining a strict diet.











5. Molloys Sports Gel, Joint & Muscle Care: Great for just after sports events helps relax stressed muscles and promotes recovery of all connective tissue. Having had problems in my calf regions in the past I feel this product is a vital part of keeping my joints, muscles and tendons in working order.















6. Molloys Joint & Muscle Rub: Really relieves aches and pains especially in lower back, neck and around feet and knees, Rubbed in generously on these areas and if you can handle the faint Deep-Heat smell you will find that the results are what you seek.














7. ZYM Electrolyte Drink Tablets, Caffeine & Non Caffeine: Great for both training and racing, provides body with the electrolytes and salts it needs to keep hydrated, and if you chose the caffeine product you can that extra kick of the 100mg of caff in each tablet.
















8. Molloys Energy+ Multivitamin, Mineral & Herbs Capsules: With it being a powdered capsule instead of a tablet means nutrient uptake will be higher. After taking 1 every morning I have felt more energised and with a reduction of that run down feeling, mouth ulcer, colds, coughs and tiredness I can honestly say that they are having a positive effect on me.







Over the coming weeks I will be constantly speaking of how I am using these items in my sporting lifestyle so hopefully now you will know what I am on about.

Heading back to Ireland this Tuesday for the national championships on the 27th so hoping for a nice result, it is taking place in Sligo town so if your around on that date make your way there.

Settling into the routine!!

It is now Thursday the 17th of June, I have been in Belgium for over a week and can honestly say I am enjoying the experience. Myself and my house mate Daniel have really gotten to know each other, he has shown me many training routes, local bike shops and many other things that will make my duration here pass with ease. To date i have ridden 3 races, Grangliese, Bavaghem and Zwyndrecht, non of which have been easy. My first race in Grangliese was a Baptism of fire, the course was mainly flat with just 1 drag of about half a km, it also had 1 quite sever cross wind section lasting about 2km. I travelled to the race with other Asfra racing team members, all of whom were providing me with the advice that would hopefully aid me in doing well. I got my warm up completed, stretched and lined up for what was going to my first race in Belgium in 2010, the whistle was blown and away we went, from word go we were lined out at 40+kph cross winds beating of the cosmics (The cosmics are the brand of wheel i own) making the bike hard to control. Feeling confident I moved up on the outside and made my way to the front, once there I began going with groups that were attempting to get away, was i being to eager?? the answer came pretty fast. At about lap 10 of 14 My legs were screaming and my lungs burning, I was totally juiced, no way could i continue, I dug in but came to a total halt on the Drag with 3 laps to go, it was my first race and i had been totally defeated. 3 of my team mates put in impressive rides, achieving 30th, 15th, and 2nd.

The following day i was set to race in Bavaghem, 30km from my house in Lierde. I woke that morning with a new wave of confidence, i was going to be more reserved in my racing today, hold back at the start and allow people to waste energy, and then the Cobra would strike and that i did. The trip to the race went fast, i managed to get signed on and pinned my number to my jersey, the route today went over two small inclines and had a number of sharp bends of which I would be expected to sprint out of if i was to hold in there. Once again the whistle was blown and out the road we went brakes screeching, people swerving, bikes clashing off each other, the echo of People roaring cuss words as they all jostle for position as we head into sharp turns and down narrow avenues. Racing in Belgium is far from normal, races generally consist of about 10 or more laps of a highly technical course exposing riders to Cobble stoned sections, Hills, Cross winds, surfaces coated in gravel and oil, and sharp bends, it is only through keeping alert and racing intelligently can you survive and if you manage to do that and posses mass fitness it is then that you can contemplate winning. I rode central in the bunch making sure I did not get caught out in any unfortunate scenarios such as crashes or splits in the bunch, by the half way point 2 groups had broken of the front and both had in excess of a minute on the peleton, I saw 4 riders attempting to escape the clutches of the main field and decided to take a chance and try and join them, i rose from the saddle hammered hard on the pedals and swiftly accelerated towards them making sure not to drag people with me, the moment I made contact I drove past them ushering them to follow me of which they did, we took turns pushing hard into the wind and steadily opening up a gap on the bunch. Our steady work continued lap after lap as we fought to keep the pace up, with 2 laps to go we were joined by a large group from behind consisting of nearly 15 riders, with there aid we closed in on the 2 escape groups that were still ahead, with riders from the U23 Kazakhstan national squad pushing hard in our group the first of these escape groups was soon hauled in. With half a lap to go people became dubious of working and attacks from riders present in the bunch began coming swift and fast, i struggled to hang in bit took the bit between my teeth and clung to the wheel in front of me. we went into the final bend riders were slamming into me and i was having to fight for every inch i could gain that would allow me to get a better place, we cam out of the bend and into the home straight, i kicked hard and managed to get 15th out of my bunch and 32nd overall.

