My first brevet

Its a long long time...

2006-03-12T09:29:00.000+02:00

Since I updated the blog. Perhaps its the anti-climax after two hectic months ? I do not know but I did not intend to stop writing.

The "brevet" in the broad sense continues and there are many more challanges up the road. I do not think that I will participate in any more brevets this year as I do not have the time I would like to prepare for them. The next 200km one invlolves a fair bit of climbing which is not my specialty. I think I can do it if I try but it will be a lonely brevet as I am as slow as a snail on the uphills and anyone riding along me will be tortured.

Next year I will try to do as many as I can !!!

Although I stopped writing, I have not stoped cycling. After the brevet its like a revelation !! Its like I am cashing in on an enormous aerobic system !! The difference in my recoveries and stamina are amazing !!! What I am lacking now is (if I can describe it technically) endurance at higher heart rates (i.e. at time trial mode, hill climbing etc) and that is beacause (perhaps) for the last three months I have been avoiding crossing into the red line zone like the plague.

This is what I am working at the moment and my large aerobic base makes it easier !!!

Ohhh and by the way I completed one of my New Years resolutions - the Pissia Climb

The main aim now is to lose weight and a lot of it.

2006-02-19T15:02:00.000+02:00

(The 200kilometres !!)

I am so happy that I cannot describe it. The brevet is over and I am alive and kicking! Something that was fixed in my mind from the day I got the road bike is finished and I achieved my aims.

Saturday morning then and I got to the start line nice and early. I made sure about 100 times that I had with me what I needed - in fact I carried in my car a lot more so that I can cover all eventualities (this is called inexperience). All kinds of jerseys, gloves, head warmers, shoe covers etc, food to last me 1000 kilometres.... you get the point.

As I got ready more and more people arrived creating a wonderful atmosphere. To be honest, and I was overwhelmed by the feeling of participating in a large cycling event. There were about 130 cyclists, which is a lot by Greek standards, of all ages, shapes and sizes. I got ready and soon the start was given. Off we went, a mass of colourful cyclists progressing slowly along the main town road. To my inexperienced mind it felt like a Tour De France start!!!

(The Start)

On those the first kilometres the different groups started to form. A very fast group comprising of athletes and hammerheads formed quickly and disappeared. Behind them smaller groups and somewhere in the back me and three of my friends that had agreed to stay together. I was anxious in the start as I never cycled with so many people around me but I soon settled into a rhythm and started the first conversations. Talking I thought would be a very good ‘rev limiter’ – as long as I can talk easily on the bike it means that I am in the aerobic zone!!!

The first ascends came soon. To be honest they were a lot easier than I initially thought but I played safe and put the granny gear in good use. I did not want to 'burn my legs' at all and spun my way to the top. In one of those ascend we met with a group of older riders. They were a group of older riders (mid 50s to mid 60s) but as I soon discovered they were the founding members of PEPA – a club comprising of retired athletes and bike enthusiasts and the organisers of the event. Most of the people in that group had countless brevets under their belt so I could not have wished for a better group to join.

So we got together and formed a bigger group and kept going towards Xylokastro. For me they were the perfect group for the occasion. Experienced - not too fast but not too slow. I was watching them and tried to do the same things - when to drink, when to eat, when to stand up from the saddle. Looking at them was a constant reminder to me of what to do.

We finished the first 55kilometres, crossed the Canal and after a short break to stretch properly and eat some food we headed toward the sea.

(Me at the first stop - am I smiling again ?)

Now the route was flat and we picked up speed but we were still going slower than I would like. I was tempted many times to increase the tempo but I had in my mind the advice "Go slower than you would like". As we approached the half way point we saw the faster groups that were on their way back. It was one of the happiest moments of this ride as I saw many familiar faces and greeted each other. Yes I was part of this brevet and this time I was not going to hear or read of other people’s experiences but I would be part of this ride myself.

We passed through the villages and we steadily reached the first control point. We were one of the last groups but nobody cared. So we sat down stretched some more and filled our water bottles and started to make our way back.

I felt great - 100 kilometres had passed and I was not tired at all, no pain anywhere, just my feet and toes were starting to tickle me but nothing major. I took off my shoes and massaged my toes a bit, in order to get blood flowing into them properly. I stretched a bit, ate and drank, filled my bottles and all the group started its journey back. Half of the PEPA group stayed behind as they had completed their objective of doing just the 100kilometres.

We set off and now the pace got faster. We were averaging 28 to 30kph and made very good progress. I really enjoyed it as we rotated in the mini peloton and took turns to pull. I felt good – I do not want to exaggerate but the first 100 kilometres looked like a very good warming up and now I felt as strong as ever. The moderately fast pace did not bother me at all and I was smiling like the village idiot!!!

We reached the Canal again in good time. The Canal, being such a scenic spot has become a mandatory stop for all buses passing through on their way to or from the Peloponnese. Therefore, many coffee shops have opened around the canal which sell food and refreshments to the tired traveller. We sat in one of those shops and ordered ……. kebabs and beer. Oh my …oh my… after 150 kilometres of riding these were very tasty kebabs!! We ate, drank and joked … we listed to the bike stories of the older gentlemen who really inspired me. They rode very strong despite their age and showed me that I can ride

We decided to start again and we obviously were a bit stiff after such a long break. Thank God, the first kilometres after the Canal were downhill so we warmed up by the time we reached the dreaded ascends. I asked everybody to go in their own pace as I hit the ascends. A bit tired by now but I knew the trick – granny gear and spin like crazy. So I did and although I was dead last on the ascend I felt ok – on the descend and the flat I would catch up and on the ascend I would fall behind. The first group of ascends were over now and I decided to become a bit more adventurous. I increased the pace and made a couple of short ‘time-trial’ runs. I felt very good and joked with keoman and ttoppouzokypraios. I reached the second and last set of ascends and this time I decided to ‘attack’ them. I now felt some pain in my legs and it felt so good. I pedalled harder and and harder and

The ascends were over, the descends were over and we were approaching the city of Elefsina. The odometer showed about 197 kilometres as we entered the city and made our way toward the finish line. I called my wife to tell her I was OK and enjoyed the last few kilometres of the experience. The finish was near and

We crossed the finish line were we were greeted by some other friend- CKessinis was there to take pictures of these moments. Thank you very much Costa for the excellent photos.

(Me finishing - yes I am smiling !!)

I dismounted and made my way to Mr Plegas the organiser who stamped my card. He offered all of us a piece of cake and again it tasted like heaven. I could not believe that the 200 kilometres were over. What a fantastic experience I just went through. I was so happy to have completed it - a dream goal come true !! Now I started to feel the pain – my back was hurting and my legs that were ok to cycle could not really walk very good. But who cares ? I made it to the finish with a lot of strength to spare and that is what mattered to me.

(The Team - ttoppouzokypraios, me, boardman, Mr. Spiros, keoman, inferno, Aria, Mr. Costas)

(Cyprus Armada - ttoppouzokypraios, me , keoman, enjoying our cake after the finsih. Thank you guys, I would not attempt it without you)

Its over then…until the next one I guess !!

Here are some vital stats

Distance : 201.2km
Total Ascend : 895metres
Average HR : 147bpm
Average speed : 24kph
Average Cadence : 78rpm
Total Ride Time : 8hrs 24min

(Polar data)

First post brevet report

2006-02-19T11:28:00.000+02:00

Μόλις ξύπνησα και όλα μια χαρά, στην θέση τους και σε λειτουργική κατάσταση !! Το Βρεβέ τελείωσε...κάτι που είχε καρφωθεί στο μυαλό μου από την μέρα που πήρα την Σπανιόλα (μην πω ο λόγος που την πήρα ήταν το Μπρεβέ ) και μου είχε γίνει σκοπός από τις αρχές Δεκεμβρίου.

Εγώ σαν στόχο είχα να τερματίσω, να νιώσω άνετα, να το χαρώ σαν γιορτή και να μην υποφέρω !!! Αποστολή εξετελέσθη !!!

