Dear January

by



January was a crap month for riding and training.


I had a positive start to the month completing the Poor Student Audax strong, including. However since starting out the new job I have been very busy and riding has taken a back seat. The new appealing commute to Petersfield and back (42miles round trip). Has been jeopardised due to the icy lanes & and a minor Achilles tendonitis which I have been nursing since the Poor Student. The ice in the lanes is something I could battle. However I do not have the balls to risk damaging bike and body. I really cannot afford a hard blow right now, especially when it can be avoided, so I must become a slave to the Turbo trainer.

The minor pain in the ankle is a new sensation for me. I am confused where it has come from. However I am taking it as a positive injury, due to the fact I can act on it so early in the season & and not 2 weeks before the TCR. On top of this I received news that I have to work abroad in Spain for 3 weeks at the end of January. This was also a big blow to my regime and general lifestyle. Three weeks without riding with a minor ankle injury. I am treating it as a blessing in disguise. SO using my time wisely during these three weeks in España. I will be conditioning/strengthening my core further, stretching and rolling my calves & other areas of trigger points that need work. On top of all this I will be doing serious route homework ensuring that I will have at least the first three check points routes nailed. On another positive note the lanes will be much less treacherous in March than they are currently. So I can really start to pump the miles out.

More positive steps have been made through the murky cold mists of January in Hampshire. I have installed my new Profile Design T3+ carbon aero-bars on my Diverge. So In March on-wards I will be commuting and training regularly. Ensuring comfort and aero-gains will be to the max come the start of the TCR. Regular Pilates classes have been booked in. These helped massively during my LEJOG endeavour and they will help even more during the TCR. Keeping the legs well stretched and core strong is important to ensure that I do not run into any injury when training and racing is at it's peak.


“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” – Winnie the Pooh


I have also managed to really get the Audax calendar filled up, ensuring that I will defiantly get my SR badge.