Good blog by Taylor Phinney

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/taylor-phinney/ups-and-downs-at-the-tour-de-lavenir

It doesn't matter what level you're riding at, packing a race hurts.

3 Peaks. Ouch.

Damn, that was hard.  I'd say it was purgatory but it wasn't, it was hell.  It is the most unbelievably painful and uncomfortable event imaginable.  Anyway, I finished, but I wanted to pack about 20 times.  Managed my slowest time ever - 4:46, 30 minutes slower than the last time I rode.

I held my position well on the first road section.  They've changed the format now and send the whole race off together (vets, juniors and women used to go off half an hour before the main field).  So you have 500+ riders fighting for position.  Felt okay when we turned off the road into the farm.  But as soon as it started getting steep, I started going backwards.  That's the problem with being overweight - the power to weight equation kills you once you hit a certain gradient.  I felt fine on the road sections though.  And this is the first year all of my gears have worked throughout the event.  The other two climbs were equally tough and I got the hunger knock at the bottom of Pen-Y-Ghent and ate three energy gels, which helped.  It's so hard to eat and drink during the event.  As a staunch roadie I've always resisted it but I think a Camelbak is the only option.  You can't have bottle cages on the bike because they get in the way when you carry it and it's really awkward to get to a bottle out of your jersey pocket.

Anyway, that's the 3 Peaks - no hiding place if you're fat and unfit... I'll be back next year though, 20lbs lighter, you mark my words.

A huge thanks to the support crew - Claire, Matilda and Betty.  They handed up food and offered moral support when I was at my weakest, as well as cheering on all the other Dulwich Paragon and friends.  Thanks for hanging around for over 6 hours in the middle of nowhere without a word of complaint.

UPDATE: Here is a video of yesterday's event.  I appear at 6:40, on Pen-Y-Ghent.  I am walking like I shat myself.  Willpower is the only thing keeping me going.

3 Peaks motivational video

I've just watched this report about the 2006 3 Peaks to get me fired up.  I appear at the end, during the podium presentation (6.40).  I'm not on the podium, obviously, more of an extra...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoHBRZJRtfM&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Mount Baker, April 2010 - Sean McKibben

Here are some photos of my farewell ride up Baker.  Generally, people don't ride it until August as it holds the world record for the most snowfall in a winter and the road to the top doesn't clear until August.  But I was leaving so me, Chuck and Robert had to do it.  It was chilly on the way down...

Mount Baker - Washington State, USA

Here's a report from Chuck of a ride up Mount Baker that happened in August.  This is a ride the Vancouver crew do a lot.  160km total distance there and back, from the Canadian border up a volcano in Washington state, climbs to 1,500m and rolls from start to finish.  This one sounds like it was an epic burn-up...I'll let Chuck take up the story.

Well the Baker ride took on a life of its own this year. I put the
idea to Robert and he made it happen. Some word of mouth, alot of
emails and a lot of follow up. There were some other people with the
same idea also. There were alot of riders at the border on Saturday.

Once we were all through the border the ride started out really fast.
There were a couple of guys from the Daryle Evens Club that were off
at in and around 40+ ks. This started to string out the ride right
away. It turned out this was alot more work than alot of people
expected. Most likely not the best way to start a Baker ride. The
group split at the South Pass Road, some went straight on. We
hammered it down South Pass Road and caught the others in Glacier.
Some of the group were pretty beat up already. Like i said before not
the best way to start a Baker Ride.

It didn't take long for the entire group to split after leaving
Glacier. Lots of little groups and lots of singles. A few people
turned around before the top. I will speak for myself. That was a
tough ride up. In the words Warren uses, i left quite a few matches
on the road to the bottom of the climb. I was talking with Robert and
he said it was his hardest Baker Ride yet. Robert liked the Baker
Ride we did last year. All seven us stayed together and the pace was
a little lighter. I agree much more enjoyable. Robert was saying
this ride felt like a race. After looking back on Saturday, i will
agree with Robert. Robert was saying the next time up we should slow
down a bit and stay together and enjoy the scenery. What can i say,
sounds like a great plan to me. I liked last year's ride alot to.
Pretty well a double pace line all day. This was a tough ride this
year. 

