Bicycle dreams

Today after work and my morning bike ride , the group I ride with on Tuesdays gathered to watch Bicycle dreams.I won't spoil it for those who have not seen it but it is worth watching if you are an endurance junkie.

Nothing is tough in conparison to riding for 12 days with minimal sleep trying to cover 3000 miles.That in a nutshell is the Race Across America ( RAAMS )

http://www.2010raamblog.com/2010/02/movie-review-bicycle-dreams.html

Here is a summary of the film from another cyclist blog : RAAMblings - Sandy's RAAM Blog: Movie Review - Bicycle Dreams

I enjoyed the film , the company and the enduring spirit of challenging ones mental and physical endurance. It is humbling . I will never see my long rides in quite the same context after watching this film.

Training has started with swimming resuming on monday and I did a 2.3km session of drills . I then ran in the evening for 50 minutes trying to maintain a 96spm .the wind was howling along the river but I managed to maintain the stride rate above 92 atleast.

Tuesday turned out to be an easy day with a casual ride around Nedlands doing loops while the rest practised their transitions.

Needed the break I think.

The 4 Dams Ride

My Map of the route slightly shorter mileage



Serpentine Dam

I finished my weeks training off with the spur of the moment decision to ride the 5 Dams ride which was on Map My Tri and is a route that Cyclo sporif ( a cycling group) plan to run in March.

The rest of the week was pretty tame in comparison . I was too sore after Tuesdays ride so I skipped training on Wednesday...just too tired and my legs were very tender after the combination Jacob's ladder run on Monday and the Tuesday ride where I clocked 62km with 25 at 35.5kph. On Thursday i rode to work again and did a couple of laps of kings Park a 6-8km loop with a steady gradual climb for 1-2km.

It was a hot day but I enjoy riding to work and it is so much quicker. Friday was the only day I swam and did a nice easy 2km swim .

Well on Friday night I decided I would ride the dams ride slowly to see how long it would take. It turn out to be my longest ride ever and the first time my wife was so concerned she was about to ring friends to see where I was.She even drove to Kalamunda to get me at 4.30 in the afternoon .I had been riding for 10.5 hours .
In the end the grind of climbing hills, the heat (it was 31C but in the hills I suspect it was a lot warmer) and no food or money left ,meant I could not finish the last dam. I suspect I did between 210 and 220 km as my computer even stopped for 4 hours. Most of it was a slow lonely ride.I now know that all the dams surrounding Perth sit at the top of HILLS. The climbing elevation for the ride was 1900m although I believe I did not do that, I came close.


I got up early enough and stuffed around watching the NBC good morning show and having breakfast before leaving the house just after 6am .It was straight into the city approximately 12-14 km and then down the Kwinana Freeway to Mundijong Road , approximately 40km south on the Freeway cyclepath.I then rode along Mundijong road and several road till I got to the base of Kingsbury Drive which was a long winding and huge climb to Serpentime Dam .Dam Number 1 took 4 hours of riding , one drinks break and map reading along the way to reach.I had only done 100km .Help....



At the turn off from the Freeway to Mundijong Road

I then followed kingsbury drive to jarradale road and then onto Albany Hwy before turning down Canning Dam Road to Dam 2 .it was hot and there were no cyclist around.
I had another drink stop and a break at which point my computer stopped working till four and a half hours later it suddenly started recording the speed and distance.



On the way to Serpentine Dam

I was rapidly running out of Bars and food and it was difficult eating in the heat.I had a couple of bottles of coke , a bottle of mocha coffee. lots of water .I estimate I drank about 8 litres. I was getting really tired. I managed to get to Dam 3 Wungong dam without too much difficulty but had to retrace my steps as I could not find the route suggested .I then rode down Albany Hwy ( Albany is a town south of Perth and approximately 350km from perth and Albany Hwy is the main thoroughfare) I rode down till I turned off toward Churchman Dam which was Dam 4. Again there was another hill to climb .It was then downhill till I got to Brookton Hwy where I had a 45 min climb to the turn off to the road to Kalamunda and where I would get my wife to pick me up .I had eventually managed to call her as there was very bad reception for mobile phones in the Hills.



Canning Dam

In the course of the ride I had a chat with a financial planner riding down the freeway for 20 mins as he was doing a short ride, got yelled at by 2 groups of Bogans but at 100kph I couldn't tell what they were yelling about...maybe they were wishing me well. I was really struggling up the hills in under 10kph but the legs were holding up well.I had no cramping issues which was good.

I got to Kalamunda a small town in the hills and about 10km from Mundaring weir Dam the last Dam I had ridden that leg many times and decided with no money or food left it would be too difficult to ride the last Dam and get home. I settled for waiting for my wife at the merchant tea rooms .Much more civilised. I had a glass of lemon lime bitters with ice and just read the travel section till she arrived with my son .

Lessons learnt . Who said there were no hills in Perth and 200 plus kms can take an awfully long time on a hot day.

