My second big tester, the Highclere Sportif didn’t go half as well as I had hoped. It didn’t go disastrously though, which is a crumb of comfort. Read my fuller report here:
One hell of a day at Highclere
Maybe I was having a bit of an off day or went off too quick. Still, excuses won’t do at this stage and the time is indicative of me spending a long day in the saddle in the Pyrenees.
On the plus side I didn’t experience any trouble riding for that long other than the usual sensation of tying up in the last few km and enduring a couple of patches where things were going badly.
My knee has, touch wood, stopped troubling me for the moment but I haven’t been able to get out on a long ride since due to work. I was working the weekend just past and as I’m racing tomorrow didn’t fancy a long one today as I’m feeling a bit run down from theeffects of 7 days straight work.
As I’m racing (albeit briefly) on Saturday at the Smithfield Nocturne and working next Sunday I’m struggling for long rides. At this stage it’s not crucial and perhaps I should concentrate on a bit of intensity work. So Saturday morning I’ll do a Park Ride and try and push it a bit then do a couple more laps after a coffee.
Other developments are that I’ve gone and bought some new wheels, a pair of Fulcrum Racing 1s in silver. I know it’s a bit extravagant but I promise no more after this. I’m thinking of sticking my pair of 25mm Michelin Pro Race 2 tyres on on them instead of buying ever more tyres. They’re Service Course ones and roll pretty well. the 25mm has a bit of a tight clearance under the fork but should smooth out the ride and give me a bit more in the corners. If not I’ll do a bit of swapping as I’ve got to swap the casette anyway.
As for weight, I seem to be working down a bit and I’m now hovering around 71-73kg rather than 74-75kg. This is good, so more pasta, greens and salad and stay off the takeaway for a few weeks.
Next big one is the UK Cyclosportif on 1st July. See you down the front with the big blue London Dynamo train.