Komo's Rant

Free Speed

2009-10-25T14:29:00.001+11:00

About 3 weeks ago a rare anomaly took place, hell froze over. Unfortunately for me, I promised 8 months earlier that when this unlikely event occurred, I would remove the P3C out of its cryogenic resting place and show it some loving it's been missing.

And with that, I've now been out on the beast for 5 rides in the past 3 weeks and I must say, I've enjoyed every minute of it, apart from the gooch which is not at all happy as I type after spending 300kms riding on the pointy end of the saddle between yesterday and today.

It is certainly taking some getting used to again as the riding style compared to the Pina is rather different. My TT legs are slowly coming back but I definitely notice the difference with regards to the leg muscles that fire and the first point of fatigue between the 2 different setups. I tend to find my VMO's take a battering in the TT position but on the roadie, my glutes and hamstrings feel the pain more.

There is one thing that is a given with the P3C and it is that feeling of free speed. When the wind starts blowing or the course is flat, the effort required to propel the machine at 40kph+ seems much easier compared to the Pina. It is a very different story when gravity takes hold and the parcours becomes gripy. That's when the road bike comes into its own and is the preferred weapon of choice.

My current plan is to train on the roadie midweek and pull out the TT for some free speed on the weekends. I'm enjoying both and it is a good mix.

Reality Bites

2009-09-14T16:41:00.005+10:00

In designing my new workshop (aka Bike Room) for the 'Taj', I decided that if the design is to succeed, then the bike room MUST LOOK LIKE THIS http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2009/07/the-ultimate-bike-room/

So, with that thought in mind, I sent the link to the MOF to which her reply was...

"oh it will be much better than that :-) - but I don't think there will be four bikes in there though :-( Well it will if you include mine and the girls but I'm sure that's not what you had in mind???"

A little background; as it currently stands, my study is my bike room which holds a TT bike, a road bike, a road frame, 4 sets of wheels, wife's bike, Zara's bike, Mia's bike, Sienna's tricycle, Mia's balance bike, Zara's razor scooter and 2 additional 3 wheeled scooters. OUT OF CONTROL! Plus a raft of other parts including but not limited to a mag trainer and a set of rollers. So you can see the need for a purpose build bike room.

It was time to remind the MOF that I am no longer a triathlete but a roadie so my requirements have changed somewhat. I compiled a list and forwarded it on.

Didn't you know.

1. A triathlete accepts a TT bike, period. Tick - my Cervelo P3C.

2. A roadie needs a training bike, aka my current Pina FP2. Tick

3. A roadie needs his bling bling RACING bike, aka my new Pina Dogma. :0

4. A roadie needs his training wheels. Tick

5. A roadie needs his light weight racing wheels for hilly terrain.

6. A roadie needs his light weight aero wheels for crits and flattish road races.

7. A roadie needs his Aero disc and deep dish front for the odd TT - tick! Disc and 808 already in current stable.

8. Then a spare set of each of the above wheel set in case of flats in the club championships, no time to change a flat.

I wasn't sure of the response that this would illicit but here it is:

9. A roadie needs to get a grip on reality and remember he has a wife and 3.5 kiddies

10. A roadie needs to be allowed to dream when he is overwhelmed by no 9

he he he

Mmm, picture a big red "DECLINED" stamp that has been placed on your purchase order from the Dept. of Finance.

A case of subterfuge is now required on my part to procure 3, 5, 6 and 8.

The Hooker's Handbag

2009-08-29T14:16:00.004+10:00

Out riding with Gaffer this morning to Mornington in what has become the normal weather pattern in recent times, loads of wind - Northerly too and once again, rain.

That is not the point of this wee rant though. As we got close to Blackrock on the return journey and 2 flats later (too many bogans throwing bottles from their Toranas in between Mordi and Frangers), we were passed by No. 3 riding an Orbea.

As he passed us, we thought, WTF is that smell? He smelt like a hooker's handbag. He had that much after shave on it was rather sickening. I must say, it is not something that I am used to when out on the bike. It just seems plain wrong when someone passes you smelling like the ground floor Bourke St fragrance department at Myer Melbourne.

Not sure what was worst, the stench of this fella as we were down wind of him or the fact that he passed us wearing a t-shirt with a 3 on his back smelling that way. Given he wasn't wet or dirty we both figured he just got on his rig at that point. We did make sure that we put the hammer down and passed him, we just could not cope with the brunt of Old Spice infiltrating our nasal passage.

So lads and lassies, leave the Eau de Parfum for the post ride post shower. Nothing wrong with the smell of sweat, tears and dirty Lycra on the bike.

Komo

Drop The Heel...How does $@#% off sound?

2009-07-18T18:03:00.014+10:00

Sick and tired of would be coaches trying to tell you, you need to drop the heel more when pedaling, especially when climbing? Well I am. So how does *#@$ OFF SOUND! I ride with my heel in its natural position, it is what it is.

Watching the TdF and observing the host of different pedalling techniques from the sprinters to the rouleurs to the climbers, they are clearly NOT the same, in fact they all have their subtle differences. Just because Alberto may do it or Carlos may do it does not mean that it is right for you.