On Wednesday the 16th of June I raced in Zwyndrecht, it was far from were I am staying so i decided to take the train to the location, with such transport being very cheap in Belgium and with the station being 100m up the road from were I am staying it made perfect sense. I rose at 8am that morning, devoured some muesli and bread, followed by sum natural yogurt, I then took my daily dose of supplements beginning with my Molloy's Pharmacy Energy+ Vit, Min and Herb tablet, I then downed a table spoon of Udo's Seed Oil, all of these are to provide me with the essential nutrients that my body needs in order to function and recover during such an intensive lifestyle. After breakfast I collected my gear bag which i had packed the night before and my bike of which had been washed serviced and prep for the event ahead. I boarded the train at Lierde and began my journey, after switching at Gent, I travelled to Zwyndrecht, Belgian trains are far more pleasant and easy flowing that the old Ballina to Manulla junction train that i am so used to. when I arrived I swiftly found sign on and there i got changed and prep myself for the race, I then proceeded with my racing license and signed on for the event. The race began at 2.30pm and it kicked off with a bang, the pace was frantic and i had to fight hard to hold my position in the savage cross winds that battered us each lap, it was on the first lap that the break escaped, it was to stay away all day leaving the rest of us scrambling in an attempt to make up the time that we were consistently losing to them each lap. As in the last race I adopted the tactic of holding strong and allowing others to tire themselves out and then i would attack, with 4 laps remaining the bunch split and i dug in deep to make it across, from that point on the pace was high insuring that the groups behind did not once again make contact. As we came onto the final lap the speed and the explosive sprinting out of each corner in order to hold the wheel in front of me was taking its toll, I suffered like a dog and as we hit the finishing straight I struggled in finishing at the back of what easily was a 40 man group.

So far I can only say the racing here is far more intensive than what i was facing in Ireland but with my first Inter-Club event taking place on Tuesday coming in at 160km, it will be nice to see do the Belgians posses there wicked speed in longer more enduring conditions....... most likely they will and most likely i will once again suffer till the end, but what doesn't kill me can only make me stronger!! (Below is a short video clip of my accomidation)

Belgium.....

The above Monument in Brakel is dedicated to Cyclists of the Flanders region.... made of 3000 bicycles it truly is a sight to behold.