Australia Day

It is Australia day today .For the past 3 years I have got up early and made my way to point Walter for the Australia Day Race .This year it sold out and I didn't want to have to pay $75 dollars for the privilege. It was going to be crowded and I decided it would be more productive keeping to my training regime.

Hence a ride at Nedlands with the group. Got up at 4.50am and I was out of the house by 5.12am .Rode the 40 minutes to Nedlands slow and easy .I was sore from last nights run . Ross had planned a 30 min hard ride with 10 min cycle and 5 minute cool down.I wasn't running so I just rode for 40 minutes.I got dropped after the first lap as I could not keep up .My legs were pretty spent.But got onto the back of Ross's group and hung in there.

Averaged 35.5kph for the 40 minutes. We had coffee at a cafe in Nedlands and then rode home by 8.30am .There was hardly any traffic around. A very nice start to Australia Day.

I sent the morning surfing the net for all things Triathlon. Came across on a fellow triathletes blog , extracts of a speech by Pulitzer Prize winner Anna Quindlen at Villanova University on June 23, 2000. It is preaching to the converted but a timely reminder and all that I enjoy about the lifestyle I have .I am able to get out and watch the sunrise , admire the beauty around me and just breathe.

Here is the link:http://pgoh13.free.fr/getalife_annaquindlen.html

Week Two

The week of training has ended quietly .I am slowly getting into the routine but mixing up my training with shorter but harder sessions.

On Saturday I skipped my longish ride and just did a spin session at the gym and rode to the gym in my mountain bike . A 1.5 hr session.

On Sunday I rode to Tony's and then swam at Cottesloe .I was having difficulty sighting and swam in a zig-zag manner making my progress painfully slow.Again I would have rode approximately 30km and that made 160 km of cycling . I plan to do more this week.

I skipped swimming this morning and ran in the evening for 45 mins .I managed to climb Jacobs ladder 5 times .(That is a staircase leading to Kings Park with approximately 100 steps ) .There were lots of boot camp trainees with their personal trainers and at least 15 people using Jacobs so at times the climb slowed to a walk. My legs were sore but it will be a regular feature in my training now.

I am trying to incorporate short but hard and intense sessions to build my strength as I slowly tackle and increase the cycling and running distances.

Focus In Art

The Arnolfini Portrait is an oil painting on oak panel dated 1434 by the Early Netherlandish painter Jan van Eyck.From Wikipedia

It is unusual that this picture would have anything to do with triathlons.

Well it doesn't . When I was studying in the UK over 20 years ago , life as a student wasn't too bad . In the year I spent in London , I did the minimum to get through but spent a number of enjoyable hours absorbing as much "culture" as I could . I especially loved musicals and the theatre but I had a very soft spot for the National Gallery.

http://nationalgallery.org.uk
It was free and the repository of some of the greatest works of art . I didn't know much about art but enjoyed the many hours wandering the galleries . It was just off Trafalgar and Soho and whenever I had a spare moment I would wander in .Not to learn but to admire.

One picture in particular and I don't know why that I would always gravitate to is the Arnolfini portrait (above) (painted in 1434) by Jan Van Eyck died 1444 .

I learnt many years later watching one of the docos on painters that Van Eyck painted this couple probably at the request of Mr Arnolfini in memory of his wife. The painting is full of symbolism . There are lots and I won't give an essay on the painting surfice to say if interested there is a good summary on wikepedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnolfini_Portrait

Here are a few of the items in the painting with significant symbolism and meaning :

* It is also believed that the couple is already married because of the woman’s headdress. A non-married woman would have her hair down, according to Margaret Carroll. [21]

* The cherries on the tree outside the window may symbolize love. The oranges which lie on the window sill and chest may symbolize the purity and innocence that reigned in the Garden of Eden before the Fall of Man.[22] They were uncommon and a sign of wealth in the Netherlands, but in Italy were a symbol of fecundity in marriage.[23] The fruit could more simply be a sign of the couple’s wealth since fruit was very expensive during this time. [24]

* The cast-aside patten clogs are possibly a gesture of respect for the wedding ceremony and also indicate that this event is taking place on holy ground, although these were normally only worn outside. Husbands traditionally presented brides with clogs.[22] It can also be seen as indicative of domestic stability and tranquility.

Everytime I went back there was something new to learn or discover about the painting. Van Eyck was clearly a genius and a very good painter .

It is controversial in so far that there are many interpretations of what the picture means. For me it was and is a source of great memories and just a nice picture.

When I look back now , I see an artist who was great now as he was then and the focus , the dedication , the talent , the patience , the genius to produce such a work of art .

For me , we can all take away a lesson no matter how obscure the subject matter or experience . The Arnolfini Portrait is about many emotions . First and foremost , a memory of a time in my life , a great painting and about a great artist and focus. Evrytime you look you see something new and learn something new as I have.

As it is with triathlons. I learn as I grow in the sport . I talk to lots of people and I try my best to put together what works for me .It is a process of patience and error.