Έφτασα εκεί από τους πρώτους μαζί με την Κυπριακή Αρμάδα και τον Βορδμαν. Χτυπήσαμε καρτούλες και άρχισα να ετοιμάζομαι. Σε λίγο γέμισε ο τόπος με ποδήλατα και ποδηλάτες. Μια φοβερή πολυχρωμία ..σαν καλειδοσκόπιο ήταν. Βρήκα φίλους που είχα πολύ καιρό να δω .... όλοι έτοιμοι για το βρεβε.

Ξεκινήσαμε λοιπόν. Μέρος του μπουλουκιού και ο ΚΔΚ ο οποίος άρχισε να παραμιλά από την χαρά του. Θυμόμουνα τις εκκινήσεις του TdF και τρελαινόμουν. Μόνο ο κόσμος έλειπε να χτυπά ρυθμικά. Τα γκρουπάκια άρχισαν να σχηματίζονται. Εμείς πηγαίναμε με ένα τουριστικό ρυθμό - περίπου 25 με 28 αλλά οδηγός ήταν η καρδιακή μου συχνότητα. Να μείνω κάτω από τους 155. Ένιωθα πολύ δυνατός αλλά ακολουθώντας τις συμβουλές από έμπειρους randonairs πίεσα τον εαυτό μου να μην παρασυρθεί. Άρχισε και η ΚΕΟ-κουβέντα (όσοι έχετε ποδηλατίσει μαζί του ξέρετε !!) και ο χρόνος πέρναγε όμορφα.

Στις πρώτες ανηφόρες έβαλα σε δράση το σχέδιο Α - Granny Gear por favor και στροφάρισμα - σκοπός ήταν να μην επιβαρύνω τους μυς των ποδιών αλλά το αεροβικό μου σύστημα (που είναι πολύ καλύτερα γυμνασμένο). Εκεί συναντήσαμε τον Ινφέρνο και την Άρια, ή οποία είχε ξεκινήσει για να πάει μέχρι το Μεγάλο Πεύκο και έφτασε Ξυλόκαστρο χωρίς να το καταλάβει !!!! Εκεί μας βρήκαν και οι κύριοι από την ΠΕΠΑ

Ένα γκρουπάκι από μεγάλους σε ηλικία ποδηλάτες αλλά με απίστευτη εμπειρία και δύναμη. Με αμέτρητες Σπαρτακιάδες στα πόδια τους, με βρεβέ απο Γενεύη Αθήνα !! Τι να πεις τώρα. Για εμένα προσωπικά ούτε παραγγελία να είχα τέτοιο γκρουπ. Βλέποντας τι κάνανε οι πιο έμπειροι έμαθα πάρα πολλά – τους έβλεπα πότε πίνανε, πότε σηκωνόντουσαν από την σέλλα και έτσι είχα μια μόνιμη υπενθύμιση να κάνω και εγώ τα ίδια. Πηγαίναμε σχετικά αργά αλλά πολύ στρωτά και σε μια στάση για να αγοράσουμε νερό καμιά 15αριά χιλιόμετρα έξω από το Ξυλόκαστρο είδα από μακριά ένα τσούρμο από ποδηλάτες να πλησιάζει – έρχονται παιδιά φώναξα και καθίσαμε στην άκρη να τους ζητωκραυγάσουμε. Πρώτο-πρώτος ο Λίμας (νο ΜΤΒ) οδηγούσε το γρήγορο γκρουπ σαν λυσσασμένος. Και πάνω στην λύσσα του με είδε και με χαιρέτισε. Κάτι σαν «…..Κώστα» φώναξε και πέρασαν από μπροστά μας με τρελή ταχύτητα.

Ξεκινήσαμε και εμείς λοιπόν προς Ξυλόκαστρο και εκεί σε αυτό το κομμάτι τις διαδρομής με πιάσανε τα ζουμιά. Βλέποντας τους ποδηλάτες να έρχονται συνειδητοποίησα που ήμουνα και μόνο η συμμετοχή και ο (το ήξερα πια) σίγουρος τερματισμός με συγκίνησαν. Για ορισμένους ίσως φαίνεται απλό η δεδομένο, αλλά για εμένα που μέχρι τα 34 μου η σχέση μου με τον αθλητισμό σε οποιαδήποτε μορφή ήταν η ίδια σχέση που έχει το νερό με το λάδι, αυτό με έκανε να δακρύσω. Τέλος πάντων, τα ζουμιά περάσανε, και άρχισα να διακρίνω του φίλους που γυρνάγανε – Να ο Κίμωνας,........ ο Τάκης.........ο Ηλίας...............ο Δόκτορας ...............να και ο Κύνουρος και ο Κανάκης............ Φωνές και ζητωκραυγές κάθε φορά που διασταυρωνόμασταν με τα παιδιά.

Φτάσαμε στο Ξυλόκαστρο ...σφραγίσαμε καρτούλες και κάναμε μια ολιγόλεπτη στάση για να φάμε και να τεντωθούμε. Εκεί μας άφησαν οι μισοί κύριοι τις ΠΕΠΑ οι οποίοι είχαν σκοπό μόνο τα 100 και μείναμε οι Ινφερνο, ΚΕΟ, ττοππ, Βορδμαν, ΚΔΚ και ο κύριος Κώστας, ο κύριος Σπύρος και ένας άλλος κύριος από την ΠΕΠΑ.

Ο ρυθμός μας πια αυξήθηκε. Μπροστά μπήκανε οι ΠΕΠΑτζήδες και με ρυθμό 30kph αρχίσαμε τον γυρισμό. Κάναμε αλλαγούλες και φτάσαμε πολύ γρήγορα στον Ισμθό για τα πολυπόθητα σουβλάκια και μπύρες. Καθίσαμε απολαύσαμε την παρέα, φάγαμε, ήπιαμε και ξεκινήσαμε για το τελευταίο κομμάτι. Ξανά με γοργό ρυθμό και ακούγοντας την συμβουλή του κ. Κώστα δεν έβλεπα τον χιλιομετρητή. Μου είπε – «μην βλέπεις χιλιόμετρα γιατί δεν θα τελειώσουν ποτέ. Απλά απόλαυσε την διαδρομή και λέγε ότι σε λίγο θα φτάσουμε στο τάδε μέρος κλπ και η διαδρομή θα βγεί νεράκι». Πόσο δίκαιο είχε !!! (αλίμονο με τόσες χιλιάδες χιλιόμετρα να μην έχει δίκαιο).

Όπως τα περίμενα στις ευθείες πήγαινα κούκλα, στις ανηφόρες Έτσι στην Κακιά Σκάλα έσπασε το γκρούπ (ο κ. Σπύρος είναι απλά ΑΠΙΣΤΕΥΤΟΣ) και έμεινα πιο πίσω με τους άλλους friends. Kυπριακή παροικία μαζί, Βορδμαν κάπου πιο μπροστά, Ινφέρο πιο πίσω για μια .....ανάγκη και πηγαίναμε. Όποτε ίσιωνε ο δρόμος όμως και αφού ένιωθα δυνατός άρχισα τα σπριντάκια και φτάναμε τον Βόρδμαν ...... ο ΚΕΟ ακολουθούσε παρόλο τον πόνο στον γόνατο (τι xefo ρε Κύνουρε ...... 2 heineken κάνανε καλύτερη δουλειά), ο ττόππυς στον κόσμο του με ένα τεράστιο γέλιο πάντα δίπλα μου.

Στο Μεγάλο Πεύκο,νομίζω, βρήκαμε και τους ΠΕΠΑτζίδες που είχαν σταματήσει για νερό και βγάλαμε τα τελευταία χιλιόμετρα όλοι μαζί. Μπήκαμε στην Ελευσίνα και (πως τα κατάφερε) μας οδήγησε ο ττοππυς από πλατείες, πεζοδρόμια και χωματόδρομους στο λιμανάκι όπου μας περίμενε ο Χάρης Πλέγας να σφραγίσει τις κάρτες μας. Η βασιλόπιττα που μας έδωσε ήταν η πιο νόστιμη που έφαγα ποτέ !!!!

