things that make you go OOH!

Ah remember the good old days when everyone was juiced to the gill's made for an incredible spectacle.

This is was of my favourites!




of course no one is suggesting Mr Armstrong was on anything more than carbon and rubber...

Whats occuring?

OK just a little update on how things are progressing.

well the weather has been awful yet strangely mild. My planned ride to Niagara and back got shelved. Morning rain and 35kmph head winds were enough to dampen my enthusiasm for riding 340km, as a fun thing to do...next year, there is always next year!

anyway the weight loss is progressing along, seeing a gradual decline even, with the extra upper body mass I've accumulated from passing the last month or so underpinning and digging out a basement.

So in relative terms I imagine I'm a lower body fat percentage than this time last year. So hopefully when work gets a little more technical again and a little less grunt like I'll start to see the benefits even more, however I'm still about 8lbs above my target weight for next season.

So I passed the day by heading to my old bike shop and getting some fenders fitted to my hack bike, hopefully now I won't have to arrive with a wet butt. Its not a great way to start the day especially as the temperatures drop.

Next I'm off to scope out a gym membership. (UPDATE: 1 year membership secured here we go again)

Tomorrow is the official start of my base training season.

Although team placement is still up in the air for now, things are looking promising and i hope to know within the week.

happy Halloween kids

Another day, another douleur

There something about the Paris- Roubaix classic. Some thing about the mud and the pave (cobbles) the ridiculousness of the pain and suffering the riders put themselves through to endure that race that inspires me.

I woke up this morning absolutely shattered, a combination of work, school, training and emotional stress is getting the better of me.

Trying to do it all, work a really physical job, cut weight, study and train as well as have a bit of time to go out and play on the weekends is taking a real toll on my body and mind. Especially when you throw in a few broken bones, sleep deprivation and the odd virus here and there.

But I dragged myself out of bed, made a protein fruit shake and started to watch, the road to roubaix documentary.



And before you know it I was up and out on my bike again ramped up for the future!!

I have a picture of George Hincapie on the cobbles covered in mud above my computer (see above) to motivate me. I look at it and see myself riding along the Pave, in the wet and cold, through the mud and the pain.

When ever I hit a terrible section of road or dirt track up North, or am battered by a cross wind or sheets of rain or sleet, I imagine I'm out on the stretches of those Flanders fields, and it keeps me going, with a wry smile on my face and a warm glow in my belly.

I smirk at myself for doing this but I guess all you northern cyclists will understand what I'm going on about.

heres todays ride E2 1hr5min nothing special but they are getting easier which is a good sign my base fitness is improving again after the virus

and my nutrition, probably a little low for the output today:

Nutrition Report

Fat - 11.4% (34 grams) Protein - 31.2% (209 grams) Carbohydrates - 57.4% (385 grams) Alcohol - 0% Other - 0% Daily Sodium Intake - 4,244 mg Daily Sugar Intake - 161 grams Daily Cholesterol Intake - 311 mg Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 7 grams Daily Fiber Intake - 54 grams

Nutrition Grade

Date	Calories	Grams	Fat	Carbs	Protein	Grade
2009-10-25	2,622	3,693	34	385	209	A-

just keep swimming! just keep swimming!

Ok been I while since I posted so I thought i had better let you know i'm still going strong and haven't been taken out by a 18 wheeler just yet.

weathers been terrible, cold and windy, works been hard and school keeps me busy as well, but i keep up my daily rides to work and back and even made it to the gym a few days ago, so hopefully I'll be getting my strength training regime up and running by next week. I'm hoping to get a few rides in this weekend as well. Sunday Donuts perhaps?!!

Also on the positive side, some options seem to be on the horizon regarding teams and sponsorship for next year, so I'm feeling good about all that.

updates to come soon.

have a great weekend!

Keep your head up and your chin down!!!

Well it was a funny day today lots of lows and lowers, but what do you want it Monday right?.

Had my return visit to the hospital and hand clinic, where i got referred to a therapist (hand not mind) got some exercises to do each day, over all its not to bad and is on the mend bar a few minor numb spots and lack of motion.

But the uncertainty about my team future is a bit stressful, gotta roll with the punches I guess, seems par for the course this year anyway.

Oh well i took it all and used it to motivate my training, Going to hit the gym again tomorrow for the first time this year to start strength training.

I've had better days , but I've had a lot worse as well. I'll fit some therapeutic Hoegaaarden into my schedule and shrug it off.