What can i say about Martin. As Robert was saying probably the most
improved rider. Martin has lost almost two stone. Looks like a new
man. Rides like the wind and climbs like a home sick angel. Martin
was taking some long pulls up front into the head wind. Martin didn't have any problem staying with the first group. He was up the mountain at least half an hour before me. I was on my race bike and Martin was on a cross bike with disk brakes and a broken rear spoke.  After we left Glacier on the way home i just started to ride in a zone. I was thinking about last year when you and me were riding that leg home. You were working me over pretty good. Martin was with me every
step of the way. He is a real diesel. I knew Robert wasn't a hundred
percent but i didn't know he was really suffering that bad. Talking to
him the morning after i found out he could have used some help on the
way home. I think i am going to have to work on my group riding
skills. To Robert, sorry about that buddy...

1st CX race of the season - Jeff Ker, Toronto, Canada

Greetings guys, believe it or not I have struggled to find the time to do this and I don't have much time this AM.
Alright.
Last weekend was the 2nd official CX race in Ontario South. I missed the first one with Kelly and I going to Chicago. But the 2nd one came and I had just completed building my first set of wheel, tubulars at that. I spent the money and I have to say without question it is so rewarding to ride on wheels you built. Good tubulars, Challenge Fangos, are an incredible ride, They are lofty and grabby and improved my abilities ten fold. They did make me faster even.
The course was incredible with good flat sections of twisty grass and gravel patches, significant hills to climb, Run ups to toss your BF and deep/steep sandy descents. I was so thrilled to be doing cross again I think I did the whole race with an ear to ear grin.
By the 2nd last lap my legs in the run up were about to seize which I knew would be the end. My chain was fighting me to move up to the big ring and I was loosing ground on the fellow I was chasing. I slowly picked off one rider at a time( for the sole reason that the fast guys didn't show up and I have been training for this religiously for weeks) and Kelly was stationed at all the most demanding spots to cheer me on. I find it particularly handy to coach your cheering section beforehand lest they say things like"go Jeff" and c'mon Jeff". This does nothing for me when I'm scrapping the bottom of the barrel.

The tires held like gun metal magnets through the turns. I find it ironic that Ontario has these crazy long hills to ride whereas BC don't do much of that. There were more barriers out in BC. But I think Sean might experience the long hills in the 3 peaks.
I managed to hold on and didn't go into my natural CX state of hyperventilation. Finished 2nd, though none of the fast guys were present as I said earlier.
This weekend coming will tell the truth.

There is a race in Guelph about 1 hr from Toronto and It was a blast last year. I just can't get this excited from road racing.

So I'm happy to lend any advice on wheelbuilding and I highly recommend it. Stay tuned for my next post on my 220km ride up to Wiarton Ontario on my Ira Ryan Randonneuse.

The weekend's work is done - Sean McKibben, Skipton

Joined the Aire Valley Racing Team for their regular Saturday burn-up yesterday.  20+ riders out, of mixed ages and sizes.  Started out nice and civilized until we passed Skipton and hit the first hills, when the screw started to tighten, and I was screwed.  It is easy to kid oneself about one's level of fitness until one joins a proper road ride with hills, at which point one's self-delusion is exposed.  Anyway, out the back I went, so joined up with a posse of other fatties and oldsters.  The route we took was unbelievably hilly and twisty and I was thinking, this must be a helluva chaingang - there'll be two riders left at the end!  Then another rider told me only the tailenders took this route - the chaingang takes flatter roads.  Thank cripes for that, maybe I can hang in there one day.  Had an interesting moment descending a steep lane.  Around the corner at the bottom appeared a big fat Mercedes.  The rider in front squeezed through but the Merc kept going and the gap kept closing between the Merc and a drystone wall.  Then both my wheels locked up on a patch of mud and I started going sideways.  I unclipped a foot instinctively and this is where the absolute belief that I wasn't going to crash kept me upright - suddenly my tyres gripped and I sneaked through the gap.  The old boy behind me said 'You did well', which was nice.  If you're going to have a talent on the bike, not crashing is quite a good one I suppose.


