My Tour de France

[toolonglegs]

Cheers Matt...it is cycling heaven here

[AverageSpeed]

Thanks once again TLL; another one of your charismatic reports. I appreciate the detail about gearing and strategy. Many thanks!!

[toolonglegs]

Well I had a race today...and I finished with the bunch,one of those races where not much happened...well for me anyway.Life has been getting in the way a bit over the last two weeks and I feel I have definately gone off the boil ...oh well these things happen.It was a very nice loop (9.9km per lap) and 6 laps in total and 70 riders...but it had a 1km long climb of about 3% about 300meters before the finish...gradual enough that I was fine in a 53/21-23 but just a little too much for my crap power to weight ratio.The weather was strange...very hazy but only 15 degrees and seemed like it was going to rain all the time but never did...sort of conditions that really get my asthma going.I have hardly had any sleep for two nights with sick coughing twins so didn't expect too much,but thought I would put in an attack...I am never content to hide in the bunch unless I am really sure I can do something in a sprint...so on the 3rd lap I attacked into the wind...I am a marked man these days so had two guys on my wheel and we rolled away a bit till two more joined us...I think we actually would of had a chance if the two guys who came across to us hadn't hit the hill so hard and dropped us...if they had just backed off a touch I think the 5 of us could of got a good roll on going...but in the end the straights were too long and the wind just wasn't in the right place...the bunch could roll along at 65kmph in some parts so even the guys who normally go out the back were hanging on OK today...so it was doomed after about 12km's of trying.I did try once more into the wind but just didn't have it...so on the final lap I moved up to the front 10-15 riders just as we hit the climb but a bit of jostling came just at the wrong time and I had to slow right down...and the front 12 or so guys got a break...I could have probably sprinted for 13th place but I couldn't be arsed and just rolled over the line.I think I mentally as well as physically talked myself out of doing any good in this one but was quite happy to finish with the bunch.Next week is a bit of a roller coaster apparently so I will see how I feel...aim is to mini peak again on Sunday week as it is a flat race and my clubs home race...will get some good training in for that and turn up super motivated to kick some french butt! .

[muggah]

Another first class report TLL - looking forward to reading about the french @rse kicking next week - train hard!!

[ruscook]

Thanks TLL. I'm amazed at the overall pace and distance you guys do. Love the reports.
Russ

[MichaelB]

Thanks TLL. I'm amazed at the overall pace and distance you guys do. Love the reports.
Russ

Me too. I get an average of over 30 (just) on my loops (stops for traffic lights) and that is a good solid effort.

None of this av of over 35 km/hr or "roll along" at 65

Even mentioned it at paris Roubaix - " they are just rolling ablong the cobbles at 60 + km/hr " ...

[toolonglegs]

Thanks TLL. I'm amazed at the overall pace and distance you guys do. Love the reports.
Russ

Me too. I get an average of over 30 (just) on my loops (stops for traffic lights) and that is a good solid effort.

None of this av of over 35 km/hr or "roll along" at 65

Even mentioned it at paris Roubaix - " they are just rolling ablong the cobbles at 60 + km/hr " ...

We are in pretty big bunches so if the roads are good you can keep pretty high averages.While 70 riders is no pro tour event...when you are stretched out in single file on small roads it is a long way from front to back!.Also the grading seems to be amazingly good here and no one seems to be "way" too strong for their group...although the kid that won is only 16! (but he was wearing a French National Champions jersey so I suppose he should be OK!).The thing I am loving here is riding on a new circuit every week..in Sydney I was a travelling racer doing races all over the place for the variety but have already had 6 or 7 seperate courses here which is so cool!.I think I could handle a hilly race in this grade but when (not if) I go up I think I will be out of my depth in the hills...the curse of having an OK sprint.

[toolonglegs]

All I can say is the big legs got a pounding today....65km (AT) 39.5av....lots of wind a 7 times up a 1km 3%av climb...finished in the front bunch...huge field 79 riders but did manage a couple of attacks...but the hill was a bit much and I popped on the last lap.Looking good for next week I hope!.

[toolonglegs]

2000 metres of climbing today after yesterdays races was a bit ambitious!....c'est la vie!.
But this video is of cycling heaven....OK I shot it on my mobile while riding one handed...the first time I went down was fast,but we climbed same mountain 4 times today from different directions so I got another chance...the corners are banked and the tarmac is perfect...and best of all the road is closed to traffic weekend mornings!!!!!!!!! .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KbdfqSZZbk

..and of note...zero back pain and only slight knee pain after 100km of climbing.

