A few weeks ago I took part in the Ratae RC 10 mile TT's on their Gilmorton course. It was a painful reintroduction to time trialling on a sporting course that is apparently at least two minutes slower than the A10/11. I feel like I've got a decent amount of training in over the winter, starting off with plenty of base miles and gradually upping the intensity as the months passed by. I'm happy to say that it seems to have paid off as I won the first two events, the first with 24'24" and then improving on that time the following week with 24'08". The third week I rode 24'08" once again, so full marks for consistency!

The course record was 22'52" until Matt Sinclair smashed it by almost a minute with 21'58". It's difficult to tell how much I've improved when riding the course for the first time this year, but comparing myself against other riders it seems my training had paid off. We'll see on Saturday when I ride the A10/11 course and hopefully beat my PB.

Results:

• 10th March
• 17th March
• 24th March

The events were really well run with marshals on every corner and a camper van serving drinks and cake at the finish. I really enjoyed racing on quiet country lanes. It may be slower, but is definitely more fun than the dual carriageway. I certainly look forward to Ratae RC's next event later in the year.

Today I rode the 100km Rutland and Beyond Audax organised by Leicester Forest CC. It's been awhile since I've ridden this sort of distance so was expecting a tough ride but surprised myself and felt strong all the way round. I think all this training is paying off.

My plan for the ride was to carry enough food to eat along the way and not need to stop other than to get my brevet card stamped. With my pockets filled with bananas and flapjacks I set off from Haynes Road at 8:30 and got into a comfortable rhythm. The group I was in broke away from the masses and after ten or so miles others from the club caught up and joined us. With a larger group the speed picked up slightly and we made it to the first control point in good time. As planned I didn't linger too long and was soon on the move again.

After the snow and freezing temperatures all week I was a bit concerned about the road conditions, but thankfully it had warmed up enough for the roads to thaw. The roads at the second control point were a bit slushy and took some bike handling skills to stay upright. Eventually we cleared the worst of it and stuck to the dry parts of the road. Back at the club house we were told of a diversion in the route to avoid an icy road, but this advice wasn't heeded by a few nutters who decided to try and ride it!

Photo courtsey of Simon

Now down to a group of three we followed the main roads until eventually rejoining the route at Illston on the Hill. As I sat up to eat yet another flapjack a rider from Leicestershire Road Club attempted to drop us but Simeon was having none of it and chased him down. We were the first group to arrive back at Haynes Road at 12:40 – completing the route in 4 hours 10 minutes.

My thanks go to Kim and his army of helpers. The event was superbly organised with an awesome spread of food at the finish. I always enjoy this hilly route and I'm looking forward to riding again next year.

What a year!

It seems like forever since I last raced, but reflecting on the 2011 season I realise just how much I achieved. It was my first full season of time trialling and I learnt a lot. In 2010 I only rode a few club events towards the end of the season but was instantly hooked and looked forward to the start of the 2011 season. I planned on training lots, but in reality I didn't actually do that much. Most weeks during the cold winter months I was only riding the Saturday morning club run and wasn't really progressing. When the club events started in May I realised how little training I had done but some how still managed to improve upon my PB. I started training more but it wasn't very structured and was a bit hit and miss. When I started riding with the club on the chain-gang ride I saw my times improve. Colin saw how enthusiastic some of the club riders were and shared some of his racing wisdom, which was very much appreciated. My training started to make more sense, had a purpose and was more specific. When I started paying more attention to the details I started smashing my PB every week and surpassed all of my season goals.

In total I raced 18 time trials, including 15 club events and three open events. I also raced three hill climbs two of which I won and the other one I came third.

2012 Goals

This year I hope to race more open events and maybe even have a crack at a few road races. Since the the season ended in October I've been focused with my training and have spent a lot of time on the bike, averaging around 10 hours/week. It's tricky trying to balance family, cycling and work but by combining commuting with training I've found I can put in the time of the bike without losing too much time elsewhere. It's a great motivator to have goals written down, and after some thought I've decided I want to achieve – it's going to take a lot of hard work but I feel they are achievable:

• Sub 21'00" 10 mile TT
• Sub 58'00" 25 mile TT
• Top 10 in the Leicestershire Series
• Top 25 in the National Hill Climb Championships
• Win the Polly Bott's Lane Hill Climb

I suppose I should get training.

