Limbo Sunday

They say that being an athlete is mostly living for the race  - everything else is just waiting. Well selfishly, sometimes I wonder if that's actually a truth. I wouldn't say I live for my sport, but without it I'd be an empty shell. I get pretty moody most of the time and if the truth be known, at the moment I can't think of anything else (racing wise) I'd rather do than Cyclo-Cross - and that's a long way off yet. It may have had something to do with the fact that I only did four races through the winter and now it seems too far away. So, I still have time trialling, which is fine, but it doesn't have the same appeal as cross; nowhere near. I will still do it as it's a good way of keeping my race fitness up and I enjoy the days out, at least until June when I am finally going to the Alps for a holiday, culminating with the 174km Marmotte Cyclo-Sportif. (tips welcome - please!!)

Today was a non race day, no racing this weekend. But, everyone else seemed to be at it and I'm sat here now looking for race results (I like to know my competition) on the web. How frustrating. I've found a lot but (in amongst a lot of eBay listing to pay for the Alps trip)  I know for a fact that some will take most of the week to appear, and that in the age of  - more than possible -  'instant news' from the field. Maybe it's just me, but if I were an organiser (and one day I really should be, I know, I hold my hands up) I'd be on the web as soon as I have results. That's me though, and yes, I work in the IT industry, but still, I find it annoying.

So, this weekend I've put in three hours rather than six, but I've upped the pace and ridden Tempo rather than endurance. Two 90 minute rides at around 280-290 watts average. that's about 50-60 more than my three hour rides and I felt it. My thighs ache and I feel totally buggered which is strange because I thought it'd be easy. Just shows that maybe I don't train hard enough for long enough. It's not much of a problem to average 375watts at lunchtime, midweek for twenty minutes in my hour rides, but 100watts less for 90 mins, surely that should have been easier than it was. Ok, so maybe I have made a new discovery.

Next week I have a 33k Open Time Trial near Petersfield and I can't wait. Hopefully it will be warmer and I can get into my stride better. I've lowered the saddle a little (made a big mistake in the last two races and had it way too high) fitted a new gear cable (I can actually shift now) and got my head around tempo/threshold training for about four weeks now (unheard of for me). It might be all I need. Well, that was until the startsheet came through yesterday. Phil Sykes, Steve Walkling, Seb Ader, Simon Tout, Simon Berogna, Andy Lovell and my team-mate Martin Piper stick out. I have little idea really what kind of form these guys are on so it is for me a bit of a lottery. If I can get top 5 then I suppose I will be satisfied.

I mentioned everyone else was at it this weekend, racing. Well, Martin was 5th in the Middlesex 10 - about twelve seconds clear of Rebecca Romero!!! Olympic medallist and TT medal hopeful for 2012. Another friend and Cyclo-Cross rival Nick Onslow was third in Masters at the West Drayton MTB event and team mate Dave Dent raced the EDCA 24mile Hilly. So far, no results, but I'm still refreshing pages like crazy to see if anything appears.  Also, the WXCRL http://www.entryweb.co.uk/event.asp?id=259 event at Barnsfield Heath, James Ebdon and James Brett (SP Systems/Wightlink) getting 3rd ad 6th in the Regional B road race. Well done to Tevjan Pettinger for his win in the Middlesex 10, beating Steve Golla into second place. Tevjan stuffed me in the Andover 10.2 so I' m glad to see I was beaten by a true winner.

I need to get a life . . . and go watch the Formula 1, Paris-Nice and Tirreno Adriatico even though its ten o'clock and I think I might fall asleep . . soon.