Thursday 12 December 2013

A Short Trip To France

For next season I’m going to be based in Normandy in a small town south of Cherbourg called Bricquebec. I travelled over to France via the ferry early on Friday morning and met with the manager and English speaking president of the team. The team I’m going to be riding for in 2014 is Team Hauge Cotentin.
After meeting up we headed over to visit the accommodation that we would be staying in for the year. The team house was quite a big renovated three story building situated on the edge of town. Next to the team house are the garages where the team vans and spares are kept. This is the ‘central hub’ of the team and therefore is going to be very different to the situation I’m used to in the UK where I’m the one out on a limb hundreds of miles from the team base. The house was quite basic but I’m sure it will be made into a home from home over the long race season. The town is located in a rural area with rolling countryside and climbs up to 3km long, which will be perfect for training.
We then went to the bike shop that is going to be sponsoring us for the year to try out bike sizes. The bikes are to be Orbea Orca Gold’s with Shimano Ultegra and Mavic wheels. They looked really nice and I can’t wait to get racing on them for the coming season.
 Over supper we discussed the race program and how everything would need to be done throughout the year. There are some very good races planned including a 9 day UCI 2.2 stage race in August in Guadeloupe. The calendar had over 75race days planned so it’s going to be a long hard season, but something that I’m very motivated for and looking forward to.
The next day I had a short amount of time in Cherbourg before heading back so I tried to practice a bit of French ordering lunch and a few coffee’s. I was surprised that I knew enough to be polite and order at a cafĂ©.

It was then off to the boat and back to the UK.

Wednesday 11 December 2013



I am delighted to announce that I will be funded by the Dave Rayner fund in 2014. Im very grateful that they have chosen me and very appreciative of the support I'm going to receive from them throughout the season.

The Press release on velo Uk can be found here: http://www.velouk.net/2013/11/25/news-dave-ryaner-fund-assists-26-riders-in-2014/

You can follow the Dave Rayner fund:

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaveRaynerFund
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDaveRaynerFund

Wednesday 13 November 2013

The Winter Commute

6:05am....alarm goes off

Brush teeth, foam roller, Stretch, into kit, 2 expressos, out the door.

A 1hr30min pre breakfast zone 2 ride to the bike shop in Paignton 50km away begins. First its all about negotiating the lanes, then depending on wind direction, fighting the head wind(usually) across the top of Haytor and Widecome. A wet descent into Ashburton. Then Im racing the daily traffic all the way to work, ducking and diving and weaving through the cars. Sprinting to make the traffic lights. And then Im there.

9am.....8hours at Colin Lewis cycles, bike mending, selling, serving customers and enjoying the friendly working atmosphere the shop and my workmates create.

5:30pm ........Changed, lights on, ready to go. I know Ive got to average Z3 all the way back, in the the dark without even looking at my power-meter or Garmin display. So it begins, racing the same traffic I was against earlier, Sprinting to make the time cut on the lights so I don't have to stop. Then Im in Ashburton again, I hit a 20 minute climb which is 25% in places, I go really deep, trying to beat my previous time over the top. Im in the lanes taking corners faster than I would in the day, weaving in and out of debris, then its the home stretch, 12mins uphill to go.

Ive made it, unclip, bike away, check Garmin....phew Ive beaten my best average power from last ride.

Shower, foam roller, stretch, supper, Bed.

Friday 18 October 2013

Looking ahead to the 2014 season

For quite a long time now I've been trying to make a very careful decision on which team to ride for next year and what direction my cycling career needs to head in. Ive had a few options, stay in the UK, go to Belgium or France.
After thinking things through and getting advice from a lot of people I have decided to join a team in Normandy, France. The team will compete in nearly 80 race days throughout the season and all of which will be a very high standard. This sold it for me really as I have decided I need a good quality and volume of racing to learn and improve and therefore progress.

The Team is called Hauge Contentin there website is; http://www.teamhaguecotentin.fr they are very good at posting news photos and results so take a look.

The Direct Velo announcement is on this page, http://www.directvelo.com/actualite/30076-dix-arrivees-au-team-hague-cotentin.html#.UmGKMRYWklI and this is a great place to keep up to date on all the french racing.

I'm really looking forward to the change of direction next year and will keep you up to date on all news as it progresses.

