8 Months for 8 Days!!

8 Months for 8 Days!!

8 months training for 8 days of racing. The time has come once again, Bags are packed and body is primed all in advance of Irelands toughest bike race “The An Post Ras”. The Ras is an 8day stage race UCI 2.2 which over the 8 days covers 1180km split between 8 stages. It has been running now for years and every year the level of competition grows; former winners of the Ras have gone to be World cycling champions. Below is a layout of the Race stage by stage. 

An Post Rás route 2013 (UCI 2.2):

Stage 1, Sunday May 19: Dunboyne to Longford, 135.4 kms:

Stage 2, Monday May 20: Longford to Nenagh, 160.4 kms:

Stage 3, Tuesday May 21: Nenagh to Listowel, 141.1 kms:

Stage 4, Wednesday May 22: Listowel to Glengariff, 153 kms:

Stage 5, Thursday May 23: Glengarriff to Michelstown, 150.2 kms:

Stage 6, Friday May 24: Mitchelstown to Carlow, 154.6 kms:

Stage 7, Saturday May 25: Carlow to Naas, 141.2 kms:

Stage 8, Sunday May 26: Naas to Skerries, 144.6 kms:

I have been working towards the event every single day since September when my 2012 season finished. Constant attention to Training, Diet and Lifestyle has all been paid in order to bring my body to the event in the best condition that I can achieve. As always sickness, injury and logistical issues can slow ones preperations, but genuinely I feel things have gone to plan quite well.

Hammering up the cobbled climb in Lincoln last week!!

During the winter months I worked hard on developing a solid base which was greatly aided by attending http://functionalfitness.ie/functionalfitness.ie/ spin classes and circuit training which kept some intensity in my legs as well as bringing on my endurance base. From this I worked with http://www.fitscience.ie/ to bring on my road training and develop a program which would give me the fitness that I needed to compete with the best. All this combined with the nutritional and diet support provided by www.molloyspharmacy.com/ helped get my weight down steadily as well as providing me with the fuel to power my engine through the countless hours on my bike as I ploughed through rain, hail, snow and lack of sun.
When the racing season closed in I was very lucky to be chosen to be a sponsored athlete of http://www.chaindrivencycles.com/ who provided me with a top of the range racing bike “Bottecchia Supernova SP9” and a “Powertap Pro” training wheel. The bike was great performing well with no issues and the Powertap allowed me to take my training to the next level making the most of every mile I rode.

After all the races and training sessions I am finally here, The Ras begins on Sunday and I will be competing at the top level, Last year I finished a solid 33rd overall & 3rd Irish rider in the race. This year I would hope to perform the same or improve on it further. So keep an eye on my twitter https://twitter.com/PaddyClk or my facebook https://www.facebook.com/paddy.c.clarke?ref=tn_tnmn for constant updates over the next few days on my performances on stages. That’s it for this blog and with a bit of luck hopefully I’ll have some good news in the next post.

Pre Ras Blog!!

May Post:
Since my last blog post I have ridden some good races and put away some solid serious training. In the Last blog I provided some updates about the Des, Ras Mumhan & Stamullen, in the post I detailed how the
races went and how I had began introducing Intensity training into my routine in large volumes to really bring on my form for the Ras.

I was provided a G2 Powertap Training wheel by Stephan Mullane from www.chaindrivencycles.com this totally transformed my training and gave me the ability to see my level of progression and power out from and during my intervals. I have used power in the past and I can honestly say that there is no better way to train. I began by doing a power test with http://www.fitscience.ie/, from which I was able to work out my training zones, this then in turn gave me the ability to ride using the power meter and be able to correctly train my endurance, tempo, threshold, VO2 and Anaerobic training Zones.
It was great to see my numbers rapidly rise over the past few weeks and  especially with the An Post Ras Just around the corner nothing is more motivating than the knowledge that I am on the up. I have been working my way through a solid block of intensity over the past 3 weeks mixed in with the Nenagh Classic and Tour of Ulster.
Regarding my Nutrition over the past few weeks, I have began a course of Molloys Energy+ Multi Vit and Mineral capsules along with a course of Iron tablets with Vit C which are available at www.molloyspharmacy.com/‎ or in stores. I am doing this to ensure my body is properly topped up prior to the An Post Ras, Its important for anyone who is racing consistently and with big events approaching to make sure their nutrient levels are at 100% or as close as they possibly can be

(Sprint In Nenagh GP for 9th)

Nenagh Classic: Nenagh has now become one of the most represented and heavily challenged races on the Irish Calendar. I travelled down the day before and took part in the Team Time Trial where we took second place to the Elite Dutch Guest team. The Squad then raced the following day in The Nenagh Classic road race, I was well primed for the race and it showed when we hit the 40km mark and the bunch exploded on the second KOH of the day, I made way into the front group which whittled down more and more as each climb came. In the end I finished a solid 9th against a strong field which was a good result and one that showed my form was on the way up.
After Nenagh I again put away a solid block of training that I hoped would continue to bring on my form, I travelled to Girona for 4 days in the climbs in the surrounding mountains which went great. I had good health and savage training which is going to pay off when I’m in the climbs in Kerry during the Ras.