We are NOT created equal and do not all have the same flexibility and muscle make up.

Jacques Anquetil - Toes down

Eddy Merckx - Horizontal foot

Greg LeMond - Heal down

All different but all champions. Who is right, who is wrong? None of the above. It was their natural action.

An excerpt from an article on climbing from a publication titled "Climbing for Roadies" by Coach Fred Matheny.

"If you try to change your natural foot angle to look like your favourite pro, you're likely to get injured. For example, intentionally dropping the heel during the power phase of the pedal stroke can lead to Achilles tendon injuries and calf soreness. The most efficient foot angle, and the one least likely to create injuries, is the one that you employ naturally after your cleats are correctly positioned."

So, ride your way, not someone else's way. Do what comes naturally.

What will make you ride faster up those hills:

1. A good engine so train hard

2. Ride hills more often than not

3. Lose the phat, it offers little use

4. Did I mention ride hills?

Off my high horse now,

Komo

On The Road Again...

2009-07-14T13:51:00.003+10:00

In the words of Willie Nelson, On The Road Again, just can't wait to get on the road again.

A respite in the Tour awarded me the opportunity to hit the road mid week again. I think I needed the rest as much as those hard men of cycling who are burying themselves around France for 3 weeks.

As a die hard spectator that considers every minute essential viewing, my midweek road rides have taken a serious backward step and the rollers have been my midweek substitute in the 1st week of the Tour. But the rest day last night changed things temporarily and I managed to hit the sack well before midnight therefore allowing an early sub 5am rise and a nice 2h+ road ride before work. Sure it was cold and wet (the roads were damp from last nights rain) and the traffic a little crazy close to 7am, BUT, I was on the road again.

A great feeling - that cool crisp air sure beats the still and static nature of the MT or roller set. Stage 10 kicks off again tonight (without the race radios which should add an extra dimension to the racing) so it will be the rollers once more until Saturday and Sunday when I get out on the road again.

Here's hoping that the other teams conspire and try and add some spark to the 2nd week and derail the Astana train, as Cadel Evans said, "It would be logical if some teams would want to try to cooperate. If not, let's just give Astana the podium flowers now."

It is certainly shaping up that way.

Current Tdf Barometer: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/cycling/tour-de-france/barometer/

Over and outski,

Komo

Conquering the Rollers

2009-07-01T14:11:00.004+10:00

Finally, after many trials and tribulations, I have mastered the art of riding on the rollers. I managed 1.5h on them this morning and will ride another 1h on them tonight as bad weather forced my hand somewhat and I decided it was time to finally sort out how to ride these whacky contraptions once and for all.

It is NOT as easy as I had thought. My first attempt lasted 5 minutes and that was with thongs on and gripping the dining table with vice like strength. The rollers did not want a bar of me and kept wanting to spit me off the side. Mmm, time for some research, www.Youtube.com to the rescue as I searched for some vids of "how to" ride these things for the first time.

When attempting to ride on the rollers for the first time, I few things I found difficult to figure out:

1) How do I actually get on the bike?

2) How do I actually get on the bike with bike shoes and cleats?

3) How do I prevent myself for launching off into god knows what at escape velocity?

I have since managed to answer all of those questions with the key being to start riding in between a door frame making sure that I could push off the frame with my elbows to correct any sideways movement, much like pushing off another rider with your elbows when they get to close to you in a bunch. A few other things I have noticed which help make the ride smooth is to be relaxed, do not strangle the bars; keep a nice relaxed grip; pedal smoothly, very critical, choppy action is not good; engage the core, helps maintain stability. I think they are great for overall riding technique.

But one question still eludes me and that is :

1) How do I get to the bidon without falling? I still need to hang on to the door frame and then reach for it. Might need to go the camelbak option until further notice.....

So, what does this all mean?

It means that I can comfortably navigate my way around France in July 09 in the comfort of my home when the rest of the family is fast asleep! I plan on riding for approx. 2 to 2.5h per night on the rollers whilst watching the TdF stages and the rollers are quiet compared to the mag trainer.

The TdF impacts my ability to train as this is MUST WATCH VIEWING for me and I do no let anything get in the way of that. In the past, this has not been a big issue as it has been triathlon off season. But now the road racing season is in full swing and I do not want to lose any conditioning so I need to find another way to get the miles in (the weekday miles).

There is one added bonus, the Tour has in past years been a Festivus of Nutella, I'm not sure I will be skilled enough to jam down Nutella ladened sandwiches while navigating the rollers. It's a good thing too.

Well that's they way I roll,

Komo

To The Victor Goes The Spoils

2009-06-29T20:09:00.004+10:00

After taking 2nd in the crit 2 weeks ago (was convinced I won it on the line but lost it on a photo), I have finally had the 1st win of my crit racing days, albeit C grade but you have to start somewhere. Whilst not taxed until the last 2mins, I hit a max HR of 179 in the straight on the final sprint and won by a bike length or thereabouts.