Έφτασα σπίτι όχι πολύ κουρασμένος (όχι όσο θα περίμενα). Έκανα το μπανάκι και με βάλανε κάτω οι γυναίκες μου και με έτριψαν- Ένα χέρι η μικρή, ένα πόδι η μεγάλη, την πλάτη η σύζυγος. Ευτυχία στο ΑΠΟΛΥΤΟ !!!

Πάπαλα λοιπόν !!!! Καταρχήν ένα μεγάλο ευχαριστώ στην σύζυγο που με ανέχτηκε τόσο καιρό. Μετά στους ΤΤΟΠΠ και ΚΕΟ που με σπρώξανε πρίν 3-4 μήνες να πάρω την μεγάλη απόφαση με τα λόγια τους "Αν πάς δεν θα είσαι μόνος σου σε καμία στιγμή". Αυτά ήταν καθοριστικά για να το κάνω. Για εχθές να ευχαριστήσω και τον Βόρδμαν που έμεινε μαζί μας και ελπίζω να μην βαρέθηκε. Έχασε το ραντεβού που είχε κανονίσει στις 2 λέει αλλά χαλάλι Μπράβο στην Άρια πού ήρθε για μια βόλτα και τις βγήκε 100άρα !!!! Τον Ινφέρνο τον βρετο-καφρο που κάθε φορά που περνάγαμε απο κατοικημένη περιοχή ζωντάνευε και ένιωθε στο στοιχείο του !!! Τους κύριους τις ΠΕΠΑ για τις συμβουλές τους αλλά και πιο πολύ για το ότι είναι ολοζώντανο παράδειγμα ότι μπορούμε να κάνουμε τα απίστευτα με το ποδήλατό μας ανεξάρτητα ηλικίας. Επίσης μπράβο στον Χάρη τον Πλέγα. Και για την οργάνωση, και για το ενδιαφέρον του.

Τώρα για το επόμενο 200άρι δεν με βλέπω.. ούτε για το 400άρι το οποίο πρέπει να είναι πανέμορφο αλλά πολύ δύσκολο για εμένα. Του χρόνου ίσως. Το σίγουρο είναι ότι δεν τελείωσα με τον δρόμο. Μάλλον τώρα αρχίζω. Έχουμε μπροστά ακόμα πολλούς Βαρβάρους να κατατροπώσουμε – Σπαρτακιάδα, 400άρια και άλλα τρελά.

Άντε τώρα που τελειώσαμε με το βρεβέ να ασχοληθώ και λίγο με τα βουνά.

The above is a post in the Greek language (obviously) which I made in the Cyclist Friends forum. A translation and photos will follow.

Veni vedi vinci

2006-02-18T20:26:00.000+02:00

Done !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Completed, finished and I am still as strong as a bull !! What a fantastic experience!

I am going to eat now, sleep and hopefully tomorrow I will come back with the story and some photos.

B day

2006-02-18T17:04:00.000+02:00

Its five o'clock in the morning and everything is nicely packed in the car. We need to stamp our cards by 7:30 as the start is due by 8:00.

I will try to write again later today.

No comment !!!

2006-02-16T23:20:00.000+02:00

B day minus 2 ....

2006-02-16T17:03:00.000+02:00

Everything is set - equipment ready, medical check complete ... tonight I am going to collect the card.

I am very excited and really look forward to Saturday. I am not 100% happy with what I have done over the last two months. I really should have a 140 to 150km ride under my belt but.... I will not cry over spilt milk.

The route is mainly flat. The first section, from Elefsina to the Corinth Canal has some ascends but from what other friends have told me they are reasonable. This first part runs along the Saronic Gulf and although the area has been heavily mutilated by 'industrialisation' it is nevertheless quite beautiful and full of history.

We start from Elefsina, a holy place of the Ancient Greeks and especially the Athenians. It is the place of the Elefsinian Mysteries, a celebration to the goddess Demetra (Ceres). Now it is one of the ugliest parts of Attica as it is infested with Oil Refineries, Shipyards and other heavy industry factories.

As we will ride towards the Canal, on our left we will have the Salamis Straights, where one of the most important battles in the history of western civilisation took place in those waters. The Salamis Battle, where the Athenian Navy defeated the Persians. After their defeat (and a subsequent land defeat) the Persians withdrew for ever from Greece.

Further down the road is Kakia Skala ("Evil Ladder"). This used to be a very narrow and extremely dangerous passage on the way to Athens. The mountains dip into the sea and in the ancient times a traveller going to Athens from the Peloponnese had to cross this cliff-side passage or circumvent the mountains. Here is the place mentioned in the ancient myth of Thiseas, where a thief would throw unsuspecting travellers down the cliff where they would be eaten by a sea monster. Thiseas of course killed both of them and made the passage safe for everyone. On his way to Athens to claim his throne he killed a couple of other nasty characters making the route safer for all. We will not need Thiseas' services as the road is fine these days, but this will be the place of the steepest ascends of the whole route.

After Kakia Skala we will approach the Corinth Canal where another ascend will be waiting for us and cross over to the Peloponnese. We will go outside modern day Corinth, with the awesome ancient fortress visible in the distance. After Corinth the route is absolutely flat. We will ride along the Corinthian Gulf this time, and pass through many villages before we reach the city of Xylocastron, where we will turn around and follow the same route back to Elefsina

(Corinth Canal - Image from www.alcyonsailing.gr)

I plan to take the fist 50kms easy and will discipline myself to maintain an aerobic heart rate throughout. I will follow the advice of other experienced randonneurs and will not be tempted by faster riders no matter how strong I feel. I do not want to tax my muscles on the ascends so my triple crankset will become very handy. I hope my friends will not be bored to death with that pace……

After Corinth, hopefully I will be well warmed up and as the next 100kms are flat I will increase the pace. I believe that a average speed of 23 to 25kph is feasible without killing my legs. This will be the fun part of the ride!!!

So at the 150km mark we will be back to the Canal. In the best non-roadie tradition we will have a stop grab something to eat (a couple of smallish kebabs). The last 50kms (the historical ones!!) is what I am afraid the most as the ‘easy’ ascends and descends will now look daunting after 150kms. On the other hand I am looking forward to that part of the ride in order to give myself a good challenge.

That is the ‘battle-plan’. I will try to remember to eat and drink frequently on the bike and also move around on the saddle and do some stretching while on the bike in order to delay the onset of numbness and pain.

I now see that brevet as a ‘party-ride’ and I am really looking forward to participate. I cannot wait.

B day minus 3.....

2006-02-15T17:03:00.000+02:00

Ok three more days to go. I had my medical test today - a full check up. I need a doctor's certificate in order to participate and I took the opportunity to have a complete medical - blood and urine test / chest x-ray / eye test / other test and of course a ...heart test.

It was quite funny - as I have previously mentioned, my physique does not cry out "He is an athlete!!!" So I get ready for the heart tests and the doctor plugs me into his ECG machine. I am resting on his examination bench and I see a surprise in his face - I do not think that he expected that my resting hear rate was so low (in the high 50s) for a person in my shape. So he puts me on the treadmill and we start the stress test. As I was walking I could see my heart rate on the monitor - it rose to 100 and as the test progressed it started to fall and stabilised in the 90s. The next level it stabilised again and I was enjoying that the doctor's face was happy. He took my blood pressure at every stage and noted it down. The machine increased the pace every couple of minutes and it also increased the incline. I was now starting to feel the pain - not in my heart thank god but in my butt muscles that were trying to stabilise me on the now steep and fast treadmill - and then disaster. The treadmill (probably an old one) could not keep up with my weight and started making funny noises. It was starting and stopping and I could not carry on the test as it became dangerous. So he stopped it and put me on the bed to rest.

After I got dressed I asked him the question :

KDK -"I need a paper from you doc, which states that I am fit to participate in an athletic event" (how the hell do you explain what a brevet is!)

Doc - "Running?"

KDK -"No cycling!!"

Doc - "Cycling ? How many kilometres?" he said full of surprise.

Hmmm I thought - if that guy hears 200kms he will either refuse or call the psychiatrist next door to examine me.

KDK -"Well doc, its not a race, it’s like a long stroll, nothing demanding, but you see the organisers need a medical note - its beuracracy really " I said in my most inoccent manner.

Doc - "Well, ok" he said and wrote something.