It's been a couple of weeks since my last update as I've had a busy few weeks with my daughter was born. Now we've settled into a routine I've been able to go for a ride most days this week while my wife has a well deserved afternoon nap. It's great to be back in the saddle and I can't wait until Poppy is old enough to come along with me.

Week commencing 5/12/2011

Monday it was icy first thing in the morning but I had the day off so just went back to bed and set off a bit later than usual. It was my first session of muscular endurance training and I completed two 20 minute intervals at low level 3. The plan is to gradually increase the intensity of these intervals and by Base 3 be riding at threshold. I enjoyed the increase of pace but must admit I found it a bit difficult at first.

Tuesday I set off on my morning commute but soon realised my mistake when hitting sheet ice along the bike path and sliding on my butt. I was going really slowly so no damage, more of a comedy fall really. Although I do now have a graze on top of my previous graze. I headed back home and decided to walk to work instead. In the evening once the ice had cleared I set off for a 90 min level 2 ride.

Wednesday my wife was in labour.

Thursday my daughter was born!

As you may have guessed, afterwards my training went on hold for a couple of weeks.

Week commencing 28/11/2011

Monday I had the day off work again so set off a little later than usual and managed to miss most of the rush hour traffic. It was nice to not have to dodge traffic along the A47. I rode for 2 hours at level 2 along a familiar route. Probably one of the coldest days this winter and spotted patches of ice – a sign of what is to come.

Tuesday I did 90 mins at level 2 on both my morning and evening commute.

Wednesday I got a bit carried away in the morning and rode further than I should have turning my steady level 1 ride into a high level 2 ride on the way back to get to work on time. Enjoyed the feeling of adventure when trying to find a shorter route back to Leicester on some unfamiliar roads. Not much of a ride in the evening, just short two mile commute after visit to the pub for a friend's leaving drinks.

Thursday I did short recovery rides totalling 1 hour. In the evening I did some body weight squats to practice form, press ups, pull ups and core work. Need to start doing more core work.

Friday I woke early for a longer ride, just under 3 hours with a mixture of level 1 and 2. I started off in level 1 and gradually increased the pace with the last 90 minutes in level 2. Steady level 1 ride in the evening on a familiar route.

Saturday I joined the club for a ride out to Wymondham Windmill to visit the café and bike shop. We followed a great route with some nice long climbs (for Leicestershire anyway). As usual an enjoyable ride with a great bunch of people. It's just a shame there were a few too many of us to fit in the café causing the group to split.

Total of 16 1/2 hours in the saddle and 270 miles ridden.

This is the last week of Base 1. I've enjoyed having a purpose to rides and while I've been riding more hours/miles per week than ever before it doesn't feel like a chore. I'm feeling the benefits of the training already and look forward to seeing what I can achieve in 2012.

Week commencing 21/11/2011

Monday I rode for just over an hour in level 2 both in the morning and evening. Tried a new route in the evening and found some nice quiet lanes, only problem being it means crossing a busy road during rush hour – probably not ideal.

Tuesday I woke up to rain for the first time in a couple of weeks. I was going to get wet on the way to work even if I did the shortest commute, so decided to carry on and ended up doing just over an hour at level 2. In the evening the rain had stopped and I did another hour at level 2.

Wednesday morning I was feeling tired so my morning hour and a half ride was mostly low level 2. Feeling a bit better in the evening I set out for another hour and a half ride at level 2. On my way back along the Great Central Way I misjudged the width of the track when trying to avoid an oncoming cyclist and ended up off roading for a minute until eventually crashing and sliding along the gravel path. I feared the worst for the bike when I picked myself up but found only minor scruffs, it seems the pannier rack helped protect the rest of the bike. Other than a few cuts and grazes I was unharmed thankfully, although my bib tights and gloves weren't quite so lucky and need replacing. I'm going to avoid this particular route for a while and stick to the roads.

Thursday I took the day off from training to rest up and let the swelling in my knee reduce. That meant no weight training either.