I decided to keep my cards close to my chest today and take the occasional turn on the front. At one point I upped the ante and rode a few laps setting a tempo that was somewhat faster than what we had been travelling at. With no one moving or taking any initiative, I decided to fall back towards the tail end and rest the legs for the finale. A few attacks came and went but the bunch quickly chased them down and it was a rather uneventful 50min of racing.

On the last lap, one lad attacked about 1km out and created a nice gap of about 50m. It was time to move into position. The guy that pipped me on the line 2 weeks ago started to bridge the gap so I just sat on his wheel and let him do all of the work. At the 2nd last corner, we closed the gap and I was sitting pretty at 5th wheel into the final straight.

As I cornered at full gas, my pedal scraped the road and I was lucky to survive and not come off. I then put the head down, was pushing a big gear and wound in the 4 in front and managed to gain clear ground with about 15m or so to go and take the win, no photo required this week. No, I did not go for any heroic victory salute, there was no way the hands were coming off the bars. (It does amaze me how the likes of Cavendish, Boonen, etc casually sit up and throw the arms out when going at full tilt).

There ends my time in C grade so I will no start riding the B grade crits and I am looking forward to the challenge. It will be interesting to see how much quicker the sprint to the line will be and how much cagier I'll have to be in order to get a win.

More time in the saddle and more learning to come.

Komo

Squealing Brakes and Airborne Carbon

2009-06-23T10:10:00.000+10:00

The title sums up the North Rd ride this morning.

Gaffer and myself rode out to Mordi via Sth Melbourne along Beach Rd with the intention of picking up the North Rd ride at or close to Mordi on the return leg back to Melbourne. As we turned at Mordi, the bunch was motoring along at the usual 45kph so we picked up the pace and settled into the last 3/4 of the bunch and made our way towards Rickett's Point. It was at this stage that all hell broke loose on the section near Beaumaris where the dual lane turns to one.

Travelling at approx. 45kph, at first I heard the clash of carbon, then came the squeal of brakes, and then saw bikes launch and go airborne and about 4 or 5 riders on the tarmac. I yelled stopping as loud as I possibly could and we managed to pull up in time. It was probably extremely lucky that the number was not double or triple but the evasive manoeuvres to avoid the carnage worked for most.

We all stopped and made sure that the boys on the ground were OK and a few riders diverted the cars around the mass pile up as we helped the fallen get back on their feet. Luckily no real damage was done, just missing skin here and there but I'm sure there will be a few sore bodies over the next day or so. The bikes may be another story entirely.

It just shows how fine a line we tread at times and there is no doubt you need to be alert and on your tows at all times on this ride.

We both then set a cracking pace back to St Kilda towing the remnants of the bunch.

Phew, unscathed for now,

Komo

P.S. Hopefully the wife does not see this :0

Not Drowning Waving

2009-05-30T20:23:00.007+10:00

I cannot think of a more fitting title to this blog. From the side lines, it may have looked like I was drowning, hell, there were many many times where I felt like I was drowning but I managed to go into the deep dark recesses of the vault and drag the head out of the water just enough to keep the nose above the water line and with that, stay in the race that little bit longer.

Oh sh!t bi-atches, that was THE SINGLE HARDEST THING i have done on 2 wheels, I kid you not. Fast, 51.5km covered in the 1h + 3 laps, open racing, all 17 teams on track together all starting at the same time of which some were VIS, Drapac Porsche, Degani Team and that all equals one thing = PHUKING FAST with the likes of David Pell riding (12th Aust Road Racing Champs). This was by no means a Sunday saunter.

It's is somewhat difficult to sum up how fast and intense the ride was today. I'll start by saying it was the hardest 1h and 10min I have spent on a bike. I decided to leave the HR strap at home as I figured

1) No time to look at it with 100+ other bikes around me, needed to be ALERT
2) The heart was always going to be AWOL which could mentally crack me
3) Not knowing is a good thing.

So with that in mind I would hazard a guess to say mid to high 170's for 90% of the race and low 180's to ??? for the other 10%, pretty much all out maximal effort. And that was how the race was for me, it was close to an all out effort for over an hour.

Speaking with Xav before hand, I mentioned, "Do you think it will roll around for a lap or two?". He said, "No, it will be hot from the get go". How right Xav was. It was just BANG from the start, luckily we warmed up well pre-race riding laps of the Calder Park circuit - about a nice 20+km warm-up. It was very windy.

I must thank the X-Man for talking me into this, I don't know how on earth he did it but did it he did and I am so glad for that now.

After the start, I thought to myself, oh 5hit b!tches, this is going to get very ugly very quickly as I found myself at the rear end of the bunch. After a few laps I worked out where I needed to be in certain corners to make life somewhat easier (still HARD) for myself from a positioning perspective. What is hard to explain is the constant accelerations that take place, then the slowing then the accelerations all over again. This is vastly different to Ironman racing where you generally hold the same effort and intensity for 180kms.

The first 20min or so were raced at a very fast tempo and after a small break away formed, the pace settled back down for the next 20min or so. I was happily riding towards the back of the bunch and would occasionally make my way towards mid pack for a lap and did find it easier there. In hindsight, I should have tried to stay in this position but did not really have the experience to hold it as guys would duck into the smallest of gaps.