Here my ride for today: E2

and my nutritional log:

Nutrition Report

Fat - 20% (78 grams) Protein - 17.8% (157 grams) Carbohydrates - 46.2% (407 grams) Alcohol - 0% (3 grams) Other - 15.4% Daily Sodium Intake - 1,371 mg Daily Sugar Intake - 59 grams Daily Cholesterol Intake - 197 mg Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 11 grams Daily Fiber Intake - 42 grams

Nutrition Grade

Date	Calories	Grams	Fat	Carbs	Protein	Grade
2009-10-19	3,527	3,926	78	407	157	B+

sunday ride steady LLT (low lactate threshold) ride

heres todays details:

E2 ride

short and sweet today got to do my home work!

here the break down of my food:

Nutrition Report

Fat - 32% (124 grams) Protein - 20.4% (178 grams) Carbohydrates - 47.1% (411 grams) Alcohol - 0% (3 grams) Other - 0% Daily Sodium Intake - 3,145 mg Daily Sugar Intake - 112 grams Daily Cholesterol Intake - 866 mg Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 32 grams Daily Fiber Intake - 43 grams

Nutrition Grade

Date	Calories	Grams	Fat	Carbs	Protein	Grade
2009-10-18	3,438	2,987	124	411	178	B

have happy Sabbath!!!

This is where i start to feel a bit like a machine

OK the cold weather is already having an effect on my training hours as well as my eating habits so in order to (try to) keep it all in check I'm starting to track my calories on a site called calorie count. Its a great FREE site that has a data base of all the different foods you can imagine and their nutritional qualities, although it makes for scary reading if you actually add up your daily intake.

For instance i was doing well until i added in the greasy cooked breakfast i had this morning at the skyline Diner on queen st! that just added about another 1500 cal. and the mid ride latte and muffin was about another 700 cal. Oh well.... i finished the day off with a post ride protein fruit smoothie and a steamed veg and salmon diner made at home.

You know after i figured out i had better get my act together.

Anyway it tracks it all along with totals of protein, fats and carbs, and give you a grade for the day and a running total for the week.

But as much as anything its a reminder to, KEEP THAT FECKIN EATING IN CHECK!!!!

i reckon is i start posting it up here it'll help motivate me to hold it all together, along with the move to cut out sugar after 6pm and no food after 9pm (when I can, school night can be hard)

oh well lets see how it goes

todays ride was 1hr44m with a warm up/down and a 1hr E2 interval and approx 2500cal burnt

total food intake was approx. 3300cal

my daily intake without training should be around 2500cal.

this is were i start to feel a bit like a machine ( and I don't even have my powertap back yet)

Nutrition Report

Fat - 37% (137 grams) Protein - 16.9% (141 grams) Carbohydrates - 46.2% (385 grams) Alcohol - 0% Other - 0% Daily Sodium Intake - 3,556 mg Daily Sugar Intake - 176 grams Daily Cholesterol Intake - 903 mg Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 44 grams Daily Fiber Intake - 33 grams

Nutrition Grade

Date	Calories	Grams	Fat	Carbs	Protein	Grade
2009-10-17	3,337	3,331	137	385	141	B

How do they do it?

You know when you're out riding for hours on your own you have a lot of time to ponder life.

today as i took a gentle yet chilly fall ride down to the beaches, I started to notice something i had never considered before. As I was weaving in and out of the minefields of Canadian geese crap littering the cycle path, (trust me getting an unexpected face full of goose poop if it gets thrown up by your front wheel is not one of the sports prettier sides) I was left wondering how the hell it gets the colouring it does.

Each and everyone is about 2-3 inches long and is finished of with a 3/4 inch section of white? How the hell does that happen?

I was reminded of the feeling of bemusement I had as a kid trying to figure out how they got the strips on toothpaste, maybe toothpaste designers in the past were influenced by a walk down lakeshore? who can tell (wikipedia probably)

I tried to find an image on line to illustrate my point however (perhaps luckily) its surprising hard to locate one.....

(update: but search and ye shall find God I love the internet!)

BAcK OnCE aGiAn! YeS ItS ThE INCREdAbLE!.... B.A.S.E.

Well they just couldn't hold him back it seems.

Taxi doors try and fail, and he merely bounces of the tarmac! Illness tries, and his Ex might even Hijack his favourite bike , but he just keeps on keeping on.