[ruscook]

you mad bugger, riding down 1 handed????

Lovely smooth road though. The free ride down looks like it almost makes the climb worthwhile What speeds were you doing in that video? I guess in the mid-30's but am not sure.
Russ

[toolonglegs]

you mad bugger, riding down 1 handed????

Lovely smooth road though. The free ride down looks like it almost makes the climb worthwhile What speeds were you doing in that video? I guess in the mid-30's but am not sure.
Russ

I would think 40 on the straights at least...was prett safe really ...the previous descent was quite a bit faster...and the road didn't have the other users on it so we hammered...but when I got to the bottom I thought I should of taken a video of that...so was good we got to do it again!.
The climbs are always worth it...the way we came up had long sections at 20% and I felt rather good on them.But I only took two banana's with me and no money so by the end I was getting hungry and starting to fade...and today my blocked nose has spread to my head...grrr.Will make a trip to doctor today but will be very p'ed off if I had to go on antibiotics.

[rob e]

TLL, great vid mate...fantastic looking road....and closed to traffic weekend mornings, fantastic! i hear that they have the same rule of puy de dome so cyclists can use it safely...

[mikesbytes]

Nice video and not a car in sight.

How did you managed to hold the phone for all that time without dropping it? And its a smooth piece of video for hand held.

[toolonglegs]

No cars as they are not aloud.Smooth camera holding because the road was soooo smooth...I just held the phone up to my face and rode down sitting quite upright.

[snedden9485]

Very jealous TLL. Nice vid mate!

[ruscook]

No cars as they are not aloud.Smooth camera holding because the road was soooo smooth...I just held the phone up to my face and rode down sitting quite upright.

Well done, and 40km/h holding a phone!!! Even more impressive. I'm still scared of the corners on Mitchell's Pass (won't go over 40 on steep narrow roads, since I came off last year), let alone coming down one handed. Keep it up, we're enjoying the vicarious riding, and the motivation is great!

Russ

[toolonglegs]

No cars as they are not aloud.Smooth camera holding because the road was soooo smooth...I just held the phone up to my face and rode down sitting quite upright.

Well done, and 40km/h holding a phone!!! Even more impressive. I'm still scared of the corners on Mitchell's Pass (won't go over 40 on steep narrow roads, since I came off last year), let alone coming down one handed. Keep it up, we're enjoying the vicarious riding, and the motivation is great!

Russ

Usually I wouldn't do it but with banked corners and silky smooth road I thought I would give it a go...wasn't expecting to get to the bottom like that but just kept on rolling.
I want a little device on my bars that I can stick my little camera in on a race and get some live in the peloton footage .

[sogood]

But this video is of cycling heaven....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KbdfqSZZbk.

But where are those tracteurs?

[noload]

nothing beats a tour with pictures.
Biking while seeing the beautiful land your traveling through.
It's just amazing seeing the world in a different perspective

[ruscook]

.....I want a little device on my bars that I can stick my little camera in on a race and get some live in the peloton footage .

They do make GPS mounts for pushy and motorbike handlebars so you must be able to get something like that. Have a look at the GPS shops. If worse comes to worse, cable ties are the duct tape of the 21st century

Russ

[giwi2]

What a fantastic vid.

The scenery there would add soooooo much more to the ride in terms of sheer enjoyment of simply getting out there for a ride.

A little bit hard to achieve here in WA.

[muggah]

I want a little device on my bars that I can stick my little camera in on a race and get some live in the peloton footage .

Helmet cam? This guy has gotten some great results wearing one in races - really cool footage IMO.

[toolonglegs]

I want a little device on my bars that I can stick my little camera in on a race and get some live in the peloton footage .

Helmet cam? This guy has gotten some great results wearing one in races - really cool footage IMO.

Thats seems a pretty good price for the set up...maybee one day

[sogood]

Helmet cam? This guy has gotten some great results wearing one in races - really cool footage IMO.

Thats seems a pretty good price for the set up...maybee one day

Buy a Nikon D90 body and you'll be able to shoot HD video when mounted on top of your helmet. Straining your neck is not covered by your riders' insurance policy.

[toolonglegs]

Helmet cam? This guy has gotten some great results wearing one in races - really cool footage IMO.

Thats seems a pretty good price for the set up...maybee one day

Buy a Nikon D90 body and you'll be able to shoot HD video when mounted on top of your helmet. Straining your neck is not covered by your riders' insurance policy.

Nah... i am a Canon man!.