At 50min in, I lost the wheel coming around the straight to start another lap and had to go into the vaults vault and extract something else to get back on. Hearing Matty Lewis from the side lines yell out "Go Komo - get back" just gave me that little spur I needed, so, head down, I got back on and managed to last until the sign for the final 3 laps was shown.

Once this sign went up, it was like a turbo boost was applied to the race and the pace went up a notch again. Oh BOY! At this point I'd been riding on the drops for a good 30min to hang on so I managed to fight and scramble my way around for the next 2 laps.

With 1 lap to go as we cornered to start the final lap of the race, the nose dropped below the waterline, I started to drown at this point. The pace went up to 51kph into the head wind, I lost the wheel, got spat out the back and finished the last lap a few hundred metres behind the bunch. That said, guys dropped out throughout the 1hr so I made it to the end, considering I have only raced one 'C' grade CRIT and one 'Open' now of which I was told was faster than club 'A' grade racing I figure my cycling is on track and in line with my goals (perhaps slightly ahead).

All in all, one hell of an experience, the surging was so so hard to contend with, I have NEVER had to dig as deep into the piggy pig on a bike EVER and I went that deep and then some. At the end of the day, you only have some many of those efforts in you.

You can kiss T1 and T2 goodbye for some time, I am entrenched in this roadie caper now, this was truly the deep end, a baptism of fire and to come out the other end has now given me a huge confidence booster to know I can ride with some fast lads and hang on.

Giddy Up,

Komo

A Roadie I Am

2009-05-27T20:51:00.002+10:00

It is now official, I have entered the world of the roadie. On Tuesday I officially became a full member of the Footscray Cycling Club http://www.footscraycc.com.au/ and entered the realm of road cycling and all that it encompasses.

So, nothing like diving straight into the deep end, but Xav http://xaviercoppock.blogspot.com coerced me into competing in the teams event at Calder Park this Saturday afternoon at 3pm. We are both part of a 6 man team from FCC racing in the teams Kermesse event which consists of 1hr and 2 laps around the Calder Park track (approx. 2.28km) per lap. It should be a blast and something that I will be very nervous about as this is "open", not graded, so we both expect the pace to be RED HOT. Unsure of team tactics at this stage but our tactis should come to hand more over the next few days. It will be one interesting afternoon of racing indeed, one I am so excited about but will be entering with a great deal of trepidation. That said, I'll be racing in the FCC jersey too so will do it proud and bury myself in the process and do whatever it takes for the team. Hopefully I'll be on song and have the legs of the past few weeks.

No Hinksy, sorry mate but you won't be able to watch the highlights to this event on SBS :) but, I will update this blog in due course with the full blow by blow account of the race.

I'll also be fronting up on Sunday to the graded Crit racing again at Drake Blvd for a slightly less hectic race.

Just waiting for tonight's stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia to start so I glue myself to the live feed.

Outski,

Komo

Full Phat Coke (No, Not Columbian Marching Powder)

2009-05-23T15:22:00.003+10:00

During the week I have been reading the blog entries from Chris Horner from his Giro d'Italia exploits with team Astana. On one particular day, he discussed his daily calorie intake of about 6500 which include pre race, post race and during race nutrition for the entire day. What struck me was the amount of coke he consumed during the stage, about 8 x 250ml mini cans of coke, WOW, must be something in that. So I decided to experiment today on my ride with coke as my main source of fuel.

So last night, I filled a bidon with full fat coke and left the lid off the bidon for a few hours to allow it to degas.

So this morning I headed out on my ride today to Kinglake with a long black coffee in the bowels and that was it. I took the following fuel along for the ride:

1 x Bidon 750ml with water and a Nuun Electrolyte Tablet
1 x Bidon 750ml with full fat coke - 85g CHO
1 x Fruit and Nut Bar 20g CHO
1 x Small Can Red Bull 250ml 28g CHO

And that was it. 4h+ of riding hills and started putting down the coke at the 1:30 point into the ride. Once I started on the coke, I really needed to keep it going the entire time. Had the can of red bull and the fruit and nut bar at the top of the climb which was about 2:00 into the ride. At the 3:30 mark the coke was nearing empty so pulled into a servo and purchased another can of coke and into the bidon it went. So all up, I had approx 150-160g of CHO for the entire ride and that was on an empty stomach and with reasonable intensity to boot. Body is getting good at fat burning. In years past, I would have gone out on a 4h ride with at least 320g CHO and had breakfast before hand and I would not have ridden as fast as I currently am.

I have to say, I had legs all day and the after burners appeared to be on today. Climbed at a good constant pace and even put some big ones in at times for a surge here and there. All up, coke for me was a winner, thanks Chris Horner (Astana) for the blog entry and the abuse you gave coke during stage 8 of the Giro. (8 x 250ml cans).

No noticeable shakes at all, mind clear and sharp all day, I wonder if it was a placebo effect given I knew coke was going in or does it really do that to you? Sugar is awesome! Oh, even better yet is the taste, it sure beats High5 hands down. Bottom line, I will be keeping the coke going on my rides in the future and stop using High5, don't see the need to go back to it for now.