Friday morning I was a little nervous at first but soon got my confidence back. My knee felt sore but just from the cuts and grazes rather than anything more serious. I eased into a steady level 1 pace and rode for an hour and a half. In the evening I did just under two hours at level 2 on a new route, probably not the best idea in the dark but eventually found my way home.

Saturday I joined the club run for a steady four hour ride. It was a mixture of level 1 and 2, but trying my best not to get too carried away as it's been a long week. On the way home the pace picked up and turned into through and off, so I practiced some skills by keeping the wheel and staying with the group without creeping into level 3 too often. Bit lazy not taking my turn but it was fun.

Biggest week so far with a total of 15 hours in the saddle.

Week commencing 14/11/2011

Monday was a forced rest day do to a mechanical, but I was glad as my legs were still sore.

Tuesday and Wednesday I did two hours at level 2 in the morning and one hour at level 1 in the evening. I found it difficult to keep the required effort for two hours and often drifted into level 1 in the remaining 30 minutes.

Thursday I did two short 30 minute commutes at recovery pace. In the evening I went to the gym to do more weight training. More of the same, 5x5 squats but this time with a slighter lighter weight and working on keeping strict form. Instead of dead lifts I practiced power cleans, which are great for building power. Starting with low weight while I learn correct form as it's quite a technical lift. YouTube has been useful for learning correct form, here is Olympic gold medalist and former World Champion weight lifter Pyrros Dimas showing how it's done:

Friday I did a two hours at level 2 in the morning. I had the day off so wasn't commuting, so it was nice to ride without panniers for a change. Felt a lot quicker but in reality I wasn't.

Saturday I couldn't join the club run in the morning so went out for a three hour endurance ride at level 1 in the late afternoon. Once the sun set the temperature dropped and the fog descended. On the quiet country lanes the visibility was terrible and I could barely see 6ft infront of me, thankfully my bike was lit up like a Christmas tree. Missed a few turnings on a new route but just followed signs and eventually ended up in the right place.

Total of 12 1/2 hours in the saddle this week. Slightly less in total than last week but more time in level 2.

After the hill climbs were over I spent a couple of weeks just enjoying riding my bike and started researching winter training methods. Last winter I didn't really do much and then panicked come April when I felt out of shape with only a few weeks to train before time trials started. I plan on tackling this winter with a training plan, focus and lots of motivation.

I've been reading both Joe Friel's training bible and Peter Read's black book, both suggest starting with an aerobic base training period. I'm going to be getting in the miles at a moderate pace on my commutes to and from the office and continuing with the longer Saturday club run. I will be utilising the lactate training levels from Peter Read's book, so my heart rate zone will be 75-85% of maximum for level 2, 65-75% for level 1 and less than 65% for recovery rides.

Week commencing 7/11/2011

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I rode an hour at level 2 in the morning and another hour at level 1 in the evening. I enjoy these longer commutes, I don't know why I've never done it before.

Thursday I had the day off the bike and did my first day weight training since this time last year. I started with squats, then pull ups and finally dead lifts. I completed 5 sets of 5 reps with a moderately heavy weight. There were a couple of track and field athletes in the gym with their coach doing a similar workout and I was impressed with their strict form. It's been a while since I've done any compound lifts so my form was no where near as good. Their coach was filming them so they could watch back afterwards, I might be cheeky and ask their coach for some tips. Next week I'm going to lower the weight slightly and try to improve my form.

Friday I was sore. Two hours at level 2 in the morning was tough, and I only managed 30 minutes at recovery pace in the evening. Even sitting on the saddle was painful with DOMS in my glutes but this is what happens when you don't do any weight training for a year!

Saturday I joined the club run but instead of sitting on the front for most of the ride like usual I sat back and took it easy. It seemed like everyone else had a similar idea though – at one point I thought we would end up in a track stand-off. Short café stop for me as I needed to get home early for a visit to the hospital to learn about giving birth. I'm braced for a hand squeezing.

Sunday was the day of well needed rest.

Total of 13 1/2 hours in the saddle this week.

I seem to be gaining a bit of a reputation in the club for my guning abilities.

Most of these photos were taken by Ian Nutt, who always seems to catch me at my best.