 (Time Trial in Tour Of Ulster)

Tour of Ulster: The tour of Ulster is possibly the 3rd hardest event on the Irish Calendar behind Ras Mumhan and the An Post Ras. With all the top Irish domestic teams at the race I was happy to get on as well as I did, taking 12th overall. On the First stage I had a bad run of luck missing both moves coming in around 3 mins behind the winner. In the Time trial I rode well finishing 10th which I was happy with as it gave me reassurance that I could compete at the top level. Stage 3 I went out full throttle riding into the break after 5km and staying up the road for the entire stage in the end I finished 8th on the stage. Again on stage 4 I went into the break after 5km driving it clear from the bunch and working in it for over 100km, we were then reeled in by the hard chasing bunch which I blended into and hung on for dear life finishing 11th on the stage. I was pretty happy with the result as I had been in the breakaway for so long and still had the legs as we went over the climb the final 2 times.

As for my Equipment, I rode my Planet X Stealth TT bike in the Time Trial & on the road stages I raced my Bottecchia Supernova SP9 which was supplied to me by www.chaindrivencycles.com It is a great bike and again this weekend it proved it, its ability to climb mixed in with its stiffness in the sprints makes it a perfect ride for anyone looking to upgrade to a better bike, looks wise the bike is classy especially with its aero profile mixed in with my campagnolo record groupset and fulcrum zero wheels.
Next up for me is the Lincoln GP in the UK so I’m hoping my good legs will continue and if I can pull of a good result will be real happy.

2013 Season Update (Des Hanlon, Ras Mumhan, Training & Stamullen)

(Me On the right in red arm warmers winning sprint for 5th in Stamullen GP)

It’s been close to 3 weeks if not more since my last update, I have ridden 4 very good races since the last post and these include the Des Hanlon Memorial, the 4day stage race in Kerry "Ras Mumhan", The Pat & Monie Nolan Memorial and The Stamullen GP. 3 of these races are the peak of Irish racing, they are very tough and of long distance, The Des is 158km in length and Ras Mumhans stages range from 100km - 150km, With The Stamullen GP of 110km. The terrain in all is that of hills and tough roads. I found the distance in all no issue but it was more the Intensity that caught me out in the Des Hanlon and Ras Mumhan due to the lack of work in this part of my training, mainly down to knee issues back in Feburary.

Des Hanlon: The Des is a 158km One day race which covers 3 tough laps of a local circuit before finishing in Carlow town. The terrain is mainly all climbing; the hills are both steep and long. On the day the temp was very cold, almost too low for racing with an average of 1 degree Celsius. I found the race ok starting off, I felt I was capable of climbing in the front and making my way into any splits that were going clear, these constant increases of pace were catching me out though and I was left lacking strength in the final finishing in what I presumed was about 17th place, the result was not bad but I had been hoping for a top 10 in the race which unfortunately didn’t work out.

Ras Mumhan: It’s hard to detail Ras Mumhan for a reader, it’s one of the toughest amateur sporting events in the country comprising of 4 stages each in excess of 100km in length on some of the toughest terrain in Ireland. Day 1 was fast and aggressive I did my best to be in the front but did too much early on and ran out of steam missing the main break of the day and having to come to the finish in the main bunch. Day 2 took us over some serious climbing and was 150km in length; I stayed in the front until the final climb with 20km to go but was distanced into a chase group and finished 2min behind the leader. Day 3 again was a very tough day, I made my way into the front group of no more than 40 in the tough cross winds that caused chaos from the off, on this stage we went to Valentia island off the coast of Kerry and it was upon coming onto the Island that the group split in 2 and unfortunately I was caught in the back and left behind. For me this was my Ras mumhan hopes virtually gone, I lost a lot of time on the run in to the finish which put me down in 30th overall. Day 4 is a shorter stage of 110km which is quite flat and finishes on the local laps around killorglin town. I made my way into the early break of the day which stayed clear for 60km but we were eventually reeled back in and the mass effort I put into the breakaway left me lacking in the final and after been caught out by a crash I was left chasing for the rest of the race.