(I think they call it obsession)

Anyway regardless of the obstacles faced, I dragged myself out for a quick spin tonight after work. First time back out since getting this bug last week.

Hoping for some gentle but Mid length ride over the weekend, to catch the weather and the falling leaves before winter kicks us squarely in the nads and training rides become of a tortuous ordeal in sub zero snow fields than a blissful spin through golden Speckled lanes.


Heres the details (yes its working again, though I'm still waiting for my powertap to get back from the shop)

If any of you out there fancy a late morning ride to the countryside give me a bell!

We WILL get you!!! (one got fat) 1963 bike safety movie

A group of children, all wearing ape masks, rides their bicycles to the park for a picnic. Along the way, all but one are eliminated for violating basic bike safety rules. This strange film was narrated by Edward Everett Horton. Script and Direction: Dale Jennings. Photography: Max Hutto. Art Direction: Ralph Hulett. With Dick Hutto, Janice Powell, Lucie Hagens, Ralph Hulett, Clyde L. Johnson, Dave Hembree, Colleen Hutto, Charles Hagens, Kevin Lindsay, Dan Whitehead, Don Moody, Diane Chambers, Shirley Hulett.

High levels of fitness does not eqaute to good health.

Well i'm ill again... Gosh darn it!

I'm getting so pissed off about this...

Through the wonders of modern computer training logs I can look back and see that in the last 12 months I have had 7 yes S-e-v-e-n feckin bouts of cold or flu in the last 12 months.

Some pretty mild lasting a few days, some that wiped me out for weeks at a time.

I've also been the fittest overall probably I ever have been in my life. Go figure!

But seven times is just well, draining. especially when you consider that during that time I've also crashed 5 times, broken 4 bones (one finger in two places, collar bone, and one rib) and sustained an internal head injury that leaves my hearing sounding at times like I've got a broken speaker cone in my head.

The rib I actually did reaching for the computer mouse whilst leaning over the arm of a chair so i guess I'm just unlucky these days or something.

But never the less I've come to the conclusion I was a lot healthier being unfit!

Honestly though I realise that also during that time, I've been through a lot of emotional turmoil as well; combine that with not taking the time and money to eat well, and getting all Jacques Anqueteil about my training I guess its no surprise.

Something has got to give! Up until now its been my immune system I guess.

Well BASE is the time to make positive changes, I've been doing a lot of that lately. I guess its time I do a little more.

Especially where my diet and social life is concerned. More fruit and veg! More sleep!

I have a 340km ride coming up at the end of the month hopefully i'll be back in shape for that!

I'll keep you posted...

Frank Vandenbroucke dead at 34

There is always someone worse off than yourself right?

Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke has died aged 34, a source close to the racer told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

OK which one of you was it!!!

OK so I started to feel it last night, creeping around the back of my throat and threatening my tonsils.

That subtle dryness and sense of impending doom I get all too often through out the training year.

I jump straight at it and start hitting the Cold FX and Vitamin C tablets, but i can feel its hovering over my system waiting for me to make the slightest mistake...you know like drink beer, go for a ride, suck on the toilet bowl (I know the last one is a bit unlikely but I'm struggling to find other activities to use, I'm not tip top at the moment OK?)

And then it'll be on top of me, Gosh darn it!!!

I only just managed to avoid the flu bug that took out all my work mates two weeks ago, and now it feels like I might be getting tonsillitis.

So there goes the idea of a short spin to the beaches today, just another day indoors waiting for things to pass.

But where did I get it from? Was it when I took some of Robs gel? Or perhaps when Gilles helped me out with an extra water bottle? Or was it when I was just too lazy to get enough of that stuff sorted for my self after an impromptu night out and not enough sleep,

Sandwiched between two big days of training this weekend....

Oh gawd... I always seemed to be much healthier when I was unfit. ;0)

Your chance to help!

OK the new season might be a few months away but the busy work of getting sponsors and team mates together is just about to get ramped up!

You can help us out by simply signing up as fan of chain-reaction cycle team on your Facebook account!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chain-Reaction-Bicycle-Racing-Team/139475197251?ref=mf

just follow the link and join as a fan, its free you won't get spammed but you will certainly help us raise our profile!

thanks for helping!

Sunday donuts...

A very chilly start to the day, 1c, strong west winds.

Hooked up with Three of my club mates to do the donut ride .

Its been quite some time since I went out there, but I always enjoy it when I do. Today though i just sat in and came along for the ride.