DONE!!!! Tomorrow I am going to enrol.

By the way I am looking forward to the blood/urine results on Monday in order to compare them to the ones I had 2 years ago (same weight but still a smoker with no training) AND the ones of four years ago (+30kilos, smoker and absolutely no training).

B day minus 4.....

2006-02-14T16:44:00.000+02:00

Equipment check :

A) The Bike - The Spanish Lady (Carmen) is fine. I washed and polished her yesterday and she’s ready to go. The chain is oiled, the tyres are fine with not signs of wear and the derailleurs work smoothly. The brake pads are in good shape and the wheels are almost (!!) straight. I did not get a new pair as I have not lost the weight I planned and so I do not 'deserve' them. But at the first opportunity I will change the wheelset. The saddle works perfectly - I had also bought some 'gel equipped' cork tape but have not bothered to change it...

B) Clothes - The Assos bibs are fantastic. They fit perfectly (very suprised as I am a large guy and I am not shaped like your classic cyclist). The padding worked fine for a 80km ride ... but I am not hopeful for 200kms. The MTB shoe/pedal combo works like a charm and up to now I did not have any problems. Helmet is ok, my glasses are fine .... now what I am not sure about is what to wear on top. It will depend on the weather of course and the forecasts for the day - I have a couple of alternative jerseys in the car and will chose before the start. I will layer as much as I can so I can have the flexibility to remove layers as the brevet progresses

c) Food - With me I plan to carry a couple of Alpen Bars, some dried fruit (figs, sultanas) and dried nuts. I will also have a couple of gels (just in case) but will plan to have food stops. There are plenty of kiosks on the way to grab a croissant or an energy drink so I do not plan to stuff my pockets with food and drink

d) Spares - I will have two spare tubes, a multi - tool, some spare chain links and a chain tool, a pump and a tube repair kit and of course some money !! I will stuff everything in a saddle bag.

I plan to have everything packed and the bike on the car rack by Friday afternoon. I do not want to look for stuff at the last moment.

B(revet) day minus 5 ....

2006-02-13T16:06:00.000+02:00

Its 5 days till the Brevet and I feel fine. I have prepared as best as I could (I could do better) and I am looking forward for the day. On Wednesday I have a arranged for a full medical check up amd I will go to enroll and collect my card on Thursday from the organisers .

I feel good in the sense that I feel that the completion of the Brevet is a feasible target now, and that by itself is a major achievement for me. I did not prepare as well as I originally planned - did few midweek rides and did not do more that a 100km ride. I really wanted to have a 130-150km ride under my belt by now but family commitments did not allow it.

I am confident though as after the two metric centuries I did, I felt great. I suspect that in the Brevet it will feel great at the 100km mark, and I will start to hurt after thw 150km point. I have a feeling that the last 50 kilometres will be tough. This week I will get on the trainer no matter what just to get the legs spinning lightly. I may go out for a short 30 kilometre ride on Friday to 'open up' my systems.

This Sunday I did a 85kiometre ride which involved some climbing for the first time after about two months. During my last similar ride I hurt a lot - this time absolutely no back pain. That is very encouraging. The new saddle and the time on the bike have helped. In addition during that previous ride I felt very tired and now I feel ok - just some muslcle soreness but by tomorrow it will be gone. I think to myself 'what if' I had stuck to the original plan and also rode during the midweek days but again I am happy just the way things are.

I have started to hydrate myself. I plan to drink lots and lots of water in order to be properly hydrated for the ride. I do not plan to eat enourmous amounts of food this week though - I have enough stored under my skin and do not want to be the only person to gain weight after the brevet. I will eat a normal sized plate of pasta every night with some high protein / low fat food - either cottage cheese or tuna meat or chicken.

I have started to "revise" all the related articles I have found in the Internet regarding long distance rides and will try to memorise their advise. This week will be a 'mental preparation' week.

Week ending 12/2/06

Weight :
Resting HR :
Waist :
Odometre : 1,152kms

Back on the road again

2006-02-06T09:41:00.000+02:00

Well after the MTB break, Sunday was a road ride day.

I was aching all over from the MTB ride. To be honest I was a bit disappointed as I thought that all of this road training would suddenly transform me into a fitness king but I crash landed back to reality - going uphill on a mountain bike on the dirt roads involves a different kind of fitness that I have obviously not been working for the past two months.

But to be honest I was in a much better condition than ever before - my recoveries were excellent and most of the duration of the ride I was very comfortable.

Back on the road bike again then with my new tights this time - I managed to get an Assos bib-tight and tried it for the first time. It is certainly better than anything I had before - better fit, smoother materials; you almost forget that you wear one. But my ...behind was already hurting from yesterday's ride and could not tell a difference on the padding.

I set off very late and only did about 35 kilometres - I knew that time was limited so I tried to maintain a faster pace than normal. My legs were heavy from the MTB ride and I was hurting in the beginning but as the ride progressed I 'loosened' and I started feeling better and better.

The weather gods though were not feeling like me – it started to drizzle and gradually it built up into a downpour. In a funny, masochistic sort of way I loved it !! Bring it on I shouted and pressed on. I was already soaking wet and could not become any worse I thought. So I turned on my backlight and pressed on into the rain – I would finish my loop no matter what. On my way back the conditions were worse – rain and a headwind, but I was already ‘in the mood’ so I did not care. The Doors song “Riders on the Storm” was playing in my mind. I could see the heads turn inside the cars that were passing my and I gave them a big smile – I wanted to show to people that I enjoy what I do and I was not an unfortunate cyclist that was caught in the rain !!

I finished the ride a very happy man. Yeap I am a bid mad ….but fellow cyclists should understand (I hope...)

A dirty aside

2006-02-06T00:14:00.000+02:00

My cycling background is dirty - I am an MTBer at heart.

This Saturday my MTB riding buddies had arranged a ride at my favourite place - the estate of the ex-King of Greece. This is a huge plot of land near where I live and because the ex-King and the Greek State have been quarrelling over its ownership for more than 30 years, it has remained untouched by “civilisation” and has become an MTB paradise!! You can spend an entire day in there easily going up and down fire-roads and single track for all skill levels.

I have been avoiding riding the MTB for about two months. I stayed focused on my road training in order to prepare for this brevet - but this 'invitation' was hard to refuse. Besides I felt that all this road training had sterilised me and I needed something dirty in order to spice up my …bike life.

So we met at the specified place. The meeting was set at 9:30 but in good MTB tradition people were still arriving by 10:00. So we prepared for the ride and some differences between the road and the MTB world became evident. Before a road ride it only takes about 2 minutes to prepare. An MTB ride involves so many different equipment – “is my camelback on”, “what kind of gloves do I need today?” “do I have all my tools ? “, “Do I have enough food? “, “Where is the first aid kid? “. It takes forever just to make sure you have everything with you !! And of course I had to endure the ‘teasing’ of everybody about my betrayal of the MTB camp.

So I buckled up (helmet, leg and arm protections, hydration pack etc) and I had an extremely pleasant and welcome surprise was when I put on my hydration backpack – I discovered that I needed to shorten the straps around my waist!! What a confidence boost!

So we set off – riding my mountain bike after too months was not as a strange experience as I thought. The ride starts with an easy ascend up a twisty single track which I enjoyed a lot. I mashed around all obstacles and felt good as my suspension absorbed anything I threw at the bike. After half an hour we entered the most physically demanding part of the ride – a fire-road ascend. I thought that it would be easy after all the road training, but boy was I wrong!! As I have been consistently training in the flats it appears that by body has forgotten how to climb. My legs were aching and I lost my breath almost immediately. My heart rate climbed to over 170bpm and to make matters worse I was not going faster than 8kph. What the hell was going on ?

I reached the top of this first summit, completely knackered, out of breath and mentally destroyed. We still had at least another hour and a half of solid ascending before we reached the highest point of the climb. I started to have second thoughts that this MTB ride was not a good idea after all – how on earth would I do another 100+ tomorrow if my legs were hurting? (….and why on earth was I so tired ?)