Today I went out in the pishing Vancouver-style rain on my cross bike.  I'd worked out a pretty amazing route on the map taking in bridleways across the moors that finished up on the hill at the top of my road, maybe 20 miles total.  It was fabulous, bouncing over ancient trails, back down through Bolton Abbey, the seat of the Duke of Devonshire (vive la revolution!).  I've painstakingly recreated the route on Map My Ride.  A piddling 500m of climbing, but most of it offroad.


http://www.mapmyride.com/route/gb/skipton/176128494070269376 


It would have been more fun on a hardtail mountainbike; it's a bit too bouncy on a cross bike and you can never really relax.  You don't have low enough gears either.  But it brought back memories of the crazy rides me and Martin did on the North Shore of Vancouver.  Good prep for next week (did I mention I'm doing the 3 Peaks?).


And what have you been up to?

Bronte Wheelers cyclocross training, Keighley, W Yorkshire - Sean McKibben

My first time at the Bronte Wheeler's cross training (the club named because they are based near Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters).  Intervals around a football pitch, then twisty mini races around cones and then pursuits around a little oval.  Blimey, cross hurts.  If I keep this up, I'll get fit.  My bike handling skills are comical but they improved in the space of a couple of hours.  There were about 20 riders there and the coach was none other than Chris Young!  For those who don't know, he is a UK cyclocross and mountainbike legend.  He must be in his late 40s now but he's still going strong.  His 15 year old son was there too, fit as a butcher's dog.  It's real bike racing heartland around here.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to present a new feature, provisionally entitled 'Real Bikes'.  While it's nice looking at the latest carbon superbike, frankly I've become a bit bored of it - there's so much BS hype associated with it all now.  To be honest, I prefer to look at the handmade bike show pictures.  Old git, I know.  Anyway, I also love to look at proper bikes that people ride.  Nothing better than a bike race HQ, scoping out the trick but scuffed race bikes - or even the pictures of the pros' bikes, which are usually well-used and a bit idiosyncratic.  So to start us off, I present my Fort cross bike.  Bought in 2003 from Pearsons in Sutton, where it had been sitting for a year until I made them an offer they couldn't refuse.  Columbus Foco steel frame, 9 speed Ultegra gruppo.  It's had a hard life, four 3 Peaks then in Vancouver became part-time winter bike, part-time mountainbike surrogate on the North Shore mountains, and was thrashed around the Pacific Northwest cross circuit for a while by Jeff, who complained constantly that nothing on it worked properly.  Now almost everything works and I am taking it tomorrow to get its seized BB out.  Just got some new wheels, tough if heavy Fulcrum Racing 7s.  An indication of the punishment the Fort has received is that these are the 5th set of wheels it has had - a pair of Ambrosio Evolutions, a pair of Mavic Cosmos and two pairs of Bontragers preceded the Fulcrums.

Let's see your steeds.

Getting obsessed, staying obsessed and being inspired to reach your goals.

I love cycling all kinds of cycling, actually I like outdoor stuff and most importantly of all I like the people I meet. I’ve always been at the back of the pack and its never bugged me, I am a big guy carrying some extra weight which in the land of skinny wippet shaven legged cyclist puts me at a disadvantage especially hill climbing.  

I was watching a cheesy American TV show called the Biggest Looser where really fat people get skinny really fast, and I though I have never really really tried to loose weight, now I have exercised but I never tried to control my eating habits so I thought I would not just try but I would get obsessed and stay obsessed I would loose 10% of my body weight and keep it off for a year.

