Coming to form!!

I have been in Belgium now just shy of 2 months and since arriving I have been putting away a vast quantity of quality training miles along with a combination of specific speed, power and cadence work. Since I have not provided any updates since my arrival to Belgium I will give a rapid review of the past few races that I have taken part in and how I personally felt I preformed in them.

Saint Maria Lierde my home for 8 months in 2010 was the location of my first race in Belgium in 2012. With a large field just shy of 250 riders the racing was fast and dangerous, made no safer by the wet and muddy early season conditions. Having only the training race in Ireland behind me, I immediately felt the stress that the speed was placing on my legs. I battled hard to hold position as the number on the lap board drew closer to 1 to go, the distance proved no issue to me, especially having put together some long spins in the winter at a good tempo. I managed to finish in the 60's so all in all I was happy with my performance especially in the fact that I managed to slip away in a group on the last lap only to be reeled in with 5km to go.

Waasland a UCI 1.2 was my next stop. This was my first big team race with Terra Footwear - Bicycle Line. Hotly contested by a number of Belgian Pro Continental & Continental teams made for fast aggressive racing far above my calibre, but I weathered the wind and endless line outs brought about by the excessive speeds to finish comfortably in a small group with some of my team mates. My performance was nothing special but with a race distance of 190km against professionals that were well accustomed to such mileage, I was happy to finish at all.

Esplechin was my third race in Belgium and was to be the first time I was to visit the Wallonian region of Belgium this year, the race boasted a strong field with a full line out from Joung Vlanderran which is a continental unit for feeding the Belgium Pro Conti Team TOP SPORT. Immediately as the race took off we went into the wind, lined out from front to back the speed was frantic only to slow when the peloton exited a large main road onto a narrow lane, the bottle neck compressed rider against rider and it was at this point that I was to take my first spill of the year. The screech of brakes and the smell of rubber was enough of an alert that danger lay ahead, I reacted by slamming my brakes only to be thrown from my bike miraculously landing on my feet, but by the time I retrieved my bike and remounted I was at the back. Once again the bunch went into the wind and anyone who knows cycling knows at this point you do not want to be in the back, soon after my race was over as I was tailed off in a small group as riders let wheels go as the pace was forced on by those in echelon at the front.

Boleil: In Boleil I began to see the first glimpses of my form coming through, for the first time in my cycling career in Belgium I managed to make an early season break. I was very aggressive in the initial few laps of the race, attacking and crossing to groups that looked likely to escape the clutches of the bunch. It was not until at least a quarter of the race had passed that a breakaway formed, having missed the initial move I was left to solo across on the only incline on the course, the effort took me into anaerobic but I had to push on and happily made contact with the break. Lap after lap I worked hard helping my break away companions push the pace but soon the intense heat of the day and the exhausting work load took its toll on me and with one lap to go I was tailed off and caught by a chase group with 3km left finishing 32nd on the day.

GP Nogent another UCI 1.2 was to be my second big team race of the season, Based in France in the Paris region, Nogent is a tough and challenging race boasting a lot of top professional outfits as well as many strong French domestic teams. It was at Nogent that I contracted a bad chest infection, more than likely from the poor air conditioning in the Hotel that the team stayed in prior to the race. Immediately when I woke I noticed my chest was not feeling good, heavy breathing, wheezing and coughing, all traits of a chest Infection. Having travelled the 300km from Oudenaarde and having stayed overnight I felt obliged to start the race, it was probably an unwise decision but not knowing the extent of the infection I decided to proceed and race. The race course was a rolling fast loop with a number of climbs and cross winds, initially I felt strong riding close to the front keeping out of danger and avoiding the wind at all cost, but when the extreme pressure came on it was obvious that my breathing was not at all functioning as it should be, gasping for air just past the 100km point I was forced to resign.

Rumes was again another Wallonian race in which I put in a solid ride to take 17th. I rode very aggressively in the initial laps attacking and bridging any gaps to groups ahead. This may have been to my downfall as I missed the main move of the day which left me chasing with 10 others for the remainder of the race. As the final closed our 10man group split leaving me in the rear, but with 1km to go I attacked those whom I was with to come in and take 17th.

Doing some Moto Pacing to develop speed!!

Photos are from www.fotosfranky.mijnalbum.be thanks!!