So we climbed higher and higher and I settled into a good rhythm – my heart rate fell and stabilised at reasonable levels and I started having fun. I entered the water pools that were everywhere and as we climbed higher we found the leftovers from the big snowstorms that hit Athens two weeks ago. In some places the road was covered in deep snow. In one of these snow mounds , the chain got stuck and before I had time to unclip I fell down in the usual stupid slow motion way – ouch!!

We eventually reached the top and after a short brake we started to descend – we took a different route which was mostly single-track. What a fantastic experience – and this is what Mountain Biking is all about – pure fun. The descends now seemed a lot easier than ever before, the main reason being the fact that I felt very strong and entered the single track nice and rested. I was ecstatic – I had forgotten the feeling of descending quickly down single track and now I was enjoying every single moment of it.

We reached the end – I was covered in mud from top to bottom but I was a very happy man. I had missed my mountain bike.

(Before and after - unfortunatelly the full face helmet hides my big grin in the 'after' pic - photo taken by AiginaMBK)

On my way to Ithaca....

2006-02-01T15:08:00.000+02:00

The endorphins from the weekend must still be flowing strong in my blood. I cannot explain a feeling of happiness that I am having these past three days. Yeah, riding does a lot of good! I am starting to see Ithaca on the horizon. Although that I still have a lot of work to do before I step on its shores, I cannot help to reflect back to when this wonderful journey begun.

The journey begun two years ago, when I was still a lot overweight (now I am just overweight) and smoked 50-a-day. I was working about 12 hours a day, day in day out, and was probably driving myself into an early ..... retirement.

Initially I decided to lose weight and I was doing quite well following a structured meal plan. I then thought "why not start to exercise a bit so I can speed up the weight loss?" Ok but what sport? Jogging was out of the question (and still is) as the strain on my knees and ankles from my bouncing body would be too much. Team sports were again dismissed - how can I now start play basketball or football at my condition!!! So since cycling seemed like a good option and I bought a fairly basic mountain bike.

I still remember the first day I rode it. I live on a hill which involves a 800 metre climb at about 10%. Riding it down was fun (although I almost crashed) - and I rode around the neighbourhood for a bit. Riding back was another story. I was already tired when I hit the now uphill part of the route. Started pedalling and soon I run out of gears! Damn you salesman - he had told me that with the 1-1 combo I could climb anything. Well not my hill - I blew after a couple of pedal strokes so I had no option but to walk uphill, pushing the bike. I arrived home totally exhausted and thought that I would die. I collapsed on the sofa and took me ages to recover- cycling is not that easy after all.

But somehow I liked it and I insisted by cycling around my neighbourhood (I drove down the road though). I was then doing about 6 to 8 kilometres and I thought - WOW!! I then found and joined the Internet Club and with the help and encouragement of fellow cyclists I started to become more and more adventurous. I quit smoking and I eventually did many 'crazy things' that boosted my confidence and made me try more.

It was about that time that I first learned what a brevet is. Three of the Club's members would participate in one of those - a 220 km ride on those funny looking road bikes. Almost non-stop and more than 8 hours on the saddle. What a feat! Not for me I thought but.... wait why not?

I then started to take my cycling more seriously. I learned many things by asking around, buying and reading books and I eventually enrolled on a structured training programme. It was then that I learned about the importance of proper training and became familiar with terminology such as "heart rate", "zones", "intervals" etc. By following that program I saw improvements but still the brevet thing was something quite exotic.

Last summer the inevitable happened - I was introduced to my Spanish Lady and fell in love with her. I then started doing training on the road I found out that my physical condition gradually improved.

At the back of my mind the 'brevet-thing' became clearer but how on earth shall I attempt it if my greatest distance on a bike was at most 50kilometres. On the one hand the "Dr. Spock" in me was suggesting that it is not logical and I should wait for a year before I attempt it. On the other hand my heart was saying "Go for it you wimp". It was a riding buddy and friend tipped the scale. When "ttoppouzokypraios" found out that I was considering it, he immediately told me "You do it and I will ride with you no matter what".

So the die was cast….. I crossed the Rubicon and decided to take part in the brevet. (oh and started this blog as well)

Finally I did the century !!!

2006-01-29T21:25:00.000+02:00

(sorry for the crap quality - 101.7kms)

Even though I am about a month late, I finally broke the 100km mark. There it is in all its glory :

(My fist Century - I may print and frame this !!)

Last Sunday I met with my friends (boardman, keoman, mongi, ttoppouzokypraios and zepellin, all Cyclist Friends) that we plan to stick together during the brevet. We begun at a faster than average pace and started the loops. To be honest I did not expect we would go for the full 100 as we started a bit late so I was happy to settle in the faster group pace.

It was the first time I rode that route with others. Riding alone is something I like as I can concentrate on my needs without having a guilty conscience that I am delaying the group. But riding with a group of good friends is a great experience - not only because it is both easier and faster, but because I was having a great time with everybody. We were six, and as we rotated in the 'mini peloton' I was having five different conversations at the same time.

The kilometres went by easily and at a steady pace. We were cruising along at about 30kph and averaging 25kph. I always look on my heart rate monitor to ensure that I stay within my aerobic zone, but now the test was to be able to speak comfortably without panting. We only made a couple of short stops either to fill up or to ehm.... empty and the good spirit and friendly atmosphere made riding easy and time just flew by.

During these long rides I am trying to understand my body better. I like to ‘play’ a bit while on the bike to check my ‘systems’. I may decrease a gear and spin at 95-100 rpm to see how my heart reacts to the higher aerobic load and how it recovers or I may put a higher gear and mash on the pedals to see how my muscles and joints react and recover. It is nothing structured or planned – just little games to make the ride more interesting. For example I may work my heart up to say 165bpm, and then start rolling and try to guess what my heart rate will be when I pass by the next signpost!!! I also imagine that I have two engines, the aerobic and the anaerobic and that I switch between the two when one gets tired – totally crazy but it works for me.

Understanding my body is something that I believe will be fundamental to the completion of the brevet. I am also trying to perfect other ‘on-the-bike’ chores such as stretching, taking out my mobile phone from my back, drinking, eating etc. I am not successful with everything but I am getting there.

And so we gradually reached the 98 kilometre mark. I was feeling very excited and any tiredness suddenly disappeared. 99kilometres....... I asked ..."Hey Savva, I am now on 99.5, how shall I break the century? Shall I do it rolling, pedalling, standing up or what? » You should roll he suggested but I engaged the Warp Engines – I shifted to the large chainring and started sprinting - 99.6, 99.8, 99.9....... I felt that my muscles were giving everything I had and actually felt the lactic acid building up inside me. Eventually I blew and could not go any faster but the computer showed the magic number: 100!!!!!!

I felt as if I had broken the sound barrier - although there was no sonic boom to tear down the houses and the glasses, I think I may have heard something!!!

Another kilometre or so spinning and we arrived at the cars. I am a very happy man indeed. Thank you guys!! Next week we are in for more?

Stats

Weight:119kg
Odometre : 975kms

2006-01-23T10:25:00.000+02:00

Nothing major or exciting this week.

My weight is stable (unfortunatelly) and I spent some time in my 'training area' - 55kms on Saturday and 80kms on Sunday.

This time I did the runs at a higher pace - I aimed at a higher cruising speed of 30-33 kph. The 'almost century' of last week was a lot easier. I believe that I have started to developed a good base - I can see it when I compare my HR and speed on the same sections of the road. I will start putting in some higher intensitiy intervals over the coming weeks, and definetelly after the brevet I will change the focus of my training and start increasing the instensity and shorten the duration. I believe that by springtime I will be ready to step up a gear with my training.

Stats:

Odometer : 838kms
Weight : 119kg

Still no century, but boy am I happy !!!

2006-01-16T17:55:00.000+02:00

Some friends and I had planned to do the second leg of the route, from the Corinth Canal to Xylokastro and back to Corinth Canal - a total of 100kms. The group ride was set for Sunday morning, so on Sarurday I went out for a brief "warm up" - I went to my training ground and did a short lap of 25 kilometres. I included some brisk intervals just to get the legs warmed up. I have observed during these past two weeks that on Sundays I feel a lot better after the Saturday ride. I went home had my shower ate some carbs (not a lot) and went to sleep excited for the next day.