So I started calorie counting using an iPhone App called ‘Lose It’ you get credit for exercise and a daily calorie budget in my case about 1890 Calories a day before exercise.  What an eye opener I was shocked and horrified at how many calories I consumed and how easy it was to blow my budget no more nachos and cheese,  spooning peanut butter directly into my mouth or eating a package of digestive biscuits in one sitting and we will not even talk about beer.  

So I exercised my nuts of for 4 months often went to bed hungry lost heart several times and binged but I lost the 10% and more and I am not done yet.

But to stay on track I need to keep obsessed and I do that by looking at the results and setting new goals I wanted to share a few with you:

Last year I rode the Mt Baker ride 166km and lots of up in 6:30 rolling time this year 6:00 I felt great took more turns at the front and felt so good on the big climb that I question wether I was delirious, 

At the start of this season I climbing Mt Seymour in 1:05 last week I did it in 0:55.

In November I am going to Maui, where there is a vary large Volcano and I am going o ride it.

I will leave you with this link which is making me want to be very fit indeed http://www.waze.com/blog/the-19-most-complex-and-dangerous-roads-in-the-world/

All the best

Martin (should have been a rugby player) Eskes

We were young and carefree - Sean McKibben

I've just finished reading Laurent Fignon's autobiography of his racing days.  It is very good, very French.  "Cycling is a way for men to find themselves and show what they are worth.  It exposes their weaknesses and their hidden value and it allows huge appetites to be indulged. It is nothing to do with glory: it's more a matter of fulfilment.  Cycling allows us to mine the deepest recesses of our soul".  When I first got into cycling in 1986, Fignon was seen as a has-been who had won two tours then disappeared.  But then he made his comeback in 1989, won the Giro and lost the Tour to Lemond by 8 seconds.  I remember like it was yesterday being glued to the TV as Fignon desperately tried not to lose the Tour on the last day timetrial, Lemond's delight at winning and Fignon's despair.  I remember my Dad watching with me and him being seriously concerned that someone could kill themselves by trying that hard.  Fignon died a couple of weeks ago from cancer, aged 50.  Although he knew about the cancer when he was writing the book, he makes not one mention of it; it's all about the bike.

For the avoidance of doubt - Sean McKibben

It makes my heart sing to read these accounts of rides from across the world.  But let me be clear; this blog is not just for accounts of epic rides and monumental feats of distance and speed.  Of course, we want to hear about those,  But we also want to hear about your ride into work, how you spent 20 minutes chasing someone down only to find when you caught them they had an electric motor on their bike (Chuck); or how for some inexplicable reason the big form has arrived and you can ride up the local climb in the big ring; or you feel like crap and you're glued to the road and did you imagine the fact you ever enjoyed riding a bike?  The aim is to share that experience, and you can do it in a sentence, or an essay - all welcome.  Let's hear about the detail of the local burn-up, whether the Ace Ride or the Donut Ride, and whether you've had a run in with someone because they keep squeezing your arse (me - being squeezed, not squeezing).  The fun is in the detail - and so is the glory.

Yas Marina Formula 1 Circuit - Tom Smith

Well, we're not exactly spoilt for choice for 'Great Bike Rides' here in Abu Dhabi, so don't expect very many from me.  However, we're lucky enough to have use of the Abu Dhabi formula 1 circuit once a week.  I TT-ed this in the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon in March this year, but was so fried (35 degree heat and an aero helmet is an unwise combination) that I can hardly remember anything about it.  We can now get in and ride, after signing a waiver, every Tuesday evening.  Last week it was still 35 degrees at 8:30 pm.  It's flat.  It's about 5.5 kms.  There are the required quota of turns/chicanes etc., and that's about all you can say about it.  Around 100 riders show up, of whom about half seem to be confused by the concept of 'keep right' which all adds to the fun.  My big mistake was thinking that 'if Jenson Button can take this hairpin at 50 k/h, then I won't need to braaaaa - aaaaaargh!'  Yes, those turns are sharper than they look on telly.  Hoping for podium girls and champagne tomorrow.  Dream on.