I like the ride you always get pushed hard, and even with folks taking it a little bit easier today with it being thanksgiving weekend my less than stellar fitness made me work to hang on the back on the short rises along Aroura.

Seems my garmin 705 is playing up these days, (techno fear again) so yet another ride i lost all my data for. Its happens when i forget to delete the data files and it runs out of memory. Oh well next time for now you'll just have to believe me that I did it!

but it was 125km over 4+ hours

It was also a great chance to hook up with some of the team mates and start to plan our strategy for next season, sponsorship, races, equipment. Expect to hear more about this in the coming weeks.

Want your name on a moving billboard? Getting approx. 60,000hrs of collective publicity in the GTA!

drop us a line maybe we can help out!

oh and Happy thanks giving kids!

some video footage

Through the goldern fields and freckled lanes North of Klienburg

Today was classic autumnal ride.

Blue skies, bright sunshine and a myriad of fall colours punctuating the country side....

I hooked up with Bruce, for a reasonably early start to the day so as to avoid the worst of the city traffic, and we headed north through the industrial estates until we made the cute little village of Klienburg, a regular staging post for my training rides through the year.


After a quick stop for the obligatory caffeine and muffin fix at the famous "coffee time" we headed out for a mix of quiet country roads and muddy dirt tracks.

Its one of the things i love about this time of year, a relatively high level of fitness coming off a hard season of training, but little or no training objectives, no intervals, no power training, just the freedom to ride and explore new ground.

And as Bruce had had the foresight to come prepared with his Aluminium Bianchi stead he was well up to explore some new uncharted dirt tracks (generally not recommended on your $7000 carbon poser bikes)

So we bimbled gently along for 6hours and 145km taking photos chatting about the state of the pro pelaton, the dangers faced on the road and what a pain in the arse it must be working with 8 woman in a small confined 10x8 room 40hrs a week (don't ask)

getting our bikes covered in mud and grit and generally having a wonderful day!

unfortunately having forgotten to delete the memory in my garmin 705 i can't save the history file from the ride and upload it here but oh well it not always about the stats right but the quality of experience...

Tomorrow is all about the Sunday donuts!! i'll keep you posted.

Object d'art

One of my hero's free forming

7+ mins of what i wish i could be doing right about now...

You're either going well or theres a head wind!!!

Well after another hard day at work. More mud, sweat and tears underpinning (if you don't know don't ask, trust me! you don't want to know).

I braved the 37kmph NW winds (gusting to 50kmph) to do a short ride to the beaches and back. The great thing about this time of year is there is no one out on the cycle paths so you can bomb it all the way out to the spit, then crawl back home into the vicious head wind, dreaming of your post ride recovery treat.

Still I'm pretty happy with myself these days. Working 40 (feckin hard) hours a week, night school twice a week for 6 hours + home work, and keeping my training going as well!

And that's before maintaining a semblance of a social life!

Its at times like this you work out just how much you want it! (or not)

heres the stats.

Bring on the weekend, two long rides and some much needed recovery!!!

Fat man on a bike?

OK well I'm aware that cycling is giving me somewhat of a complex about my weight, but generally the tendency for anorexia is kept well in check by a massive appetite and a strong desire to chug ale after a ride.

Its carb loading OK! Its all about recovery.

However after a season of reoccurring illness I've become aware that pushing my body to the extremes I do within my training, requires I take a little more care about my nutritional intake, and with the long cold nights drawing in rapidly I also have to readjust my eating habits from the summer as my total riding hours drop from around 20hrs a week to somewhere around 10hrs.

So today I decided to become a little more pro active, in my nutritional habits, and after my ride tonight I popped to the supermarket to stock up on fresh vegetables and fruit. Gotta keep away from all that easy to access junk food!!!

Along with the new food regime I'll keep up taking my daily supplement in take which currently consists of:

1000 mg Vit C
2 multi vitamin tablets
50 mg Zinc
2000 UI Vit D
500 mg magnesium
And currently 2 Cold FX tablets



Generally washed down with a post ride or early morning mixed fruit and vanilla protein smoothie. Nice!

All of which have already had a marked improvement on my overall health.
Its also seen a reduction in my susceptibility to catching every flu bug going round (3-4 times a year was way to much to get ill) and helped me to overcome the issue I had with leg cramps towards the later part of races or longer training sessions this season.

Now if i could only stop crashing i might actually get somewhere next year!