We met nice and early on Sunday. The weather forecast was not helpful and after a short deliberation of what we were going to wear we set off towards Xylokstron. Unfortunately the that pretty - we take the old "national road" which is really a narrow B-road going through villages but with a lot of traffic. At some points I felt uncomfortable as the cars behind us could not pass us so easily and that made me nervous. But to be fair almost all drivers were patient and polite. I believe it really helps that the see us as an organised group, with our colourful clothes and helmets - I feel that they respect us more. There is the occasional moron though who will honk and honk and then pass us at the first opportunity revving like an F1 driver !! I may need to practice my hand salutes as defined by the man himself. To make matters worse the tarmac was crappy. I almost fell into a pothole - I had to bunny hop over it (MTB is good for you).

We settled into a steady pace..... too slow I thought. We were doing approximately 25 to 28 kph but being part of a group makes it a lot easier. We covered the kilometres in this steady pace. In less than two hours we reached our destination but the clock only showed about 43 kilometres !!! Damn - we decided to press on until the 50th kilometre but unfortunately the weather had other ideas. It started to drizzle and the sky did not look very friendly. So we decided to turn at the 48km mark.

(Mr. B, me, Zeppelin, Dr. Abo - kerdosko is the photographer. All Cyclist Friends)

As soon as we turned around I realised why it was so easy - we had a nice wind helping us which was now against us. To be honest I got scared for a while but Mr. B, an experience racer, organised us into a small group taking turns in the front. WOW what a difference did it make!! It took us about 5 kilometres to get used to the changes and also to get comfortable in a tighter formation, but once we managed that it became very easy. We finished the difficult coastal section much quicker that I thought with no real effort. I had read about drafting but that was the first time I experienced it first hand. It really works.

After less than four hours riding time we reached back to our cars. The odometer showed 95.5 kilometres! Still no century for me but I was a very happy man!

(95.5 Aerobic kilometres)

Happy because:

Found it easier than I thought
I finished it and did not feel at all tired - no muscle pains even the next day
No major pains. The new saddle really helped. I believe that if I can get my hands on a top quality bib then I should not have a major problem.

The question I asked myself though was - "could I repeat it immediately in order to get to 200kms ?" At this point I do not have an honest answer. Honestly I think I need the miles I am going to put in for the next month. Perhaps I can finish it even now but it will not be easy.

This Sunday's ride has really encouraged me. I cannot wait until the 18th of February!!!!

No century for KDK ....yet

2006-01-12T09:25:00.000+02:00

The previous weekend was another 'missed opportunity'.

I really need 4 to 5 hours free to complete my Century - one hour to get to and from Marathon and to pack/pack and approximatelly 4 hours riding time (includes my short stops for stretching). It seems that to find 5 hours is impossible.

Saturday I spent the whole day in the house DIYing - my wife decided to 're-arrange' things and bought some furniture from IKEA. For those that don't know, IKEA is a fantastic store - good quality and value for money furniture with one catch.....you have to assemble everything yourself at home.

So when the 'question' was asked on Friday "Honey, will you be able to help me on Satarday to finish our house" (bold are the keywords - married men should understand) I did not have any real choices. I thought that it would only take a couple of hours so what the hell - I would go to train later.

Well things NEVER go according to plan (my plan). We woke up on Satarday and when I said - "ok lets start" the trap was beginning to close and I could not do anything about it - "Oh, since you are here, lets go to the supermarket first to do our shopping and then we will start". How can you refuse ?

So we did the supermarket thing and returned home ... to cut a long story short what I thought was a 2 hour delay in MY plan became a full day's work. I put frames on the walls (5 minutes to drill the hole and 25 minutes to decide where to drill it !!!), shower curtains, assembled tables .... and by 3:30 I finished everything !! "Oh honey you should go now before it gets dark"

So by the time I arrived and started riding it was almost 5:00 and getting dark. I just could not ride until 9:00 so instead of getting annoyed with the way things turned out I decided to do my best. So I did about 2 hours at a brisk pace and called it a day... I would try for the century the next day. But ...it was not meant to be. I overslept and lost the first hour and as I had to be home by only did bout 70kms.

Ι am very encouraged as -

It is getting easier
I am getting faster (at any given heart rate)
I hurt less !! (the new saddle has helped a lot)

Training Area...and a bit of History

2006-01-10T08:50:00.000+02:00

As my aim is to build up a base I am riding in the flats. I aim to :

a) Increase my base
b) Get comfortable on the bike

In addition as the February Brevet is flat and there are no major ascends so its good to practice in similar terrain. During the week (if I have the time) I do short intense efforts (sprints / hill climbs).

The best area that I have found near my home are the Marathon plains - also called the ‘Gardens of Attica” since it is where most of the vegetables we eat in Athens are grown. Marathon is also where one of the most famous battles in history took place, where the Athenians defeated the Persians in the 5th Century BC. It is said that a soldier run from Marathon to Athens to inform his fellow citizens of the good news and died of exhaustion - and as a result the Marathon Run was created. So Marathon in addition to being excellent training place, it is also very inspiring with all this history. And after a couple of hours on the bike, believe me that my mind does drift to those ancient days.

The course I take is a big loop beginning and ending from the stadium's car park and takes me to Nea Makri, back towards the beach of Marathon (where I pass the burial ground of the ancient warriors) , then towards Schinias (where the canoe / cayak events were held during the Olympic Games) and through the Schinias swamps and back to the car again. It is 33 kilometres long and absolutely flat.

The advantage with this course is that at any given time I am only about 15 to 20 minutes away from the car so I feel safe to press on even in the bad weather we are having during this past month. The other big advantage is that because of the recent Olympic Games all roads of the area have been completely rebuilt and they are fantastic !! There is a 10kilometre loop that goes towards the canoe/cayak venue which is a 4 lane road, with full lighting but because it is in the middle of nowhere it is empty !! Its like a private road. Yes the Olympics have cost us Greeks dearly, so I am trying to make full use of my tax money !!!

Thoughts.....

2006-01-04T09:47:00.000+02:00

It is extremely difficult to stick to the plan. One day it is raining heavily, the other the girls need to go to a party, the next some other family commitment.... it means that during the week it is very difficult to find the time.

I am not making excuses for not riding during the week but having to balance the family life, the professional responsibilities and cycling is quite a handful. As cycling is not the most important priority in my life, I decided that it is the one that will make way for the others. I will enjoy the process and I am confident that in the long term I will be fine.

To be honest, I am not too bothered about that....what bugs me and annoys me is the fact that I do not lose any weight. I am trying but the scale seems to be stuck ! That is very frustrating - I am very cautious with what I eat but the weight will not come off. It is as if my body has revolted and is refusing to budge.

I did not put any weight over the Christmas period though so this is at least good news. The other good news is when people see me they always go "you have lost weight !!". The scale does not concur, neither the belt around the waist but my wife tells me that "I am changing shape" - anyway I will continue my way as it seems I am on the right track. It will take a lot of time though and patience. I am in no hurry.

The whole 'brevet-preparation process' brings to my mind a poem by C.P. Cavafy - Ithaca - I set it out below and hope that many of you will enjoy it.

ITHACA

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon - do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.
And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

(Source : Translatum)

Happy New Year !!!

2006-01-03T12:15:00.000+02:00

Happy New Year! I am running a bit late with my updates as the holiday spirit took over me! I have not given up though – brevet time is closing in.

Bike wise the New Year’s weekend was good. I did not manage to break my first metric century as I had planed but … no worries.

Saturday 31.12 - By the time I finished all of my household duties, the time left for cycling was limited. I loaded the bike on the car and went to the nearby flatlands to attempt to break the 100km mark. It was not meant to be. I arrived at the parking lot and discovered that I had left behind my multitool and that meant that I could not adjust my new saddle. (I forgot to mention that in my quest to find a comfortable riding position I bought a Selle San Marco Regal, based on the excellent reviews by long distance riders.) I was really annoyed!!!!! I almost said £"!@$ it and lets go home” but I decided to ride - perhaps if I could find a hardware store or a gas station I could borrow that no6 hex key.