You Gotta Know When To Hold Em

2009-05-18T21:10:00.003+10:00

My first taste of crit racing took place on Sunday at Footscray Cycling Club at the crit course at Drake Blvd Altona. With the Pina clean and crisp and ready to rock, it was a pleasant 9:30am start. Given it was my 1st race, I started in 'C' grade to earn my wings so to speak. Tactics and not fitness is the name of the game and is something I need to learn.

So, the format for the race was 50min of riding followed by 2 laps. The course was 2km in length and we covered close to 38km in the 50-55min or so of riding.

I sat back towards the rear of the bunch for the first 10 to 15 minutes just getting a gauge of the race and seeing who was who. There were mediocre attacks here and there but nothing that taxed my aerobically at all. After 20mins I decided to move my way towards the front and for the most part I rode 4th to 5th wheel and took some turns on the front, probably too many for a first up race.

I think I showed my cards far too early when with 20min to go, I went out and attacked, opened up a 20m gap and wanted to see if anyone came with me, one guy did, came past too fast and asked me to join him but he went by too fast for me to latch on so we settled back into the bunch.

There were attacks the entire time but no reaction from the bunch as it was too early (2km) per lap and with half a lap into the monster head wind, there was no real way you could launch and expect to out ride 30+ guys working together.

So, I sort of worked out who was who and made sure with 2 laps remaining I was never deeper than 4th wheel so I could react if any attacks came. After about 15min of racing I found the confidence to ride hard through all corners without braking or backing off, this helped to considerably lessen the effort required to hold the wheel out of the corners.

So, 2nd last lap, no attacks as such but pace faster to probably prevent attacks from happening. With 2/3 of the last lap, pace was hot, I was 2nd wheel and was just waiting to go. With 2 corners from the final straight (about 400m to finish) the lad that made the move with me earlier went and got the jump on the rest us by 30m. I moved to the front and went balls to the wall to try and catch him. I wanted the win, not 2nd or 3rd so went full gas. Started to pull him back but no closer than 15m :( I was a clear 2nd with 30m to go but the lights were fading fast and with 10m to go got passed by 2nd and 3rd place (I was on the rivet giving it all I had but just went too early). On the line I either held 4th or was pipped by a late lunge by a tyres width, not sure at this stage. Need the photo finish I think.

So there you have it, first crit, definitely had the measure in terms of fitness, was not tested at all except for final 500m and it was tactics that got me. Need to work on the tactics. Given I know who is who now I will tag that MOFO next race (2 wks time) and sit on his wheel. Problem: They now know me, I played my hand too early and paid the penalty, you gotta know when to hold em and I did not.

All in all, an absolute awesome day, too much fun. I am hooked. The road racing season has not officially kicked off for me and I am so looking forward to the change from what has been 5-6 yrs of Triathlon.

Phat Loss Update

2009-05-09T21:56:00.002+10:00

It has been a good week on the weight loss efforts. I've managed to crack 78kg and keep the 7 day rolling average around 77.8kg. It's been some time since I've managed to get my weight down under 78kg, probably Ironman Port Macq 2007 to be exact.

So, all signs are positive, 75kg here I come. Although I may get the intervention from the wife before I get there but it remains to be seen at this point.

I'm having a rest off the bike tomorrow given it is Mother's Day and I feel it is a warranted rest too. I felt a tad flat on Thu, Fri and this morning on the bike, just did not have the giddy up of the past few weeks. My RHR this morning was elevated too, close to 50bpm which is high for me as it is normally sub 40. This is probably a sign I need 2 days off the bike for some long needed recovery and sleep. The continuous sub 5am starts 6 days a week tend to get the better of you after a while.

In about an hours time I'll be tuning in to stage 1 of the Giro d'Italia live via an Internet feed. Can't wait, too exciting, what a shame SBS don't televise it live. A few links to the coverage here. It should be one cracking race. http://www.cyclingfans.com/

Komo

Lose the fat, soar like an eagle

2009-04-25T11:29:00.004+10:00

A group of us headed out on the Kinglake ride again this Saturday, the 2nd time I've done the loop in two weeks. I have only ever done this ride on the Cervelo TT bike in the past and the last 2 weeks on the Pina have been fantastic. Much better climbing on the road setup as opposed to the TT setup.

Anyway, I have been on a mission over the past 3 weeks to lose weight, I started at 81.4kg and am currently sitting around 78.5kg. For every extra kg I shed adds speed to my climbing and I am slowly starting to climb well for the first time, well, probably ever! I'm finding I have the ability to bury myself on a climb and hang on a damned while longer compared to seasons past.

Given this ride is a regular Saturday morning occurrence for the group I ride with, I plan on using it as a good gauge on my climbing, and more importantly, my weight loss and what impact it has to my climbing prowess or lack thereof.

