been a long time

Well its been while since i checked in but I've been busy.

avoiding a cold, and ramping up the training.

missed a few days training so as to not get to bad with the ticklish throat i had had. seemed to work.

Then Friday i got straight back on it hammering out 2x 30 min FTP intervals @ 100%

on the back of that i went out Saturday to brave the 2c temps and snow for a 5hr ride with my mate Dave.

took an easy two days recovery then, unperturbed by the freezing rain headed out to do some hill reps in 53x12 gearing, big gears, big watts, wet through and cold after 1hr 30 but it was all good.

today the sun returned so after a morning watching the classic on cycling TV i hit the spit for some more threshold work outs

3x20 at 95-105% of threshold.

The first was some what unbelievable and averaged 408W for 20mins...shit thats was like 114% of my FTP. and breaking 400w for 20mins has been a personal goal of mine for some time.

i was amazed i had reached it so easily.

but i thought something must be up

Either my hemocrit level had inexplicitly raised about 8 points through a simple diet of muesli, protein shakes and a mild cold, or I was experiencing some kind of technical event.

It was then i noticed my power meter wasn't calibrated and was about 35w out...gosh darn it!!!

still 374w for 20 mins was still great, anyway after recalibration it avg a more reasonable 360w for the next couple of intervals.

i guess its time i retested my self, i've a feeling my ftp has raised.

god I hate riding on the trainer though....

scandium dreams updated

here are some updated images of my new frame coming together.

The forks have arrived, the welds are finished



Now all that needs to be done is the rather laborious job of taping and spraying the frame and forks



Due date is around 2 weeks time, nice.

How to moments with Caballo Gande Pt.1 : AvoIding illness

Well is it that corrie moment i was talking about?

2weeks from the first race and I've been playing hide and seek with the cold bug that seems to be running around.

To be fair normally in past season I've reached this point decidedly sooner, whilst ramping up my intense workouts.

but this year I'm eating better, and am that little bit smarter (maybe).

So rather than go out and hammer it regardless of warning signs, I've sat up, loaded up on cold FX, fresh home made veg and fruit juice and TLC.

Missing a few days workouts to avoid going full bore with illness is better than missing two weeks whilst in recovery.

Hopefully things will pan out and I'll be in shape for the season opener next Friday!

after the rain

Well Friday and Saturday were a wash out.

I could feel my body teetering on the edge of a cold after all the work I'd been doing so I choose not to head out in the rain and gale force winds. ( I really don't need to get ill right now)



I headed out Sunday after things had cleared up and did a solid tempo ride instead.

After a 15min warm up i did a 1hr30min ride at just over 300w.

Felt good but i can really feel it in my legs now.

I guess I have one more big week then I'll cool it somewhat before Good Fridays race.

here's the details.

feels like a corrie moments coming!

Well at the risk of invoking the demons of coronation street plot lines.

I have to say i'm feeling pretty good these days!!!

i did 2x20 @100% ftp tonight, i hit 350w for both.

Am i getting fitter or am i riding smarter?

I make sure i keep the carbs coming in during the work outs now, but i'm feeling better and better. Even after a hard previous day of hills and vo2 max intervals.

I kept it at only two reps today, and took a 15min break in between sets.

The idea is to have enough steam for a 2hr tempo ride tomorrow at around 300w, then curl up and die for a day until the weekend.

But you know how these things go....you know, on the telly.

watch this space for news of my demise sometime soon ;0)

be the machine!

I spent Sunday exhausted, my legs were toast after a hard few weeks of workouts.

My training has changed a lot since i returned from Tucson. much less time on the bike but much harder intensities.

Hill reps working my VO2 max

lots of threshold working my lactate threshold (FTP) and hard tempo rides.

In fact i had to take two days off just to be in a space i could make the most of todays work out.

And i'm glad i did, i went hard today, 2 anaerobic intervals down my the loblaws in town before heading to the bluffs for 8 reps. 6 of them at vo2 max intensity.

Getting faster , all the weight i've dropped is paying off. last year i couldn't climb that hill in much less than 5mins, this year i hitting 4.20 even without killing it.

Just sticking to my 106%-120%ftp, that's around 375w-425w i think.

No mean feat on that climb as the first section makes it hard to stay below that level, and the top levels off meaning you have to step it up again and again to hit the power, just when your mind and body is saying....STOP!!!

anyway although its hard to tell the figures don't lie, i'm way up on last years levels and way down on weight.

ok heres to another hard weeks training.... :0)

project x update

Starting to take form from function...




from idea to reality...



Easton scandium tubing.


S-bend chain +seat stays







Integrated headset


Andy Gilmour art work.

tempo tempo tempo (again)

"Pain is a big fat creature riding on your back. The farther you pedal, the heavier he feels. The harder you push, the tighter he squeezes your chest. The steeper the climb, the deeper he digs his jagged, sharp claws into your muscles."

Scott Martin


Headed up north to Klienburg this afternoon.

sunny skies and snow covered fields...

4hr ride

1hr 30 at tempo (290w-325w)

rest just getting through the city squalor.

Felt good to get out of town

pRoJEct X

an Andy Gilmour scandium creation.

watch this space

sun salt and hill reps

'I ride my bike 45,000km a year,' he says. 'People ask you to come here and there and I say, "I can't." And they say, "Yeah, I realise you're tired, I realise you just want a bit of peace and quiet." And it's like, no. I. Am. Fucked. I'm totally, utterly exhausted. My body is eating itself because I'm so tired.'

- Pro cyclist Mark Cavendish, interviewed by the Guardian

Well i got three hard days in which i'm happy about.

And unexpected change in my work situation meant that my team mate and work colleague Rob got the chance to head to the bluffs yesterday for some good old fashioned hill work outs.

i normally had them scheduled for after a rest day but the threat of snow drove us to hit them while the sunshone and the snow was melting.

Anyway despite being pretty wiped out from the previous days workouts i managed to do some good intervals.

get in about 1000m of vert. and work that V02 Max a little more.



1 x 1min @ 700w
6 x 5min @ 370w - 408w with 5 min break.

here the details