Moments in Time

By any stretch of the imagination this is an impressive video clip, I just thought it was worth keeping a record of it rather than just forgetting it as soon as I had watched it. I can only begin to imagine the training that this guy has put in over the years to be able to make such great toast!

I’m normally pretty sceptical about watching these things but I thought this was absolutely excellent. It does start to explain why it really is harder to learn things as you get older, learn whilst you are young folks!

A 2011 study published in The European Journal of Applied Physiology revealed similar findings to those reported in the French TV experiment — a 10 percent increase in total hemoglobin mass among 10 subjects. A test, performed afterward using the biological passport parameters, did not flag any of the subjects’ samples as suspicious.

Do:

Pack your favourite energy drink/ gels/ bars and take them to camp with you, says performance researcher Andrew Hamilton, BSc Hons MRSC ACSM. "Having access to a tried and tested top-up source of energy is a great asset, especially when you’re far away from home and churning out the miles."

Do:

Spread your riding out sensibly across the camp, says Oli Roberts, coach at pbscience.com. "Set a plan for the total time riding, how hard you want to ride and roughly how long you want to spend riding per day before you go. Remember that while the camp will give you the chance to ride more and rest more to cope with the load, you’re still working with the fitness you have rather than what you wish you had. I like to plan on a three-day rotation: medium length ride with quality work, longer steadier endurance ride, then easy day or day off."

Don’t:

Fall into the mega-ride suffer-fest trap, cautions coach Oli Roberts from pbscience.com. "I usually set a maximum ride duration of 5hrs in a long camp and a minimum intensity around 30W below lactate threshold (except on easy days). There can be a place for much longer and easier riding but in most cases backing up sensible endurance training around LT is a much better use of time."

Do:

Choose a coached camp if you want to seriously improve your riding, says Dave LeGrys of Legro’s Sportive Camps, www.legrossportivetrainingcamp.com. "Getting in the miles is often a key goal, but on a coached camp you can learn more about nutrition and training and improve your skills, making you a faster rider. The learning benefits from this will last longer than your tan."

Don’t:

Overdo it on the coffee stops, says Emma Barraclough, senior sports nutritionist for Science in Sport. "European coffee can be much stronger than that in the UK. High caffeine intake can irritate your gut if you’re enjoying multiple coffee stops on consecutive days. Try decaf or teas instead and keep the stress on your gut lower."

Do:

Remember to take the time to sample some of the local culture or take in the scenery. While it is almost all about the bike, it will be more satisfying if you experience your surroundings.

Don’t:

Go mad at the buffet. OK, it isn’t about weight loss but neither is it an excuse to eat everything in sight. Buffets are the worst as you can keep going back for more. Don’t, and choose wisely.

Do:

Have a recovery week when you get home. An easy week will give your body time to recover from the hard training you have done, so you are fresh and ready to use the fitness from your camp as the springboard for the next phase of your training.

Don’t:

Fall into bed without devoting 15-minutes to stretching, says Lexie Williamson, author of Yoga for Cyclists. "Stretch out the glutes, hip flexors, hamstrings and quads. A little stretching will aid recovery, freshen up the legs for another day’s training and improve comfort levels, especially around the lower back."

Do:

Take spares specific to your bike. As bikes get higher end and more specialised the components get more individualistic and hard to get hold of. A humble spoke or two breaking could be crucial to your camp, with replacements hard to source even somewhere with a multitude of shops like Majorca. You don’t want to end up on a hire bike while your pride and joy awaits repairs.

Don’t:

Make weight loss your target for the week. It’s more important to fuel your riding correctly so that you can train hard and effectively. You will be training significantly more than at home and under-fuelling will leave you fatigued and more at risk of illness.

Do:

Tool up appropriately. If you’re travelling with an organised training camp you are unlikely to need to take more tools or spares than you would on a normal day ride back home. However, if travelling as a group of friends it’s likely two things will happen — you will have 10 different track pumps or everyone will look around at each other’s deflated tyres before someone saying "I thought you were bringing the track pump..."

Don’t:

Act like you’re in a road race on the first ride. On every training camp someone will try to be the hero on the first day. Of course you will be excited but ensure your first day’s ride is just a leg stretch. Work up to a longer or more challenging ride in the middle of the week before backing off to shorter distances.

Do:

Plan your flights well, particularly if travelling in a large group. A club of 24 recently flew out to Majorca from Liverpool. As their plane taxied off, 12 bike boxes remained firmly rooted to the tarmac. If there are a lot of you think about booking two separate flights, as certain airlines will be only too happy to take your booking even though it may lead to your bike having an ovemight at the airport before joining you.

Don’t:

Believe the forecast. Many a training camp boasts 364 days of sunshine a year, but if you happen to be unlucky and be there on the 365th day when all the yearly rain falls, your lovely white cycling top will not shelter you from the elements. Don’t forget the sun cream but always remember at least one set of kit suitable for a UK winter’s day.