Well no-one was open on New Years Eve at that part of the world but by that time I decided to continue and I soon forgot about the riding position as I discovered that my cycling had improved compared to last week. I could maintain a speed of 28 to 30 kph and still be in my aerobic zone. That was a welcome surprise for me. So I kept going and going and going ....... yes I could maintain a descent pace. I did about 60 kilometres and I decided to call it a day and make my way home to get ready for the evening.

Sunday 1.1 - Woke up very early and by 8 o’ clock I was riding. It felt even better than the previous day’s ride. Perhaps yesterday’s ride prepared by body. I again maintained a respectable pace for about 55 kilometres and but again had to return as my parents were to visit us for the New Year’s lunch. I do not think it would go down very well if they arrived before I did. In addition my …. behind was a bit sore from the yesterday’s ride (with the badly adjusted saddle) so I decided to cut it short and head home.

I learned a valuable lesson this weekend - Always check your seat bag before you leave home! The parking lot is the worst place to discover that you have left behind your multitool ! I will definitely check all my stuff before I leave home for the brevet.

New Year's resolutions

2005-12-30T14:43:00.000+02:00

Any decent blogg should have this so here I go . This is what I will strive to accomplish in my cycling carrer during 2006 ! (the brevet does not count ;-) )

Lose weight or rather lose the fat. I have a lot of fat and I hate carrying it around when I ride. I have done well these last couple of years but I still huff and puff on the uphills. If by the end of 2006 stabilise at around 100kgr I will consider it a major success.
Improve my technique - I will work on the technique after I finish the brevet. First of all I need to gain confidence when I am clipped in my mountain bike - if I manage to do that I will elevate my technique one solid step.
MTB - Learn how to trackstand
MTB - Learn how to unweigh the bike - front and rear (or both at the same time)
MTB - Be able to ride down the St. George Trail from the beginning to the end with no dabbing.
MTB - Do one major trail-ride round Mt. Parnitha.
Road - Conquer the St. Peter's ascend. (8kms at 6%)
Road - Climb the Pissia ascend comfortably. (similar) DONE !!!!
Road - Drop my time in the ascend to my house (800 metres at 10%) to under 4:30 (best up to now 5:25)

I think that if I a manage to do #1 the rest will be easy !!!

Happy New Year !!!
Καλή Χρονιά !!!

Target # 1 in sights - Metric Century !!

2005-12-28T12:30:00.000+02:00

I believe that I am ready. This weekend I plan to break the 100km mark.

My longest ride has been about 70kms so I think that the 100 is a good possibility. Again, the idea is not just to do the 100 as I am sure that I can do it if push it. The aim is to do the 100 and feel OK afterwards !! I will go for my usual route and add a section in the middle of the ride. I will add enough kilometres in order to reach or exceed the 100km mark by the time I return home.

If I manage to complete it sucesfully, then I know that I will be right on target. I want by the end of January to be able to complete a 120-150 km ride comfortably.

Lets see.... only time will tell - I am confident though.

Mery Christmas

2005-12-27T17:01:00.000+02:00

Merry and healthy Christmas everyone !!

That was a wonderful Christmas holidays. I spent a lot of time with the family, and of course I put in some mileage under my belt.

I am somewhat satisfied with myself in that I managed to stay away from Christmas eating excesses. I did eat more than I planned but not as much as I usually eat!! What the heck, its Christmas after all. The scale however is still stuck at 120 kilos. Maybe this is good this time of the year!!!

Bike wise now this three day period was very constructive . On Christmas Eve I went out with some friends. The plan was to do around 80 kilometres but since the weather was very bad we changed the plan and rode a different route - the mountain pass that we planed to use would probably be frozen. As we moved towards the north it started to snow. What a wonderful feeling!! The landscape was like a Christmas painting- the village in the distance covered in snow, with smoke coming out of the chimneys.

(me and some friends)

Riding in such conditions taught me two lessons – a) always carry a spare pair of socks and b) I need to buy overshoes. I was dressed quite well except my feet. I was wearing a thermal cap under the helmet, waterproof gloves, a thermal vest, a winter jersey and waterproof jacket, and winter tights. I was therefore very comfortable with the temperature except that my toes froze. Water crept in the shoes and my socks were soaked in water. It was gradually becoming unbearable so I decided to return home. Nevermind – I am learning. I know that in the brevet I will put an extra pair of socks in the pocket !!

On Christmas Day I woke up at 6:00 and by 7:00 I was ready to go. I wanted to put in 3 hours and be home before the family woke up. Good plan but I forgot something - the roads were frozen!!! In the beginning of the ride I could sense that something was wrong with the bike’s traction but as I climbed higher and higher I was actually hearing the thin ice crack under my wheels. Logic prevailed and I decided that enough was enough and turned around. I would ride somewhere else where hopefully there would be no ice. The downhill was very very slippery so I decided to walk back. I could see the headlines – “Mad cyclist is found in the ditch with broken bones”. MTB shoes really proved their worth by the way - I could walk almost normally!!! I walked about 600 metres and rode again when the road dried up. I then headed towards the my “training ground”, where I did three 10 kilometre laps and headed back home. I decided to take a detour and rode through the empty city. It was fantastic. I could smell the food in the stoves – bread in one house, soup in the other, roast pork in the next. Lovely feeling that only a bike ride can give you. I returned home a very happy man.

The Boxing day ride was even better. The temperatures were a couple of degrees higher so the road was clean. At last I could do my ‘long ride’. Again I set off very early and felt very good. Perhaps the longish rides of the previous two days woke up my body and I was riding fast for my standards. The roads were completely empty this time – everyone must have been sleeping off the Christmas festivities except me it seemed.

(not a frequent sight)

I felt very strong and added a couple of high intensity intervals in the ride. My recoveries were very good and my legs felt fantastic. On the long uphill on my way home I tried to ride up with a lower gear / higher cadence and I think it was much better as a shaved off a couple of minutes of the longish 8km climb.

Today I will take a rest, and tomorrow I will go out for an easy ride – I am really enjoying all this.

Week ending 25/12/05

Weight - 120kg (STILL !!!!)
Odometer - 310 kms
Resting HR - 59bpm

I feeeel good !!

2005-12-20T15:12:00.000+02:00

Yesterday, as soon as everyone went to bed in my house, I dressed up and went for a ride!! It was quite funny as I was discussing with myself :

Me - "Shall I go out ?"
Myself - "Are you crazy? Its late, dark and freezing cold. Stay inside and watch the TV !!"
Me - " $@£* off - I am going out!!"

and I did. I dressed up, loaded the bike on the car and went straight to the 'training ground'. I parked the car in a well lit supermarket parking, and as I got ready (clear glasses, helmet, gloves, reflective vest etc) everyone was looking at me as if I arrived from Mars. I jumped on the bike and went.

It was very cold (about 2 degrees Celsius) but was not windy. Without realising it I was travelling the 'downhill' bit at about 45kph without any serious effort!!! I really felt fantastic. On the uphill part I was going at about 20 to 25 kph and I did three loops. On the beginning of the third loop the endorphines must have started flowing in my system and I let myself loose. I sprinted on the downhill, sprinted on the uphill, I was jumping over potholes and slaloming between the metal reflectors on the road surface ..... I was having a great fun day with my road bike - I knew I could have fun with my mountain bike, but never realised that a road bike can be so fun as well. Ttoppy you are right !!!! I started shouting on my own (at about 11:00 at night I was all alone on the road) things like "Where is the f$£"ing chain of this bike (*) ", "Are there three granny gears on this bike? (**)".

Felt good!!! I am looking forward to today’s party!!!

* A joke that the USPS team used to say amongst themselves. It means that you are so strong that you turn the cranks so easily as if no chain is installed!!

** Similar to above. The granny gear is the smaller of the bikes chainrings and is relatively light. It also means that I felt so strong that even the largest ring felt like a feather

Second report - need to adjust to circumstances

2005-12-18T20:25:00.000+02:00

This was another 'almost wasted' week. Some unfortunate problems meant that I had to stay indoors and spend more time with the family instead of going out to train. These events have shown that unless someone is a professional athlete, or is alone in this world, then plans cannot be religiously followed otherwise too much strain is put on personal relationships.

