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Disaster Diaries
Don’t just check your ABC’s before a bike race
Wait for the drop!
Here is a little background to my disaster diary, having recently moved to London and wanting to make a good impression, I entered myself and some of my athletes into a race up in my home territory of the North East of England. Some had never raced before, so it was important for me to show them how it is done. We jumped on the train to Newcastle and planned to do a pre-race recon of the course. Before that, having just received my first London weighting paycheck, I decided to treat myself to some new deep section racing wheels. As is often the case when you walk into a bike shop, I did not end up with deepsection racing wheels I went in for, but rather a brand new bike and a cushy long term repayment scheme…
Come race day, the nerves were high, the weather was on our side and we were all fresh and excited. The new bike had been tested during the recon and rode like a dream. We were happy with the course and knew where all the dodgy potholes were. After going through our race preparations with an ABC check (air, brake, chain), we signed on and there was nothing left to do but race.
At the start line, as Sean Kelly would say, ‘the sensations were good’. The race was 4 laps of a 25km loop with a few technical climbs and some furiously flat country roads, it was going to be a fun race. The starter gun went after 1km of neutral zone which cued the game face. As the race wore on, more and more people got spat out the back after various attacks pinged off the front. I closed down a few and was feeling really good. On the start of lap 3, the bunch had whittled down from around 60 to 20 cyclists, when I had a sudden onset of fatigue. Thinking this seemed a bit off, I had a gel and took a sip from my brand new (match-the-colour-of-my-bike) water bottle, which I then threw away, a true hubbard move. After just managing to stay with the group on the hills, we entered the fastest part of the race, a 60kph stretch along a nice straight bit of road.
BANG! Suddenly I had cramp everywhere, I hopped out of the saddle but by this point my legs were going into full rigamortus! I was flabbergasted, what was going on? I wasn’t hurting, my RPE was around 6/10. What had happened? I fought to stay in the group but eventually lost, I was spat out the back as I wasn’t able to turn the pedals. On sitting back down I realised my knees were almost hitting me in the chin. I stopped, looked down and realised my saddle had completely dropped! It must have been sliding down throughout the race until a pothole had really finished it off. Absolute nightmare! I then had to spend the next 30 minutes explaining to serveral friends that had come a long to watch, why they didnt see me on the final lap.
Moral of the story? Don’t just check your ABC’s before a bike race. Check everything! Especially if it’s a brand new bike!
ENGINE
Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?
GYMNASTICS
Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.
Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.
HYROX
Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.
MOBILITY
We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.
Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10
5mins easy jog
then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)
Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.
Monday:
We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.
Strength:
A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift
B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat
Conditioning:
17min AMRAP
3 Power Clean (60/40)
6 Front Squat
9 Box Jump
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.
Strength:
A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups
B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row
C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock
Conditioning:
4 rounds for time:
16 Alt KB STOH
1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry
10 Burpees Over KB
30 Double Unders
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single
B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions
Conditioning
In a 3-minute window:
15 TTB
30 wall balls
AMRAP cal row
Rest 2 mins x 3
Thursday:
On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press
B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension / 15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls
Conditioning:
For time:
120 DB Hang Snatch
Every 3 mins
15/12 Cal Assualt Bike
10 Hand Release Push Ups
Friday:
Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.
Strength:
EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar
Conditioning:
In Pairs for Time:
800m run together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
100 Cal Ski
Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
80 Cal Ski
Half Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
60 Cal Ski
Car Park Run (Together)
20 Sandbag Over Bar
40 Cal Ski
Wait for the drop!
Here is a little background to my disaster diary, having recently moved to London and wanting to make a good impression, I entered myself and some of my athletes into a race up in my home territory of the North East of England. Some had never raced before, so it was important for me to show them how it is done. We jumped on the train to Newcastle and planned to do a pre-race recon of the course. Before that, having just received my first London weighting paycheck, I decided to treat myself to some new deep section racing wheels. As is often the case when you walk into a bike shop, I did not end up with deepsection racing wheels I went in for, but rather a brand new bike and a cushy long term repayment scheme…
Come race day, the nerves were high, the weather was on our side and we were all fresh and excited. The new bike had been tested during the recon and rode like a dream. We were happy with the course and knew where all the dodgy potholes were. After going through our race preparations with an ABC check (air, brake, chain), we signed on and there was nothing left to do but race.
At the start line, as Sean Kelly would say, ‘the sensations were good’. The race was 4 laps of a 25km loop with a few technical climbs and some furiously flat country roads, it was going to be a fun race. The starter gun went after 1km of neutral zone which cued the game face. As the race wore on, more and more people got spat out the back after various attacks pinged off the front. I closed down a few and was feeling really good. On the start of lap 3, the bunch had whittled down from around 60 to 20 cyclists, when I had a sudden onset of fatigue. Thinking this seemed a bit off, I had a gel and took a sip from my brand new (match-the-colour-of-my-bike) water bottle, which I then threw away, a true hubbard move. After just managing to stay with the group on the hills, we entered the fastest part of the race, a 60kph stretch along a nice straight bit of road.
