Moving to Bricquebec

I travelled over to France with my Dad last Sunday. We took an early 8am ferry from Portsmouth, which meant getting up at 4am to get there on time. The crossing went well with the channel looking more like a pond than the sea. I was most grateful for this, as I’m not the greatest when it comes to travelling by boat. It was then a short 1 hour 30 drive in the car to Bricquebec from Caen. On arrival we did a few laps of the town as I tried to remember where the house was, before giving up and giving the team manager a call. He kindly showed me round and recommended a place for supper, leaving us to unpack my stuff. The house is basic but we have all we will need to keep us going through the season. Dad set early off next morning back to the UK.

Joe had arrived the day before so I met up with him. Davide, the Italian rider on the team, arrived the next day. We have been getting used to the town and house this week together which has been nice and have found a good café with Wi-Fi to use so have been there most days. Bricquebec is a very nice place to live with all the shops we could need, and a market every Monday.

I have been on a few good rides already, managing to not get lost thanks to Garmin and my memory of town names and signposts. I have been on three team rides, one mid week on a Wednesday afternoon for 4hrs and also a weekend camp. On the weekend we rode 5hrs40 and 167km on Saturday to a Hostel where we stayed the night. The club organized a big meal and get together for all its members and we also talked through the plans for the upcoming season. My first races will be a series starting on the 18^th of February, they are held on the west coast of France. I will also be getting my team kit and bike next week, which is exciting! On the Sunday we rode 115km back to Bricquebec in torrential rain and wind, which was an extremely cold experience, but very satisfying once completed and sitting in a nice warm café for lunch which was provided after.

It was really great to get to meet everyone in the team and club; they were all so welcoming, inclusive and very friendly. I feel like there is a great atmosphere amongst them all and you can really see why this is the place to race your bike when they are so passionate about it in every way.

Rain, Wind………and more Wind

With only 10 days to go now until I move out to France for the 2014 season with Team Bricquebec Cotentin I thought I'd do a quick update on the latest training and things I've been up to.

For most riders going about their winter training it's been a case of battling the elements these last few weeks. There's been so much rain I've met floods that have seen the disappearance of my chain-set, complete submersion! Others which have forced me to change my planned route, as the roads had transformed into waterways, becoming engulfed by water in all its mightiness.
And the wind, the wind! When you are forced to pedal down hill in the smallest gear you possibly have, off one of Dartmoor's steep descents, that's when you know it is blowing a hoolie.

Over the Christmas and New Year I've had the last of the turkey commitments to fulfil, delivering the last of the birds down to the bike shop on Christmas Eve. It was then time to enjoy a nice few days catching up with all the family and having a great enjoyable time. I've kept up my same training routine over the festive period and am now coming to the end of a good training block which will prepare me for the long and tough season that is ahead of me.

Just before New Year I finished my last day at Colin Lewis Cycles where I have been working part time over the winter. It was great to be working there again and hopefully will be back next winter in the workshop and serving behind the counter. Ive been very grateful of Simon's help over the years and am extremely grateful of everything he has done for me.

At the end of next week I am moving out to France, as I have to complete some compulsory health tests before I can obtain my licence for next year. Ive been reviewing and looking into the races for this season and am very excited and looking forward to getting started.  We have our team launch, a few training camps and then the races begin.

À bientôt!

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 café.

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

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

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.

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.