So, as I type this, it's 1:30 since my ride this morning and I've avoided eating, just had two coffees and a mini can of coke. Burn the fat! I am aiming for 75kg, I will be shredded at that weight but it's a good thing. I should find the climbing considerably faster for the same effort (not easy) as I will ride the climbs at the same intensity but in the overall scheme of w/kg ratio, as the kg declines and the watts stay the same, that magic number increases as does the speed on the climbs.

The weight loss is easier than what it has been in the past, I guess it's my mental state and the fact I am sharing the campaign with 2 other madmen and most importantly, we are accountable on a daily basis as we record the numbers in a shared online spreadsheet.

So for now, I'll keep melting away the fat and hope to soar like an eagle in the coming months.

Over and out.

Komo

Did one of ur pedals blowout or did u just ph*k up?

2009-03-28T13:45:00.006+11:00

This morning's plan was for 6h of the best with Monas out to the Dandenongs again for what has become the Saturday morning ritual of late. Today we opted for a sleep in and a 6am rendezvous at Burke and Toorak Rds before heading up the Burwood Hwy and then the Mountain Hwy to the base of the 1/20 climb.

About 5:55am - 5 minutes before the rendezvous point, I hear a crunch then a snap then a crackle and pop from the right pedal. It then starts squealing like a pig for the next 5mins until we meet. On further inspection, this will be lucky to last 30mins more before let alone 5.5h of punishment, it was terminal to say the least.

I left Jimi, he headed out to the Nongs and I decided it was best to head back home (pedal complained heavily for the next 30min) and call it a day or possibly make an F1 style pit stop, pedal change from the Times to the Look Keos and continue on my merry way. So, after enduring the 30min ride back home, I crept into the house (girls still fairy dreaming) and went about the changeover. 2mins tops and I was back on the road and would catchup with Jimi on the mountain somewhere.

I never thought I would be so keen to want to ride hills for 6h. Years ago I once hated the thought of anything that went up, I just don't mix well with gravity, but things have slowly started to change. I no longer dread the ascents like I once did and now rather enjoy the challenge that a good hill presents itself. It's not to say I find it easy, it still hurts, but I happily find my rhythm and can even attack from time to time rather than just hang on for dear life. Perhaps it has something to do with the Pinarello FP2, just a thought???? http://crankitkomo.blogspot.com/2009/03/pinarello-comes-home.html

So, a great 6h of actual ride time was had, close to 170km covered (all undulating), some good climbing and fun, Jimi and I consumed what is becoming the customary Red Bull, Can of Coke and massive jam donut towards the later part of the ride. In the end, I was glad that the pedal blowout did not put an end to my day.

Jimi races the Geelong Olympic next weekend so I'll give the Nongs a rest next week but it has become my new favourite ride and one I will plan into the training schedule at least once every 4 weeks. The 1/20 climb is a great 7km climb with a gentle 4-5% average grade and The Wall a much tougher climb more in the 10% range. I hope a few more lads can partake in this glorious riding spot on our doorstop.

Over and out,

Komo

A Two Cup Visit

2009-03-14T11:53:00.004+11:00

The bike is the number one passion, but, it is followed very very closely by the coffee bean. After sampling many different establishments throughout Melbourne and beyond, there is no better place than BBB, or make that Brother Baba Budan.

If you crave some of that liquid gold and you happen to be in the CBD, then look no further, do yourself a favour and sample their version of what coffee should be about.

http://www.brotherbababudan.com.au/

It doesn't concern itself with food, it is a pure coffee house. Watching the baristas at work leaves you in no doubt that they love their job and do their utmost to serve you the perfect cup time and time again. To this day I have never been disappointed by what they serve. If crowded don't walk away, it is worth the wait.

All that talk of coffee, time to grind.

Pinarello Comes Home

2009-03-06T20:37:00.003+11:00

Quick note to say that I am now the proud owner of an Italian thoroughbred, the Pinarello FP2 56cm. I went out to Ivanhoe Cycles http://www.ivanhoecycles.com.au/ after work today and test rode the Fp2.

(Quick Note: Awesome store, encourage you to take any bike out for a test ride prior to purchase as opposed to - CBD Cycles: who lost a customer and a sale last week when they did not allow me test a bike, their loss and considering I purchased 3 bikes from them over the years, rather disappointing, word of mouth spreads too!)

Back to FP2, in a nutshell, it rode like a dream! Fast, responsive, stiff and it looks AWESOME. I go back in tomorrow to make some minor tweaks to the setup, perhaps a stem length change which has a 120mm on it. It is running Ultegra SL 10spd and I just cannot wait until Sunday to get out on it (weather must be good, do not want to get it dirty). Here it is in all it's beauty.

All The Gear - No Idea

2009-03-01T22:23:00.005+11:00

Okay, so I've hijacked that from Gaffer from this mornings ride which befitted some hatecra clad cyclist riding a wicked Bianchi, I guess we were just jealous of the bling he was riding.

That is not the reason for this post, the reason for this post is my current dilemma. Which roadie to purchase? I have held back because I just can't make my mind up.