Travelling to Belgium wasn't easy, the early wake up, the cramped flight and the masses of trains and changes that were needed to get to my destination was very tiring. When i finally arrived in oudenaarde Belgium, I was breathed a sigh of relief to see the teams car sitting outside waiting for me. The manager of the Team Luc Azzez Greeted me, we drove across town to his bicycle shop from which the team is run out of. There i assemble my bike and went in search of some food as at this stage i hadn't eaten since the bagel i got at 6am that morning. as the evening went by we attended a bike race were some of the team i was soon to join were racing, when the race finished we made our way back to oudenaarde were i had dinner with Luc's family after which i was dropped out to my accommodation.
The house that i am staying at is specifically designed for cyclists, It can hold a maximum of 6 riders but at the moment all that is based here are myself and a checkoslavakian guy Daniel who has been based here since Feburary, he is a sound man. The following day after arriving I went for my first spin, i rode from brakel were i am staying into oudenaarde to the shop were the team is located. Luc my manager provided with my race information for the coming weekend, on Saturday i take part in a 170km inter-club race it should be very tough but at the end of the day that is what i am here for, on Sunday i also race of yet the full details i am not sure of. with today being Friday the 11th of June, tomorrow is when the racing begins, after a big plate of pasta and plenty of fluids i am now all set for what tomorrow may bring.... also I am going to dedicate an up and coming blog to the nutritional aspects of my cycling, i will pay extra attention to the new products that my main Sponser Molloys Pharmacy have provided me and i will go through the pros and cons of each product in detail. after the weekends racing i will also update the blog with how the races went and will have some good racing footage of the events and pictures also, so until next time........ stay classy cyclists.

Ras Time!!!

It’s been a few weeks since I last did sum blogging but now that I’m lying in my bed head cold frying my brains and my second ras behind me I suppose it’s no better time to update this thing.
Since last writing I took part in the Fbd Ras, I had great ambitions of providing some updates every evening after the stage's but due to mass fatigue and eating being the only thing on my mind I ended up pulling the plug on that idea. After the Ras last year I was 100% under the view that I would never ride such a painful suffer fest again, but time heals all wounds and 1 year later there I was getting Ras-ified once again, I’ll give a quick day by day review on my ras and then what I have on the cards for the coming period.

Day 1
Dunboyne - Dundalk: The time had finally come it was the beginning of the Ras, For a change this year I was on the Irish Development squad the lads I was racing with were sound out and were well motivated to put in some aggressive, and impressive rides over the coming 8 stages. As per usual the ras took off like a bullet from a gun, slane hill being the first challenge, after cresting that the bunch split and a massive effort was needed in order for me to make the crossing, the next Cat 2 climb to long women’s grave was tough and with the intense heat my legs were cramping like bad things, after a rapid decent and an aggressive ride to the finish in the main bunch I was happy with the performance. I lay on the side of the street in Dundalk with the only thing that was going through my mind being that I had 7 more stages of this hell left. The B&B was close by and dinner that night was enjoyable, our manager’s words for the following day were fairly simple.... "Up the road with ye and blow your lights".
Day 2
Dundalk - Carrick on Shannon: The day kicked off at a steady pace as we made our way across the width of the country to Carrick in Leitrim, the racing was highly aggressive attacks forcing the pace on consistently, The days major climb was fast splitting the bunch in an attempt to close down the break which was up the road, but unfortunately on the decent the Spanish team who had been pushing the pace came face to face with an Isuzu super trooper and its bull bars on a blind bend putting them all out of action. The day’s stage was cancelled and neutralized to the finish. upon crossing the line myself and my brother who also was riding with the western edge team were greeted by my mum, she gave me deorilites for my cramps and a bit of TLC to keep my spirits up.
Day 3
Carrick - Oughterard: After yesterdays crash one would have thought racing would have been relaxed and controlled but it was the exact opposite, a day of line outs would have been a good explanation, put yourself on a bike at 40+mph the only thought in your head is to hold the wheel I front of you and then "BANG" you cycle straight into a pot hole, fulcrum zeros knackered tyres flat, this usually wouldn’t stress me but with the days first Cat2 climb just 1km away I was forced to ride myself inside out to make contact with the bunch once more as the days route passed over the tough climbs of mamm cross and ended up splitting the bunch in two, due to the effort of chasing back on myself and a group of about 20 others rode up and over for 25km into a strong head wind in an attempt to limit our losses finishing in the back group a few minutes behind which wasn’t to bad for such a tough day. David o Loughlin a mayo man from the Sean Kelly an post team took the honours into oughterard hammering the competition into the ground.
Day 4
Oughterard - Tipp Town: The day began even faster than the previous I can’t even remember going from Galway to gort we were travelling that fast, line outs on the wrong side of the road weaving in and out of cars pulled into the verge I was praying for the line outs to end, as we passed though gort the road in bits the pace was frantic I didn’t even have time to take a gawk at sum Brazilians. It was to be the day that I would first come off the bike, 25km from home riding side by side with a Japanese rider, I witnessed cyclists hitting the deck in front of me in an attempt to avoid it I felt the Japs arm link my own and in we went into the pile, by the time I managed to scramble to my feet the bunch was gone all I could do was role in with a grupetto and try to limit my losses. When I crossed the line I was confronted by a ras official it was Drug test time, I was brought to the local swimming pool where the testing facility was set up I completed the procedure and got out of there happy to once again get into the shower and out of my paper thin shorts.

