Sweltering

I've endured some pretty sweltering summers at home in Australia. I've seen the thermometer go over 45 degrees Celsius many times and usually retreat to air conditioning or a swimming pool to escape it. 

The last thing I would do in those temperatures is ride a bike. Or if I must, I would leave home at 5am to avoid it as much as possible. 

Here at the Tour de San Luis, it appears that they have the opposite idea. The temperature has been consistently above 40 degrees and the stages start in the middle of the day, resulting in the hottest days I have ever spent on the bike. 

I thought stage one was hot. I thought stage 2 was hotter. Then came stage 3. 173km with an average temperature of 43 degrees. Not a single bit of shade and to top it off, the entire stage was fought in strong cross winds. 

From the moment the race started, I was thirsty and it seems that all we did the entire race was to go back and get water bottles from the car. In the 24hr period of the day of the race, I estimate I consumed close to 17L of water and it was still not enough. 

With stage 4 being another long, hot day with a climb at the end,  it was a race to rehydrate before it began. Drinking water alone was not enough as you have to replace the huge amounts of salt that is crusted to your kit when you finish each day. 

Stage 4 started with some respite.  Although the temperatures were still in the 40's, a slight tail wind made it a little easier and at times you forgot just how hot it was. Then we hit the final climb. 

At the base, it was 45 degrees. It seemed that no matter how slow you went, the body was producing more heat than what it could get rid of. As a result, riders were pouring water on their heads in an effort to cool down. 

A few km's up the climb and we started to run out of water, realising that there was still a long way to go. At this point, riders started to beg spectators on the side of the road for water. Anyone with a bottle with anything to spare so that they could pour it over themselves. 'Agua! Agua! Por favor!!'

I'm not gonna lie, I was one of these people begging. I felt like my head was going to explode and my feet were burning from the heat. I had unzipped my jersey, taken off my gloves and sunglasses in an effort to cool down but it felt like it did nothing. Several times, I genuinely considered stopping in what little shade I could find. 

The last few days have been, by far, the hottest I have ever spent on a bike and I still have 3 more to go. At least it is going to make the rest of the season feel easier. Or at least it better!

First race for 2014

I have not turned a pedal in anger since November last year. So when I found out that the Tour de San Luis was going to be my first race for the 2014 season, I was a little concerned. With 12 World Tour teams making their way over with some big names on the start list, it was going to be tough.  

On paper, Stage 1 was supposed to be relatively easy, with the sprinters expected to battle it out at the end. 

 

The first 80km was slightly up hill at around 1-2% with a small crosswind while the last 80km was all down hill with a tail wind. As per the usual script, a small group of 6 riders were 'allowed' off the front as the bunch waited for the sprinter's teams to take control. 

Omega Pharma-Quick Step sent a rider to the front for the next 40km and held the break at 4mins for their sprinters while the rest of the bunch just cruised along behind, barely averaging over 30kph. 

Then they realised something. Up the road, in the break, were some overall GC contenders including last year's winner. The sprinters teams did not want to do the work for the others so they sat up. On top of that, the temperature was upwards of 45 degrees Celsius and no one was too keen on putting in a hard effort in what felt like an oven. 

For the next 10-15km, there was a lot of confusion over who would do the work and the race pretty much came to a stand still. The breakaway blew their lead out to almost 12mins before the GC teams reluctantly took up the chase. 

When calculating how much time a breakaway is 'allowed' to have, there is a bit of a general rule. The chasing bunch can generally bring back a minute every 10km. With 80km to go, the time gap was at 11min40sec and was looking out of reach. 

The race turned down hill with a tail wind and pace went up. Right up. We sat at around 50kph for the next 40km but it was already too late. With 40km to go, the gap was still at 9mins and when we finally reached 10km to go, there was still over 6mins to the leader. 

The race sat up again as everyone saw the writing on the wall. I was relieved as the heat made it feel like my head was going to explode and my feet were on fire. 

We crossed the line a long way down from the winner. I'm happy to have the first race for the season done and dusted. Despite this, it means that the overall contenders are going to have their work cut out for them over the next stages, and so do I. 

Cross Training

I hate walking. In fact, I'll do just about anything to avoid it. My wife finds it quite intriguing that I can ride hundreds of km's but can't gather the energy to walk around the block. Despite this, almost 12 months ago, I agreed to ring in the 2014 new year with a 3 day hike in Freycinet National Park in Tasmania with family. 

