its all about diversification....

Its all about diversification....


so I've gone snowboarding for a couple of days to bring in the new year!!! and why not?

Its been been two years, i havent been since i moved to toronto, i used to go 3-4 times a week when i lived in montreal!!

Anyway i'll call it cross training and write it into my training log.

the post slopes hot tub is just a good recovery session....

Av a veRy hAPpy nEw joLli eVEry bOdi!!!!!!

Brr chilly

Woke up this morning, -15c .

Windchill before starting to ride -23c.

The morning commute was interesting.

Everything frozen even with the salt.

One needs to ask one self,

"How much do You want IT?"

Boxing Day post turkey ride...

So tell me how do you work off two days of binge drinking, mild alcohol poisoning and 14000cal turkey fest?

And get back into the spirit of base training again so soon after Christmas?

Well the desire to slip into my new merino, Rapha jersey helps, the paunch doesn't really do it justice.
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Watching all those cute Euro chicks hammering away in the mud, got my motivational juices flowing
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Supplement that with a mild dose of boxing day World cup Cyclo-cross racing from Zolder on Cycling.tv , and its not to hard to drag you're cellulite out for a two hour easy E2 grind in the cold and wet. Actually it was beautiful out there gray skies and the winter sun poking its head out through the twilight filling the wet empty roads with goldern light. There was even a rainbow to keep me company.

I remembered how much i enjoy winter riding.....of course my new Merino, Rapha wolly hat helped as well...


And although my new favourite, Daphny Van Den Brand only managed to come in 3rd today, too much festive excess's perhaps the day before perhaps. Watching all those cute Euro chicks hammering away in the mud, got my motivational juices flowing again.



As for the men well they are just crazy, X races are pretty much an hour sprint in the ice and mud but you gotta admire their commitment.

OK new year just round the corner, new motivations.....new results???

HaVe a mERrY jOllY!!!

A minor Christmas miracle...

And so its Christmas..... to be true i was feeling a bit down actualy, i came down with (another) cold Tuesday so i spent the last two days in a hazy NyQuil daze, sleeping 20hrs a day and feeling like crap.

Its cold and gray with no snow on the horizon for the holidays, but today i awoke somewhat recharged, settled in for another lazy day in front of the monitor (tv is so passe) watching old cycling.tv reruns and "white Christmas", and what do you know a minor Christmas miracle came to pass!!!!

Just as the film came to end in all its snowy golden hearted goodness, i peaked out the window and it had started to snow in down town Toronto!!!! ahhh....

So i hopped on my bike and went for a little 2hr spin along the water front and along back streets. It felt good to get out and about leaving trails in the snow on my bianchi, dreaming of the hot coffee and baileys i was going to neck when i got back into the warm

Might even do the same tomorrow, what else can you do on a winters day in canada!!!

Anyway happy Christmas and all that shizel..Heres to happy trails for the up coming year. hopefully it'll be a little less traumatic than last year!!!

Oh and here's some retro pointy breasts as my gift to the world...apparently they are coming back in. Time will see i guess. Can't wait.....

early base training

Well so it comes to pass...the shortest day of the year weighs heavy on the horizon, and with it the dreams of longer rides, harder training and better times.

Of course there is still the small matter of winter to get through, we still have yet to really get a
full on snow storm here in Toronto. But i'll take any motivation i can get these days.

So it begins I've entered my early base training phase, (having completed my pre base and maximum strength transition at the gym) so its meant to be long easy rides of 2-3 hrs and 4- 6 weeks of ripping it up at the gym, before i head to Tuscon Arizona for a two week training camp on and around Mt Lemon, which rises around 10,000ft from the surrounding desert.

Actually i'm pretty amp'd about heading down there and training with a bunch of fellow base heads. I'll have my MS phase finished up by then and will begin my mid base training. by the time i get back the day will be longre and gthe worst of the weather done with (hopefully) and it'll be time to start to ramp it up in time for the good friday classic which marks the beginning of thew season here in ontario....

can't wait.

lifestyles and sustainability

Well desire is a terrible maiden to have.... I had been contemplating doing some time trials next season so had been on the look out for a new bike , ok well actually a used bike but when the sums came in i figured i might as well take the full advantage of the Pro deals i can get as a sponsored rider and spend the price of a small used car (or 3) on some of the latest technological hype to grace the show rooms ....of course then there are other things to consider like helmet, a new powertap for the rear wheel and maybe a new team issue Skin suit....which might actually go quite nicely with the colour scheme. (more on that to come)

Ah well its only money, which lets face it is an abstract concept anyway...right?

heres the specs..... of what i'm hoping for.

Anyway you can expect lots of ranting about lactate burn and threshold training coming your way within the next few months..and maybe a few comments about bankruptcy and living in bike boxes.....

oh happy days...

mark one: target aquired

Well its been fairly cold and brutal these last few days, but i've been hanging in there with the daily commute to and from work and to school in the evenings so I'm probably getting about 5 hrs or so of riding in a week then I'll do what i can on the weekends.