Day 5
Tipp Town - Seskin Hill: Disaster.... yea I think that word sums up this day, a puncture after 5 km left me chasing the fast moving peloton, what’s even worse when I made contact with them the biggest smash I’ve been in for a while took place. all I saw was bad cats black sidi's upside down in the air, I locked the brakes I was going in I threw the c50 to the side and slammed my body into the mash of carbon aluminium and flesh, Getting a look Keo pedal in the spine is far from nice and then having to drag your mangled, bleeding and aching body 140km across the roughest back roads and finally up Seskin hill is far from easy. poor Tuminators the "BAD CAT" broke his collar bone which meant all his sacrifice, hard work and effort came to a halt there on the road, I remember stumbling to my feet to see his mangled body attempting to rise from the ground, I rushed to his aid telling him to stay put and the medics would come to him shortly, next I was to see one of the Galway bay riders holding his bike which was smashed in 2 and handle bars broke, mike redden Dublin was walking around delirious asking where was he and were was his bike, the aftermath of the crash was evident in the many individuals that lay motionless tangled in barbed wire fences and lodged in the ditches of the road. Later reports from riders estimated the casualties from the crash to be up in the forties.
Day 6
Seskin Hill - Gorey: with the first of the big Cat 1 climbs being introduced today, people were really battling for positions at the front, from the gun the pace was frantic one line out going up though a town split the bunch in 2 as riders fought for position in the shadows of the up and coming ascents that would soon sort the men from the mice, a western edge rider Chris Coyle came a cropper as he literally fell clean of his bike with exhaustion taking out a sigma sport rider whose back wheel whilst airborne glided by my cheek leaving the faint mark of rubber upon my skin. The climbs were tough and really zapped my legs, they were all built into each other as we scaled the mountainside the first Cat3 caught many by surprise, with fatigued athletes being shelled out the rear of the bunch as the pro teams drove the excessive pace, next we moved onto the Cat 2 which was just as steep and as long, upon completing this we ended up on the side of the Cat1 which entailed a corner so steep that if one got out of the saddle and took their weight off the rear wheel it would simply spin on the gravel, many riders fell from the bikes to the earth at this point as sheer exhaustion brought an end to their stage. Upon reaching the top I was joined by a number of other riders who rode consistently and we managed to finish in the second group on the road.
Day 7
Gorey - Killcullen: with the day taking in what were to be 2 of the toughest climbs of this year’s Ras the shay Elliot and the Wicklow gap tension was high as the many fatigued riders braced themselves for the worst, I rode aggressively all day attacking a number of times but at about 75km I managed to get away in a break from the main bunch with a cycleways rider and we built up a solid lead of 2.30 before being joined by about 7 others one of whom was David Brennan from the Western edge Team. Before hitting the climb the pace was high and the Pro riders who had joined the break were doing majority of the work, it was at this stage that I took the opportunity to fuel up, on the bike you can easily burn in excess of 5000+ Kcals during a stage so taking on the correct energy foods is vital to your performance, I hammered in 2 carbo gels, 2 energy bars and a full bottle of carbo fuel. after 25km of riding we were at the foot of the shay Elliot climb, it was steep and long making at hard to hold with my break away companions but I dug in deep and held on till we crested the peak, the main GC contenders closed in on the decent and quite simply rode straight by me on the Wicklow gap, I rode at my own tempo and managed to reach the top of the tough 8km accent just as I was caught by a strong chasing group of riders who had suffered on the previous climbs. We rode the final 25km very fast with people being shelled on the small cat 3's that were to follow the Wicklow gap. Upon crossing the line I was greeted by my mum, sister and brother Declan who had made the journey from the west to watch myself and my brother battle our way across the rugged Irish landscape upon our bikes.
Day 8
Killcullen - Skerries: With it being the final day the Swedish team who's rider was clearly leading the race took it upon themselves to set a fast tempo to keep the bunch under control, we made good time getting to skerries with no crashes or punctures, and the cat 3 climbs on the way proved no obstacle, remembering last year I was shelled from the bunch along with half the race before we even entered the town, but this year as we made our first passage over the Black hills I dug in deep to hold wheels and managed to pull myself over the top on the back of the bunch, the pace coming onto the final 13km loop around skerries was blisteringly quick I had almost admitted defeat as my legs screamed and as he lactic acid flowed, upon hitting the hill for the final time and with about 6km to follow after the only word to explain what happened was a massive explosion, bodies everywhere, but I dug in deep and with the aid of the Comanche, and the eagle we rode like mad dogs to close down the bunch at speeds in excess of 50mph behind team vehicles which had passed us by and just in time as we turned onto the finishing straight, and just like that the 2010 FBD ras was over for another year the atmosphere on the main street of skeeries was electric as families and friends of the riders rushed franticly to give there applause to what had now been crowned the 2010 Men Of The Ras!!!!!!!.