I’m writing this blog from onboard the ferry bound for France from Rosslare. Boarded last night at 9pm and it is not due to port in Cherbourg until 4.30pm the following day, so I thought I’d take advantage of all the free time to put together this blog.
In past years I have flown to Belgium Charleroi airport which always had cheap flights with ryanair making travelling costs quite low, but living out of a suitcase and whatever extra you can squash in your bike bag is tough going especially when it is for 8 months. So this year for the first time I have decided to drive over firstly to Rosslare, then catch the ferry to Cherbourg France and then drive the 600km trip north to Belgium and finally Oudenaarde, all in all it is easily 1000km+ behind the wheel. Let’s just hope that the TomTom doesn’t go on the fritz!!
The past week before travel has been all over the place, I have been mainly on the turbo due to bad weather and with limited training time due to my packing it has been far from productive. But hopefully when I get out to Belgium and start putting in some quality training in the Flemish Ardennes combined with some hard racing miles I’m confident that my form will continue to progress as planned.
Before departing I had a very good meeting with my nutritional Sponsors Molloys Lifestyle Pharmacies which provided me with Kinetica 100% Recovery, Kinetica Whey Protein, Sun warrior Vegan Protein, SIS PSP22 and Molloys own brand Multivitamin, Mineral & Herb capsules. I also had a nice talk regarding the fact that I have not fallen Ill in the past 2.5yrs since I started working on my Nutrition with Molloys, Now this could either be a pure fluke or it could be down to my regimented intake of UDO’s Choice Ultimate Seed Oil, combined with the Energy Plus Milti Vit, Min & Herb Caps. Before taking these supplements I commonly suffered from chest infections, colds and Flu, but since taking them I have had virtually no Illness. People can bring down and claim that The 2 above supplements have no affect on general health calling them “Snake Oils” But to all the athletes and people out there missing training days due to illness, whilst you are curled up in bed shivering I will be out laying down the hurt progressing my fitness even further and clearly the only change in my lifestyle which could have brought this about is the UDO’s Choice Ultimate Seed Oil, combined with the Energy Plus Milti Vit, Min & Herb Caps and Healthy eating regime.
Once I get to my accommodation and settle in I will post a Blog giving details on up and coming races along with some top quality training tips that I will be applying in an attempt to achieve some Top results in 2012 so stay tuned to the blog and keep the training going!!!

The season of 2012 has begun!!

Since my last blog post I have been exceptionally busy both on and off the bike. With it now being 2012 and coming toward the end of February it is that time of the year again when the racing season takes off.

January was a successful month for my training, I managed to put away a large number of miles as I slowly introduced some intensity into the workouts, most of my chosen routes took me out over Attymass and over by Lough Easkey generally giving me an average time on the bike of 5hrs depending on weather conditions. A large quantity of my training has been done solo except for a few weekend spins were i was joined by fellow club mates. This has made it hard for me to judge my form but since I have been using a Powertap in my training I have been able to steadily view my progress as my wattage on my long rides and during intervals have increased.

On the 2nd of February I travelled to Calpe, Spain to train with my team Terra Footwear - Bicycle Line. I stayed for 10 days and we put away some serious mileage as well as putting the hurt down on some of the monumental climbs in the region. With it being the first time that I have had the chance to test myself against other full time athletes, I was climbing good and performed well in any pace work that we did. The weather for the stay was good, chilly at times but always sunny, I enjoyed many a Cafe Con Leche and lived of a diet of rice, lentils and chicken breast which provided me enough energy for my training as well as aiding me in trimming some lard off.

Since coming back from Spain the Irish weather has been very poor, rain, cold and hailstones which has made my recovery week quite relaxing as I sit in my living room watching the rain smash off the window, Knowing that this day next week I will be in Belgium applying the final preparations to my form in advance of my races. I depart on the 24th of February were I will be driving to Rosslare were my ferry will take me to Cherbourg, from there I will be driving the 6hr trip to Oudenaarde.

Keep an eye on my blog over the coming months as once I enter into the racing scene I will be updating it constantly with my progress, success and hardships!!

2012 is upon us!!

And so it is, 2011 nears its end, a successful year in all but hopefully the spoils of 2012 will far exceed it. If I was to recap on my year, I would remember it as one of both hardship and success, progress was stunted by many injuries and ailments, but at the same time when i managed to gather form I acheived some nice results.

As of the last month training has been going to plan. The inflammed sciatic nerve in my right leg seems to have slowly come good, thanks to some top class therapy from Dave Corcoran of www.nsrt.ie and Simon Walsh of the Massage Clinic above molloys pharmacies in bunree. This injury had caused havoc in November and early December but with it clearing up I can happily say that progress is been made.

Like usuall when Im home for the festive season over indulgement became my enemy, the illitany of food and drink forced a few pounds onto me, but im confident that this will not hinder my progress once my training rides really strike the long mileage. As of recent I have been training with my brother Ciaran quite a lot, we have been tackling the "Eagle Loop" this comprises of crossing the windy gap, hacking out by lough easkey and smashing it back into the relentless coastal winds via easkey and enniscrone. Last week we were met but gale force winds and insane hail, It was striking us so hard that my skin was in pain as it lashed against it.