Anyway….this weekend I limited myself to small rides (35 kilometres each) close to my house. I have found a good stretch of open road that runs along the National Highway and traffic is relatively light. I can do loops of 10 kilometres each almost uninterrupted - and if I add another 10 kilometres to get to the road and return to the house and it looks that I have found my perfect training ground.

I felt very good. The temptation to let myself lose and cycle like a mad man was too great – looking at an open stretch of road in front is tempting isn't it? But I made a conscious effort to keep myself within my aerobic limits. Actually I was lucky as the road has a slight incline but the wind was blowing quite strong against me on the descend, and helping me during the ascend. This wind helped me maintain my heart rates within the limits without having to ride as slow as a snail !!! Very good.

I again started to feel the saddle by the end of the ride. I have not tried my MTB saddle yet, I hope to do it over this long weekend, as I am planning on two longer rides of 80-90km this time.
Weight ? That is a very frustrating story. Even though I avoided making all the mistakes I do every day, i.e. stopped snacking and limited my carbohydrate intake I have not lost a single %$”!”£@ gram!! It is very, very frustrating !!! To be honest I feel a bit lighter and the working clothes feel slightly loser than two weeks ago but still the scale is stuck at 120kgrs !!! I do not know – I will insist with my diet and perhaps one day I will walk on the scale and see that I have lost 2-3 kilos in one week.

Mid week report

2005-12-15T08:33:00.000+02:00

Monday and Tuesday I did not do any cycling unfortunately - by the time I get home and finish all of my household responsibilities, it gets too late and I then find all sort of excuses of not going out - "I am hungry", "Its cold", "I am tired". This is not good. I did manage to do a couple of ab-back workouts so these two days have not been a complete waste. I think that once I get into a routine I will be more disciplined.

Yesterday I managed to put in about one and a half hour of riding and it felt great. It was cold and raining at times but I could not care less. I really enjoyed my ride and I am looking forward to today's ride.

However, due to the darkness, I am a bit afraid to wander out to the open road so I am doing easy workouts around my neighbourhood. I am not concentrating too much on 'distance covered' but rather to 'time spent on the aerobic zone'. I am putting my triple into good use as my neighbourhood is hilly so in order to maintain my intensity within the aerobic zone and once it gets steep, I drop into the granny gear and just spin along.

Food wise? That is going OK I think. I have tried and stopped the unnecessary nibbling during the evening and I feel better. I will avoid weighing myself daily as weight fluctuations can be great and sometimes disappointing. I will limit my food at night to sugar free - fat free yoghurts, green leafy salads with tuna or cottage cheese and avoid like the plague high carb foods such as bread, pasta, rice, rusks. I think now it is more important to lose the weight (hopefully fat) rather than be 'carbed up'. If I manage to lose the weigh, then refuelling with carbs is very easy !!

For me the brevet has started and the difficult part is not the actual riding day – that should be a fun day out. The real brevet is trying to discipline between now and 18 February.

First report.

2005-12-11T19:09:00.000+02:00

OK,

this weekend I did two longish rides. One on my own of about 70km and another one with some friends of about 65 kilometres. The second one was quite tough as it involved the total climbing of about 1,100 metres !!

I did these in order to give myself a starting point and see where I am. On the one hand I am happy that I feel good. I do not feel tired now and the legs are fantastic and ready to take on some more !! On the other hand though, these rides showed to me two weaknesses that I have already thought about but I need to address. One is back pain and the other one is a sore ...behind.

After the 40k mark the lower back started to ache. It was the lower right just above the hip. It felt like muscle pain and as ride progressed the pain grew and grew. I really need to strenghten my back muscles as they will be called to support my weight for more than 10 hours in February. Perhaps the pain is posture related so I will need to explore my positioning on the bike. Perhaps a less than perfect position is not noticable on a 30 to 40 kilometre ride but on a 200k one, every millimitre may matter !!

My ....behind also hurt a lot. Thank god it was not numbness of the 'softer parts' but pain near the sit bones. Again practice will strenghten the area but I will also need to invest on high quality clothing and perhaps a better saddle. Anyway the good thing is that I now have good excuse to spend money to dress up my Spanish Lady !!

I will need to correct these two issues as it will be very dissapointing ot have the same sort of pains, knowing that there will be another 160km to go !!

The plan for this week will be to to a low intensity ride for about one hour every day. I will start playing around with the postion of the saddle (fore / aft, up / down) and will even try my MTB saddle which seems to be much more comfortable. In addition I will do some ab and lower back work at home.

Lets get starterd, shall we ?

2005-12-11T18:30:00.000+02:00

The plan is to gradually increase my base mileage in order to be comfortable with say 120-140ikm rides by the beginning of February. So, since my usual long ride is 50km long and I should aim to 150km in say 8 weeks, my plan is to be able to so 100km rides by the end of this month and in increase the rides to 150kms by the end of January.

I will do one long ride every Sunday, and during the week I will try to spend 1 to 1.5 hours per day on the bike doing aerobic rides. I think that, excluding the Sunday ride, I will be able to put in 150 to 200 kilometres per week which I think its do-able.

In addition I think that I will need to do some middle body strengthening exercises (abs and back).

Thats the plan as of now and I am sure it will change as the weeks pass by.

OK there are 10 weeks to go and lets do a status check

Week ending 11/12/05

Weight - 120kg
Waist -
Odometer - 130 kms
Resting HR - 60bpm

What its all about ?

2005-12-11T18:00:00.001+02:00

What is a brevet anyway ?

Wikepedia defines it as "A long-distance, comfortably paced, bicycle ride with check-point controls and a time limit."

I wish to participate in such a brevet. I am aiming at a 200km brevet in February 2006. The route is Elefsina (just outside Athens), Xylokastro and back.

The reason for wanting to do the 'brevet' is to confirm to myself that I have managed to "break through to the other side", the "other side" being the inactive / slouch / couch potato lifestile I was following for many many years.

I have been inactive my whole life and just two years ago I realised that this was getting me straight to the grave. I was overweight (obese is the right word), smoked about 50 cigarettes a day, worked about 12hours a day and my only contact with sport was siting on the couch and watching football.

Something clicked inside me, and I decided to change. Maybe it was that I wanted to see my two daughters grow and them having children ? Maybe it was that we just learned that my father-in-law had a terminal case of cancer ? I do not know but I am happy that I changed.

So here I am, a bit lighter, but still overweight, ex-smoker now for two years, and a crazy cyclist. I learned about the brevets just as I started to ride two years ago and I then said to myself : "Hey, one day you are going to do it". I feel that the time has come to at least give it a shot. It is not going to be easy for me. The longest distance I have done on a road bike is about 50kilometers so I need to gradually build up my mileage over the next 10 weeks to a level where I can complete the distance

at a reasonable time and
be able to keep up with a moderate group so that i do not spend 8 hours alone on the saddle

Equipment

2005-12-11T18:00:00.000+02:00

The Bike

My bike is an Orbea Vitesse. I call her my Spanish Contessita !!

It has an aluminium frame and carbon rear triangle, fork and seatpost. It is equipped with the Ultegra 2005 triple groupset and has Shimano R-550 wheels. Its a fantastic bike and I love it !!! The only changes I may make is to put a better custom built wheelset (DT Swiss perhaps).

Clothing

What I have is a bit worn out and slightly large as I have lost some weight from the date I bought them !! I will buy new clothing in early February so that I will have the opportunity of trying them before B-day. I am after something very good to help me during hte 10+ hours on the saddle - Assos or ExteOndo.

Shoes - Pedals

I am using my mountain bike shoes (Shimano) together with mountainbike pedals (Crankbrother Candys). I love the combination because it allows me to use the same shoes for both bikes, have the same "clipping" feel in both bikes and most importantly I can walk almost normally with the MTB shoes. The shoes are stiff as they have carbon soles and during my current rides I feel very comfortable in them. I may reconsider once my rides get into triple figures whether the combination is acceptable - I do not want to get those funny looking road shoes unless I absolutely have to.

Other

Although too early to decide, but I will need to have lights (front and rear), tools, spare tubes, and a bag to put everything in !!!