Now with the ras behind me and the fact that I had no problems with my calf injury the road ahead looks good. with me travelling out to Belgium for some serious racing out there on the 8th of June only to come back for the national championships in Sligo and the suir valley at the start of august, things will be tough, but focusing on the here and now, pounds that crept on over the last few months whilst I was bed ridden with my injury must be carved off and no better way than to train myself lean....
Looking back on the past 7months from were I first began my training, I was convinced there was nothing that was going to stand between me and success but it’s clear now that all road have their obstacles.... nothing comes easily but as Ghandi and his dry flip flops said "Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory"

Fuk it I didn’t win!!!

Back in the Mix!!!

After close to 3 weeks sitting on my arse, being tortured by the rice crispy squares in the cupboard, i finally was given the all clear to get back on the bike and lay in some miles. I had 9 days left till the Ras kicked off so racing the Noel Hammond memorial seemed a good choice, my first spin back on the bike was Thursday 13th of may, a simple 3hrs to get the legs loose and the mind back in the swing of things, Friday was good crack we ended up riding the tour de tourlough in ballina which turned from what is meant to be a relaxed leisure event into an all out race, i managed to shed the tuminator and eagle in the final km's to take my imaginary victory.
After 4hrs on Saturday i was ready for the noel hammond, travelled up the night before to Dublin and stayed with Matey, after some of his legendary rocket pasta and a nights sleep i was ready for war!!
The Hammond was far from easy, with a tough climb each lap and some stiff competition i was seriously under pressure, i round hard though and managed a respectable 6th place.
The days are now ticking away and all i have to look forward to is the savage intensity which is the FBD Ras.

Some top news which everyone will be unaware of is i was asked to represent the nation on the U23 National team. this was one of my seasons goals and to achieve it really makes up for the disastrous season i have been having so far, it has given me the motivation to work hard on my diet and the final few days of training that i have available to me. Representing Ireland has always been a goal that has driven me to seek success in cycling and to do it in the Ras makes the feeling of success even greater.