I had no idea what to expect. I have done day walks before and I have gone camping before but I have never combined the two. I soon discovered that doing both at the same time, meant that you had to purchase a large amount of hiking, camping and mobile cooking gear. It felt like we had enough stuff to remodel a kitchen but at more than the cost it is to refit a house. I still felt under prepared. 

We all arrived in Tasmania, ready to start the hike but thanks to Jetstar Airlines, a lost back pack meant we had to postpone all plans by a day so that they could locate the bag. (I could start an epic rant about this but I won't)

My back pack was heavy. Like 30kg heavy. We had to carry enough food for 3 days as well as about 6L of water as the creeks may not be flowing for refills. I struggled to put it in the car, never mind lugging it around for 3 days!

Walking with a heavy back pack is a lot like driving with a trailer. You can't accelerate as fast, you can't slow down as fast. You can't corner very well and you always have to remember that it is there or you will run into things. The main difference is that a trailer doesn't leave you with an aching back and shoulders!

Despite this, the hike was amazing. On day one, we covered 15km on our way around The Hazards (4 mountains that are, well... hazardous), along Hazards Beach to Cooks Hut for our first camp site. At this point I was feeling particularly energetic and did an extra small 6km loop to check out Bryan's Beach. I probably shouldn't have. 

At Cooks Hut, we were lucky enough to have access to fresh water and a composting toilet that made the worst public toilet I have ever seen look like Buckingham Palace. Just before dusk, we were lucky enough to see a wombat venture out for food- my first ever wild wombat sighting. 

 

 

We woke tired and sore the next day for what was the hardest day of the hike; 11km hike over the top of Mt Graham at 579m and a drop down into the iconic Wineglass Bay for night 2. It was like doing a 6hr gym session made up entirely of leg squats. 

Despite this, Wineglass Bay is an amazing place that was definitely worth the effort. Interestingly, it is named for its appearance after whales were chased into the bay and slaughtered, turning the water a 'wine' red and making it look like a glass of wine. 

The final day was a relatively short hike over The Hazzards and back to the car park. The relief of taking off the back pack was amazing. Removing 30kg of weight made me feel like I was going to fall over when ever I walked because my balance had been thrown out but also so light that I could jump 10ft in the air and slam dunk a basketball. 

The hike was 36km in total and was tough, yet rewarding. My feet are sore and my shoulders hurt to touch but I would do it again. It is something that I have always wanted to do and something that I look forward to doing more of. Now that I have all the gear, it should be a lot easier!

Numbers

It is the end of 2013 and time to take stock of the year that was. It was a busy year and here are the stats...

I have taken 32 flights this year not including connecting flights. That's roughly a flight every 11 days. 

I have spent 212 days (58%) of the year away from home with 196 (54%) of those away from my lovely and patient wife. 

During my time away, I spent 141 days (39%) of the year staying in a hotel. 

I have visited 29 cities in 8 different countries not including the smaller towns that stage races visit. 

I had 55 international race days and covered a total of  31657km on bike. If I rode every day of the year, that's an average of 87km per day. If you only look at the days I did ride, I averaged just on 100km per riding day. That is 8419km short of riding the distance around the globe!

During these km's, I spent 1026hrs riding a bike which is almost 3hrs per day with an average speed of 30.8kph.

I climbed 317250m uphill which would get me up Mt Everest 35.9 times. 

I went through roughly 4 cassettes, 6 chains and 20 tires on 3 different bikes and I have lost count of the number of tubes I have used. 

Last but not least, I burnt 458067 calories while riding my bike which is  1624 McDonalds cheeseburgers. 

I'm going to get a start on those cheeseburgers now. And maybe a head start on next year. 

Chris's Adventure Rides

I hate doing the same ride twice. Well at least twice in the same week. As a result, I am constantly trying to find and plan new rides that I have never done. 

I have maps with me on my bike computer and I look for the most obscure way to get to places. My friends have called these rides 'Chris's adventure rides' and some are not so fond of them as, on the odd occasion, I get lost and end up going way further than planned. The adventure ends up being an ordeal. 

Having a mountain bike means that I can also plan some epic adventure rides. There are trails and tracks not far from the city centre that allow you to do endless hours off road in the middle of no where. 

The only problem with planning these MTB adventure rides, is that the maps are very limited and whilst they indicate that there is a trail, in real-life that trail may be over grown and straight up a vertical wall. 

Today, I experienced one such trail. We took a small 'shortcut' down a trail that was quite prominent on my maps but ended up being a 1km hike up a hill pushing the bikes in 40 degree heat. We just about needed a machete to carve our way through the trail. 