What is it to be? The Orbea Onix Vento? The Giant TCR Advanced 2? The Pinarello FP2? I have narrowed down the choices to these 3 bikes, unfortunately, the Cervelo road bikes don't make the short list because I just do not want to throw so many bank roles in their general direction, just far too expensive for a fun bike.

So, with my budget encroaching $3200 give or take 10-12.5%, I want to finalise the purchase this week. I was very very close to making the purchase last week, I'd spent 2 lunch times engrossed in the Giant, fondueing the bike over and over again to get a feel for it (unable to take out on the road). A great bike, aesthetically very appealing and reviews rate the ride characteristics highly.

I've ridden the Orbea for 2.5 weeks now (thx Damo) and it is stiff, responsive and feels light to ride even though it tips the scales at 8.5kg which is not a feather weight. The ride itself is sublime, I rode Yarra Blvd at Kew 3 times last week and attacked the hairpin at full gas on several occasions and was amazed at how well it hugged the inside of the corner with little to no effort. I felt so relaxed and confident throwing the bike in and out of corners, the front end just goes where you point it, no qualms. In saying all of that, what it does lack compared to the Giant TCR Advanced 2 is aesthetics. The Giant wins out in this regard. Don't get me wrong, the bike still looks the goods, just not as good as the Giant.

To the Pinarello Fp2 - not initially on the radar but I have found the bike for $3299 and it has aesthetics on its side, is Italian made, all reports rate this bike extremely high in terms of handling, cornering and race characteristics. It is not full carbon like the other 2 models but has an aluminium 6061 frame with Onda carbon rear triangle and the wicked Onda carbon forks that grace most Pinarellos. http://www.pinarello.com/eng/fp2_red.php

It really is a thing of beauty.

So, decisions to make, I hope to have made the decision be next weekend and have the new rig in my hands.

Any feedback welcome, thoughts on any of these bikes...

Cheers,

Komo

Geometry: Roadie vs TT

2009-02-17T19:47:00.009+11:00

Which one wins? Each has a place in its own right, whilst I have been riding a TT rig for many years now (since 2004 it has been my only bike of choice that I go out on), the world of the roadie has been calling me for sometime. I absolutely love road riding and can't get enough of the ProTour events. Ever since I decided to give the Ironman racing a rest, I have been longing to get a road setup again and the time is now perfect for the purchase to go ahead.

The big question was, which road setup was going to compliment the Cervelo P3C?Well it happens to be an Orbea Vento 2009. It just so happens that Damo has this exact bike and is away for 10 days and has kindly lent me his steade for 2 weeks.

I dialled in the setup on Saturday arvo and took it out for its first hitout with the lads on Sunday, yes, it did feel rather strange for the 1st 5mins and then it was just a joy to ride. I forgot how much fun riding a roadie as opposed to a TT setup could be, it has been some time since the 2001 OCR1 has seen the light of day, perhaps 5yrs at a guess. The only other roadie I have ridden during that time is the Cervelo S3 at Kona with SRAM Red and Zipp 606 wheelset, P0RN.

Today I went out on the North Rd ride with Jimi Mona's and it was full gas for most of the ride, I had an absolute blast on bike, sure, the 50/34 chainring setup caused me some grief at times as the pace was hot and I had to bridge gaps on several occasions. Think my cadence was around 130+ at times. All that said, it was just so responsive and stiff, the perfect bike to be riding in such circumstances. I really want to get this thing out in the hills to feel the difference.

So, a road bike setup is definitely making its way back into my arsenal of toys, sure, I'd love to have a Cervelo S3 sitting beside the P3C, just look at it, but not at this point in time. For what its worth, the Orbea is an awesome ride and one I would be more than happy to have sit beside the P3C.

I'd love to hammer the North Rd rides for the rest of the week but I have the Australian Triathlon Long Course Championship up at Jervis Bay on Sunday so I need to save the legs for that, it's a 2km / 83km / 20km. (Heading up with X Man, Princess and Gaffer on Friday afternoon).

As for next week, no need to save those legs so the Orbea will be out in full force Tue-Fri.

Adios,

Komo

Fires of Hell

2009-02-10T21:25:00.004+11:00

What more can be said for the tragic state of affairs that has hit Victoria over the past few days. It all started when the state hit 47degC on Saturday with 100kph winds, the mother of all days, the perfect conditions for fire to thrive and thrive it sure did.

The death toll just keeps on rising and rising. Have a quick look at this story which tells the tale of someone who survived to tell their tale of horror. I never realised how bad it could be, thinking, along with most that staying put and saving the house was a good option, well, I no longer think that. I think this story will convince you of that. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25026912-2702,00.html

As for our most treasured Kinglake rides that we so often do, take a look at what that ride now entails, it just is not the same. The above photo says it all.

Geelong 70.3 Post Race Thoughts

2009-02-08T18:15:00.003+11:00

The cold beers that greeted us in the ETPA tent courtesy of Big Boy hit the spot very very nicely indeed and capped of a great day. That coupled with the massage by Justin from PhysioHealth also in the ETPA tent has me feeling rather good right now.

I was happy with my outing today, a 4:35, 6min PB on this course is a good result, considering my relaxed approach. I had a swim PB (sub 29min) which previously eclipsed my Shepp 29min+ swim.

