Poject Duo - Part Five (Final preparations)

As the Duo Normand fast approaches, Team Grumpy are regrouping for one final preparatory race.  Grumpy Bob and 'Grumpy' Art Vanderlay have had very different seasons.  'Grumpy' Art seems to have been engaged in a successful training campaign that has seen his lacklustre early season state of fitness improve to a point where it is likely to effective support his role as the mainstay of this year's Duo Normand performance.  For Grumpy Bob, who also had lacklustre early season fitness, things have not gone according to plan.

As reported in Project Duo, Part 4, Grumpy Bob made a brief return to training and racing after working in Nottingham for a beer-soaked high-chip diet week.  Unfortunately a week after returning, he succumbed to some vile virus.  Initially hoping that this was some kind of galloping hypochondria and then (when it became obvious that it was indeed some kind of cold) hoping it was merely man-flu, Grumpy Bob was horrified when it in fact turned out to be a quite vicious cold.

This has kept Grumpy Bob off the bike for pretty much two weeks.  Not ideal training preparation you might agree, but Team Grumpy does strive to live up to team rule #5, and he felt that losing training was a better option that being horribly ill on 18th September.

This weekend's regrouping sees Team Grumpy ride the 2-up section of the Norlond '10', run on a course based on the A505 Leighton Buzzard bypass.  It will be interesting to see how the two team members cope with what is likely to be unequal fitness.  On the other hand, on the evening before the event, Team Grumpy will be retiring to the local Thai restaurant for gluttony washed down with copious Singha beer, as well as substantial consumption of the official energy drink back at the house.

As has been observed before, traditional Team Grumpy race preparation like this is a great leveller, so perhaps the team will perform equally in the '10'.  And, helpfully, the event is an afternoon event, freeing up some hours for hangover recovery last-minute preparation.

Oh, and we are the only all-male team in the event.