BANG! Suddenly I had cramp everywhere, I hopped out of the saddle but by this point my legs were going into full rigamortus! I was flabbergasted, what was going on? I wasn’t hurting, my RPE was around 6/10. What had happened? I fought to stay in the group but eventually lost, I was spat out the back as I wasn’t able to turn the pedals. On sitting back down I realised my knees were almost hitting me in the chin. I stopped, looked down and realised my saddle had completely dropped! It must have been sliding down throughout the race until a pothole had really finished it off. Absolute nightmare! I then had to spend the next 30 minutes explaining to serveral friends that had come a long to watch, why they didnt see me on the final lap.
Moral of the story? Don’t just check your ABC’s before a bike race. Check everything! Especially if it’s a brand new bike!
Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10
5mins easy jog
then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)
Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.
Monday:
We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.
Strength:
A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift
B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat
Conditioning:
17min AMRAP
3 Power Clean (60/40)
6 Front Squat
9 Box Jump
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.
Strength:
A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups
B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row
C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock
Conditioning:
4 rounds for time:
16 Alt KB STOH
1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry
10 Burpees Over KB
30 Double Unders
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single
B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions
Conditioning
In a 3-minute window:
15 TTB
30 wall balls
AMRAP cal row
Rest 2 mins x 3
Thursday:
On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press
B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension / 15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls
Conditioning:
For time:
120 DB Hang Snatch
Every 3 mins
15/12 Cal Assualt Bike
10 Hand Release Push Ups
Friday:
Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.
Strength:
EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar
Conditioning:
In Pairs for Time:
800m run together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
100 Cal Ski
Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
80 Cal Ski
Half Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
60 Cal Ski
Car Park Run (Together)
20 Sandbag Over Bar
40 Cal Ski
ENGINE
Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?
GYMNASTICS
Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.
Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.
HYROX
Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.
MOBILITY
We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.
Wait for the drop!
Here is a little background to my disaster diary, having recently moved to London and wanting to make a good impression, I entered myself and some of my athletes into a race up in my home territory of the North East of England. Some had never raced before, so it was important for me to show them how it is done. We jumped on the train to Newcastle and planned to do a pre-race recon of the course. Before that, having just received my first London weighting paycheck, I decided to treat myself to some new deep section racing wheels. As is often the case when you walk into a bike shop, I did not end up with deepsection racing wheels I went in for, but rather a brand new bike and a cushy long term repayment scheme…
Come race day, the nerves were high, the weather was on our side and we were all fresh and excited. The new bike had been tested during the recon and rode like a dream. We were happy with the course and knew where all the dodgy potholes were. After going through our race preparations with an ABC check (air, brake, chain), we signed on and there was nothing left to do but race.
At the start line, as Sean Kelly would say, ‘the sensations were good’. The race was 4 laps of a 25km loop with a few technical climbs and some furiously flat country roads, it was going to be a fun race. The starter gun went after 1km of neutral zone which cued the game face. As the race wore on, more and more people got spat out the back after various attacks pinged off the front. I closed down a few and was feeling really good. On the start of lap 3, the bunch had whittled down from around 60 to 20 cyclists, when I had a sudden onset of fatigue. Thinking this seemed a bit off, I had a gel and took a sip from my brand new (match-the-colour-of-my-bike) water bottle, which I then threw away, a true hubbard move. After just managing to stay with the group on the hills, we entered the fastest part of the race, a 60kph stretch along a nice straight bit of road.
BANG! Suddenly I had cramp everywhere, I hopped out of the saddle but by this point my legs were going into full rigamortus! I was flabbergasted, what was going on? I wasn’t hurting, my RPE was around 6/10. What had happened? I fought to stay in the group but eventually lost, I was spat out the back as I wasn’t able to turn the pedals. On sitting back down I realised my knees were almost hitting me in the chin. I stopped, looked down and realised my saddle had completely dropped! It must have been sliding down throughout the race until a pothole had really finished it off. Absolute nightmare! I then had to spend the next 30 minutes explaining to serveral friends that had come a long to watch, why they didnt see me on the final lap.
Moral of the story? Don’t just check your ABC’s before a bike race. Check everything! Especially if it’s a brand new bike!
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10
5mins easy jog
then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)
Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.
Monday:
We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.
Strength:
A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift
B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat
Conditioning:
17min AMRAP
3 Power Clean (60/40)
6 Front Squat
9 Box Jump
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.
Strength:
A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups
B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row
C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock
Conditioning:
4 rounds for time:
16 Alt KB STOH
1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry
10 Burpees Over KB
30 Double Unders
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single
B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions
Conditioning
In a 3-minute window:
15 TTB
30 wall balls
AMRAP cal row
Rest 2 mins x 3
Thursday:
On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press
B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension / 15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls
Conditioning:
For time:
120 DB Hang Snatch
Every 3 mins
15/12 Cal Assualt Bike
10 Hand Release Push Ups
Friday:
Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.
