Sunday is RaceDay

I'm not sure how, but I got in my minimum amount of miles for the week, despite the cold and wet.

While out on a ride Thursday, I came across this gem of a photo. It's actually not an uncommon sight in France. We generally drive a fair bit faster than the US and AUS, and I guess the roads are smaller... The funny thing is, French drivers are really good when it comes to sharing the road with cyclists. Cyclists have been on the roads over here for as long as cars have excited... and yet, there's something about this picture that makes you wonder.


Sunday = Race day.
Well here it is. Sunday is my first race of the season. They are calling for pretty bad weather on sunday, so it will be interesting to say the least. I have pretty high ambitions for this event. My aim is to finish. ;-) Probably a harder task than it sounds. That will be my fairly uneventful aim for most of the early season events, until I get fitter and the sun starts coming out.
The rest of the team however will have a pretty good change at pulling off a result. A few of the guys are going really well in this early season. Hopefully they'll get in the break early and the rest of us can sit around and follow wheels. Of course "following wheels" sounds easier than it actually is...

In the meantime, Darren Lill will be doing the Criterium International. A race he could probably do something in if it weren't absolutely freezing and pissing with rain up there at the moment. Not the South African's favourite weather. When I say do "something" in, I mean got for the most aggressive rider, or go on a long break that might get him the Mountains (hills really) jersey. The Criterium International is too flat to really suit his abilities.

Sunday is also the Mooloolaba Triathlon, which I would have liked to be able to watch from the coffee shop, or do the bike leg of. Good luck to Craig who's doing the big leg as part of a team entry in the Tri.

The Mooloolaba Triathlon, it could be held it a worse setting!

Sunday is also the MTB Graulhet round of the Midi Pyrenees MTB series which my mate Alphonce is in. With any luck we'll be able to hook up for a drink after the event (if I get back from my race in time).

Well, the sun is out (but it's still COLD) and I'd better go clean my bike.

Castelsarrasin Olympic Bid???

Speaking of races, Sunday my team mate Scott Lyttle won a round of the French Cup (Coupe de France) which is a huge result for the Kiwi.

On even Bigger news however, Scotty Lyttle has been shortlisted for the Olympics. HUGE! It's a long road to Pekin, but Jesus I hope he can do it!

110k round the basement.

The cold, rain and snow has forced me down into the basement for my training. A few years ago back in the US I came out of a winter training in the basement and had a phenomenal season on the Mountain Bike. Oddly enough, that was the same year Tim Johnson emerged from his basement to grab a bronze medal at the U23 Cyclocross World Championships... This is the thought I kept at the forefront of my mind as I clocked up 110k sitting in the basement.
Tomorrow I will most likely have to do the same thing, as they are calling for yet more rain and cold. The forecast for this weekend and thus for this weekend's race is looking pretty good however.

Chill

Similarly to the cold bottles of Chill beer that filled Shep's fridge, the Chill here is just as cold, just as wet, but nowhere near as refreshing.

Today is supposed to be my first race, but I'm debating "weather" to go or not. The temperatures are WAY below normal for this time of year, and they are calling for snow today. The race is slightly further south in the general direction of the Pyrenees... so snow is more likely down that way. I feel like a massive slacker if I don't go though.

Winter Lingers

(click on pic for larger image)

If only someone in Australia had bought my Ferrus bike, I might have enough money to fly back over for a few more weeks and avoid this cold spell. Actually, someone yesterday said: "You could have extended your stay, just changed your ticket to come back a couple weeks later." I could have killed them! Why didn't I think of that???? Of course Shep would have probably had a heart-attack at the idea, having put up with me for 4 months, I think 1 or 2 more weeks would have been the straw that broke his back.

I've got in a couple rides, but nothing major, the motivation to go out there and pound out some solid training miles has dropped as quickly as the mercury in the thermometer. Instead I have resorted to drinking coffee and eating chocolatines (French breakfast pastry).

I still don't have my car. It is down at Lawrie Cranley's in his garage in Mazamet. I should go and get my beloved red rust-bucket today. Jump leads will be the order of the day as it will take a good hour I reckon to get the old beater going.

Ohhh, coffee calls!

Sim's Fashion tips

"This weeeeeek,..... Ayyy'Avvvv been mostly wearinnnn'........ "
For those of you who don't know The Fast Show, this will be meaningless. But never mind, here are the latest fashion tips from the heart of Europe's Fashion Hotbed...