On the bike I just felt comfortable all day despite the strong wind, hail and heavy rain at times. My 3 laps were all 47min +- 10secs which was absolutely awesome, very consistent riding which was my strategy, to ride solid over the entire 90km with a constant pace. It helped.

I absolutely nailed T2 and was in and out in about 1min, quick for me.

The run, well, it is a rather tough run course and I basically hung on for dear life, my HR was hitting 170s which is E4 territory for me so it shows how much speed I lack but did run sub 1:40 and at the days end, was extremely happy given I was out there having fun.

A more detailed report to follow.

What's next? I am considering heading over to Jervis Bay with X Man in two weeks to compete in the Australian Long Course Championships with a view to qualifying for the Worlds in WA. Not 100% decided yet.

Komo

The Furnace

2009-02-07T15:01:00.002+11:00

Oh sh!te bitches, that is one nasty nasty day out there, thank the powers that drive this planet that the cool change is coming this afternoon because the race, Geelong 70.3 is on tomorrow and in this heat, it would be murder, actually, they would probably cancel the thing with 46degC and 80kph winds.

Just go back home after going down with Jimi Monas to race registration and bike check-in and it was around 46 coming back over the Westgate into Melbourne and the heat on the windows was fierce.

As for tomorrow, the cooler gale force southerly ;( will at least lower the temperature, BUT, it will be interesting if the event administration team go to contingency measures and make it a duathlon or shortened race of some description.

I think that the lighter brigade will be blown all over the road tomorrow if the wind speed stays the same, us bigger units (78kg+ boys) will find it to our favour and use more of our power and strength to hurt the lighter athletes out there who do not cope well with heavy winds on the bike.

As for the swim, well that's another story altogether, the chop chop on Eastern Beach was fierce, but that was with the north wind blowing, given the southerly change, perhaps calm seas could be the order of the day tomorrow.

No point worrying because that will not change I thing. For me now, it is feet up, get the carbs in the system, stay hydrated, finish the day off with a Pizza and a Corona and take a very relaxed approach into the race tomorrow.

I for one am looking forward to it.

Komo

You want a b!tch slap with that?

2009-02-05T09:32:00.001+11:00

Jelly 1 Komo 0

That was the result of the encounter with the squishy slime ball this morning at Willy.

Was out swimming with the 2 Jimmys, Monas and Duncan, sounds a bit like the 2 Ronnies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz2-ukrd2VQ for those in the know. I was on JimmyD's feet, cruising along and noticed his kick change from a rhythmic beat to a fast and whacky flutter (he later tells me it was his evasive manoeuvre). Suffice to say, it worked for him, he avoided the jelly and I didn't, whack, right in the face, thankyou very much. To make matters worst, it was at the end of the swim as we were heading back in.

The end result the boys tell me as we get out of the water was my face looked like I was bitch slapped. Nothing like a war wound to take to work ;)

Oh well, you take the good with the bad. The water was more glass like than glass it was that pure, sun coming up, pink sky, what an awesome way to start the day. I'd take this weather year in year out, forget Winter, Summer rocks!

Komo

The Virus Made Me Phat

2009-01-28T18:16:00.003+11:00

Here we go again, another excuse for the obese among us to explain why they are how they are. Some scientist claims that obesity can be caught like a disease, get a grip.

Stop jamming groceries down your maw, get off your phat ar5e and obese you will no longer be.

Checkout the article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7851031.stm

Sure, not! The reason they are obese is because they jam in far more than they burn, it's not rocket science, it's calories in vs calories out and it only takes an extra hunge here and hunge there to go into calorie surplus and turn podgy. It is so easy to add flesh, just add 500 calories a day over your BMR and voila, that's 1lb (0.5kg) of weight gain per week. What's 500 calories - not a great deal, it is a fine line between a deficit and a surplus.

So, from suing fast food chains to blaming virus', people just need to stop kidding themselves and face the facts, it is your own god damned fault, no one else's. Don't blame genetics, don't blame your 'big bones'. Blame yourself.

I'm not fat, I'm just solid.

Komo

Polymorphic Training

2009-01-24T17:14:00.002+11:00

Since IM WA, I am no longer directly coached by Mat anymore and decided to change things up a fraction and fly be the seat of my pants for while. Is saying that, I have been doing some big KMs on the bike over the past 6 weeks, if anyone knows me, that is clearly where my passion lies.

Julian (my best buddy) was back from the UK around XMAS and it was AWESOME getting out on the road again together; fyi - we started this IM campaign together back in 2004. Yep, that long ago.

So now my program is very fluid in nature, I'm happy to chop and change sessions around to fit in with commitments and other folks training. For me, it's now time to get the fun and enjoyment back and if that means I ride 7 days a week and become roadie, then so be it. Hence the polymorphic training.

It is time for me to trial several different strategies over the next 6 months two of which are strength training in the gym and core work. I firmly believe that my training will greatly benefit from this. I guess I will either sink or swim.

So it is time see what comes of this new plan or lack thereof.

Over and out

Komo