After Ras mumhan I had to rethink my training approach, during the race I had been lacking slightly when the intensity really turned on, after putting away a very large base in the winter I feel I may have slightly neglected the vital intensity work needed to prepare me for the top end of racing. Over the last 2 weeks though I have began including more intense workouts into my routine lowering the mileage and introducing more intervals and sprints. I have also began doing quite a lot of motor pacing which I’m hoping will bring on my speed for races where it will be needed to keep up when the hammer goes down.

Pat & Monie Nolan Memorial: This race is more of a warm up to the larger race known as the Stamullen GP, It still attracts a great field and mainly all the contenders are out in force looking for a win. I travelled up with my Girlfriend who followed me with wheels as well as making sure I was ok if I needed a bottle of water or energy drink. This would not be needed though as the race distance was only 60km and would not span long enough for me to demand more than one bottle. The route itself was hard and fast with a tough climb each lap, on the first time up the climb the bunch held together good and it was not until the second lap of 6 that I put the pressure on and managed to split the group riding clear with 7 or 8 others. It was this group that rode strongly all the way to the finish and contested the sprint where I finished 5th (Placed as 6th on Sticky Bottle even though I was announced as 5th after race and at prize giving).

 Stamullen GP: This race took place last Sunday and was a very hard and well contested event, it covered 110km over 6 laps each taking in a tough climb. From the off I could feel the previous days efforts having taken their toll on my legs, but I dug deep and held in for the few initial laps, even giving a sever attack on the climb second time round escaping with two riders Damien Shaw of Aqua Blue & Paudi O Brien of Planet Tri, this was to end up unsuccessful and we were closed down very quickly. Unfortunately I missed the main break away of the day (8-9 riders) and was left chasing as all the main contenders had escaped up the road. Luckily though I managed to forge away from the main bunch in pursuit joined by 5 others, we worked hard and closed the gap on those out front catching them on the last lap. We hit the climb the final time and nearing the top Paudi O'Brien surged ahead in what would be the race winning move, I was left wanting as my chase effort had drained my legs leaving me only capable of staying with the others. We chased Paudi hard on the run in to the finish but unfortunately none would commit fully and the win was his. Behind we fought it out for the remaining places and with 3 others escaping in the final few km's I managed to pull off a good sprint to take 5th, race report and video below.
http://www.stickybottle.com/races-results/paidi-obrien-takes-lone-victory-at-stamullen-gp-sees-off-six-man-breakaway-2/

As for my equipment, I have my TT bike back on the road as I’m attempting to bring on the discipline especially with the Team TT in the Nenagh team time trial. The bike has been posting some rapid times on the road and I feel I really have my current position tweaked to the maximum with the help of http://www.fitscience.ie/. As for my Road racing equipment, I’m currently running a Bottechia SP9 Supernova which has been supplied to me by Stephen Mullane of www.chaindrivencycles.com The bike has been performing great its solid, stiff and I found it rolled well on both tough and rough roads, weight wise it’s on the good side with 2 full water bottles it still climbs good and is an acceptable weight which I will post up in the next blog. On the bike I am running campagnolo record 11 speed, with a set of fulcrum zero wheels. It really showed its worth during the Stamullen GP riding well in the wind, On the Climbs & really accepting the power well in the Sprint to the line   Well that’s it for this week, with a few more races coming up Ill soon post again and keep you up to date on my progress.