Pulsin Sponsorship



For a year now I have been using Pulsin' whey protein and protein bars to help enhance my diet and performance on the bike. 
Pulsin' have just notified me that they would like to provide me with sponsorship, which is fantastic and I'm really happy and excited to be supported by them. 

I stumbled upon the company and their products when trying to find the most purest form of protein to use in many of the recipes and meals that I use for my training and recovery. They offer the protein powders with no added rubbish and this is exactly what I needed. The other foods that I used provided by Pulsin' is their protein bars. Three flavours are there for your choice; Maple and Peanut, Vanilla Choc Chip (new) and Maple and Whey Crisp Protein Sport. These bars taste great and offer a good portion of protein with each bar. I specifically use these in training over longer distances to maintain and supplement my protein levels throughout my rides. The Protein bars are very useful because the protein and carbohydrate works together to keep me going faster and for longer. Because of the macronutrient content of each bar you don't get the low blood sugar after a time that you may experience with sugary or primarily carb bars. My favourite flavour is the new Vanilla Choc Chip Protein bar. 

The protein powders Pulsin' provides can be applied to so many different meals to boost essential protein contents of meals.
Some recipes that I use:
  • Protein Porrige: Oats, scoops of Pulsin' whey, Milk, Greek yogurt
  • Berry Recovery Smoothie: Scoop of Pulsin' whey, frozen berries, 2 spoons of greek yogurt
  • Slow Release Smoothie: Scoop of Pulsin' whey, 30g Flax seed, 2 spoons of yogurt
You could also add to a small bowl of fruit nuts and yogurt for a quick snack or mix a scoop with your favourite breakfast cereal in the morning. 

I'm very grateful for the companies help and support, having food that I can rely on and trust means a lot to me, especially in one of the hardest sports in the world where an extra edge can be the difference between first and second place. 

Tuesday 1 October 2013

Season Over

Just a short post really.

So its the end of the season, it's had its ups and downs. Ive seen two fatal cycling accidents, had a few big crashes, been ill, had a knee injury and had the Shingles virus.

But I've had some of the best times ever as well, from the coaching I've been given, the team spirit, the break in the Challenge Mallorca, riding the Tour de Taiwan and having Roger Hammond as a manager. Not to mention the team, the team mates and the help and backing from everyone around me.

The Best thing to come out of this year is that I know deep down that this is what I want to do. Im more motivated and driven than ever to make next year count.

Im now going to take a short break from the bike, exploring and hiking on Dartmoor, my favourite place to be and enjoy the outdoors. Also just Chill.



Belgium Trip Two And The Last Block Of Racing

Following the last stint in Belgium I had a few weeks at home. During the time I rested up for a couple of days, then got a local race in. I knuckled down to a week of really hard training, that would give me form for the Tour of Britain, that I was aiming to get selected for, or failing that, for another block of racing out in Belgium.

Unfortunately and to my huge disappointment, I didn't gain selection for the TOB. Luckily, I had another goal to aim for, I put my head down and worked hard to make the last bit of the season count and to get as much as I could out of it. The races I would be doing out in Belgium were the Pro Kermesses. I planned to race five times over the fourteen day's that I would be out there. The races were Viane, Stekene, Vichte, Lede, and Berlare.

The First challenge was to get out there, a 6hr drive to stay with a relative in Gillingham, not helped by the A303, which seems to be one of the worst roads to travel on, and you are guaranteed to be at a standstill for at least some part of your journey. Then I made my way over to Oudenaarde, where I would be staying. I settled in, stocked up the shelves and fridge with a bit of food, then headed out for a pre race ride to get the travelling out of the legs and get ready for the race efforts that I'd be making tomorrow.




Viane-Gerrardsbergen would be the first. I managed to meet up with Tobyn Horton, Nicolas Gustavsson and Tom Stewart from the Uk just before the start which was nice. I got a good position at the front, and then what preceded was the most relaxed start to a Pro Kermesse that I had experienced. Thats not to say it didn't get very fast and grippy within a short amount of time, with riders and groups all over the place, because it did. I managed to make some good attacks, and just missed out on the winning move. I did manage to get into a good chase group of 15 riders and we tried to make it across but it came to nothing in the end. I finished in 38th position. The course was one of my favourites with a couple of climbs, one cobbled, and also two sectors of clinkers (small cobbles).