Despite this set back, the ride was an 'adventure' in every sense of the word. 120km in the dirt. Dehydration. Exhaustion. Navigation issues. Crashes. It had it all. As I tell my friends whenever they complain about 'Chris's adventure rides'... Attitude is the difference between an adventure and an ordeal!

 

'Off' season

Off season was supposed to be a time to relax at home and take a break from travelling around. It has been far from that. 

After returning home from the US at the beginning if September, I was home for 3 weeks before having to fly to China for the last race of the season. Then, a few days after I returned home, I went to visit my parents after endless reminders about how long it had been since I was last there. 

Another two weeks at home and then I was off to Tasmania to help out at a kids triathlon and visit some friends. I then came home for the weekend  before flying down to Melbourne for the World Diabetes Congress. After a delayed flight on the way home, I got to spend another weekend with my wife at home and now I am currently sitting on a plane on my way to California for the team's pre-season training camp. 

In 10 days time, I will return home for a couple of days to get over the jet lag before heading away for Christmas and New Year's. Then January will start with our 2nd training camp in Spain before kicking  off the racing season in Argentina. 

All routine has gone out the window and it feels like I just go home to do some laundry and refill my suitcase. My ever-patient wife has been calmly waiting to get to spend some time with me and most mornings I need to look around when I wake up just to confirm where I am. The off-season is proving to be almost as tiring as the racing season itself!

One thing is certain... I sure am getting tired of packing and unpacking my bike every few days!

Pain and Gain

Each year, during the off season, I head to the gym to better prepare myself for the long season ahead. It is the worst time of my life. 

Thanks to repeating the action of pedaling a bike and doing absolutely nothing else, a cyclist's body is barely able to function in the real world. The upper body atrophies and other muscles that don't get used seem to disappear. Returning to the gym each year reminds me that they are still there. 

I know that going to the gym will cause me pain and that I need to use very little weight so that I ease into it slowly, but when the 60 year old guy who is rehabilitating from a joint replacement is lifting 3 times as much weight as me, I can't help but feel a little inadequate. As a result, I end up doing way too much, way too quickly. 

At the time, I feel invincible. Like I could lift it a thousand times with double the weight. Then afterwards, the pain sets in and I can't walk. It hurts to walk up the 5 stairs to my apartment. It hurts to bend down to untie my shoes. It hurts to lift my leg to put clothes on. My ribs ache when I laugh at something funny. And this isn't even the worst of it. 

Almost exactly 24hrs later, the muscle damage kicks in and it feels like I have been hit by a truck. I regret using more weight. I regret doing that extra set. I regret ever going to the gym in the first place. Then I realise... despite the aches and pains, I have to go back up there and do it all over again until it doesn't hurt anymore. 

All I need is a mobility scooter so that I can get there!

Damn cyclists!!

I spend a lot of my time each week out riding my bike on the roads. I'm just about to roll over 30000km for the year, a lot more than the distance I have done in my car. 

I understand and appreciate the frustrations of sharing the road with cars and have had my fair share of run-ins over the years. Despite this, whenever I am driving a car, nothing frustrates me more than cyclists on the road. 

It's not that I don't think they deserve to be there, bikes have every right to share the roads with cars. My frustration comes from watching cyclists take unnecessary risks and ride as if there are no cars on the road. 

On the weekend, I was driving to a mountain bike trail early in the morning. I passed several groups of cyclists that were riding as if cars didn't exist. Some were spread out 10m apart. Some ride almost on the centre line of the road. Some weave in and out of the parked cars on the side of the road. Some look like they can barely ride in a straight line. And although I realise cyclists are permitted to ride 2 abreast, it doesn't help their safety if they are in the middle of the road with a 2m gap between them. It was as if they were totally oblivious to their surroundings. 

Whenever I am riding on the road, I am aware that there are cars around me and make an effort to acknowledge them make being on the road easier for both of us. Whether it be by riding close to others instead of spread all over the road, not rolling through red lights in front of cars, waiting in line when in traffic rather than going to the front (forcing cars to pass me again) or by giving a wave to thanks cars that have to slow down for me. 

Every day I hear cyclists complaining about cars and talking about 'idiot' drivers on the road. But every day I also see cyclists ride as if they are trying to commit suicide. It's amazing how much nicer drivers can be when you actually 'share' the road and make life a little easier for drivers. It's also amazing how much safer you will be! 

If you need something to compare it to... I'm sure everyone has had the experience of riding on a bike path with groups of pedestrians that walk around in the middle of the path, blissfully unaware that you are trying to get past them. 

