40 Goals

As a Google Earth (KML) or a Garmin Training Centre (TCX) file can be downloaded here .  Please note:  this is NOT the official route since (a) I start half way round in Cranleigh and do the first half AFTER the second half and (b) I skip the staples lane climb, which is a habit I should break! 

Not religious, except about weight loss. So I'm giving up Chocolate, Sweets, Biscuits and Cake for Lent, which runs from today 'Ash Wednesday' through to Good Friday. That's 40 days and 40 nights of hell! So to keep a tab on it all I'm keeping a food diary right here on this blog entry. Should make for a scintilating read (not!). No comments on how crap my diet is. I know I should eat more fruit and veg. I know caffeine is bad for me. I know that I should vary my diet more. :-) Ash Wednesday 25th February 8am Cup of Filter Coffee, 1 sugar 8am Round of Toast and Butter 8am Bran Flakes, Natural yoghurt, berry compote, skimmed milk 9am Tea, 2 sugars 10am Starbucks Coffee, 2 sweeteners 1pm Sandwich: Bacon, Avacodo and Chicken on Farmhouse Granary 1pm Can of San Pellegrino Fizzy Orange 3pm Cup of tea, 2 sugars 4pm cup of tea, 2 sugars 8pm DISASTER! dropped pesto and pasta on floor - v. small portion consumed 8pm couple of jacob's crackers with a bit of cheese 9pm Wil...

I had some residual fatigue from the double commute I did on Friday but managed pretty well. It was a little windy but in gusts rather than a constant breeze. I nearly came a cropper with side winds, glad I didn't have deep section wheels. The ride was a milestone for me, a route I've ridden extensively in the past and very demanding with plenty of steep climbs from 10% through to 18% and 21%. I was worried I would fatigue since the majority of my riding has been in the 2hr ballpark, but I was absolutely fine. A ride time of 4:15 is up there with some 0f my better times, 4hr being my PB. So I've drawn a line in the sand. And more importantly I'm not scared of the ride anymore and so will be incorporating it into my weekend long ride from now on. Roll on the spring!

Good weekend for some new milestones :- First (windy) Tour of the Surrey Hills of the season 4:15 NP239 AP205 Hit 3064 miles for the season, 887 of which were on the turbo Build Phase has started in my periodosed plans CTL hits 90 (temporarily) as a result of todays hard effort FTP is 275w and looking suspiciously in need of another test :-)

I despair. If its not bad enough that Apple wanted my credit card details within 20 seconds of me installing itunes, that the ipod is not user maintainable, that they believe in closed proprietary and downright monopolistic practices ... my second, replacement for a broken, ipod has now gone fubar within 7 days. Update : see dopisp f or a way of using Windows Media Player with an Ipod and uninstall  itunes forever. Ipods are supposed to be a  portable music player -- why do they break if you don't treat them like a fucking faberge egg? I've come to the conclusion that the typical Apple iWhore only fits one profile and that ain't me, typically they; iMagpie - Cannot see beyond shiny iMage not Substance - aspire to a consumerist ideal or lifestyle Low iQ - have too much disposable income -or- a lower than average intelligence iDoWhatYouLetMe - don't object to having their behaviours controlled by an organisation Lastly, I'd guess a large number of them also are; iClu...

Since getting back on the bike in August I've been tracking my FTP in wko+. Mostly by using a full bore 40k ride as my benchmark, a ride I call the "Billingshurst Loop". When I started in August it took me 1:27, my latest best is 1:15.  I use the NP for this ride because it is a little lumpy (which is unavoidable where I live). The results tend to stack up very, very well with 20min turbo tests as well. Whilst my target for FTP is basically "as high as I can get it" I still like to set targets and track progress towards them. Hence the graph. The linear and curved trend lines are based upon the data collected. I tend to believe that future progress will not be as dramatic as past progress so believe the end FTP of 290 is a reasonable target. However, the linear target of 320 is not impossible. I'd be delighted with anything approaching 300w, and unlike in 2007, this time I know EXACTLY how many watts I do day to day. In 2007 I hit an FTP of 294w for an outdo...