Race Number two was Stekene, the weather had taken a bit of a turn from the 20 degrees and had dropped by about 10, so it was a bit of a chilly start and with a forecasted downpour at midway thorough the race it looked like it may take its toll on the riders. 250 starters, a big bunch and it was fast, very fast, and quite a technical course too, with a narrow section where only one rider could fit. So each lap was a fight for that corner and then if you were near the back of 250 riders in a line you were in trouble. I didn't have my greatest of races and found myself in this position too many times, meaning I burt a lot of energy even trying to stay in the race. Inevitably after 2hrs my legs gave in and  I found myself last wheel and then behind the cars, then out of the race.

I then had one day before my next race, so I went out for a short ride from Oudenaarde to the Kluisberg and did a little loop back. The Vichte Pro Kermis was one that I had ridden last year and was quite an open flat course with not too many technical sections. It did have one strait tailwind section to the finish which we hit 60km/h each time. I feel I raced fairly well, following some good moves but just missing that all important one again. I managed a strong finish in the main bunch which I was happy with.


Lede was a race I didn't do this time last year, it was a bit longer than the others at 170km and had some really good corners, some small hills and fast descents. All in all making for exciting racing from the off. My legs felt good today and I tried to make it count, making the split for the second group on the road, after the race blew to pieces due to the pace. That would be the set positions then for the rest of the day. Our group of about 12 worked well until the end where the attacks came in for the final placings. I had a great time during the race enjoying every minute of the suffering and speed. The corners where really quick and getting them right was the fine line between staying with the group or going out the back. I luckily had some help with bottles and road side encouragement from Ronny and Marcel, two Belgian's who had been helping Tobyn whilst he was in Belgium. They offered to give me a bit of help too when he went home. I got a good finish position in the end in 40th.

I had three days between Lede and Berlare, so I rested up the first day and then did a couple of training rides in the Waloonie region on the other two. Ronny had me over for supper one evening in Knesselare, at their cafe, which was really kind.

The last race of my Belgium trip and the season was Berlare. The race went so quick it was unbelievable, 162km in 3hrs20. I soaked in all of it and enjoyed my last race which came down to a bunch sprint in the end. I finished 103rd out of 200 starters. It was a great way to finish off the year and I felt I had achieved what I set out to do in the races, which was great. I said my goodbyes to Ronny and Marcel who had helped me out again, grabbed a quick shower and the drove full gas to catch my Eurotunnel.

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Belgium, 12 days 7 races

On the 18th August I set off on my journey, first stop Birmingham, to meet Andy our Swanny who I was going to travel with to Overijise in Belgium with in the Madison Genesis bus. Three hours to Birmingham, then three hours to the ferry, another two and a half hours to Overijise, it was a long day of travelling but we finally made it to the hotel accommodation.

Next morning we were out as a team for a short pre race ride to the cafe in Leuven, before handing our bikes over to mechanic Ross and getting a massage, then having supper and getting a good nights sleep in. Our First block of racing was full on, Zottegem 1.1, Overijise 1.1, Erpe Mer Pro Kermis, Dutch food valley classic 1.1 and finally Muelebeke Pro kermis.

Zottegem, the First race, was much like a pro kermis, held over circuits around a town, the pace was relentless and my job was to try to get in a break away for the day. However I was unsuccessful after several attempts. I then resorted to helping out my team mates who were left in the race by fetching bottles from the team car and distributing them. Two and a half hours into the race, it was strung out, and unfortunately I found myself in the worst position to be in, the tail end of a bunch of 200 plus riders. When a few weaker riders let a gap go in front of me, I tried as hard as I could until my legs wouldn't pedal anymore to get back on but it didn't happen.

Overijise was next, we rode to the start to get the legs going and then it was off again, this race was more hilly with numerous short sharp climbs throughout the race. I survived the first part where the race took in several laps of an out of town loop, then when it hit the local laps the race was in pieces. I was in a good position in one on the front groups when Liam asked for bottles, as it was my job that day I headed to the back of our group to call up the team car, then the race split again. I found myself fighting to stay in contention at the back of the group with riders being dropped all over the place. I then was back in the cars. I received a sticky bottle from Roger which slingshotted me back into a small 10 man group, I let my heart rate go below threshold before hitting out on my own to attempt to bridge to the group I had left, but after 150km of racing my legs were having none of it and it was race over for me. Liam did a good ride for 34th place the only finisher of our team.