Multi-Cultural-Wear is all the rage these days. Notice the Peasant's French beret combined with the Tourist Aussie sweat-shirt. Cheap and nasty synthetic French cycling team tracksuit bottoms are in big time for 2008, and the combining of them with cheap and nasty yet eye catching bright blue crocks has had heads turning from New York to Milan. A name has not yet been given to this new 2008 fashion favorite, but designers world wide are sifting through endless suggestions. Designers favorites thus far include: Dork, Idiot, Muppet, "No-Style" and, So You Think You Can Dress-yourself Australia.

Can you pull this off? Because I sure as hell can't, (much to Georgio Armani's relief!)

A cold welcome

After 30 hours flying and a little difficulty to tear myself away from the warmth of the weather and the people on the Sunshine Coast in Australia, I am back on home soil. I must say there are some people I will really miss over there. Being home is quite nice, but it’s also very strange. It doesn’t feel like I ever left, and I almost wonder if I really did spend 4 months in Australia? Seeing the high, snow covered Pyrenees from the plane as we approached Toulouse was quite exciting. Eating chocolatines and having a baguette was very exciting.

Quite a rude awakening being home. It’s sunny and blue skies, but it’s rather cold for my liking. The first thing I did getting off the plane, was go for a nice 2+ hour ride. It was odd being back on home roads, and everything fell right back into place; navigating the area was easy, the roads were good and the drivers pleasant… and above all, I had the freedom of not slapping a helmet on my head.

Before and After

Before the flight: hot and sweaty with big red thing on head. After the Flight: cold and cold with hat on head.

I saw a few holes in the road, but was relieved not hear the panic stricken scream of “HOOOOOOLLLLE!”, however I was saddened not to hear to chit-chat and banter of people like Evan, Tahlia, “Coffee Luke”, and the infamous story king “Astana Dave” Keevers.

Once again I want to thank Craig “The Stig” Shepherd for his infinite kindness, hospitality and banter/piss taking. How long will it be before Shep is out on the bike again, maybe even wearing a yellow and red jersey, will depend on how many beers are left in the fridge.

Thanks also to “TdF Wendy” (Wendy rode the Women’s Tour de France a few year ago; Respect!) for driving me up to the race the Sunday before I left.

I know what we should do.. have a “training camp” with all the usual Sunshine Coast suspects over here for some riding, mountain climbing (sorry Evan) and pastry eating fun. How about it?

SingaBored

Well, I'm sitting in Singapore airport... bored out of my brain.... going to miss the coffee club and good company tomorrow morning... oh, a plane, oh... another one.. hmmm

Snaking through Australia

Over the past couple weeks of riding around I seem to have come across a fair few snakes. Being a total tourist I can't resist stopping, getting as close as I can without soiling myself, and taking pictures. Sadly I haven't been able to get pics of a lot of the snakes, either because there are too many cars for me to stop, or because I'm just too tired on the bike, or because my photo-subject is a little too feisty and scary for me to get close enough for a pic on my tiny little cell-phone camera. Craig (AKA Stig) keeps taking the piss out of me for stopping to take pictures of "road-kill" as he puts it (even when they are alive), but what does he know, he takes pics of graveyards and buildings when he's in France... Tourists.

This bright green/yellow blighter was pretty much on the front doorstep

Stripyus Snakeus

Biggus Buggery

I've been getting a fair few miles in. Although they called for yet more rain, this week has actually been quite nice. I'm still not in race shape, but after a few races of sitting in and getting in the rhythm for training, I should hopefully be fit for May... hmmm.. famous last words. Time will tell.

I can't believe it is less than a week before I leave now. I've really had a great time and I'm going to miss a lot of people here. I am thus going to make the most of my final few days here and spend all day sitting at the cafe with whoever is stupid enough to want to sit there with me.

I'm really looking forward to that 30 hour flight. :-(

Simeonem Greenem ??? Tranlations

Just when you thought I was boring and bland, I pop up with another fascinating and enthralling bit of info... well...
Evidently I haven't only been translated in Spanish, but I have also been translated into whatever the hell this language is!
Oh, and my name has also been translated (I didn't know you could translate a name), to Simeonem Greenem. Hmm, interesting!

This has been taken from: http://www.pro-cycling.org/index.php?kategoria=wiadomosci&artykul=393

Darren Lill szuka nowej drużyny

napisał: Krzysiek Jankowski (2006-02-06 17:02:03/przeczytano 33 razy).

Reprezentant RPA Darren Lill wciąż szuka nowej ekipy, po tym jak nie zmieścił się w składzie ekipy Barloworld na sezon 2006. Nowy manager Claudio Corti nie widział dla młodego kolarza miejsca w swojej drużynie.