A couple of hours down by cherry road, or the donut if its not too bad. Sunday was a wash out though, cold is OK, wet is OK but 1c and wet if NO FECKIN FUN AT ALL!!!! not for 4hrs anyways.

A good day to stay indoors and train by sleeping. hmm 12hrs sweet!

Then down to the gym, legs were sore from Saturdays ride but i did the rounds expanding on my core work outs now as well.

Luckily most the pretty people working out at good life have ipods on so they don't hear the odd involuntary passing of gas whilst I'm struggling to do do my pilates.

Of course the real trick is to look confident and tell yourself, they'll just think its the ball squeaking...

Anyway on other news i reached my target weight of 600lbs for the leg press last night, so i guess my Maximum strength phase has started now. I'll do about 6 weeks and should have it completed by the tie i fly out to Arizona for the training camp on the 2nd of Febuary...

hot sexy chocolate lycra butts

Firstly forgive the title of today's blog, I'm experimenting with organic search engines, and seeing how i can lure people unexpectedly into here.

I've been using google analytics's functions to see what brings you all here and apparently a search for hot Lycra butt will do it so I thought well why not embrace the whole thing and promptly kill it all with a picture of me braving the 30mph headwinds and -3c snow flurries to get home today...

Yesterdays morning commute was an adventure, sleet and snow and ice pellets being driven into my face at 7 am on the dark down-town streets, took me nearly twice as long as usual but hey I made it, soaked and frozen to spend the day at work, freezing and wet......which was nice.

Today however I have the day off from work, I should be taking care of all manor of administrative chores but to be honest I don't think I can face much more time out in the cold and ice.

I already have an afternoon appointment I need to get to 30mins (perhaps an hour) into the wind from here, and then the trip to school tonight, which will make perhaps 2.5hrs of treacherous sub zero riding.

That trainer is starting to look more and more appealing all the time

only the hard core!!!

Do you remember that famous ride by Andy Hampsten in the 88 Giro d'Italia?

A brutal stage over the mountians in the snow.

Well thats just around the corner for us riders in the snowy north.

Not satisfied with sub zero temperatures mother nature is planning the first winter storm of the year tonight, with about 10cm of snow and blowing winds.

Which should make my morning commute pretty interesting to say the least...

And then to top it all off its meant to start to rain by the afternoon, and then the temperature will drop below zero for the night time, which will make the next mornings commute even more treacherous...yee haa!!!

This is where you start to figure out just how much you want it!

Anyway crappy cold day at work wadding around in near freezing mud ( so some snow will make a nice change) followed by a trip to the gym, leg pressing 550lbs, only 50lbs more before I reach my target weight for the season.... beefcake!!!

Just for shitz and giggles here how they do in the peleton, old skool stylee!



And the power files from the weekends donut rides as promised....unfortunately sometimes I forget to press start after a short stop so I sometimes miss sections out of the over all ride..

oh well sue me! and if you don't hear from me again go look for me in a snow drift some time in spring.

laterz kids!


Saturday

Sunday

happy happy joy joy

Well the good news is that we have managed to form a partnership with Molson 67 in sponsoring the team for next season which we are all really excited about.

Its a new beer for them aimed at active people that like beer...(sounds perfect) and coming in at only 67calories a bottle it means i can still sink a few after a hard training ride with my mates and not have to worry about lugging the beer belly up the hill next time out.

Also the team is starting to expand in strength which I'm even more excited about to be honest
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Today being a fairly boisterous romp up jane, hammering a 50kmph pace line. Not bad given the -8c windchill factor
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We are looking at anywhere from 6-8 guys on the M1 team for next season. Some old salty sea dogs and some new blood, most importantly though a bunch of focused, hard working guys that will work, train and race together!!!

Anyway amp'd up by this news i managed to do both Saturdays and Sundays donut rides, today's being a fairly boisterous romp up jane, hammering a 50kmph pace line.

Not bad given the -8c windchill factor (before the 50kmph riding). And with a strong presence in the group we were able to lay the hurt down on the rest of the group causing them to do a lot of the work drawing riders back in....

Not really the kind of riding i should be doing this time of year, but it was certainly fun, and with snow in the forecast for next week it might be one of the last chances for some good old road training before the dreaded indoor trainer has to come out.

anyway I'll stick my powerfiles up later on.

Until then kids, keep the rubber side down.

pumping gristle

OK been a bit absent form the blog lately but rest assured I've been keeping my training going on the road and at the gym.

I'm in my maximal transition phase at the moment meaning that I'm starting to ramp up the weights as I head to the maximum strength phase sometime in January.

for now that means I'm leg pressing 4 sets of 15 reps at 450lbs although i closed out the session tonight with 10 reps at 500lbs...I'm heading for a goal of 600lbs by the end of the gym phase of my base training and so far (touch wood) I'm on target.

riding been definitely winding down but i still head in and out of work on my single speed and hit the donut ride this Saturday morning past. You can see the charts here:

so thats about it, although i'm planning a two week trip to Arizona in Febuary for a training camp, looking to buy the flight in the next few weeks, I'll keep you posted on that.