Cheats disqualified

Cheats disqualified

A story about runners in China cheating in a marathon. I would think that the one thing you learn in sports , there are no short cuts.

What A Long Bike Race

Continuing from the initial email from Rod , The duo are now into the race Tour D'Afrique .Rod sent a short email about the first 3 stages .

Hey gang sorry we did not email you before we left but the email at the hotel was down the night before we left. Here is the email I was going to send on January 15:

"This is our last night in Cairo. WE have been living off of local street food for the last week and are loving it. Fresh pita bread, felafels, koshery (lentils, rice, pasta with sauce), fuuel (refried beans), bottled water. The main reason is because the street food is so tasty but also it is 1/10 the price of the food in the hotel.
We leave in the morning a 6am and our race #'s are 101 and 102. As I am sure you can imagine the air is electric with excitement, anxiety and trepidation. Surprisingly, we are both quite calm; definitely calmer then some.
We are both healthly and ready to start. Our next rest day is Luxor in a week, will try to email you then."

Today is January 19, we are camping at a hotel on the beach, some have gotten rooms for the night; all got showers. I have showered for the first time since Cairo and washed a few clothes. We now recap the last few days since we left Cairo.

Jan 16 - Got up fricking early like 4:30am, convoy to the pryamids, presentations, photos, convoy out of Cairo - so slow. It took about 4.5 hours to cover 43Km. Once the convoy was over the race was one and the fast boys flew down the road, we did a moderate pace holding about 30km/h and they left us. We had a small group 5-7 people working well together and in the end Juliana won the stage for the women in a sprint. The day was 128k and we rode for 5:57. That night was a desert camp.

Jan 17 - This was the long distance day 165km - 6:37. We were again in a decent group to lunch doing just over 30km/h. We did have to stop once for a pinch flat, the result of hitting a pot hole. After lunch we hit a strong head wind with 60km to go and were reduced to 15km/h and working fairly hard as a group of 4. Gizzy won the stage for the women by about a bike length again in a sprint. This was also a desert camp. The heavens opened throwing wind, rain, hail, lightening and hunder at us. Apperently, quite rare - I feel lucky to have witnessed it. About 20 people lost EFI status today. We did not sleep well. Again he front group of males was no were to be seen - I think about an hour ahead of us.

Jan 18 - 145k - 4:38. The winds changed and pushed us to the next desert camp. Because of the rain the police stopped us at a check point and would not let us continue. The staff did some negiotiations and 30 minutes later we were off. The interesting thing in Egypt is that tourisms is 40% of their GNP so they really want tourists (us) to be safe, so we have been escorted the entire time by police (at least 3 cars), who also arrange for night security to watch over us - everone of them is armed. This camp ended up to be 10km further down the road then planned due to some flooding concerns so the day ended with a 10km neutral zone - no racing. Juliana won the stage for the women by a bike length, uncontested. This night the wind was crazy strong. We could not put the fly on or close the doors as the force of the wind would collapse the tent. We curled up in our bags but the wind whipping over us was freezing. To solve this we wrapped the tent fly anround the outside of our bags - nice and toasty.

Jan 18 - 83k, 3:03. The winds were not as strong as yesterday but still at our backs. We rolled into Safaga at about 10:30. The group we roded with today was defintely resting, just what we needed. Did alittle bike maintenance but bikes and us are in good shape.

We will try to email again from Luxor - Friday.

Rod and Juliana

The second email:

Hey gang

Some of you have figured out that their are twitter updates. For those of you who haven't there are directions on the Tour Blog. Please note that the results on the tour site are wrong. I am guessing that I am about 5th or 6th; Juliana and Gizzy are tied for 1st female, with the same time and 3 wins a piece.

Today is January 21 and we rode 95km from a desert camp into Luxor in just under 3hrs. The group we were riding with was 9 people strong with a few other hangers-on that did not last. So we got to camp at 10am, set-up camp, showered, ate, then ate some more and now email. Today, Gizzy won but it was uncontested with everyone in the group (Gizzy and Juliana) getting the same time. The lead group was about 15 minutes ahead.

Yesterday, we left Safaga and rode 138km at 22.5km/h - it was a hard day. The first 40km was uphill, I mean all uphill not a single flat or downhill section. Granted it was a gradual climb of 2% but still it just went on and on. Also, I woke up feeling pretty bad - stomach trouble but by lunch (65km) it had sorted itself out. After lunch it was down hill at 2% but with a crazy headwind that more then nullified any descending benefit. Juliana won this staged, uncontested. Once again we were the second group on the rode. The fast group had some dramas today with Marcel breaking a spoke. I think he realises that his wheel choice is not a good one - his front wheel has 18 spokes and the back has 24 - compared to everyone else running 32 or 36 spokes. (larger number = stronger).

It is fair to say that everyone is glad to have a rest day. Time to recovery alittle, bike maintenance, wash, eat sweets and recharge batteries.

We are feeling good.

Rod and Juliana

Definitely wish I was there and it possibly is a ride worth considering. I may not be able to do the whole ride but some of the stages look amazing.