Sorry ... never wrote about the TOI

I never wrote anything about the Your Of Ireland, I was way too busy, and when i was not working and getting rained on. My Massive backside appeared on several cycling site too ... when Cav got lost on his way to the press conf and ended up in my brilliantly ran press office.

I have been thinking of a great idea ... of a blog. A cycling blog ... yeah ... there are many of them I know and 99% of them will be better than mine. It will start as a blog but will evolve as a proper website at some stage if I can manage it. I was chatting to a few people during the TOI who had quite successful blogs. So .. i am going to start a blog about ladies cycling stuff ... yes, well i will start by reviewing my own stuff and maybe I will be good enough and get ladies items to test out and talk about. i doubt it will be successful but who knows. I might not go through with it. It might fail. I need a good name for it and we'll start from there.

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This weekend it's the Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford. 160k in the comeragh. I was there twice last year, had a great time. I have lost 2 additional Kg I wanted to lose over the past few weeks, but lost a bit of my fitness as I haven't trained as much with the TOI and the crap weather we've been having lately. I am actually thinking of doing a short version of the 160, skipping Seskin and upper Mahon falls if I am not able. My terrible stupid asthma has been at me this week every time i have been out on the bike. I am going to the clinic this week to finally get tests done. Bloody irish health care ... took them 3 and a half months to get me in, messing up my summer season. ( that's another excise for me to be crap )

Back on Monday

TOI starts today!

For me anyway --- I am on my way to meet the press staff at the airport. We have a lot to prepare today ... I am not sure 'what', but eh, I like surprises. I will try and keep this place updated while I am on the tour. I have been awaiting this for a while. I am glad it's shorter this year, so I am not off my bike for that long. I had to get out yesterday after work for 2 hours for my cycling fix in order to survive around so much cycling without being able to cycle. I am supposed to drive home in a Tour of Ireland car today. I was thinking of visiting all my cycling friends with it to show off :)
Anyway ... I better get myself to the bus stop and grab a cuppa on the way because the day is going to be long.

Wish me good luck!

I hate obnoctious french people

Especially the ones I am currently living with. He brought back 2 eastern European ladies last night. I think they're staying for a couple of days. Anyway ... I am preparing to move house ( can't wait ) so I am trying to get all my washing done, and that means I have 2 loads drying in the kitchen at one go. I also had 1 load piled up on a chain in the kitchen. I come home to a disgusting smell of deep fired fresh fish ... you know the small smelly fishes, probably sardines of the like, and of course my clean clothes also got a nice small to them now. I am so pissed off it's not even funny. I am trying to see if the smell goes my putting all 3 loads in the garden, but really I think I am having to rewash everything again.

My blood is boiling with rage right ... I even ate all the chocolate ...

Can't climb

I have recently reached and passed the 1000km mark this year on my bike. ( remember I only started again in February after injuries ) - I am seeing my body remodelling itself, which i am very happy with, the mood is up, the metabolism is picking up, my speed is improving, my heart rate is really good however ... I can't climb a hill for to save my life. And it's not as if i am not trying. I go up them, at threshold between 166 and 172bpm, nice and easy, breathing ok, and once I've reached the top, my heard rate goes right back down in a matter of seconds... but ... I can't pull myself up a hill, i am slow as hell, always was, but you'd think by now I would be a little faster. I think my average speed on a hill is 9km/h, which is utter crap. All my cycling mates have to wait for me at the top. I have the lightest bike, I may have a few lbs to lose ( about 8 to 10max ) but I have seen heavier female riders go up a hill faster than me.

Tom and I spent Friday night re adjusting my position on the bikes, after i realised it was all wrong. Cleats were too close to my toes, the seat was too high and too far back, handles bars too high after the change of everything else. I did notice i was able to push more effectively, however, I started feeling muscle pain in the inside lower thigh, as if I was using a brand new muscle.

I am not giving up Oh No ... I will get faster, I will never be the fastest, but I will be able to pick up eventually. I manage to keep up very well on flat and i am getting less and less nervous on descents, which I used to go mad on before my crash.

I hope the boys don't lose patience as I try and get better ...

Ice Ice Baby ....

Alright... I have decided to start writing again, despite my obvious lack of style... I am not much of a writer.

I have been pretty quiet with my cycling lately due to injuries. I broke my wrist the last weekend of November during an icy spin. 6 of us ended up on our bums, me and Tom finished up at the hospital with injuries ... and I got a nice cast on for almost 8 weeks. It only came off 2 weeks ago.

I was a bit lazy during that time, I turbo’d a little, walked lot, but probably not enough to keep my weight down. I gained about 3 kg.

I have been back on the bike for a couple of weeks now. I haven’t been cycling the road bike just yet though, just the fixie for now. All is going quite well, I have lost 1 kg, I am feeling a little more energetic, I also go to the gym after work to gain some muscle back, and I am meeting with the new personal trainer next week for a few tips. If all goes well, I will have lost the nasty last stone I want to lose for the summertime spins up the mountains.

This article is very interesting although quite depressing to me ...

This winter has been pretty nasty with us cyclists lately, and this week was probably the worst of them all, with snow and ice ... all over. The Irish have NO IDEA how to deal with extrem’ish weather like this. I used to live in Canada ... and they should teach the Irish a lesson or two on snow management...so it doesn’t become a National State of Emergency like right now.

Anyway, I will try to keep this blog alive ...