Erpe Mer Pro Kermesse was the next on the agenda, 166km, with an added dimension.........rain. The race was a rather damp affair, but at least the bunch took the corners a bit more casually allowing me to get the legs going after the two previous days racing. The race had a nice drag up through the finish and some good technical corners and flat sections. I rode myself into the race and was feeling good towards the end. Dean did a really good ride to finish 19th on our team. Me, Liam and Dom finished in the second group on the road. 

Our Forth day of racing was the 200km Dutch Food Valley Classic. The journey there was a bit short for time after getting stuck in traffic on the ring road that goes around Brussels, but at least the adrenaline was going on the start line. Yet again it was a case of riding myself into the race, the first 50 km was flat out and we covered it in less that an hour. In Holland there is the addition of large amounts of traffic furniture, as it's called. This adds a new dimension to the race and you have to be alert all the time, something that is not to easy for 200km. I found myself on a few occasions making the wrong decision when it came to which side of a bollard to go on, or going up a bike path only to find that some off-road riding is required to rejoin the bunch. The basic out line of the route was 50km out to a hilly forested area, than laps of a circuit with two climbs in and then 60km back on rolling roads to a hilly finishing circuit, a punishing day to say the least. I was on bottle duty again and was back and forth to the car stuffing bottles up my jersey to give to my team mates. It was a long hard day and eventually on the penultimate lap of the finishing circuit the elastic snapped and I was distanced from the peleton. I rode the last laps with four other riders who like me wanted to finish the race. We did 200km in 4hrs40. I was well and truly wiped out after that. 

The next day at Muelebeke pro Kermesse didn't go so well for me, the legs just wouldn't respond and I found myself at the back and out the back after only a short amount of time, I kept riding but Andy pulled me out and I headed strait for the camper van and fell asleep instantly, a sign that the body was tired and fatigued and it had made its mind up about today even if i hadn't. 

As a team we then had three days before the final two days of racing, which is quite hard to get right in terms of rest and preparation. I rode steady for two days, a nice cafe ride Sunday on which my legs would hardly move, then a steady hour and a half Tuesday followed by a blow out ride Wednesday to get the legs going again and to prepare them for the race efforts on Thursday. We had some nice meals out in town and a great BBQ at Rogers house which made the days go really quickly. 

Our Final races were two Pro Kermesses, Geraddsburgen and Kortemark. Geraddsburgen was 168km on a 10km circuit with a steep cobbled climb up though the finish. I was riding well that day and staying well within my limits, positioning well and thinking I would definitely be able to be part of the race in the closing stages. Until disaster, two hours in I punctured at the top of the climb and was then forced to chase through the convoy of cars, desperately trying to get back into the race. Unfortunately in my eagerness to get back into the race I went far to deep in the attempt and after clawing my way so close I was almost there my legs caved beneath me and that was that, back to the camper, where five of the team were already after they had been dropped earlier in the race.



The last race of our two week Belgium campaign, Kortemark, a flat 167km race, with open crosswind sections and a small sector of cobbles. I had a really enjoyable first part of the race getting stuck in following moves and chasing on the front of the peleton. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when the decisive move went. I managed to finish the race in 54th place in the second group on the road. A good end to some fantastic races and a great few weeks in Belgium. 

The travel back was not so fantastic, another endurance effort, arriving home at 5am after driving through the night.

Wednesday 14 August 2013

Getting Back to Fitness

So since my last post i've been training hard and have begun racing again. Getting back into fitness after and injury and illness takes time. You've got to get the body used to making those race type efforts again, the ones that really hurt, and pushing past the boundaries of endurance when your body has had enough.

On the 13th of July my knee injury had gone and my shingles had cleared up, my motivation was high and I was ready to get back on it. Training started slowly, doing two small sessions on the rollers each day, a one hour session in the morning and thirty minutes in the afternoon. Any other time and I may have complained about being on the rollers when the sun was shining but I was riding my bike again, and that all that mattered. When you cant do something you have always done, you wont know how much you miss it.