That is pretty much the equivalent of what I see cyclists do on the road. And it frustrates the heck out of me!

EOY

After being away for over 5 months, it was quite a relief to finally be able to come home last month. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to sit back and relax just yet as I had one more race to prepare for. This brought about a few problems. 

I was keen to catch up with friends that I had not seen in a while, which meant a lot of coffee shop rides, lunches and dinners were on the to do list, however, my coach had other ideas. My training schedule consisted of many long rides and lots of efforts so that I could hold on to the form that 3 months straight of racing had given me. I'm not gonna lie... motivation was low. 

While overseas, if I had a long ride to do, I would plan out a route and head off. I had no idea where I was and if I deviated from the planned route, I would just end up getting lost and have to ride for far longer than I had originally planned. This meant I had no choice but to do the training I was prescribed. 

Back home in Australia, I know all of the short cuts and back routes. So with low motivation, it is difficult to force myself to keep riding when I know that a left turn will take me home. It was also just as difficult to say no to an extra coffee, butter with my muffin or dessert with dinner.

Despite these first world problems, I'm now sitting in the airport waiting for my flight home from the last race of the season, the Tour of Hainan in China. For most of the teams at the race, it was the last of the season and the closing ceremony had a feeling of celebration in the air as most of the riders were keen to let their hair down. 

 

Most will return home to cold weather for a break from the bike to refresh the body, both physically and mentally. It is not possible to be focused on training and racing all season and then do it all over again without some rest. Your head will explode.

So how did I celebrate the end of the season?? Well, I just finished a large Double Whopper meal and there is a piece of cheesecake with my name on it. I am looking forward to going for a ride when I get home, but one where I don't have to do efforts or ride for hours on end. It's 3.8km from my house to the coffee shop and I think I will do a few laps of it in the next couple of weeks. 

Upgrades...

Australia is undoubtedly the greatest place on Earth. Despite this, it is not without its areas for improvement and after visiting a few different places this year, I have some suggestions. Here is my list of things that I would bring back to Australia from overseas and implement for the greater good...

1. Turn right on red (or left for Australia). Ever come to a set of traffic lights and want to turn left but then the lights go red? You have to just sit there and wait, even if there is no traffic coming. Imagine if you could turn left on a red light if there are no cars coming!

In America, unless it is otherwise signed, you can turn right on a red light. Traffic moves faster and there is no sitting and waiting for nothing. Australia needs this rule.

2. Aperitivo. In Italy, 'apertiivo' is literally a pre-meal drink that is supposed to stimulate the appetite. During aperitivo time (usually 6-9pm), bars will put on a spread on snacks such as crisps, olives, cheese, nuts, dips and sandwiches and if you purchase an aperitivo drink, you can partake in the snacks. It is a brilliant idea and Australia could use it. Maybe it could prevent the binge drinking rages that Aussies are becoming known for?

3. Free soft drink re-fills. At pretty much any restaurant in the States, if you order a soft drink, it is a bottomless cup. (Unlike Australia where you pay $5 for a cup of ice with some soft drink in it.) One particular drink machine in America is called the Coca Cola Freestyle 127. It has 127 different flavors of soft drink, including many diabetic friendly 'zero' options. If you buy a single soft drink cup, you can spend the rest of the day trying every flavor for free!

4. Free breakfast in hotels. In Australia, you pay a small fortune in most hotels to have breakfast in the morning. At almost every hotel I stayed at in Europe and America, rooms came with a free breakfast. Head down to the dining room in the morning and there is a spread of food including coffee, bacon, eggs and a pancake machine. Everybody needs a pancake machine.

5. Tipping wait staff. There is nothing worse than getting poor service when you are dining out. In Australia, there is no incentive for staff to provide good service nor is there a way to let the staff know that you are not impressed with them or that you thought they were great. In America, tipping wait staff ensures that you will get the best possible service and if you don't, there is a means to show your distaste. I can think of several restaurants in Australia that could benefit from this.

6. Free Wi-Fi. It is almost impossible to find free Wi-Fi in Australia. Unless you go to a McDonalds or a State Library, it is extremely difficult to get the internet without paying. In the States, free Wi-Fi is everywhere. You can get around quite easily on free Wi-Fi and it is pretty much the norm for restaurants to have it available. 

7. Shark Week. The Urban Dictionary description of Shark Week pretty much sums it up...  'A week in the summer when Discovery Channel broadcasts all its shows in the shark theme. The best week to watch TV.' It is the longest-running cable television programming event in history. Everybody should see Shark Week.