The mountain bike is also going good, even though i am still working off my keo cleats and am waiting on the arrival of my Mavic Razor MTB shoes which are expected this week. There arrival will be great as it will give me the opportunity to take to rougher trails were if forced into walking wont destroy my road shoes!!

But that is it for 2011 people it has been a good year, but even greater lay ahead

Winter!!

This time last year I was packing my bags and getting ready for what was to be a 3 months of sun and heat in Spain, but this year though things will be very different. For the winter of 2011/2012 I have decided to stay in Ireland and do my training here, this can either be a very positive move or a negative one. Here in Ireland I have a very good support network with my physio Simon Walsh from the "Massage Clinic" above Molloys Pharmacy in Bunree, Ballina, my coach Scott Mc Donald from Winning Solutions, training partners and the many other individuals that help me succeed in my cycling. But on the negative side as we all no the weather in the west of Ireland is not nice during the winter months, last week alone it hammered rain for 5days straight, which isn't the best if your hoping to put in 4hrs on the bike. But there is one way to conquer all bad weather and poor road conditions, that is to get a quality Mountain Bike and as of last Monday that is exactly what I did, I purchased a Merida MTB which is equipped with disk brakes and a mid range shimano groupset. So if ice or snow land then at least I wont have to accept defeat and retreat to the turbo I will be able to take to the trails and keep things moving forward!!

I began training last month which was November, but I was met with a bit of hardship in the form of injury, my hamstring developed a slight pull when I was doing some light jogging. Unfortunately the muscle did not want to heal at any rapid pace but after much DIY Therapies and physio work it seems to be coming round. Hopefully it will be the last of injury for this season giving me a clear run at what lies ahead.

Recently I had a very good meeting with the Science In Sport (SIS) Nutritional company in relation to some of their newly developed sports supplements. It was organised by my local nutritional sponsor James Geraghty from Molloys Lifestyle Pharmacies who intends on stocking a full range of SIS products in store over the coming Weeks/Months. The products range from Top end Energy drinks to Night time protein supplements specifically designed for weight conscious athletes. But over the next while I will try and post a blog that will give a bit of info on how to maintain a healthy eating regime over the winter and how sport supplements can aid an athlete in this quest.

But until then Keep the training going!!

Back to basics!!

The Blog has been very silent as of recent.. mainly due to me being on my annual break from the bike, but now Im back and ready to go. I recently had 4 weeks off the bike were I have been eating, drinking and doing zero training, this is vital at the end of the season to allow the body to come back to a fully replenished state. I started off last week with a few 2.5hr rides to get back a small bit of conditioning into my legs, It was not easy with the horrific wind and rain the has been bestowed upon the west of Ireland the past few weeks.

What has been the toughest part of returning to training has been the steady adaption to a healthy eating regime again, as anyone that knows me knows my love for the junk food but now its back to business that is all behind me. I have been in to visit my nutritional sponsor James Geraghty from Molloys Lifestyle Pharmacies who has informed me that he has some great new supplements for me to test out over the winter months, Im looking forward to this and will be giving consistent updates on both my blog and twitter.

Till next time!!

The final furlong!!

Hi Everyone,

It has been an age since my last post, but I’m still going strong, racing day in day out in search of glory. The last few months have been ones of mixed fortune; I managed to attain some very good form for 2 races in Ireland. These were the Suir Valley 3Day and the Portaferry 3Day of which I finished 3rd and 2nd overall, I was very pleased with these results as it showed good progression from the results I attained in them last year.

After those races I swiftly made my return to Belgium where I set about my campaign to attain a some solid results, at first my legs proved to be up for the challenge as I performed well in a number of races, but as the weeks have ticked by my legs have simply become drained from the hard work.

With a mere 5 weeks of racing left in my road season I am currently on a small rest period in order to give my legs a chance to catch up after which I will be full throttle until the last race of the season. After conversing with my coach we both came to the conclusion that this is the best idea as there is no point digging deeper into a hole, when I can rest up get fresh legs and give the final few races a good shot!!

I have also recently been working on building up a set of wheels to take the place of my heavily worn Fulcrums, which I can happily say are fit for nothing but training from now on. My new wheels on the other hand are Ambrosio Nemesis rims built onto shimano hubs, with Challenge Criterium tubs. Having never properly built a set of wheels from scratch they were to prove a challenge but after some time and effort they are 100% complete and after a number of test rides I can happily say they are ready for battle!!
Keep an eye on my blog and my twitter and were I will be providing continuous updates on my cycling career.

Paddy Clarke!!