Strength:
EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar
Conditioning:
In Pairs for Time:
800m run together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
100 Cal Ski
Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
80 Cal Ski
Half Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
60 Cal Ski
Car Park Run (Together)
20 Sandbag Over Bar
40 Cal Ski
ENGINE
Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?
GYMNASTICS
Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.
Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.
HYROX
Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.
MOBILITY
We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.
Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.
Wait for the drop!
Here is a little background to my disaster diary, having recently moved to London and wanting to make a good impression, I entered myself and some of my athletes into a race up in my home territory of the North East of England. Some had never raced before, so it was important for me to show them how it is done. We jumped on the train to Newcastle and planned to do a pre-race recon of the course. Before that, having just received my first London weighting paycheck, I decided to treat myself to some new deep section racing wheels. As is often the case when you walk into a bike shop, I did not end up with deepsection racing wheels I went in for, but rather a brand new bike and a cushy long term repayment scheme…
Come race day, the nerves were high, the weather was on our side and we were all fresh and excited. The new bike had been tested during the recon and rode like a dream. We were happy with the course and knew where all the dodgy potholes were. After going through our race preparations with an ABC check (air, brake, chain), we signed on and there was nothing left to do but race.
At the start line, as Sean Kelly would say, ‘the sensations were good’. The race was 4 laps of a 25km loop with a few technical climbs and some furiously flat country roads, it was going to be a fun race. The starter gun went after 1km of neutral zone which cued the game face. As the race wore on, more and more people got spat out the back after various attacks pinged off the front. I closed down a few and was feeling really good. On the start of lap 3, the bunch had whittled down from around 60 to 20 cyclists, when I had a sudden onset of fatigue. Thinking this seemed a bit off, I had a gel and took a sip from my brand new (match-the-colour-of-my-bike) water bottle, which I then threw away, a true hubbard move. After just managing to stay with the group on the hills, we entered the fastest part of the race, a 60kph stretch along a nice straight bit of road.
BANG! Suddenly I had cramp everywhere, I hopped out of the saddle but by this point my legs were going into full rigamortus! I was flabbergasted, what was going on? I wasn’t hurting, my RPE was around 6/10. What had happened? I fought to stay in the group but eventually lost, I was spat out the back as I wasn’t able to turn the pedals. On sitting back down I realised my knees were almost hitting me in the chin. I stopped, looked down and realised my saddle had completely dropped! It must have been sliding down throughout the race until a pothole had really finished it off. Absolute nightmare! I then had to spend the next 30 minutes explaining to serveral friends that had come a long to watch, why they didnt see me on the final lap.
Moral of the story? Don’t just check your ABC’s before a bike race. Check everything! Especially if it’s a brand new bike!
Wait for the drop!
Here is a little background to my disaster diary, having recently moved to London and wanting to make a good impression, I entered myself and some of my athletes into a race up in my home territory of the North East of England. Some had never raced before, so it was important for me to show them how it is done. We jumped on the train to Newcastle and planned to do a pre-race recon of the course. Before that, having just received my first London weighting paycheck, I decided to treat myself to some new deep section racing wheels. As is often the case when you walk into a bike shop, I did not end up with deepsection racing wheels I went in for, but rather a brand new bike and a cushy long term repayment scheme…
Come race day, the nerves were high, the weather was on our side and we were all fresh and excited. The new bike had been tested during the recon and rode like a dream. We were happy with the course and knew where all the dodgy potholes were. After going through our race preparations with an ABC check (air, brake, chain), we signed on and there was nothing left to do but race.
At the start line, as Sean Kelly would say, ‘the sensations were good’. The race was 4 laps of a 25km loop with a few technical climbs and some furiously flat country roads, it was going to be a fun race. The starter gun went after 1km of neutral zone which cued the game face. As the race wore on, more and more people got spat out the back after various attacks pinged off the front. I closed down a few and was feeling really good. On the start of lap 3, the bunch had whittled down from around 60 to 20 cyclists, when I had a sudden onset of fatigue. Thinking this seemed a bit off, I had a gel and took a sip from my brand new (match-the-colour-of-my-bike) water bottle, which I then threw away, a true hubbard move. After just managing to stay with the group on the hills, we entered the fastest part of the race, a 60kph stretch along a nice straight bit of road.
BANG! Suddenly I had cramp everywhere, I hopped out of the saddle but by this point my legs were going into full rigamortus! I was flabbergasted, what was going on? I wasn’t hurting, my RPE was around 6/10. What had happened? I fought to stay in the group but eventually lost, I was spat out the back as I wasn’t able to turn the pedals. On sitting back down I realised my knees were almost hitting me in the chin. I stopped, looked down and realised my saddle had completely dropped! It must have been sliding down throughout the race until a pothole had really finished it off. Absolute nightmare! I then had to spend the next 30 minutes explaining to serveral friends that had come a long to watch, why they didnt see me on the final lap.
Moral of the story? Don’t just check your ABC’s before a bike race. Check everything! Especially if it’s a brand new bike!
One-Hour Workout: Revving Your Swim Engine
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