It's cold!

Yesterday saw my unhappy return to numb-fingered bike mechanics. As usual for this time of year, but making detailed adjustments to parts when you have lost sensation from the elbow down is a hugely frustrating thing to do. Oh well, it's better than riding in the rain i suppose :S

Time for Training

Since completing an adequate on-and-off season of cycling, it felt right to have a brief cake binge and a sit down. This new found laziness lasted a mere few hours, before being replaced by the beginning of my winter training season. High frequency, high volume, low intensity training is supposedly the way to do it. Low intensity? Takes a while to get used to after hillclimb training, but prolonged efforts of moderate spinning become quite enjoyable after some time. An occasional sprint is part of the session, just for smiles, but the milage is what it's all about.

Lighting was a different issue entirely, though. Obviously natural light is out of the question nowadays, even 5 o'clock is a time of darkness, so using the headlamps of passing traffic and the glow of rare streetlights became a quickly acquired skill.

All fun, and all is well.

National Hillclimb

After a few months preparation and some rather hasty organisation on my part, i'd ended up on the start line of this year's CTT national hillclimb championships on Pea Royd Lane, Stocksbridge. It wasn't long before i realised how stupid cyclists were.

Cycling, not exactly world known for its amazing user friendly comfort, when combined with a 1 in 4 hill, makes up for pure torture. The legs burn, but the finish line is always that little bit further away.

Although when looking back, it was the quickest 4:18 of my life, the flashbacks of grinding in a high gear to the shouted support of fans which littered the road bring memories of pure pain to mind. And the everlasting agony approaching the finish is a horrid, vomit churning end to the event.

However, after being caught by the guys at the finish line, and enjoying a spin down to race hq whilst keeping the breakfast down, i would like to say the satisfaction is overwhelming, but i'd be lying. At that point, pain was still the predominant expression on my face, and remained so for at least another 20 minutes.

Yet, when looking upon the results board, listening to the radio announcing slower times than i had achieved, only then had the exertion felt worthwhile. But, for a day, i was an athlete competing at a national level, and support from the crowds put me on such a high. There was a definite low smile per mile ratio, but i will be back next year, to go faster, and be better. It isn't fun, but most definitely is an addiction.

Hills anyone?