Last week should have been the last hard week before the tapering commenced. However, life got in the way a little bit and it turned into one of my easiest weeks in a long time. Not ideal, but I enjoyed it non the less……
After last weekends hard ride on Sunday and then too long a recovery ride on Sunday I ended up having an easy day on Monday with just a swim. Only managing 1500m and deciding enough was enough and headed into the Sauna. First easy day of the week completed.
Tuesday was Silverstone track day with the BXV boys. Today was not an easy day at all.
I left work 30 mins early so I could get to Silverstone in plenty of time and met up with the Brixworth Velo gang – Captain, Chopper, Mr Benney, and Hollis.
We managed to get on the track by about 6.00pm which gave us 2 hours of enjoyment ahead of us. I couldn’t wait.
We did 2 easy laps of the circuit before we formed a chain-gang and went about eating up 3 laps as quickly as we could in full TTT style. Half way round the first lap 2 or possibly 3 “extras” had joined the back of our chain. Towards the back end of the first lap we had lost Benney and Hollis and we were soon to lose Chopper. Chopper had seen the red mist with the “extras” who had joined when they had missed a turn on the front, so of he went to prove a point. However, he soon went into the red and couldn’t recover when he lost the back wheel as we rolled through after his burst of speed.
We crossed the line for the first lap and we were down to 3 remaining. Me, Captain and one of the extras – who’s name turned out to be Tomasz. We powered through the next lap, each taking pulls on the front – though it felt like my turn was on every section of head wind 🙂 I am sure all 3 of us felt the same 😉 The wind was blowing well, and just like last month it felt that the headwind and sidewind were hitting us for 2/3rds of the lap!! We crossed the line to complete lap 2 and the Captain had enough. Tomasz and I powered on each taking longer pulls on the front, when in fact we should have took shorter turns. By the time we hit the end of lap 3 I had done 10.82 miles in 26.17 mins clocking 24.7mph average. Pretty chuffed with that.
By this point I had met up with Paul from work and he then joined the rest of the BXV boys for some more easy laps before we once again met up with the “extras”. Mr Benney had called it a night, and we couldn’t find Hollis, who was powering along with his own laps. So after the easy laps the 6 of us set out to hit up a 6 man TTT for one hard lap. Paul was still feeling his Monday night Team MK TT in his legs and after a good turn on the front we lost him as he lost the back wheel on a hairpin bend. A bit further along we lost one of the “extras”, which knocked us down to 4. We all pulled along taking short sharp turns on the front before crossing the line in 8.18 mins. An average of 26mph and topping the strava lap leaderboard for the year (this was soon gone as this weekend they had a TTT competition!!!).
We met up with Hollis once more and had an easy lap before deciding to get one last power lap in. Hollis and Chopper were not feeling it, so Captain and I set out on a 2 man TT – we kept the turns on the front brief and just kept the power smooth with no sudden accelerations. By the end of the lap we were both spent, but managed to get the lap done in 8.50 mins at 24.7mph – pretty good on what were now very tired limbs.
Cheers for another top night of riding. And well done Chopper and Captain who were both nursing injuries throughout.
Wednesday was an easy 2000m swim in the pool. Nothing much more to say about this 🙂
Thursday and Friday ended up being rest days. Not sure if I had a slight virus I was trying to fight off but I had no energy, and constantly felt tired.
Thursday the OVO Energy Women’s Tour came through Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire. So I did get to watch them fly through Wolverton, and we even got Brixworth Velo onto the telebox. Some unknown Banksy wannabe tagged the QOM climb with our logo and a select few of our top riders took the day off work to go to the finish line in Daventry to represent the group. They could be seen joining in the parade around the town and were later seen on the telebox supporting the pro’s as they twice climbed Newnham Hill.
Then Friday we headed off to Greenhill Leisure Park campsite in Oxfordshire with some friends for the weekend. Nice campsite, but the staff are the least friendly bunch I have ever met. I would not recommend spending any time here unless you too are miserable and don’t like to smile, and have an attitude to match. Still, the company made for a great weekend.
I took the trainers with me and went out on a 6 mile run Saturday morning with Rich. A 6 mile run that became 9 miles as we got a bit lost 🙂 Right calf felt tight again which led to me having a lazy day on Sunday.
So that’s the last hard week done 🙂 Well maybe not. Due to the very very very bad lazy week, I will do a better effort this week. The plan this week goes a bit like this.
Today/Monday: 7 Mile run after watching England beat Tunisia 6:0 🙂
Tuesday: Bike Morning – Pool Swim evening
Wednesday: Run lunchtime – bike home from work in the evening
Thursday: Bike into work in the morning on the longest day – Pool Swim evening
Friday: Run evening
Saturday: Bike morning followed by run – Swim afternoon
Sunday: Bike with the Brixworth Velo
All these efforts will be fairly easy efforts. Nothing that will put my body under too much stress. Just need to keep the body moving and the heart pumping.
Then it will be 1 week to go and the tapering will be well and truly on.
Big G
Accidental Cyclist 