Lill w środku w koszulce w grochy; źr. zdjęcia:www.tdl.com.my

Obecnie Lill startuje w reprezentacji RPA w wyścigu Tour de Langkawi (Barloworld z powodu nieporozumień z organizatorami nie występuje oficjalnie w wyścigu, a jego miejsce zajęła reprezentacja RPA) i radzi sobie w nim całkiem nieźle - jest liderem klasyfikacji górskiej a w klasyfikacji generalnej zajmuje 16 miejsce ze stratą 7.44 do lidera, swojego kolegi z ekipy RPA Davida George`a.

Jeżeli jakaś ekipa jest zainteresowana zatrudnieniem kolarza (może ktoś z Polski, choć pieniądze mogą być zbyt dużą przeszkodą) proszona jest o kontakt z Simeonem Greenem pod adresem: jetlagsports@wanadoo.fr

Sim in Pro-Cycling:

No that's not Sim on the front of the mag, it's Greg Lemond, Close... NOT!

Though most people will have already seen the January issue of Pro-Cycling Magazine, I have only just got it. It only made it over here to Australia yesterday. I don't know how it takes them so long to get it over here, they must get some Kangaroos to hop over from the UK with a load of them in their pouch, because it is 2 months late (it came out on Dec 20th 2007). Anyway, there are a few pages dedicated to the Pic de Nore climb (a climb I have raced up with a fair bit of success over the past 2 years, but with less success the previous years). The ride write-up for Pro Cycling was suggest and guided by yours truly. Needless to say there are a couple of photos of, and the odd quote from the idiot on the red bike (me).

The quotes are ok in this one, not like the Newspaper article in the US that quoted me as saying I wanted to ride the Tour de France. ARGH... not what I said! Anyway, it's a nice article and Isabelle Best (the writer) did a great job. But for as nice as the article is, the climb is even better (if you are fit, and it is sunny, and there is no wind). So get up there and ride the climb that sits on Jalabert's front door step, the Pic de Nore.

Ahhh, those ARE great looking roads. I'll be back there soon, I only hope the weather is good!

Time Travel.

Time Travels fast. If there's one thing that I've had confirmed from being over in Aus, it's just that! Time does go fast. Only 2 weeks before I return to the land of tradition, baguettes, chocolatines, cheese-a-plenty, coffee, dried sausage, quiet hilly roads and my 300 year old house. I've been here 3 and half months, and it feels like I only just got here yesterday.

Somehow it has been a week since my last post. So, I've been riding pretty much every day. I've been here almost 4 months but I still can't get used to getting up at 5am for a 6am ride. But it's been good, and despite my daily morning struggle of rolling over, turning off the alarm and trying to stay in bed, I have still been getting out for the early morning rides. And even though I have been feeling a bit of a slacker at times, I've actually got in far more miles than I would back home at this time of year.

Today was a pretty good day. Not sure how or why, but I guess I'm getting steadily fitter. I joined the group ride today which goes up a pretty good 6k climb called Montville. The whole ride is hilly/rolling, and montville is a nice steady hill/climb. We had a nice ride out to the base of it at a steady, upper range endurance pace, then went up at a fairly descent pace too.

Total ride this morning (still got an afternoon ride to come) with a nice average wattage.

And a few of these interval efforts up the climb.

Goodness the PowerTap is a great tool. What would we do with out it?

Sim to Milan San Remo!!!!!

Noooooo... not as a rider you idoits. PezCyclingnews asked me if I was available to cover Milan SanRemo for them. So that's a possibility. Just got to figure out the finances and travel etc, but that could be fun. Only big issue is, Milan SanRemo is only a couple days after I get home. Turns out the race we were doing 2 days after I land has been cancelled, there is another one that weekend but it's a small race. So I can miss that and go to Italy. I'll be pretty tired, but then again nothing is final yet. As with everything in cycling, things all too often fall through when it comes to the crunch.

I've also had to reformat my computer. Spent pretty much all of yesterday and a good part of today doing that. Great. Just what I wanted to do in my last few days in Australia.

Stig Competition Winner:

It is with great pride that we announce the winner of our Stig competition. Chris Hayes used his years of experience riding with Lance and beating Tyler Hamilton in stage races to get the jump on everyone and enter the Stig competition first. Not only was Chris first (something we are all too used to) but he also had the correct answer. For those of you who didn't find the correct answer (or didn't enter) we are sworn to secrecy and cannot divulge the Stig's true identity. Of course you could just go into the Stig Competition Comments to find Chris Hayes' answer of Craig Shepherd, but secrecy unables us to suggest this to you.

Congratulations to Chris Hayes, his stunning prize of a Stig autographed post-card of a beach (yeah you know.. the whole link there, "Stig-TopGear-Beach...") is on it's way to you Mr Hayes.