These Roller rides then moved to the road and I started putting in some longer 3-31/2 hour rides. I rode down to visit my favourite bike shop, Colin Lewis Cycles, as Simon had installed a new espresso machine, that needed testing out. Following these longer rides, under the guidance of Stephen my coach, we introduced longer intervals and started getting me race fit again.

I First raced on the 14th of July. In this race I really suffered a lot. I was hanging on for most of the second half of the race, clearly I had not paced it correctly and had attacked a lot at the beginning, feeling fresh and raring to go, only to find that I couldn't last that long. The next race was similar. Then after a few weeks of good solid training in my legs I did the Brentor road race, riding to and from the race to get some extra hours in, clocking up 160km over the day, and a 7th place in the race. Finally the legs were coming back. Since then Ive placed a top 20 in a circuit race and 7th in the Worcester Trophy News road race.

Next week Im off to ride a UCI 1.1 in Overijse Belgium, which is the race i've been focusing my training on for the last few weeks, and then the team will also here who is riding in the Tour Of Britain for Madison Genesis, which has been my dream for a long time. Fingers Crossed!!!

Tuesday 6 August 2013

Life Before the Blog

Intro

I am 22 years old and have grown up living on a turkey farm on top of Dartmoor. Ive spent my whole life on the moors, climbing trees, riding horses, swimming in the rivers, walking expeditions. Ive grown up in the outdoors and will always be a part of it.
I spent my first school years at Chagford Primary school and then went to Okehampton College for GCSE's and A'levels.

The Early Sporting Years 

Ive done quite allot of sports really, riding a bike from a very early age, and being active as a child helped develop that.
My first serious sporting venture was Cross country running. There is this race in Chagford called the Two Hills Race, and it means just that, you basically start at the cricket field then run(if you can) to the top of Meldon hill, down the other side, then to the top of Natadon Hill, down the other side and then back to the cricket field for the finish. The first time I did it I won my age group category for that year. This motivated me and the next year I came back and was only beaten by a professional fell runner, at the age of 14 and I won the best local runner. I was a keen cross country runner at school too, representing my county in the National Cross country events, after gaining selection from podium positions in the school county trials. I also ran for and trained with the Tavistock AC.

I tried my hand at other sports too; Rugby(getting into county trials), Surfing, fishing, Mountain biking, Ten Tors.

My Life in Cycling


I have always ridden a bike for as long as I know, be it starting out on my red BMX that I first owned to the Dirt Jumping with my mates in Chagford on my custom made Saracen Hard-tale.

I found road cycling from running really. I picked up a knee injury and took to cycling as the physio said it was a non impact sport that would keep me fit, as at the time I was training for my last National Schools cross country race. From then on I had found the sport that I knew would always be a part of me.

I rode further and further each day, pushing out the boundaries, finding new routes with times I could set. Each Sunday I would map out a 100 mile route on the Map My Ride program and complete it without fail. At the time I was still running so I would mix the two together, running in the morning before breakfast and cycling in the afternoon after school. But the cycling soon took over.
I looked up on the Internet and found that there were organised events that you could do over 100 miles (sportives) so I entered two, one in July and one in September. My First one was a bit of a disaster, as i got 4 punctures along the way, and took rather along time. However at 16 I was very motivated and trained hard for the next one. In September I took off across Dartmoor, not stopping at any of the feed stations they had set out, as I wanted to complete this in the fastest time. In the end I finished in the third fastest time, after taking a corner too fast and riding into a gorse bush. The organiser Nicolas Bourne of Pendragon Sports came up to me and said I should join a cycling club and start racing. He said "you have very natural endurance qualities and are a talented bike rider" ; and that was that, I joined the Mid Devon Cycling Club the best move I ever made.

Over that winter of 2010 I trained 250 miles a week on my bike, riding with the MDCC every Sunday, 20 miles to the club run; a 60 miles club run; and 20 miles back. My first year of racing I only rode a handful of races as I was doing my first year of A-levels and having taken on four, time was quite tight. However I did get a few good results and moved up to a 2nd category rider. I got a taste of racing the Junior National Series and a race in France that the Mid Devon CC did every year in September. I finished 14th on general classification and won the award for the best British rider.