A new chapter 2013

It has been over 7 months since my last post, Apologies to all whom have been waiting patiently for updates on my cycling. When you last heard from me I was finishing off my season in Belgium and was awaiting news on whether or not I would be joining a British Continental / Premier Calendar team. I left Belgium in September and returned to Ireland, at that point I continued to train lightly until taking a full break in October. During my break I made the most of my freedom from regime and training but as any cyclist knows sooner or later the thirst for the bike always wins and after 4 weeks away I was back on the road. For the first year in a long time I was going to attempt a full winters training developed by myself and without the aid of a coach. I spent a lot of time studying old programs and reading up online on new training sessions I could adapt to my winter training. Anyone who knows Ireland knows the biggest obstacle for any cyclist is the harsh weather, Cold, Wet & Ice are the plagues which make long mileage and intensive work hard to complete. It was for this reason that I decided to join a local gym "Functional Fitness Ballina" and take part in there spin classes and core/circuit sessions to rebuild condition in my body. I religiously began attending the classes’ day in day out mixing it in with some road work when weather permitted, this steadily brought on my fitness and soon the month of December was upon us. For December I upped my work in functional fitness to 2 spin classes in the evening after 3-4hrs on the road in the morning, my ambition was to put away as many hours on the bike as possible before the new year at which point my brother was getting married and I was always under fear that bad weather would hit, snow etc. I put away a solid 4 week block of 20-25hrs a week for December which helped my fitness develop and has provided me with a solid base to slowly begin building some intensity on. Luckily enough the wedding came and went without too much disruption to my training. January again followed much the same lines as December but I began introducing some low end threshold work for 10mins at a time as well as some longer tempo work which I hoped would develop my ability to ride steadily at a higher pace for my long rides, I also did some heavy gear work on a local climb "The Windy Gap in Bonniconlon" 10mins from bottom to top. As the month went by I stayed focused on my training and did my best to eat healthy and get plenty of rest, but unfortunately I was struck with a dirty chest infection that demanded anti biotics to move. This slowed me for a week but I managed to keep going after and again put away over 80hrs of training in the month. In February I focused heavily on developing my intensity side of training, I dug deep on sessions to bring my threshold work up to 2 X 20min efforts. I started introducing some Vo2 work as well which would help me survive at high intensity during races. It is in February that the Connaught training races take place and I rode strongly in both which I was very pleased with. I really felt things were looking up until I was struck with what seemed like a nasty knee injury. I spent close to a week with very little training attempting to reduce the inflammation and get it diagnosed. Luckily enough I have a solid support crew and my Physio Simon Walsh, Based in Garden Court Ballina sent me to a great contact of his whom diagnosed it as one of my hamstring muscles which were in spasm and in turn was pulling the tendon at the attachment point on the knee. Simon treated me for the injury and steadily brought me back to full competitive fitness which allowed me to complete a 7 day block of training in Lanzarote and then move forward to my first race of the season in limerick.

(Limerick Climb)

 Limerick was a pretty solid race over 6 laps which included a tough climb every round. The scratch group rode a solid race reeling in the A2 group but unfortunately we were unable to bring back the few remaining A3 riders and I had to settle for around 13th place. The following weekend I raced in Kinnegad on Saturday and it was at this race that I would be debuting my new bike a "Bottecchia SP9 supernova" The Bike had been supplied to me by Stephan Mullane from http://www.chaindrivencycles.com  he generously has sponsored me the frame for the 2013 season and I will providing you all with feedback on the bike and how I feel it is performing beneath me and its account was opened with a 9th, I put a lot into the break away, possibly too much and was left wanting in the final dash to the line. 

(In the Break in Loughrea)

On the Sunday however my luck changed as I took part in the Loughrea GP I managed to get my way into the break and we set about reeling in the A3 Group up the road. The original break of 8 riders steadily whittled down to a mere 3 as we came into the final kilometre. My two break away companions Charles Prendergast and Liam Frawley were both ahead of me and I took my chances jumping both with a mere 200m to go coming by with solid momentum I managed to keep the gap until the line and took the win. This was my first vistory of the season and to take it so early on was great, I felt the Bottecchia performed well during the race, the road surface was rough and the route was flat and the stiff make up of the bike allowed me to transmit the power to the tyres without to much issue, I also found it comfortable to ride especially over the rough tarmac.

(Sprint to the Finish)

 After a solid week of training which consisted of 2 turbo sessions and 2 long rides I focused in on Ras Mayo in Westport on the Monday after Paddy's Day. I prepared for the race as usual but unfortunately things didn't go to plan and I woke the morning of the race with a bad stomach. From the off I could feel my legs were weak and this was verified when I began struggling on the climb out of leenan, but I stayed committed and did my best to keep with the front over the climbs. Upon reaching the summit of Maam Trasna I began feeling that if I could hang in maybe I could do something in the sprint if it came to that. Attack after attack went off the front and the Castlebar team did a superb job of ensuring we were represented in each. But it was not until leaving Partry with 15km to go that something began to develop and with a lot of tired legs in the group about 8 of us managed to slip away. I put my head down and worked hard creating a gap to the chasing bunch behind I was aided by about 4 others in this, but unfortunately all wouldn't commit which always makes things hard for those working in the break away. My brother Ciaran rode flat out on the front doing his best to keep the group moving forward until the final few km were those with fresh legs began their attacks, at this point I had to give it everything but with my bad stomach and fatigued legs from my work in the breakaway I could only manage 3rd.

(Sprint were I took third in Ras Mayo)

I am now taking 2 days rest to ensure my body can get back into full health and will be providing another update come Monday after this weekends Des Hanlon!!

Keep an eye on this blog for constant updates on Diet, Nutrition, Training and My Race Reports!!