Aire Valley Racing Team - Sean McKibben, Skipton

Met up with this crew today.  What a lovely bunch of chaps.  Usual northern humour.  I turned up at the meeting place and asked if I could join them.  "No, bugger off" was the response from the rider I asked.  Then he said "Are you any good?".  No, I'm rubbish I said.  Okay, then you can join us, he says.  We headed out over some beautiful roads, up and down between limestone walls, cafe stop and some good chat.  Managed to hold my own - the commute is paying off.  It's a great club.  They have a Saturday morning ride/race that is legendary for its toughness.  They actually keep score of who wins the sprints - you can check the results on their website.  Last month, Jeremy Hunt of Cervelo turned up on the ride.  He was staying with Tom Barras, young pro and son of the legendary hardman Sid Barras, who also rides regularly.  Can't wait to give it a go... I was chatting a lot with Lloyd, obviously a seriously good rider now in semi retirement but still climbs like a homesick angel.  He's ridden the 3 Peaks once, just to say he's done it and has also run the running race over the same climbs.  He doesn't plan to do it again.  I know I keep going on about this race but, seriously, it is savage.  Check out the link below to see a photo of Simon's Fell, up Ingleborough, the first climb.  The race starts from Helwith Bridge and has a 3 mile 'neutralised' section.  Except there is a Land Rover at the front of the race 'controlling' the pace, driving at 30mph with a crazy Yorkshireman shouting incomprehensible things over a loudspeaker at you as you fly along tiny roads and over narrow stone bridges.  Then you turn left over a cattle grid, churn through a farmyard and then hit the lower slopes of the mountain, where the choice whether to ride or push your bike is immaterial - both are as horrible as the other. And so it continues for the next 4+ hours (sub 4 hours is the holy grail).  It's terrible.  You should do it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddieallenbc/3961514057/in/set-72157622346982373/

Cyclocross training - only one faceplant

SEAN MCKIBBEN, SKIPTON, N YORKS, ENGLAND - went for a little cross training on the moors.  First part is very steep and rocky so have to carry the bike in the approved cross manner, bike on the right shoulder, arm under downtube holding the left side drop.  It's actually quite comfortable, until you have to do it for four hours, after which you have a deep bruise on your shoulder, plus one in the small of your back where the pedal is poking you.  After the climb, it's a rocky bridleway, all rideable but needs concentration.  Then across a field full of curious cows, and curious cow poo, then got a bit lost.  Came back the way I went and was rattling along when I was confronted with an unexpected deep trench with a hole at the end.  Tried to work out my options in a split second and the only viable one seemed to be to fall off, so I did.  I find that as soon as you are convinced you are going to crash, you do - I'm sure if I'd kept the faith I could have ridden through the hole.  Anyway, damage not too bad, scraped hip, elbow and thumb and a sizeable blood blister on the end of my thumb.  Good training for the 3 Peaks, where you frequently end up using your face as a brake.  Aiming to go out with the Airedale Valley Racing Club tomorrow; they have a reputation for being quick.

Commute - flat or otherwise

BY SEAN MCKIBBEN, SKIPTON, NORTH YORKSHIRE.  Since returning from our holiday in Europe where I started my rehabilitation from a fat middle-aged slob by riding up as many mountains as I could (the plan being to become a slightly thinner middle-aged slob before the last weekend in September when the 3 Peaks cyclocross takes place) I've tried to keep the momentum going by commuting to work as much as possible.  I have two choices of route - the flat, fast, incredibly busy valley route, which I usually take in the morning when I'm running late; and the amazing route over the moors which takes me up to 400 metres with grades of 20%.  It really is beautiful around here and I've attached some photos of the ride.  Then tonight it was running up onto the moors above the house as training for the 3 Peaks, which is more running than cycling, and more hiking than running.  Blimey, running uphill is hard work and very slow; give me wheels any day.