That winter I trained even harder. I focused the year of 2011 on the Junior National Road Race Series, and my overall goal was to win the Junior Tour of Wales, which I achieved. At school every thing was focused on creating more time to train and to get occasional Fridays off to make the trip to London, and then on to Belgium to race with John Barclay. I had a very consistent year getting a lot of results, each week. At the end of that year I knew I wanted to be a professional cyclist so I wrote to every team in the UK and eventually signed as a Neo Pro with Team Raleigh for 2012.

At Raleigh I had a hard first year, but was given some great opportunities, like the training camp in Majorca; racing the Tour of Mexico; Tour de Beauce; National Championships; and a taste of being a full time Pro. I also rode seven Pro Kermesses in September which finished the year off nicely.

For 2013 I had a new direction, Madison Genesis, managed By Roger Hammond. And for the first time ever I was given a coach and started to training with a power meter, which has been amazing. I'm coached this year By Stephen Gallagher of Dig Deep coaching. The year started well with an fantastic racing opportunity in the Challenge Mallorca, a four day race consisting of four individual UCI 1.1 races. The first two I was finding my feet really. Then before the night of the third day I said to Roger I was feeling good. He said "you need to get up in the morning and say to yourself you are getting in that break", so thats what I did. The stage started out of the gun, straight up an 8km climb. I started right at the back after getting pushed out the way and rode right up the outside and straight off the front, and before I knew it I was riding as hard as I've every ridden, glued to the wheel of a Pro tour rider hanging on for dear life, and that was that, I was in the break. From then on it was a 3 hour adrenaline rush, until we reached the top of Col de Soller and Team Sky were drilling it on the front to catch us. I went from the front to the back of the Buch in a few minutes, and then rode the rest of the stage, including the climb of the Puig, in a daze from my effort. It was an amazing day.

Stage 4 started and finished at the hotel. My legs were like lead, but I span them out to try and relieve the lactic acid that had built up from the day before. After about 40 minutes of racing the bunch was lined out in the crosswinds, and before I knew it, someone had slammed their brakes on in front of me at 40mph and I cartwheeled, hitting only my head and back. I got back on quickly, but was dropped off the back as the race hit the mountains, and an overwhelming sickness came over me. Juliann Whinn who was helping us on the race told me to get off as I was feeling really bad. I then spent the rest of the day and night with Ben Swift of Team Sky as a hospital room mate, with a drip attached to my arm in case they had to operate on me during the night. I made a good recovery. Then I rejoined the team we finished our training camp which was such a brilliant experience, really chilled, no stress, and some good quality team time, and training miles.

I was then selected to ride the Tour de Taiwan with the team. We left the UK in -5 conditions and arrived in 40 degree heat, it took most of the week for me to acclimatise and this affected my racing a lot, but by the end I was feeing good. I was finishing in the front group each day after doing my work for Liam and Ian who were our designated team leaders. Liam did a fantastic ride, getting top 5's on stages and a 9th on GC in the end. It was a thrilling race to ride, and the longest I have completed being over 7 days. The racing was frantic with no structure and lots of attacking with no easy parts, like you get in Europe when the break has gone. I felt worn out by the end, and unfortunately on the plane journey back I was very ill, spending most of my time in the loo's.

Following Taiwan my next goal was the U23 National Road race in Glasgow. The build up was going really well and I was using local British races to hone my form, whilst training hard under the guidance of Stephen Gallagher. Unfortunately, and to my devastation, I got a knee injury three weeks before the Nationals which took me out for 5 weeks. Then when I was recovering, and was starting to train again I got the Shingles Virus. I was knocked back again and it felt like my season was slipping from me. Now i'm healthy and training well and making my comeback for the last part of the year, the results and form are picking up again and i'm more motivated than ever.

After two years riding for top level teams in the UK I decided to give it a shot in France to see if I could make it on the European scene where the racing would suit me more. After a hard time in france with a crash that damaged my back and face for a long period of time I retuned to the UK. Who know it might have been a different story If I was positioned slightly differently in that race. But there is no point dwelling on it because Id rather look to the future and enjoy the process and moments as they happen.

Triathlon 

After over five years of cycling at a high level including two as a professional Ive switched to the sport of triathlon. During a successful summer of racing 9 triathlons in 2014 I've found myself right in the centre of the triathlon community at Loughborough. My triathlon story starts now.