Well so far my maiden Time Trial season is going reasonably well.I've taken part in 1 10mile,1 8.4mile,1 16.8mile,1 9mile and 2 25mile TT's and have managed a top 10 place in each.This unfortunately is not due to me being up to speed and being able to push the better riders,but is down to the fact the majority of the elite riders have had other commitments and haven't raced many local rides yet.That could change next week tho,as the mid week races are due start and of course the weather is improving.The good news for me is that so far in each of the races i have been well inside what the regulars call "evens",(something to do with keeping the average mph in the 20's i believe)! Although it is still early days and there is lots more racing to get through this year,i am already looking into the types of upgrades i can make to the bike to help get those extra seconds here and there i.e.A new groupset,Tri-bars,lighter more aerodynamic wheels....the list goes on and on,unfortunately my bank balance doesn't so i'll have to make do for the time being and change things bit by bit....

I've got my 1'st official long distance ride of the year on Sunday May 2'nd.A quite challenging 70miles around the Isle of Wight a.k.a The IoW Randonne,an event that is now in it's 26'th year and is very popular with many cyclist.Over 2000 people rode it last year(some of which travelled a long way just for the event)and many locals take part too.Hopefully this year will see another hugely impressive turn out.

Although the day is not considered a race it's hard for me not to go out and try to post the best time i can,hence i've set myself a target time of 4 hours,this will mean averageing around 18mph.Maintaining an average speed is something Time Trialing has helped me do and although the longest TT i've done is only 25miles i've put in many practice rides of 50miles plus and kept good speed and good overall times.Some friends and i took part in the British Heart Foundation Round the Island last september and completed it in just under 4 and a half hours without too much difficulty,so my target time should be achievable and It will be good practice for later in the month,when i hope to compete in the Bournemouth Arrows Epic,which i think is 90miles(ish).

Keep Spinning and stay safe......

After the disappointment of not being able to ride last week due to my shoulder injury,it felt so good to get out on the bike this weekend and get some serious mileage behind me.

Starting friday morning,the 1'st day of my 3 day weekend.The conditions couldn't of been much better,despite the temperature being a bit low,a swirling breeze and the pot holes,the sun was out in all it's glory,the sky was blue and the roads were dry as bone.I thought i would take it easy as it was the 1'st proper ride in 10 days so i only filled 1 drinks bottle with HIGH 5 and took only 2 energy gels with me (this turned out to be a mistake)! My thoughts were to get roughly 10miles done,stop off at my wifes office,have some lunch with her then take a slightly longer route home.Well,after getting 8miles done and almost being at my wifes work i was feeling quite good and my legs were turning out a good pace,so i carried on without stopping.20miles in i was down to 1 energy gel and half my drink so it was time to loop back on myself and head for home.A quick glance down at my computer showed that i had been averaging 18.9mph(good speed for me)! This made me challenge myself to try and keep that pace up all the way home,"so much for taking it easy!" i thought. By the time i got home i had used both gels,completely drained my drinks bottle and was shattered,but the positive was that i had covered 44.06miles in 2hrs30mins54secs keeping my average speed just above 18mph.

Saturday morning,weather is overcast,chilly and breezey and i'm off out again,but on a slower ride as my legs are a bit tight from the day before.This turned out to be another long distance ride but as i said slower.A comfortable 52.1miles in 3hrs11mins28secs giving me average speed of just under 17mph.Still what i consider respectable,especially after yesterdays efforts.

Sunday morning and i'm feeling really good but unsure whether to take a day off or not,so i sit down with the laptop,flick onto the blogs to see if Scimitar has left a reply to a message i left.Sure enough he had,and after reading his response i decided it was worth contacting my local club to get some more details about becoming a member.The good news is that they were only too happy at the prospect of getting a new member and have given me the chance to meet up with them on their 1'st 10mile Time Trial of the season.The bad news is this only 2 weeks away and i don't want to embarrass myself by being Mr Slow Coach.So once again i get my kit on and hit the roads.Luckily i know a route that i can take that is just over 10miles,and off i go! At the 10mile point i'm just under 32mins and quite pleased as there's a bit of a head wind and a lot of the route is up hill.The best bit is that i've checked the results from their 10mile TT's in 2009 and the time i did would of given me a top 15 finish.All i have left to say is...........BRING ON THE TIME TRIAL......... 

Keep spinning......... 

A dark cloud hangs above my head this weekend,and it's not just the ones that make puddles either! :-( Due to an on-going shoulder injury,a visit to my consultant and an some uncomfortable injections into my shoulder ligaments and tendons,i am un-able to ride for the next few days as i can't use my right  arm properly.This is definately not going to help with the training at all.My consultant has also given me the news that (A) i've not been looking forward to. And (B) the 1 thing i was hoping to avoid.........That is,quite simply,i've got to have surgery to fix the tendons across my shoulder before some more long term damage is caused.Good thing for me is that knowing the NHS i will be on the waiting for some time before they can fit me in.This means i should be able to get a full season of races in first.Although the prospect of an operation has left me feeling pretty fed up and slightly miserable/grumpy,i would just like to say that i am truely grateful to be in good health.

Keep cycling everyone ;-)    

Had a complete day of rest as far as the bike is concerned today,which is kind of a shame as i only needed to do a short 8mile sprint to hit 150mile target this week(oh well,add it onto next week i guess)! Even tho i'm missing 8miles i'm still pleased with what i've covered over the last 6 days.....142.12miles in a time of 8hrs01mins31secs this gives me an average of 17.7mph(i think) Ideally i would like to get my average speed up to a consistent 18.5mph which may only be a small increase but as anyone who rides a lot will appreciate it's not an easy task!

I've spent an hour or so this afternoon looking for some organised long distance cycling events to take part in as my local club only seem to have Time Trials listed in their calendar,which is ok but i do like the personal challenge of an endurance ride. Once again the online search didn't dissappoint as i stumbled across www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk  this has given me a list,of which some are not too far away from home and are definate contenders,83mile New Forest Sportive,Bournemouth Arrows Sportive(distance TBC),95mile Mega Meon Sportive and the 102mile New Forest 100. There was also 1 or 2 other possibilties if i can convince my wife to change the dates in which we go to see her parents in Surrey,(this however is easier said than done)!

If anyone knows of any other 70mile plus rides in the Hampshire area please let me know of them,it's much appreciated.Also anyone who may read this that is taking part in the 83mile New Forest Sportive on the 18/4/2010,maybe we could pace each other round!?